[Neil Grainger]

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.

[Mike Halliday]

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

[HolmansUKLTD]

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

Nick

[conallon]

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

[maxcarpets]

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.

[Neil Grainger]

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.

[The Great One]

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

[the red carpet]

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

[simonc]

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

[the red carpet]

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???

[maxcarpets]

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.

[conallon]

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

[Dave_Lee]

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.

[ollie]

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.

[ollie]

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

[NigelD]

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