[drive surgeon]

yeah guys well as i said im only learning but i will see how i get on price wise before i judge myself as cheap or dear.  i know some of my customers like paying more as they think they are getting a better cervice than someone who turns up in a clapped out van and rough looking like the gypsies.

[matt]

i heard a guy local to me, still on ladders

a 4 bed detached house on a nice estate, he is doing them inside and outside gutters / soffits etc etc for 30 quid, takes him about 2 hours off his ladder

just because you have spent a few quid on a gutter-vac, doesnt mean you can charge the customer ALOT more than a ladder guy

2 of my customers have had them done by him, why  ?? ? ? because they knew it was really cheap and i wouldnt bother to do them for that money

[drive surgeon]

yeah well he has no overheads obviously. i need to earn a minimum of 50 quid an hour to just break even.

[twt]

yeah well he has no overheads obviously. i need to earn a minimum of 50 quid an hour to just break even.

So your saying if you don't earn more than fifty pounds an hour you make a loss, you need to cut your costs.

[macmac]

yeah well he has no overheads obviously. i need to earn a minimum of 50 quid an hour to just break even.

WOW, I'd sack your advisor!

[matt]

yeah well he has no overheads obviously. i need to earn a minimum of 50 quid an hour to just break even.

thats 400 quid a day 

what costs do you have for that, a new van  ?? ?  a top end system ? ? ? ?

2 K a week, 8 K a month, 96 K a year

i guess you dont use a DIY fishing pole then 

[twt]

still waiting for an answer to this £50 per hour to break even.

[Sapphire Window Cleaning]

I charge £5 per metre and for that the customer gets the guttering cleared and washed down, and the fascia and soffits cleaned too, I use ladders and a 3 bed semi takes me about hour and half including set up and pack up.






Matt

[GWCS]

just because you have spent a few quid on a gutter-vac, doesnt mean you can charge the customer ALOT more than a ladder guy

Of course you can.

At the end of the day its what the customer is prepared to pay. Why do something for less than you can earn cleaning windows? I charge more for cleaning gutters, conservatory roofs etc per hour than i earn cleaning windows per hour. No point doing other services if i get paid less..

I could go to McDonalds to eat out or i could go to a fancy restaurant and pay a lot more for dinner.. end of the day i have a full belly. Im prepared to pay extra... so whats the problem?

So there the difference cost is the difference in service that im paying for right? Remember not everyones service is the same.

[ftp]

Ok madam, I can get up a ladder and empty your gutters for £15 or you can have them sucked out with my all singing all dancing guttervac for £150 which will it be?
"Well which one leaves them the cleanest?"
Errrr option 1. actually
"Ok i'll pay the £150 then" 

[GWCS]

er vacuum leaves it completely empty, and its safer for everyone involved, what are you on about ftp?

I can clean over pitched roofs, dorma guttering and around cars and other obstacles incl conservatories.

Do you actually have a gutter vacuum ftp? cos you really dont know what your on about unless you have, and are any good at using it.


at the end of the day, people charge what they want to charge.

People have the choice of what they want to pay.

If you want to spend 1.5 hrs cleaning gutters at £15 you stick with it.. 

I'll charge my £40+ and get it over and done with in 30 mins  

Why has this forum got an issue about people making money? Really, you dont get this attitude anywhere else - yeah i'll charge pennies.. cos im worthless and shouldn't be charging more.. what a dim view.

Business is business, supply and demand and all that.. about time people realised that.

[Sunshine/Cleaning]

The more tools you can show a customer the more you can charge.

I would imagine that the £50 per hour includes any wages that are paid. For example when i work out my personal expenses I include the regular wage I pay myself from the business account to my personal account.

I may be wrong as I am in no position to speak for anyone else.

Stuart

[ftp]

GWCS i don't have an issue with you making money - charge what you like 

The point I was making was that spending loads on fancy equipment won't mean anything to the customer - they just want their gutters cleaned at the cheapest price.
Do you charge double just because you've spent a lot on a wfp system? I doubt it.
Yes I use a vac and would agree it will reach difficult areas and higher storeys but for your run of the mill semis why would a custy pay more than they have to? The vac is more for my benefit than theirs in most cases.

[Sunshine/Cleaning]

GWCS i don't have an issue with you making money - charge what you like 

The point I was making was that spending loads on fancy equipment won't mean anything to the customer - they just want their gutters cleaned at the cheapest price.
Do you charge double just because you've spent a lot on a wfp system? I doubt it.
Yes I use a vac and would agree it will reach difficult areas and higher storeys but for your run of the mill semis why would a custy pay more than they have to? The vac is more for my benefit than theirs in most cases.

Probably because the see the price as good value. They may not have a comparison in front of them. They probably don't know anyone else who would even do the job, so £150 once a year for piece of mind is ok.

Dont forget only you know what people in your line of work charge. Most customers dont have a clue.

[ftp]

You got sunstroke today?

[GWCS]

Ahh Ewen back to his best, what we like to see (im being serious)


As some have said you look a better service, and are well equipped - people are prepared to pay more. Although you will always get people who want things for peanuts - concentrate on better, let the other guys do the cheap stuff.

Those that charge more generally have higher operating costs, better equipment and are actually insured for the job at hand.

Im covered for cleaning windows, handyman and gutter/fascia installation - that covers cleaning windows, conservatory roof cleaning and gutter fascia cleaning.

Most window cleaning insurance doesn't cover gutter cleaning.

I bet the guy that does it for £15 isn;t insured for it, and who's gonna be picking up that cost, if there is an accident? The customer. It was their choice..

[big J]

During my market research that I am conducting to decide where to build my round a suprising fact has come to light on numerous occasions....
The would be custy is interested in Value for Money not no who is the cheapest. They want to know that thier windows will be done regularly and professionally and are willing to pay aliitle more for the privilage.
Apparently a major point in my favour is that my price will be alittle higher "so that i can make aliving and so keep doing thier windows"

I should say I am targeting homeowners rather than commerical work ...for npw at least 

[Sunshine/Cleaning]

agree...but gutter cleaning is a bigger out lay for the customer.....at one go...
with the gutter vac being a new tool on the market it would be a benifit to get your pricing structure right from the start....as more and more people will start using them..
with windows your maybe talking a few pound of a difference..

if you talking a 80 -100 pound difference its to big for the customer to let you away with...

with any job you want repeat business makes life easier...you will get one of jobs at high prices but you will have to chase it...give an affordable price at the start and they will stay with you..

drive surgeon says he has booked them for next year......if someone with the same set up comes along offering them the  same service at £50 cheaper i would think he will get a call to say just leave it....then again what do i know

What they may think is that the new guy isn't going to do a proper job.

What some on here fail to realise is that customers dont always think like business owners. Often thay are more than happy to pay more for what they know rather than get it "done on the cheap" and risk a bad job or loosing their previous cleaner.

It comes down to whether or not you have BMW customers or Ford Ka customers.
BMW customers tend to be sceptical about cheap. Ka customers tend to be price shoppers.

My advice,  FWIW, is charge as much as you can for any job you do. If £150 is accepted then this is the correct price. If more than 50% reject your price your prob too high, likewise, if 100% accept for sure you are too cheap.