[ian loughlin]

Referring to my last post, I've quoted £1100 broken down as: 1100sq ft for the carpet 35p per sq ft and 10 bench seats quoted at £10 per seat, IE: bench seats 4 bums = £40.

A local shark guy has gone in with a quote of £690, as the landlord does not want carpets done properly, thinks he can just give them a quick once over i have explained this is not the case.

As I'm just starting out this is a job i don't want to miss out on, if i undercut this price, i will be working midnight through to 6am with the missus as a extra pair of hands, what should i quote? or should i walk away??

Please give some advice?!

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Tell him that you'll do it properly for £800 payment at the end of the job, lets face it £800 can go a long way specially if you need it, publicans are renowned for moving on so there will be no repeat busines so just grab the money.

Shaun

[Jason Hedges]

Hi,

Sorry cant work your pricing out. You said you've quoted:

1100 sq. ft @ £0.35 = £385
10 x bench seats @ £40 each = £400

Total = £785!

A job of this size is achievable with 2 people in 6 hours.

The landlord has let you know his best quote as he's after the cheapest price wanting you to beat it (and as mentioned above it will probably be a one-off), so if you want the job you'll have to go in cheaper than the £690.

Kind regards,
Jason.

[carpetguy]

I think £690 is fantastic for 6 hours work...........................

rob

if you explain the reason s for your initial higher price and that you realise the client just wants a good clean, rather than a " renovation" clean  your credibility will be retained.

just do it and learn from the experience, that commercial clients rarely expect the quality of clean they would get in their home.

[steve k]

£690 for 6 hours...that "shark" guy is doing something right.
If you clear £600 for that, it is £100 an hour

[lands]

I agree Ian, take the money and run. Do a good job though as he might have mates in the industry which you can ask him when you have done job or maybe even use this as leverage to bring your price down

[Mark Lane-Matthews]

Your pricing is not far out from what your competitor is charging,you have just got your sums wrong.

                                                Mark

[carpetguy]

What  you refer to as a " shark " may well be someone like "me " or many of the guys on here, who are NOT novices and know exactly what they are doing.

This is why I continually try to inject some realism into pricing c/c work.

If you listen to those who tell you to always attempt to get the highest price you can, walk away from, price shoppers, etc, etc, while you have very little experience, knowledge, or ability to do a quality job, you will ;-

 1. find it difficult to get enough work to just get off the ground

 2. be unable to cash flow your business

 3. find you are getting into situations you can't cope with

 4. damage the credibility of the industry

Yes I said damage the credibility of the industry. Some imagine that the industry is enhanced simply by charging high prices for a service - which consumers can actually carry out themselves - and think this raises the value of the service.

Become your prospect and consider what you want done, how difficult / complex, is the operation, what credibility / track record, does this person have, who you are inviting into your home to carry out tasks, which, potentially, could be disasterous.

Do their proposed charges reflect true value, set against, your expectations / their claims.

How does their pricing compare to your hourly rate of pay, or to other services, you have previously used, or know of.

Do they appear knowledgable, capable, trustworthy, with a clean / tidy appearance.

Have they discussed how they will carry out the work, what they will use.

Have they stated their expected outcome. Is it similar to your expectations.

etc,

In other words.....................you are possibly competing with me, or one of the other, more experienced guys on here, who will easily answer all of the questions a prospect might have and by doing so, easily gain their confidence and if our price is more attractive, not because we're CHEAP, but because we KNOW WHAT TO DO..............WHAT TO USE..............HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE.

Please don't take all of this the wrong way, I am simply saying. If you  are a novice in this, or any business and you get FREE advice................LOOK HARD AT WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING and consider what will benefit you, not just today, from one job, but what could/ should result, from a job " well done "

Best wishes, whichever route you take !

rob              

 

[Ian Gourlay]

When you are a Multi Millionaire like Mr Ashmore you can get away with the prices you are charging for a pub  But Mr Ashmore learnt his trade first then got more confident.


However you do need to get your sums right as Jason and others says if you can get the job for £600  take it and do not feal you have had a hard bargain.

How much chewing Gum because if you have to deal with that it will slow you down


Listen to Carpet Guy he is a very successful business man

Although I do not always agree with him

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Ian is Mr.Ashmore my dad?

as for Millionaire well the Missus might be but I am just a mere servant

Shaun

[Susan Dean (1stclean)]

What  you refer to as a " shark " may well be someone like "me " or many of the guys on here, who are NOT novices and know exactly what they are doing.

This is why I continually try to inject some realism into pricing c/c work.

If you listen to those who tell you to always attempt to get the highest price you can, walk away from, price shoppers, etc, etc, while you have very little experience, knowledge, or ability to do a quality job, you will ;-

 1. find it difficult to get enough work to just get off the ground

 2. be unable to cash flow your business

 3. find you are getting into situations you can't cope with

 4. damage the credibility of the industry

Yes I said damage the credibility of the industry. Some imagine that the industry is enhanced simply by charging high prices for a service - which consumers can actually carry out themselves - and think this raises the value of the service.

Become your prospect and consider what you want done, how difficult / complex, is the operation, what credibility / track record, does this person have, who you are inviting into your home to carry out tasks, which, potentially, could be disasterous.

Do their proposed charges reflect true value, set against, your expectations / their claims.

How does their pricing compare to your hourly rate of pay, or to other services, you have previously used, or know of.

Do they appear knowledgable, capable, trustworthy, with a clean / tidy appearance.

Have they discussed how they will carry out the work, what they will use.

Have they stated their expected outcome. Is it similar to your expectations.

etc,

In other words.....................you are possibly competing with me, or one of the other, more experienced guys on here, who will easily answer all of the questions a prospect might have and by doing so, easily gain their confidence and if our price is more attractive, not because we're CHEAP, but because we KNOW WHAT TO DO..............WHAT TO USE..............HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE.

Please don't take all of this the wrong way, I am simply saying. If you  are a novice in this, or any business and you get FREE advice................LOOK HARD AT WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING and consider what will benefit you, not just today, from one job, but what could/ should result, from a job " well done "

Best wishes, whichever route you take !

rob              

 

your bang on the money there rob!

and ian heres the way and the price i would do it for this may show you what a competive came your in and ive just upped my prices a lot

1. i would t.mount the job useing the best chems  i think thats on the market  and also put two air movers in  for 450

2. if i could nt get at it dueing the day and started say 6 am on the morning i would put  two exles in there with two of my staff and four air movers for the same price useing bliz , cr. green or what ever it took to do the job right 

[Len Gribble]

Ian

I am no shark!

Tomorrow I’m down to £50 per hour hopefully and leaving home a 6am (not included), today it cost me £50 for someone to pull some hoses (now that rocket science) in the next few weeks I’m down to 72p sqm price mach! And some time next month I’m doing some work for a chap in Lincolnshire average tick £210.



Rob

Can you elaborate on item 3? In a quandary, sub out or day rate (day rate seems the better option)

Len

[carpetguy]

Daughter to collect will try to explain later  Len

[ian loughlin]

Its not that this guy is a shark, i know him. He just dose odd jobs for some beer money, and i know he has no equipment, so he will be renting a machine.

I was lucky to find out how much he is charging, and this wont be the case all the time.

[ian loughlin]

my sums are corret i just havent mentioned 40 chairs and that some of the benches seat..3 some..4 some..5 and so on.

[John Gregory]

I must live on a different planet from some of you Guys £690 is alot of money to me, I quoted a pub in central Manchester £250 to clean pub, and i did't get the job and i'm no shark. I looked at the job fought it wound take me 6 hours , is forty odd quid a hour too much for this type of work ?

John

[lands]

No John. £40 p/h is perfectly respectable. For a decent size job that is fine, Set up time and no in between travelling. Think about the time we lose on those things and once you have an idea on good quality and good value products you can't complain.

Pete

[Joe H]

Did a pub very recently, approx 380 sq yds carpet - no chairs. By myself.
Took me 10 hours for actual clean over 3 days - start 7am finish 10-30am (just before open at 11am).
Had to move all the tables and chairs - lots of them! but their was some open spaces too.
Travel time say total 2 hours (40min per day) then cleaning down equipment after each day.
Charged £520.
A bit jiggered but I was happy and more importantly so was the landlord.

Joe