This is an advertisement
Interested In Advertising? | Contact Us Here

Warning!

 

Welcome to Clean It Up; the UK`s largest cleaning forum with over 34,000 members

 

Please login or register to post and reply to topics.      

 

Forgot your password? Click here

LWC

  • Posts: 6824
putting prices up note
« on: April 18, 2008, 08:48:11 pm »
after a chat with a fellow window cleaner, i think i serously need to put my prices up

for the ones that are out i want to make up a note to go in envelope, how do you word it?

you dont put anything like "due to..."

thanks

Re: putting prices up note
« Reply #1 on: April 18, 2008, 08:52:43 pm »
Under the present financial climate if you can afford to don't put them up until things get better.

windowcleaninginessex.co.uk

  • Posts: 716
Re: putting prices up note
« Reply #2 on: April 18, 2008, 09:03:31 pm »
Hi,
 I started new topic a couple of days ago about price increase, whether to put them up or not.

Was advised to and yesterday i started to up prices and out of 25 houses not one moan.

My advise is, do it

Good luck

Darren
---THE BEST YOU CAN GET---
www.windowcleaninginessex.co.uk

Re: putting prices up note
« Reply #3 on: April 18, 2008, 09:03:50 pm »
Under the present financial climate if you can afford to don't put them up until things get better.
If your prices need to go up put them up. I do this if they need it.


Sry Neil, I run a business we all have money problems and if we did not increase prices for this reason we would all be out of business.

deisel costs go up (so no prices going up) insurance hikes( dont puty up price) Not good business sence at all.

May sound harsh reading it but I am being 100% honest a business cannot survive without price increases if there costs go up that is fact not fiction.


Ian

windowcleaninginessex.co.uk

  • Posts: 716
Re: putting prices up note
« Reply #4 on: April 18, 2008, 09:09:13 pm »
Under the present financial climate if you can afford to don't put them up until things get better.
If your prices need to go up put them up. I do this if they need it.


Sry Neil, I run a business we all have money problems and if we did not increase prices for this reason we would all be out of business.

deisel costs go up (so no prices going up) insurance hikes( dont puty up price) Not good business sence at all.

May sound harsh reading it but I am being 100% honest a business cannot survive without price increases if there costs go up that is fact not fiction.


Ian

How very true,
---THE BEST YOU CAN GET---
www.windowcleaninginessex.co.uk

Moderator David@stives

  • Posts: 8829
Re: putting prices up note
« Reply #5 on: April 18, 2008, 09:12:51 pm »
Heres how I see it.

Your top 1/3 rd payers wont mind, you always know which ones.

The bottom third you dont mind losing them anyway and they need to go up the most. Hit them the hardest and they may may even leap to your top or middle third, you need to be bravest with these.

But since you dont mind losing these anyway, you will get 2 results, either more time freed up or better paying customers.

The middle third, if you get all these up 20 % with no problems then you have cracked it.

Dave

Re: putting prices up note
« Reply #6 on: April 18, 2008, 09:17:18 pm »
May sound harsh reading it but I am being 100% honest a business cannot survive without price increases if there costs go up that is fact not fiction.

And business can't exist without customers who at the moment are being hit from lots of different directions. When they have to make cost cuts where will they start.....fuel, food, fAgs, window clean?
No need to answer that question.

Re: putting prices up note
« Reply #7 on: April 18, 2008, 09:21:33 pm »
how can the word f-a-g-s be banned

Anyway I intend to keep as many customers as possible then when things are better we'll go for the increase based on we heldback when things were tight.
Think ahead people think ahead.

Re: putting prices up note
« Reply #8 on: April 18, 2008, 09:22:06 pm »
May sound harsh reading it but I am being 100% honest a business cannot survive without price increases if there costs go up that is fact not fiction.

And business can't exist without customers who at the moment are being hit from lots of different directions. When they have to make cost cuts where will they start.....fuel, food, f*gs, window clean?
No need to answer that question.
I know where yo are coming from there 100% I have been putting up prices.

ask the bread makers they put up prices as does everyone, we are just the same.

I am not knocking your poijnt of view I am making mine, I have lost a couple of customers because they have had overtime cut, but to be honest I have kids to feed rent to pay, wife to keep happy and staff to pay, prices go up if needbe. I am not going backward I pick up loads of new work there is no need, if you dont pick up new work you are doing something wrong and that comment is not pointed at you are anyone just to make that clear.

Ian

NWH

  • Posts: 16952
Re: putting prices up note
« Reply #9 on: April 18, 2008, 09:24:38 pm »
Heres how I see it.

Your top 1/3 rd payers wont mind, you always know which ones.

The bottom third you dont mind losing them anyway and they need to go up the most. Hit them the hardest and they may may even leap to your top or middle third, you need to be bravest with these.

But since you dont mind losing these anyway, you will get 2 results, either more time freed up or better paying customers.

The middle third, if you get all these up 20 % with no problems then you have cracked it.

Dave
I do much the same but i do it in stages,1 year i`ll put the top 1/3 up and then the 2 year the middle band will go up and so on.This way every year your prices have increased although it`s not every customer,it`s also a good way because the same customers are not put up every year.If i ever got fed up with a certain job like i used to years ago i would in some cases double the price to make it worth while,if 2 said yes and 2 said no i`m getting the same money for half the work.

Scrimble

  • Posts: 2052
Re: putting prices up note
« Reply #10 on: April 18, 2008, 09:45:51 pm »
i put up a few prices recently had no bother with any of them, as long as you do a good job then you have nothing to worry about

pjulk

Re: putting prices up note
« Reply #11 on: April 18, 2008, 09:56:44 pm »
I put about a quarter of my work up every year so my customers only get a price rise every 4 years but each year im earning more as im putting a quarter of them up.

I have just put some prices up and put £2 on a lot of them.

I tell them to there face as i see a lot of my customers the one's i don't see i leave them a note.

I have not lost none this year through putting the price's up and many said about time to.

Paul

groundhog

  • Posts: 1806
Re: putting prices up note
« Reply #12 on: April 18, 2008, 10:23:57 pm »
I've put up quite a few this Month with no problems, I don't make a song and dance about it, I just simply put a short note onto my note which I give post to let them know that their windows were cleaned, simply saying 'as from next month the price will be £xx' Thankyou. They expect the price to go up every year or so, as long as you don't over do it you should be fine.  ;)

johnny_h

  • Posts: 689
Re: putting prices up note
« Reply #13 on: April 19, 2008, 12:42:26 pm »
all my prices that needed to go up have with one exception no one moaned the one who said she would think about it and call back changed her mind in an instand when i said i was sorry to lose her and would replace her with somone from my waiting list you have to do it to keep in business
AUDI VIDE TACE

Re: putting prices up note
« Reply #14 on: April 19, 2008, 11:26:25 pm »
ive heard it all now a w/c with a waiting list

You'll soon learn not to believe everything that is written/posted on here 8)
Actually I've changed my view. Could everyone please put their prices up by at least 30% ;D

AuRavelling79

  • Posts: 26617
Re: putting prices up note
« Reply #15 on: April 19, 2008, 11:39:04 pm »
Simply choose the worst (£££'s, payers, access, rudeness) customers and add say 20%.

The average joe's add 10% or £1 to £2 minimum.

The cream - be careful and judge individually.

Your note should say:-

Dear Mrs. _______

Due to intolerable rises in fuel costs over the last XXXX months, implementing government-introduced health and safety measures, besides general inflation, I am forced to increase your window cleaning from £XX to £XX+.

I have not raised my prices for XX months/years but can no longer absorb these costs any longer. I do hope you understand.

Thank you



Splishsplashgimmethecash window cleaning.
It's a game of three halves!

LWC

  • Posts: 6824
Re: putting prices up note
« Reply #16 on: April 20, 2008, 08:18:33 am »
thank you malc, i like that, does everyone else think thats acceptable?

what about i want to earn more £££ lol  ;D

Ian Rochester

  • Posts: 2588
Re: putting prices up note
« Reply #17 on: April 20, 2008, 08:32:34 am »
Our prices generally go up every two years, not by very much, normally only £1 - £2, but %age wise it's a significant increase (10-20%)

As for a waiting list of people who want their windows cleaned, we run a constantly updating list of 40+ requests for cleaning that get added the next time we are in their area. 

We also have requests from others where we do not currently service and they are told that if we can get enough houses in the area then we will get back in touch with them and start cleaning theirs.

Londoner

Re: putting prices up note
« Reply #18 on: April 20, 2008, 09:15:47 am »
I just run a sort of continuous review of prices. we all have a few that stick in our minds because we know they are underpriced. To these I just say "Im sorry but I have to put your price up, from next time it will be £xx." Quite matter of fact, no long explainations. Most don't even query it, frankly there are some I wish would.

Some, I put the price up without telling them and they don't even query it ! I just start chaging them more.

When they say "how much is it again?" I often say £1 more than I know it should be and you would be amazed how many times that has worked.

If they query it I just nip back to the van and check the sheet, then say "Yes, you were right, it is what you said"

 Once they have paid me at the higher price I make a note on the sheet to alter George when I get home.

I don't believe in blanket price changes. There are always some customers that need changing and some that don't. Work out a hit list and go for it.

Londoner

Re: putting prices up note
« Reply #19 on: April 20, 2008, 10:33:59 am »
Our prices generally go up every two years, not by very much, normally only £1 - £2, but %age wise it's a significant increase (10-20%)

As for a waiting list of people who want their windows cleaned, we run a constantly updating list of 40+ requests for cleaning that get added the next time we are in their area. 

We also have requests from others where we do not currently service and they are told that if we can get enough houses in the area then we will get back in touch with them and start cleaning theirs.


There is nothing like a waiting list to focus the customers mind. If they know you have a waiting list they take you more seriously, they don't mess you around and you can charge more.

Its psycological