[kisu8]

We have just started our new cleaning company and small jobs related to that. But there is a little proble, when people hear the price they cancel our service. We are charging 11-£12/hour and a little exta payment for very dirty houses and £10/hour for DIY jobs. Please give us a hint to our question.

[Cleanersolutions]

Hi,

Firstly, you say your clients cancel your service when they hear the price.  Have you already agreed to do the work or have you started to do the work?  Surely they would require a quote in the first instance?!

Secondly, what is your question? You haven't asked one yet......But if you mean "What can you do", I suggest:

1) You make it clear to prospective clients how much you intend to charge for the type of work offered.

2) If the interested clients are expecting DIY jobs to be done for less than the amount stated, then you are better off without them.  If they are not willing to pay you a reasonable amount of money, then they will be more hassle than it's worth!

3) The amounts you are charging for cleaning seem to be the going rate, so all you can do is advertise and market your company anywhere and everywhere you can.  It may be slow to take off initially, but, if you offer a decent service, a lot of business will be generated through word of mouth.

Good Luck

Steve


We have just started our new cleaning company and small jobs related to that. But there is a little proble, when people hear the price they cancel our service. We are charging 11-£12/hour and a little exta payment for very dirty houses and £10/hour for DIY jobs. Please give us a hint to our question.

[kisu8]

Thanks for your advices and do you have any idea at what the price should be for ironing?

[Chris Bailey]

Hi

Your price is in the right bracket, don't sell yourself cheap or you'll go bust!  A good service is worth paying for, just remember to give a good service!

I get around it by not quoting an hourly rate! This is top secret where the customer is concerned.  Quote by the job, if you look at a job and think 2 hrs - that'll be £24 please... How long will it take?  as long as it takes to do the job is what I tell my customers, it may take 1 1/2 hrs it may take 3 hrs but the price stays the same.

Get agreement before you start

As far as ironing is concerned this varies from £10 per washing basket/black bag to a price per garment.  Get the yellow pages out and ring round, you'll be surprised what you can find out.

Chris

[josie]

i charge £8 to £8.50 ph, some customers say its expencive but what i tell them is when i employ staff i pay a good wage, i dont pay peanuts and get monkeys working for me!
As for ironing, i wouldnt charge by basket or load, ill charge by item as they may give you lots of shirts and sheets to do and that will take longer!
good luck with it all!

[The Great One]

Hi

steve is spot on here.

No way should you charge DIY by the hour, you price per job and if needed get them to sign a relevant work order 1st. We just put in a toilet and charged £120.00 supply and fit. got a shower rail to put in, £60 supply and fit.

ironing is around £10-20 per bin bag depending which part of the country you are in.

Also, £8.50 for domestic is a crazy, very low price. Where is the profit?

Guys... profit is NOT a dirty word!

Regards

Martin

[maggie67]

Hi there

What are you paying your staff. Surely at £8.50 per hour there is no profit to be made at all!?  I would seriously re-consider your prices. Clients need to understand that they get what they pay for. (This also applies to employees!! )

Unless of course the cleaning side is not your main line of business in which case it would be far easier to get away with pricing a clean by the job as the other guys have already suggested.

Good luck anyway

Maggie

[Len Gribble]

Believe your profits no matter what you charge will be hit again min wage is going up again!

Len

[The Great One]

Hi

Luckily ( for now anyway) I pay more than min wage, so when I do use people I am not effected.

No doubt will be sometime in the future.

Saw the report on it today and they are stating that putting it up has had no adverse effects. This is probably because most of us pay over the minimum, eventually it will catch up, and then businesses will be effected.

Regards

Martin