[Clive McDonald]

You keep saying you are not a good business man and then analyse things very well. My shoulders ache after i have done a gutter clean wfp.I'm not sure i dare use the slx for this.

[seandyer2003]

My other business is selling socks on the market. The prices i charge are the same or lower than when i started twenty years ago.There tend to be price points, my favourite being £5, other people like £2.99. So for example i sell a pack of twelve sport socks for £5 and people are happier with this than if it was £4.50. I tend to use price points in window cleaning too, such as £10.

The prices we buy the stuff in at have gone down, although this has begun to change in the last year or so.There is no business manual that tells you to put your prices up beyond what the market will bear.

There are three variables, price, volume and value. (possibly compactness has a bearing too).Expansion is the key, either buy better kit (ftp has invested in gutters), or get help.Everything else is a dead end.

Are you ewan??

[cozy]

 

[seandyer2003]

Slump, you are right about the gutters i seem to have found a niche market in gutter cleaning rather by accident. There seems to be a fair amount of work about in my area where customers want the full works. They want their house cleaned from top to bottom - all the whites as one customer requested. I don't advertise the service other than a 'gutter cleaning' magnet on the bonnet of my van. It's a good add on, the only downside is that it's hard work and pretty time consuming.
I would ask about in your area to see what the competition are charging - you would be suprised i'm sure.
My pricing isn't settled yet I'm still probing and trying to find a level that's consistant. some are happy to pay two guys on ladders £150 for three hours work. Windowcleaners tend to shun the service because it disrupts their round.

I did some gutter cleaning yesterday and made good money, what do you tend to charge for say a call out just to empty one section - which is 90% the case, or too do all of house, i havent cleaned guttering yet just clearing, and if you are on ladders not guttervac how do you clear?? gloves?

[AuRavelling79]

You never know with malc, the one thing he does is read people well, so it crossed my mind that he wanted to start me and ewan off again, to see how much nonsence we'd talk.

My tanks doing well by the way.

Not at all slumps - I have a section of my round that "irritates" me a bit because I do feel the properties are a bit low in price. It is 70's ex-council housing with lots of older people and of "garden city" layout and a bit fiddly for wfp. The newer houses I've taken on I charge a tenner for but the bungalows £7.

I wonder if I should bite the bullet and go for a tenner. But then I think I may get gaps in the round which make it less cost-effective.

Perhaps I should just flog it!

[Moderator David@stives]

I would, i charge all council type houses £10 minimum, they tend to have more panes than a similar sized semi

[Small but perfectley formed]

Think i will move to cornwall

[HIGH LEVEL WINDOW CLEANERS (scrimmy)]

i think i will too.

[HIGH LEVEL WINDOW CLEANERS (scrimmy)]

me and the wife were down there last month, loved it...especially st ives

[kaz and pete]

hi i am new to this forum but agree with some of thew others we have a minimum of £10 for any standard house and we have put the prices up every year for the last 3 years to get to this price. don't forget its your life if you still use ladders is it worth it for less than a £10 :

[Helen]

Over the last few years I have successfully raised my prices every other year on my work until this year when with the fuel prices dropping and recession hitting I did not feel it was wise to do.

The fuel prices are slowly sneaking up again now

Now, Ewan has made me think and I am wondering what would be the effect if I were to bite the bullet and raise some more of my custies to a £10 minimum?

Cannot see a problem with this, unless there is major unemployment in these areas

I am thinking of my more compact areas particularly.

Whilst I agree with what the others say about more money less customers, i guess because you have asked that you are a bit worried to raise the prices. Why not compromise with yourself, if you have a property on for £8.00, why not increase to 8.50  (6.25%  rise) and again next year to £9.00.
If you do 20 a day at £8.00 now (160.00) then with just 50p on would be £10.00 extra per day.  £50 extra per week £2000.00 over a year, not a bad wage rise in a credit crunch situation
For a really good custie 50p rise should not be a problem.

[Helen]

hi i am new to this forum but agree with some of thew others we have a minimum of £10 for any standard house and we have put the prices up every year for the last 3 years to get to this price. don't forget its your life if you still use ladders is it worth it for less than a £10 :

Sorry but no such thing as a standard house
You life is priceless so money doesn't come into it

[paul saunders]

I have a £10 minimun charge .................. I just havn't told my custies yet.

[matt]

mine were due to go up last year, i held off

i dont buy the " replace your "less well priced " work with better paid work " line

as your less well priced work could be nice work, they could be as loyal as they come, where some better priced work could dump you like a hot potato if things get tight

if your work is ok priced and you increase it at set intervals ( inline with inflation ) then the work will allways be ok priced and worth doing

i know, its pretty low risk and i will never be rich, but hey, i have a nice life because of it

[seandyer2003]

LOL, sounds like your to scared to make any changes, but hey you have a nice life!

My bro in law has shockingly low priced work but its on his estate he owns his own home and is well off so why shou;d he upset his custies and have a minimum £1o charge

You spout your own opinions as fact you  dont have the same circumstances as everyone else , your desire and ambition and business acumen are ok, but you need to understand some people window clean for stress free life not to chase the ££

[martinsadie]

LOL, sounds like your to scared to make any changes, but hey you have a nice life!

My bro in law has shockingly low priced work but its on his estate he owns his own home and is well off so why shou;d he upset his custies and have a minimum £1o charge

You spout your own opinions as fact you  dont have the same circumstances as everyone else , your desire and ambition and business acumen are ok, but you need to understand some people window clean for stress free life not to chase the ££

spot on 

[matt]

LOL, sounds like your to scared to make any changes, but hey you have a nice life!

i have increased my prices in the past though, so its not as clear cut as " you are scared to raise prices "

i am of the opinion that if its not broke, why try and fix it

[matt]

LOL, sounds like your to scared to make any changes, but hey you have a nice life!

My bro in law has shockingly low priced work but its on his estate he owns his own home and is well off so why shou;d he upset his custies and have a minimum £1o charge

You spout your own opinions as fact you  dont have the same circumstances as everyone else , your desire and ambition and business acumen are ok, but you need to understand some people window clean for stress free life not to chase the ££

spot on 

i concur

[martinsadie]

probley costs me 10p to clean a property

[martinsadie]

im not daft enough to try and work out the price of fairy used,electric to heat water or cost of petrol to drive 2 miles to clean 15 houses,or wear and tear on ladders scrim and applicators