[clive ware]

Dont know about any one else but I am finding, this year, that customers are simply looking for the cheapest price they can for carpet cleaning. I am definately getting fewer jobs I quote for despite me going out to see the customer. Its hardly me worth even quoting for eot jobs now!!
Fortunately, I have a lot of existing customers who are happy with what I charge them but its the new ones I`m starting to struggle with. I even had a recomendation email the other day about an empty bungalow with what she said had around 44 metres of carpet. I gave her a very reasonable quote and she emailed me back to say thanks but she`s going with a quote of £45! With our costs going up and up I cant understand why carpet cleaners are bringing their prices down lower and lower just to get the job.

[davep]

What do you charge for say a through lounge?

[clive ware]

Normally about £75 but been doing that price for the last 10 years!

[craig melvin]

were finding the same here in Coventry. Prices seem so low!

also were finding that the yellowpages calls either the book or yell.com are producing so many rubbish enquiries at such low prices!

Craig

[clive ware]

That`s what I`m finding on internet enquiries.

[Neil Williams]

I did mention the other week on here about a bunch of clowns down the road from me quoting 60p/sqm.
It's ok I've since changed my marketing techniques when coming up against them which is now gaining more jobs.
Prices on basic quotes are down but can be upped if you put on your best gear, site visit and sell your heart out.
 

[Adam P]

the trouble you get with eot is the customer is paying to clean something for someone else, and even though it's their dirt, they just see it as paying a load of money (which tbh it can be) to never walk on the carpets again, so the next person can benefit. all this on top of everything else they're paying when moving house, you can understand why at this time they want the cheapest possible, which sucks as i like eot cleans.

[Warren Aldridge]

Tell them how wet cheap carpet cleaners leave them
Tell them how much they will stink

Then tell them how they wont get their deposit back.

Works for me anyways 

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys

I have stuck to my normal prices and seem to be going along quite nicely although it does seem very busy week followed by slightly below average is the pattern.

It is inevitable that we will be squeezed along with most others but there is more than one way to tackle it.

Good marketing should bring in plenty of enquiries so the price shoppers can be  ignored.

Cheers

Doug

[Russ Chadd]

It doesn't seem to matter to some people how established you are or how you do the job etc...
They will always go with the guy who appears to be giving them the service required for a really cheap price!
Had an Indian woman call me the other day and all she wanted to talk about was the discount... I have dealt with people like her before... They get a service for a cheap price... then try to get you to do more work when you arrive for the same price... and then once you have finished try every trick in the book to avoid paying the agreed price!

[from edge2edge]

Russ alot of people on hearing the voice of someone from the sub continent just make themselves unavailable.They quite simply dont work they way that pleases me so unless it seems like a good amount of money i sometimes avoid them too(not officially though).Regards Alan

[Warren Aldridge]

I carput vosh for discount everyday.

50% of my clients are from the sub continent, you need to have the knack.

"Lounge carpet £100 but for you £60"
"cant you make more discount discount"
"OK for you £50!, because I like you"

[Mr Dvae]

Move into the un-tapped marketplace.

Dave

[from edge2edge]

Fair point Warren but they lie about having paint on the carpet,rooms full of heavy furniture which they expect you to move,more rooms than they said,the person you spoke to isnt here,oh my uncle doesnt speak english...........the list just goes on and on which has long since bored me to the point where i dont want to do any work for them(agreed price after discount or not).Just my opinion but i know many who share a similar one ..............Regards Alan

[benny d]

As above they really pee me off. I dont work for anyone like that any more.

What would they say at the end of an Indian meal, that I will pay £ 20-00 less. They would call the cops, but they dont mind trying it on on us"! Twassers!
As they are in England do as the English do or go away!

BTW I love a Madras-best meal of the week 

[Neil Williams]

I'm quite sure this topic will get locked soon with the direction it's going, so whilst it's still here I'll put my two pennies worth in.
I just put a stupidly high price on the table which stops the conversation stone dead.
It's far less hassle that way and stops 10 minutes of bartering.

[Craigp]

Lock the topic? You think ?

I doubt it, I think the mods on here (to their credit) are very tolerant. Can't see them locking this.

[Fintan_Coll]

Getting back to Clives original point, yes there are some people, quite a lot in fact who have very little money left over after paying the grocery bill, mortgage etc, etc.
I stopped in a town this evening and a customer of mine noticed the van and came over to ask about getting her leather suite cleaned. As she was a regular customer I gave her a discounted price from what I normally charge. I could see straight away from her expression that the price was a bit out of her reach, so I immediately knocked €10 off and she said ok. Point is , a few years ago the same woman would just ask me to clean the suite and would ask me what she owed me after I had finished the work. Not any more, and that goes for a lot of people.
Do we keep raising our prices or keep them at the same level as pre recession times and in doing so put our prices out of reach a lot of customers  or do we adjust our prices to a point where our customers can afford to hire us.
This is something which I ponder on all the time.

[Bob Allen]

As your the south coast 2nd best carpet cleaner Clive, you have always been able to justify your high prices for your extremely high quality of work, of which I would certainly pay ....anyway enough of that,
on a more serious note, I find myself thinking ok i would normally get  x amount for an hours work, but if I was to be slightly more flexable with my price I will still be earning a good wage, especially with the ease of a truckmount . Basically better to be abit flexable and earn a decent wage than wait around for the big money jobs and what you loose in profit on one job you gain in recommends from the great job you do.