Clean It Up
UK Floor Cleaning Forum => Carpet Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: cleanability on July 26, 2006, 06:34:48 pm
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Did a job today. About 12 X 14 took 35 mins charged £35. I'm happy with that. The customer had a qoute for those dimensions from a small CC not a franchise and they quoted her £80. They said they use special chemicals. Call me a soft touch but my conscience wouldnt let me take £80 from anyone for carpet cleaning for 1 hour. Its not as if its a skilled job is it.
Chris
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I cleaned a hall/stairs/landing for a lady who paid £180.00 for the same job last year! Is this possible, more to the point, is this fair?
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how much does your average customer cost you in advertising though?
when i last checked it was costing me on average £35 to get through the door.
My min charge is also £35 but when i do these jobs i know for a fact im doing them for nothing
then you got chems
diesel
time taken to quote
and all the rest, think about it they have got a nice clean carpet and you have just lost money ??? dosent seem right does it, even at £80 theres not exactly loads of profit to be made on these small jobs
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Chris, how long did it take you to get to the job & home again? over 15mins each way?
then you made less than £35 an hour without taking out your working cost, this is not enough.
Mike
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Are you offering just a clean.
My prices are what i would call middle of the road but my customers are never just getting a clean.
Included in price are free re-visits to clear any accidents that happen. You could say they are getting a years worth of insurance. My Customers love this and it makes them feel that they are getting a service not just a clean.
Why is £80 an hour not worth it? look at your costs, set up time, moving furniture, travel time and your marketing costs just to get them to phone you. People dont mind paying if you give them that little bit extra.
I put my prices up last year, i do fewer jobs but earn more money. Never quote over phone unless they ask for it. I find that the want over the phone price people are looking for the cheapest but want the earth. Dont mind giving them the earth but they have to pay.
I spent 2 hrs in dentist and they charged me £340 for the service of a root filling.
Why is trying to charge as high as you can a problem if you are offering a service.
Just my thoughts
Neil
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Trouble is, in the customers eyes, its only cleaning. The machine does most of the work for you. They dont expect to pay much for carpet cleaning. You can have all the training in the world and it wont matter, its only cleaning!
If you want more money, get a trade or find a better job, this is only cleaning! ;)
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You can justify say £50 to £70 in your own mind eg travelling time, advertising etc but when it comes down to it I wouldnt pay an unskilled worker for a service at those rates. These rates are getting near some solicitors rates. Remember we are doing a job which anyone with half a brain can do with 1 hours training. Could anyone with 1 hours training build a wall, plaster a ceiling or fit a central heating system. And these tradesmen would be happy with the rates some of you are justifying. Dont get me wrong I love carpet cleaning even though I used to repair missile systems in the army, and its making a living for me.
Chris
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Educate your customers then.
Is cleaning blood of a sofa from a child having a nose bleed just cleanig, think of all the problems that could arise.
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Your having a laugh, Builders Plummers and sparkys are all up in arms because most were self tought and are having trouble getting their certs because they have life experience and no written qualifications.
The fact that these industries have major problems with reliability and skill levels and ripping off customers is all over the press all the time. If you find any good trade people the customers dont mind paying if you are reliable and good, this goes for all trades including Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning.
Try putting your prices up, I bet your customers wont mind if you are giving them what they want.
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You cant call carpet cleaning a trade - no way!
Cleanability is correct in what he saying, thats why cleaners on here moan about not making a living, too much competition etc etc. Yes its true in all true trades, but anyone can buy machinery, put water in it and off they go within 1 hour of receiving their equipment. You cannot compare this to trades, cos it simply isint. Customers know this too - they're not stupid. They can hire a machine for a tennor down the local store and do it themselves and they know whats involved.
Lets have a reality check here, we are carpet cleaners not brain surgeons! :)
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I'm starting to feel guilty that I earn £80-£100 a working hour ;D ;D
after all I'm only a carpet cleaner.
I earn a great living, have no competition and all from a squirty-sucky machine.
when will this dream end.
Mike
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Where do you work - on the moon? ;D
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east yorkshire :D
28 carpet cleaner within 10miles of me but none of them I consider competition
Mike
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have to say I agree with mike our min charge is £50 15 x 20 room
we would do for 70 depends on area we are going to ;D
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I'm starting to think theres a conspiracy here lolllllllll maybe the £80-£100 an hour guys dont exist but are really carpet cleaning equipment companies. Just here to make the rest of us buy equipment and chemicals striving for that hourly rate. Ok its a long shot but makes sense lollllllll
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Very good days ! but also very bad days. I'm not sure that £80 / £100 per hour can be done 8 hrs a day 5 days a week. But even so, getting a very nice living from my business.
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If you consider that you are offering the same service as someone getting a rug docter from B&Q then maybe you should be charging £35 an hour.
If you are working in area's were the average earning are in the £100,000's were Max works in wokingham I dont consider trying to get £100 an hour as to extreme. I use Wokingham because it is the wealthiest area mile for mile in the country and being cheap will not do you any favours in the long run, People will ask why are you so cheap because as you say they are not stupid.
You are a business owner and not just a carpet cleaner.
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Max
Why would you want to be cleaning for 8 hrs a day 5-6 days a week, you'll be knackered in a year. 5 hrs Max. When do you do your marketing and quotes if you are cleaning for 8 hrs a day.
I would have to change 4 times a day at the moment because of the heat. I was ringing wet when I finnished my first job today.
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Cleanability and cleantime,
Why did you buy equipment at all, get it sold, buy yourself a bottle of vanish and then you can really compete with your customers!
Hey just thought, then we wouldn't seem so expensive either
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east yorkshire :D
28 carpet cleaner within 10miles of me but none of them I consider competition
Mike
Why dont you consider them competition? Are you saying your superior to them?
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They are only competition of they offer something as good or better than what you offer. From what i here Mike is doing something right.
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to have a competition you have to chose to compete, you must be interested in winning.
I chose not to compete or be interested in winning. I do what I do and charge what I charge, without any interest in what everyone else in my area is doing.
My phone rings every day, as I'm sure it does for the other 28 carpet cleaners, why should we have to compete for work there's plenty of it to go around.
Mike
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Did a job today. About 12 X 14 took 35 mins charged £35. I'm happy with that. The customer had a qoute for those dimensions from a small CC not a franchise and they quoted her £80. They said they use special chemicals. Call me a soft touch but my conscience wouldnt let me take £80 from anyone for carpet cleaning for 1 hour. Its not as if its a skilled job is it.
Chris
mine would have been £60 or £90 with protector, but you did manage it in 35mins i must say it would have took me that long to set up, move furniture and pre-vac the carpet the HWE would have took a further 25mins so 60 mins alltogether for £60 is the same price as you!! only the protector would have made me more :o
Nick
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Mike
well said, could'nt have put it better myself,its important that your biz goes the way you want it to, not based on somebody elses.
Conrad
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Hi Neil,
Sorry for late reply. I would like to work 8hrs a day, 5 days a week ( young family ). My wife does quotes for me if I'm busy to save me time ( slave driver ).
I know what you mean about the sweat, clean T shirt for every job.
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I have a young family too but 5hrs cleaning a day. The one thing that Alltec tought me was to put my prices up and make the business work for you and not you for it. I only lost the customers that were not any good anyway and made the difference up by charging the others higher prices for a very good service.
Its not just about cleaning the carpets. Its about the complete package, Customer Service, being available when they want you and just making them feel they are getting you at what they comsider a good price.
I am in business to make as much money as possible while offering a good service, be it from the first call to the reminder letters that I send out every 3 months. Have slow times as I am still only in my secound year but every month gets better and I actualy love this work, sad i know ??? ???
As we are so close to each other Max would be good to meet up for a beer at some point.
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Hi
We all know we don't earn £100 p/h all day every day.
Some you do and some you don't.
Last week I had a £450.00 day, today was a £75.00 day.
Regards
Martin 8)
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You should have a target hourly figure though that you consantly achieve whilst actually working.
Mine is £40 and its very rarely any different, had a really bad access job yesterday and ended up with £19 worst yet, and have had good days were iv managed £80.
but day in day out i consistently earn £40 a hour, and try to do a six hour day, so £240 a day four days a week
thats as a one man band with a portable charging realistic prices.
ime just of now to have a test drive of a bigger van i hope to buy this week to fit a t/m in, and i also want to take on a full time helper. Then i will be aiming for £100 a hour ;)
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Price is always in our own minds and
not the customers...Charge what you want to charge do the best job possible be knowledgable, dont knock yourself for being only a cleaner...air line pilots are after all only posh bus drivers....
Most people give up a business because they arnt making enough...no margin no mission.....
if you charge cheap you are cheap ...
Be proffesional turn up on time talk to the customer, they buy us first and our skills second...
dress smartly have a nice Mercedez Vito most of my customers seem to drive cars in excess of £25,000 do they want a service or aragged assed cleaner
Of course you can always go on charging £35. per room and wonder how other people charge what they do....
Simon
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One of the quotes that has stuck in my mind from the discovery day i recently went on was this
"if you belive you can you are right"
"if you belive you cant you are right"
makes a lot of sense to me
also not everyone in this world wants the same things, you shouldnt judge other people by your own standards
most decent customers are middle aged, middle class woman, and most cleaners are working class men
they are a completly different breed to most of us and as such think in a completly different way
why do some people buy a pair of jeans from Primark for £8 and others go to Gucci and spend £300????????????
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Hi Neil,
Would be great to meet for a beer ( of two ). Hope nobody listens to our conversation, they may think it a bit strange two men chatting about different carpet experiences.
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Red
your a decent lad i would reccomened you anytime,always spot on with price ,good lad
Conrad
get rid of porty and get t/m
could be parting with crossfire and van
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Obviously with your mind set Carpet Cleaning will never be a trade to you and the likes of those that go into into it with little or no foundation whatever, and call them selves ptofessional Carpet Cleaners. Every town and and city has a glut of these peolple, but we that know better and have learnt our trade properly over several years, because yes, it does take several years, just as an apprenticeship does, and its on going all the time. Then theres the business side, effective marketing, oh, and off course all the extra money we take over those that have simply, just not, got it!
Dave.
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If, as some people say, the customer just wants cleaning done...why do i get jobs that my competitors quote at 50% less than me? Its because i go and do a quote, explain how and why i will use the method and solution i choose to clean their item/s and why cheap cleaners can ruin their expensive items with the wrong choice of chemical or cleaning method etc.... just this morning i earned £110.00 for cleaning a suite in 3 hours.. i quoted and booked the job 2 weeks ago even though my customer had phoned my competitor after i had been to her property and quoted , and had been told by him it would be £40.00, she asked if he would have to come and see it first and he said "no as long as its not velour i do anything for £40.00" So it goes to show customers are notall price sensitive.
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You cant call carpet cleaning a trade - no way!
Cleanability is correct in what he saying, thats why cleaners on here moan about not making a living, too much competition etc etc. Yes its true in all true trades, but anyone can buy machinery, put water in it and off they go within 1 hour of receiving their equipment. You cannot compare this to trades, cos it simply isint. Customers know this too - they're not stupid. They can hire a machine for a tennor down the local store and do it themselves and they know whats involved.
Lets have a reality check here, we are carpet cleaners not brain surgeons! :)
But in an earlier post you defended us by saying "You know its amazing how many people will pay without questioning say £100 to have say a blind fitted at a window, but they always seem to moan about the price of carpet cleaning. You get "well your only cleaning it" - they dont realise the labour costs, chemicals expended, business running costs etc etc
How can we educate them?
This is something the NNCA should be doing on a National level."
can you clarify your position on this?
thanks
Ollie
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It seems to me that many people equate money earnt per hour running a business, i.e. £60 per hour charged to a customer with a salary or hourly rate of £60. It ain't so, once you have paid all of your business running costs how much is left? And don't forget to include taxes, NI, Marketing, Insurance, Fuel, Chemicals, Machine repairs/replacement, Van and the list goes on. And that assumes as many have pointed out, do you get £60 or £30 per hour all day every day. What about holidays and god forbid sick?
If a customer is happy to pay, make sure you do a good job, deliver a good service. If you do she will tell her friends and cost will not be an issue. Do a poor job and she will tell everyone and will still not be the issue.
Nigel