[dazmond]

ill be having a price review next month and im putting around 200 of my customers up.some 50p/£1/£1-50.ill tell them in march and the new prices will start in april.i did this last year with some going up as much as £7.only lost 2 customers and they were over 50p rises!! :

im steadily picking up more work but ive still got a hell of a lot of very compact estate stuff at cheap prices.ive been cleaning a lot of these for 17 years and is good "bread and butter" work but i feel they need another rise.average prices are £5-£6 per 3 bed semi.i have 150 of them virtually all next door to each other but cant help thinking i should be making more money out of them.

their getting a better service as im wfp now so all frames get cleaned every time plus awkward windows.i made the mistake of not putting prices up for many years so their used to  cheap prices.cant help thinking 2 price rises in 2 years in this current economic climate i might get quite a few cancel on me.

maybe its all in my head!i am without a doubt the best window cleaner in my area by a mile esp now ive smartened up with uniform,van/wfp and im more professional in attitude and working practices.


i think i just need to bite the bullet and put them up esp with everything else going up.what do you think guys?

[formb]

I am doing the same.

March into April up around 10%. Less for overpriced jobs more for underpriced jobs.

I expect to lose 5 - 10% of the customers. It never usually goes that high but with the current economic blah blah blah..........

[Jackal]

its a hard disussion im in the same boat with work i brought a year ago prices between £5-6 on 3 beds (compact work) im going wait till next year myself,im not sure how much to put them up as the old w/c only used to put them up 10p a year i think, and i have had some custys say to me he kept putting prices up  : so how do i no what they would react like with a 50p rise ,think its best for me to get out leaflet the same areas as last year to try make up for any i may lose next april in the price rise

[AuRavelling79]

I think you're "on the money" Daz - tell 'em in February/March for March/April is my plan too.

Here is the detail.

A handful have gone up this month - those that have asked me if it's going up, one who told me it's going up (she's great) and two I've told it's going up.

The general plan, like yours is to choose the "phone before for access" (about ten) the "out of the way" and the "dogcrap" and put them up say £2 on a £12/15 job.

The compact £8/12 areas I will probably just go with a round up to a tenner or add a £1 but leave the higher ones at the level they are at.

Overall on a 3K turnover month I aim to add about £200.

My letter - always tell'em beforehand - is going to be a mix of because of:-

Vat/inflation/ and especially the rise in diesel. Lots of hand-wringing and how I appreciate their custom and hope they understand and I expect to lose between zero and two.

[erithwc]

i intend to put all my prices up every year even if it's only 40-50p that way i won't end up with under priced work, but if it happens in the real world is another thing  

[TomCrowther]

Hey Dazmond, what would you charge these customers if they were new? Probably a lot more than £6 a house. The problem is because you have had them for so long and not increased the prices it's become an issue but most of it is in your head.
If I were you, I would consider two options- 1. tell them all you have a new business plan and are growing the business through this year {new equipment, more investment etc etc} and as a result you are putting up their prices. Your minimum charge is £x {say £10 for example}. You appreciate this is a big increase but they have not had a proper increase in years etc etc. The price will stay the same for 3 years, maybe increase the frequency.
2. Sell that chunk of work and free up your time for new, better priced work.
Just my thoughts mate.

[formb]

Blame the government!!!

Prices of everything are going up so why not yours!!!

I blame the government every time!!!

[Crystal-clear]

Daz i had a round like that all next door work when i was up north , i upped 10% at a time i found 1 in 20 wasnt happy but i did it that way just incase i had big cancelations.

imo i will never buy a round thats so compact again you might have it all there .but then you need to be carefull with so many things ,if one person gets upset cos of the pole or cos you forgot to close the gate and cancels , her mum cancels and brother and friend so you lose 4 lol

same with price rise if one person dont like it you might find that that persons next doors dont too, so you get 5 cancellations 

i dont know whats the best thing for you to do ,try up them slowly like over the year say 15 houses a month see what the response is, or just tell em all gently in march its going up.

The other thing i hate about compact work is if someone canvasses your area and picks up one house, he could also pick up that houses friends and family so again you could lose 5  again that person could leave you cos they were paying £6 for years and now you upped it to £7 then that might give him a reason to leave abd takes his friends and family with him.

Im pleased i saw the back of compact rounds i will never buy one again !
you can make good money but its a ticking time bomb lol

[Sean Dyer]

from 5-6 daz id stick at least £2-3 on minimum

Mine are averaging around 7-8 and im sticking £2 on them all, theyre compact like yours but still to cheap for 3 bedders with plenty of windows,!!

started putting some up the other day by march 1st everyone will be on my new pricing structure and no more collecting

gonna be a good 2011

[Crystal-clear]

sean i would be worried upping them so much at those prices you expose your compact round to other window cleaners maybe,if you loose one you might lose 3 total cos that one knows the other 2 and so on, i would be carefull on compact rounds.

[dazmond]

from 5-6 daz id stick at least £2-3 on minimum

Mine are averaging around 7-8 and im sticking £2 on them all, theyre compact like yours but still to cheap for 3 bedders with plenty of windows,!!

started putting some up the other day by march 1st everyone will be on my new pricing structure and no more collecting

gonna be a good 2011

i wont be sticking £2 or £3 on every one sean!if i remember rightly you ve got some £4-00 houses in cheetham/moss side have nt you?did ya put them up 3 quid?


im just gonna go with my original plan and creep them up every year.i have quite a lot of  varied other better priced work but these are good solid payers and the hourly rate after rise should take me up to £25-£30 an hour.


dazmond

[geefree]

Try upping the prices on  20% of your round,

then use this as rough example, a tester to see the reaction,

And if you are likely to lose anyone,.. then at least it wont be widespread across your round.

Trial run 

[Jackal]

makes me laugh sometimes this forum does,like he is going add 2 or 3 quid on a 5-6 quid job,he has 150 houses on that estate and would proberly lose all of them at that price rise  :

[geefree]

I agree , but we dont know his business, or area or customers,

it would not work for me, such an increase ... but he may just be ok.

[dazmond]

as well as 150 houses on this estate i also have 190 other properties including converted barns,big country houses,a few commercial and pockets of 4 and 5 bed houses.block of granny flats etc ,etc.

i bet ill be unlucky to lose anymore than a couple of custies!!


dazmond

[david thomas]

Probally are paying 25% more on there shoping bill since you started that round if I would you add £1 to all your compact houses.

[stevekennedy]

Do you guys find it best to warn in advance?

For residentials, we just put them up. If they not happy they can pay the old price and we will part company.

[Pavlyk]

ill be having a price review next month and im putting around 200 of my customers up.some 50p/£1/£1-50.ill tell them in march and the new prices will start in april.i did this last year with some going up as much as £7.only lost 2 customers and they were over 50p rises!! :

im steadily picking up more work but ive still got a hell of a lot of very compact estate stuff at cheap prices.ive been cleaning a lot of these for 17 years and is good "bread and butter" work but i feel they need another rise.average prices are £5-£6 per 3 bed semi.i have 150 of them virtually all next door to each other but cant help thinking i should be making more money out of them.

their getting a better service as im wfp now so all frames get cleaned every time plus awkward windows.i made the mistake of not putting prices up for many years so their used to  cheap prices.cant help thinking 2 price rises in 2 years in this current economic climate i might get quite a few cancel on me.

maybe its all in my head!i am without a doubt the best window cleaner in my area by a mile esp now ive smartened up with uniform,van/wfp and im more professional in attitude and working practices.


i think i just need to bite the bullet and put them up esp with everything else going up.what do you think guys?

This can be mad--- min.£8-£15 clean glass, frame and sill ===8-windows (you're probably kidding ---average prices are £5-£6 per 3 bed semi . ) and believe in every product has its own buyer, chepp goods such chepp buyer only in this way you can earn money

[NJWindowCleaning]

Yeap will be putting up prices in March but only half the round but i am thinking too going to put the other half up in October for the second budget

[Sean Dyer]

from 5-6 daz id stick at least £2-3 on minimum

Mine are averaging around 7-8 and im sticking £2 on them all, theyre compact like yours but still to cheap for 3 bedders with plenty of windows,!!

started putting some up the other day by march 1st everyone will be on my new pricing structure and no more collecting

gonna be a good 2011

i wont be sticking £2 or £3 on every one sean!if i remember rightly you ve got some £4-00 houses in cheetham/moss side have nt you?did ya put them up 3 quid?


im just gonna go with my original plan and creep them up every year.i have quite a lot of  varied other better priced work but these are good solid payers and the hourly rate after rise should take me up to £25-£30 an hour.


dazmond

they are in hulme. Put one pound on every one. No complaints. Make extra 120 a month for nothing now :-) some of my best hourly rate work. The other stuff i am putting 2 quid on every one . Simples. Not raised for 5 years dont think they can complain.