[Simon Carter]

I have a residential window cleaning business & am doing ok. Six opos. & 2000 odd clients. Me thinks it's time to diversify. Carpet cleaning is the obvious one. I have three questions. What's the money like, is there money in focusing on the domestic side of the business, & how much of a concern is the availability of hire equipment for home owners to do their own carpets?. I appreciate thes are I'm sure old questions & I probably could find old answers, but a response would still be appreciated.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Simon get some GOOD training first and then you'll find that it will be irrelivant to what Missus thinks she can do with her Vax as you will have the know how to correct difficult stains and not shrink carpets also get far more impressive results, a bad result could cost you a customer and that also means your round as well!

Shaun

[Simon Carter]

Cheers for that Shaun. It would be my intention to do things properly as I appreciate that a business can stand or fall by reputation, but before I get too carried away, I still would like some indication of how good an industry your's is let's say at the top end of things.
I'm  glad I'm in window cleaning, but it was flook that I ended up in what I consider a good business to be in. I will do all my research once I'm confident that there is money to be made in carpet cleaning.  That I feel is where it all starts.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Good money can be earned if you charge the better prices and are good at what you do, I personally do well just moving into a £415000 property and I just clean carpets and upholstery.

Shaun

[Jonny jones]

hi shaun and friends,  can i share this story with you please..

i was called on the other week to do a living room carpet, i went there had a look. no problem,  i have done a course with prochem, so i know what im doing,  anyway i told her £30, and she said fine thats ok, so went back a few days later to do the job,  it was maybe 20meter square. 
done the job and got chatting with the old lady.  she had had a couple of quotes from other carpet cleaners, one  said £140 and the other £90.  i felt like a right idiot im not brilliant at pricing jobs but i think i got conned then 

please tell me the going rate for carpet cleaning these days as its only an add on service to my car valeting business.

thanx jonny

[ianharper]

Hi Castlecarcare

I was just like you up until recently, my reason was that i thought that if i charged a cheap price i could put loads of customers onto to my databse and market to them each month, wrong.

First they will be the wrong type of people that i want to do business long term and second it limits the amount of money you have to play with for marketing.

My avarage price for a lounge was £30 now its £98

The GREAT thing was when I did the very first quote at the new price I thought that I would have a hard sale on my hands. she did not evan blink. its the same on ever other quote i had done since.

I do a computer quote as this looks more professional and its the computer thats given the price not some guessamate.

Its great coming home with £196 in you pocket instead of £60 after two lounges

One other benifit was that I can spend longer on the job and do the type of marketing that i want to.

Good Luck

Respect

Ian Harper

[Mike_Boxall]

... anyway i told her £30, and she said fine ... she had had a couple of quotes from other carpet cleaners, one  said £140 and the other £90.  i felt like a right idiot im not brilliant at pricing jobs but i think i got conned then 

please tell me the going rate for carpet cleaning these days as its only an add on service to my car valeting business.

thanx jonny

Jonny,

The next time you quote £90 you can be sure that the customer will turn round and say she's had a quote for £30!

Despite what people say, there is no 'going rate'. Charges vary from one extreme to another depending on a number of factors. The best way to work it out is to decide what you're happy to earn (taking account of ALL your overheads) and then price accordingly. No matter what you charge, some you'll win and some you'll lose.

I think it's fair to say that most carpet cleaners charges also vary according to the type of customers they're dealing. The most successful strategy is to do a professional job with professional equipment and charge a professional price.

Simon

Carpet cleaning would be an obvious (and profitable) diversification for you. Although people can hire or buy their own equipment and do it themselves they could also do their windows themselves if they really wanted to. It's a pretty safe assumption that those customers who would pay to have their windows cleaned are likely to be the one who would also pay to have their carpets cleaned.

Before you buy anything I'd suggest you do a Prochem course first.

Regards

Mike