Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: dazmond on December 18, 2009, 02:14:09 pm

Title: underpriced big round!
Post by: dazmond on December 18, 2009, 02:14:09 pm
i am aware since ive been using the george program that ive got a quite large underpriced round in general!and my plans for 2010 is to increase prices every year in april.tell em in march that theyll be going up the next month.50p/£1, some around 60 or so i will give them the ultimatum treatment.eg."ill have to increase ur windows to such a price(say £3,£4,£5 extra or else ill have to stop cleaning yours!) .ive been undervaluing myself for years and its time to make changes.all new work gets priced on £30 an hour.ive been a busy fool for too long!!this forum has opened up my eyes a lot and ive seen window cleaning as a job rather than a business in the past.i used to play a lot of drums in bands so i was gigging a lot and drinking even more!but ive packed in the booze now(sober 3 yrs!).and i no longer interested in playing drums and want to build a better business and future for myself!a lot of my work is in a affluent area and im way too cheap on some work that ive been doing for 15 yrs!!ive just recently paid all debts off that i accumilated during my drinking days and its took me 3 yrs to pay them off! great feeling now there paid!! anyone else been like this in window cleaning?and managed to turn things around?any input would be welcome!

best wishes to u all

dazmond
Title: Re: underpriced big round!
Post by: bignick on December 18, 2009, 03:11:48 pm
My aims for 2010 is to get some new well paid houses and try and drop the lower ones.  When I first started I was happy to get custys and started at say £8 for 40 mins work.  Now the confidence is up and jobs going well I can get same size houses for £15, so want to drop the £8 ones. 
Title: Re: underpriced big round!
Post by: martinsadie on December 18, 2009, 03:44:47 pm
i am aware since ive been using the george program that ive got a quite large underpriced round in general!and my plans for 2010 is to increase prices every year in april.tell em in march that theyll be going up the next month.50p/£1, some around 60 or so i will give them the ultimatum treatment.eg."ill have to increase ur windows to such a price(say £3,£4,£5 extra or else ill have to stop cleaning yours!) .ive been undervaluing myself for years and its time to make changes.all new work gets priced on £30 an hour.ive been a busy fool for too long!!this forum has opened up my eyes a lot and ive seen window cleaning as a job rather than a business in the past.i used to play a lot of drums in bands so i was gigging a lot and drinking even more!but ive packed in the booze now(sober 3 yrs!).and i no longer interested in playing drums and want to build a better business and future for myself!a lot of my work is in a affluent area and im way too cheap on some work that ive been doing for 15 yrs!!ive just recently paid all debts off that i accumilated  ;D  ;Dmanaged to turn things around?any input would be welcome!

best wishes to u all

dazmond
have you got a sore finger now  ;D ;D
Title: Re: underpriced big round!
Post by: macmac on December 18, 2009, 03:57:22 pm
i am aware since ive been using the george program that ive got a quite large underpriced round in general!and my plans for 2010 is to increase prices every year in april.tell em in march that theyll be going up the next month.50p/£1, some around 60 or so i will give them the ultimatum treatment.eg."ill have to increase ur windows to such a price(say £3,£4,£5 extra or else ill have to stop cleaning yours!) .ive been undervaluing myself for years and its time to make changes.all new work gets priced on £30 an hour.ive been a busy fool for too long!!this forum has opened up my eyes a lot and ive seen window cleaning as a job rather than a business in the past.i used to play a lot of drums in bands so i was gigging a lot and drinking even more!but ive packed in the booze now(sober 3 yrs!).and i no longer interested in playing drums and want to build a better business and future for myself!a lot of my work is in a affluent area and im way too cheap on some work that ive been doing for 15 yrs!!ive just recently paid all debts off that i accumilated during my drinking days and its took me 3 yrs to pay them off! great feeling now there paid!! anyone else been like this in window cleaning?and managed to turn things around?any input would be welcome!

best wishes to u all

dazmond

Good for you mate, well done & good luck. ;)
Title: Re: underpriced big round!
Post by: pingu on December 18, 2009, 04:06:51 pm
Nice to hear a succes storey... ;D
Title: Re: underpriced big round!
Post by: JRDEasiReach on December 18, 2009, 04:14:53 pm
Good for you daz, im pricing right from the start now so i dont become a busy fool :) it makes more sense i feel, no point in killing yourself for the same amount of money you could get for doing less work, thats the game im playing now and its paying off for me i think :)
Title: Re: underpriced big round!
Post by: Pureandclean on December 18, 2009, 06:13:00 pm
We've found the best time to put up prices is in January, so customers know what the price will be for that year, and they are most unlikely to fancy doing their own in winter.
Title: Re: underpriced big round!
Post by: dai on December 18, 2009, 10:24:02 pm
I have looked  at some of the 4 bed detached with cons that I do, and they are well under priced.
I do the same kind of house on recently acquired work charging 50% more for the same amount of windows.
I was doing an estate of 4 bed  Redrowe houses, leaded fronts with square bays, and charging them £10 including the con.
I dumped the lot because I would have had to increase the price by at least £6 to make them viable, and I knew they wouldn't stand it.
Now they are probably paying the right price to the new cleaner, but there is no way they would have paid it to me, and there's no way they are getting a better service than I gave them.
Title: Re: underpriced big round!
Post by: Mist A Bit on December 18, 2009, 10:41:34 pm
i to fell into the under pricing trap. i started putting up the prices £1 per year untill im happy with what im earning. some jobs are still underpriced but slowly getting their. If you`ve had the custys long enough they seem to understand
Title: Re: underpriced big round!
Post by: TonyD on December 19, 2009, 12:00:40 am
Good luck with it, it sounds like you're on track sorting things out there.  Good luck for 2010 and it sounds like it will probably be your best working year if you stay on track.
Title: Re: underpriced big round!
Post by: dazmond on December 19, 2009, 12:16:06 am
thanks guys!ive f***ed a lot of things up in my life in the past but things are looking up!not without hard work,self disipline and a desire to dig myself out of the hole i created for myself! ::).this forum has been the wake up call i needed really!im unemployable!i couldnt imagine working for anyone ever again so i better make the most of my business.i can see the potential in it a lot clearer now.ive got a 5 year realistic plan to turn it right round with the help of u guys on this forum.and i hope ill maybe help one or two of u guys in the future! :)

goodnight all!

dazmond