Are you lowering your prices ?

[John Spezia]

Maybe you guys should advertise to better clients. It sounds like most of you guys would rather clean a house that's worth $200K then $900K!!!!

If you can't be the high priced guy on the block then your losing money!! Your in business to make money!

I'm a tile & grout cleaning guy and charge almost double then my compitition to clean and seal a tiled floor.

We are going to start to offer carpet & rug cleaning, anti-alegen treatments, & odor removal this spring. I plan on charging almost $.80/sqft to clean & apply scotchgard. Why am I charging more then the other 500 carpet cleaners in my area? Because we are educating our clients on how we clean to industry standards, we have a 12 step process and we are giving them a 1 year warranty on the scotchgard. And most of my clients own houses over $900K and I only advertise to the Upper Class Homes.

I love working in high-end homes. The tiles are always layed to perfection! I can't wait to start cleaning the carpets too! My techs are going to start to upsell the carpet cleaning while they are cleaning the tiles! More money in the business accounts!!!!

Don't lower your prices. You really should raise them and change your customer base.
Advertise that you are experienced in cleaning high-end carpets. You will see a big difference in the homes you will work in.

Forget about the low value homes. They don't need your services that bad. The high value homes need your services more then anything...

 

[hogjowl]

Let me remind you guys of what I said awhile back. Probably in this thread.

When you find a TRUE high priced cleaner, you always find and unusual market.

I am the first to say what we all know is true, and I have been on this ISLAND, all by myself, for a LONG time.

 

[ACE]

The economy going to hell is the best thing ever for my business.
1. I take business seriously. The prospect of getting a straight job is worse than ever.
2. Competition downsizing becuse their premuim market is gone.
3. Cheep used equipment for sale.



I hate to agree with Marty but, not everyone can work only for the rich. Even the rich here in the Midwest are conservative with money. Plus half the homes in my market over 500K have builders grade carpet and I can’t justify charging replacement cost for cleaning. There is a well know cleaner in my market that has been working his butt of for 20 years. If he kept prices reasonable and treated people right he would dominate the market. He now has only a small market share. He chose to chase the elusive premium market. I have low overhead and my prices have always been low. I am getting allot of small jobs here lately but I plan on retaining most customers. I want to always offer my customers the best value if not the lowest price. If all goes as planned; I will be a master cleaner with a slick looking rig by the end of the year. If that works out I will be of more value and the price will increase slightly. Yes I want more high end jobs, but I will not alienate existing customers by jacking rates if can still turn a profit.

 

[Jim Nelson]

NO

 

[Blue Monarch]

Actually, I intend to raise prices by 10 percent. Started out of the gates a little too low here. I made some ASSumptions about the market here that were incorrect.

 

[Brian R]

I hear ya Larry,
If someone charges $1.00 sqft for carpet but takes 3 days to do a 2000sqft house. who cares. You are still only making $666.00 a day. Now that really isn't bad money for an O/O but I can do 600 in a day easy as pie and be home way early. I tryto stay around the $1000.00 per day range. That's my goal for everyday.

It isn't how long you work or how much you get per hour.

It's how much money you make by the end of the day and everyday.



Stay positive everyone and make it happen. It's all about your attitude towards your business. Make yourself pretty and the business will come...as long as you put your pretty out there for people to see.

If you whine about your business ever, your customers will hear it in your voice when you are tryng to impress them.

"How you do anything is how you do everything."