Rethink your pricing policy and soon. Even at seven quid a pop mate, im sure you could still make a decent days wage wherever you happen to live and work. You like I are only a cleaner, you can build and have a really good income in time. Dont be deluded by some of the big talkers on these forums. Price your work at what you personally would be happy with over a day, not what your peers say what they think you should be charging. Proof.....you lost a client over cost, It will happen again and again. You appear to have worked hard to be where you are, dont f uck it up, come down a wee bit,you know you can afford to......so do it or lose it.
I can't say I agree with Ronnie here, don't start re-thinking your pricing, especially as you have only lost a single account!
A tenner for a semi is a perfectly reasonable charge.
And even if a customer does turn around and tell you that they are unhappy with your price and that they have had a quote of someone for less than you are charging, don't bother renegotiating! Just move on and try not to let it bother you too much.
There is always a degree of ebb and flow, but if you are good at what you do there will be more flow than ebb!
A month or so ago I was asked to price a house up, gave my price as £12.00, customer said that his current one was only charging £8.00 but I still managed to close the deal, he was happy to have them done every 8 weeks instead of every 4 weeks.
Sometimes it isn't just about price, it is also about YOU and how you present yourself, how you come over to the potential customer.
I personally loathe cold calling and almost never do it, I find I pick up plenty of work without the need to do so.
Picked up a shop worth a fiver a week on Monday, and priced two houses up yesterday, one at £30.00 which I got and another at £35.00 which I don't think I will, which if fine by me, if you get every job you price up then you are pricing too cheap!
Ian