"LOW BALLER" pay scale stops where???

[Dolly Llama]

I hear the term "low baller" used a lot.

I know what a "low baller" is to "me".

I'm curious at what price a CCer is no longer considered a LB'r to "you"?

Thanks


..L.T.A.

 

[Art Kelley]

In his 2004 book "My Lies", Bill Clinton discribes Monica Lewinsky as a "low baller," and apparently that is a good thing.

 

[Shawn Forsythe]

A true "low baller" usually falls into two distinct categories.

1) A "Bait-and-Switch" operator who advertises low prices, but has no intention on honoring them. Either they raise prices on the spot with a myriad of up-charges, including the proverbial "preconditioning fee", or they walk, or do a splash-n-dash if the customer insists on the "special" advertised price.

2) The company operates a less than legitimate business by doing substandard work, no insurance, cash-only tax evasion, or use techs that have no competence or work illegally.

 

[XTREME1]

I charge $109.00-128 for 4 rooms and put it on special all the time for $99.00. I have three times the insurance of the usual $1 mil, 2 mil agg. I am a Master Textile Cleaner. I have all brand new equipment and upgrade constantly. No special fees and I only got 1 complaint in 5 years and was able to rectify(it was urine in the pad from the previous owners dog and the customer didn't know)

In most of your eyes ken snow is a lowballer. I like my pricing I like my business.

 

[tman7]

I would have to agree with Richard in the other post; your a little on the low side, (close to what I charge), but I am begining to realize you tend to get the kind of customer you price your services at. I am really not interested in a customer that thinks $100 min charge is too much to clean one or two rooms. These are the kind of customers that should be directed toward a Rug Doctor or even the $99 whole house guys.

 

[Bob Foster]

I wonder what Paramount has to say about this......

 

[Brian R]

A "Low Baller" can be a legit guy who just hasn't learned how to price. My mother and stepfather's company was like this...did an awesome job but had a low price..this is of course why she has nothing today and he's dead (that's another story).
I started out the same way but learned later that I needed to charge a higher price to actually have a career and not just survive.

Now a "dirtbag ccer"? let's talk.
I know of a few of those.

 

[Dolly Llama]

In most of your eyes ken snow is a lowballer.

no offense intended to Ken, but his outfit is more along the lines of Stanley Steamer.
(I'm not a SS basher, BTW)
They offer a professional "value" type service that many folks are satisfied with

Their crews don't routinely do the same multi step process that you do.

Not that I give a squat what you or anyone else charges, just pointing out..


..L.T.A.

 

[Ken Snow]

Well said Larry (both of your last posts) and no offense taken.

 

[Ron Lippold]

I talked to a guy today at the suppliers and he was happy to do apt for 35-45

 

[alazo1]

Low baller doesn't have anything to do with quality IMO. In his first restaurant my old man had a special for years...2 large eggs, fresh hashbrowns, toast and orange juice .99 cents. Great food, great deal and he had many customers. Everything but mom watering down the oj that is

Not cc but you get the drift.

Albert

 

[Mike Draper]

low baller in my town uses de-greaser from lowes and "sun" laundry detergent. Has no water pump or hx. Simply hooks a hose up to the sink and straight to the wand. I've heard him give bid's of .4 cents a foot for CGD.

 

[Wayne Miller]

Who cares?

Some folks drive a Kia, some folks drive a Ford, some folks drive a Rolls.

Where do you feel most comfortable?

Some people go shopping for a three room with a FREE hall for $29 deal. I have a hard time calling somebody a lowballer because they choose to answer that need. Whatever floats your boat.

 

[Guest]

I charge my worth; per room depending on size and carpet condition. Spot removal is extra!! :wink:

 

[XTREME1]

so lets here some prices and some daily numbers
I charge
59.95 first room
69.95 2 rooms
89.95 3 rooms
109.95 4 rooms
$2.50 a step
I do charge for the prescrub $7.00 a room and I have a 100% sales ratio on that item

2 bedrooms apartments $145
1 Bedrooms apartments $125

Scotchgard currently about 10.00 a room
Minimum to come out $85.00
Average ticket is about $150.00
average day is over $650.00
average commercial job is $525

 

[bob vawter]

I get $44.95 for TWO rms and Hall..usually two EXTRA rms @$12.95 per.......average ticket...$70.85!

 

[Desk Jockey]

My father started this business in 1967, he was charging .10 a sq/ft back then.

If it's 2008 and and you're charging .10 a square....you just might be a low baller! (in my best Jeff Foxworthy's voice) :mrgreen:



Actually we could be accused of it at times, residential we charge .35 a square, but commercially we can go as low as .08 if we are doing 100,000 sq/ft or more.

 

[DangerkittyToTheRescue]

I get $44.95 for TWO rms and Hall..usually two EXTRA rms @$12.95 per.......average ticket...$70.85!

Do they pay you in food stamps or fried chicken in the hood?

Just kidding, Bob delivers top quality for that price.

Not unusual to see the low ballers put themselves out of business. Despite my reservations, one cleaner with new truck had the idea of cleaning empty apartments for $30 to $35 a pop figuring that he'll be rich in no time with all the work. All of you know how well that worked out, he was burned out and broke in a year and a half, gave up the business.

Counter lowballers with quality and the positive aspects of your company, the jobs you lose are the ones you wouldn't want anyways.

 

[bob vawter]

Tom...don you has something BETTER to do besides disparaging my good name on here wit such talk.......i thought you was gonna post a picture of the SG wand so these DOOfuses might see what a work of art truly looks lik?

 

[Greenie]

so lets here some prices and some daily numbers
I charge
59.95 first room
69.95 2 rooms
89.95 3 rooms
109.95 4 rooms
$2.50 a step
I do charge for the prescrub $7.00 a room and I have a 100% sales ratio on that item

2 bedrooms apartments $145
1 Bedrooms apartments $125

Scotchgard currently about 10.00 a room
Minimum to come out $85.00
Average ticket is about $150.00
average day is over $650.00
average commercial job is $525

wow! :shock:

I've seen worse, but not from an owner/Op that is a Master Textile Cleaner.
You are worth more, why would you not want to charge more, cause I know they will pay it.

 

[Nate The Great]

so lets here some prices and some daily numbers
I charge
59.95 first room
69.95 2 rooms
89.95 3 rooms
109.95 4 rooms
$2.50 a step
I do charge for the prescrub $7.00 a room and I have a 100% sales ratio on that item

2 bedrooms apartments $145
1 Bedrooms apartments $125

Scotchgard currently about 10.00 a room
Minimum to come out $85.00
Average ticket is about $150.00
average day is over $650.00
average commercial job is $525

wow! :shock:

I've seen worse, but not from an owner/Op that is a Master Textile Cleaner.



You are worth more, why would you not want to charge more, cause I know they will pay it.

W :shock: W! I do have to agree with Greenie that you need to charge more for your services. Alot of owner/OP here work out of there house. We unfortunately don't.

 

[Warren Wallace]

way to cheap .30 to.40 cents here per sq. .15 for scotchgard
and thats with portables can't wait to get my truck mount
cause up go the prices.Work smarter not harder

 

[B&BGaryC]

The company I work at is owned by two people. I work directly under both of them. However, they are never in the same place at the same time. One of them sometimes gives bonnet cleaning prices to customers for my HWE, and his eyes get really big sometimes when he sees that I sold a carpet cleaning for 90 cents/ foot. (Doesn't happen often, usually 43 cents/ foot with fab.)

The other one hears what I'm charging and just shakes his head saying, "I used to get that or better 20 years ago." He used to get 20 cents to clean, 20 cents to use a floor machine, and 20 cents to protect, he said 90 percent of the time he sold all three.

It's kinda funny to get the "Wow, people are paying that much?" reaction and the "I can't believe you can't charge more" reaction in the same day. Kinda makes me want to hide under my desk.

 

[B&BGaryC]

I have a nice desk, exact same one as one of the owners.

I never use it. Never even put anything in the drawers in years. All the restoration guys sit down there to fill out their time-cards at the end of the day. Sometimes I eat my lunch there.

More often than not I'm at the restoration project managers desk using his computer to input my checks into the computer spread-sheet. I really need to get off this hand-written filing system, bring my computer back to the office and get some software to manage all these people I clean for. Perhaps something that will remind me when I need to pester them...

 

[ErikG]

Im sorry guys , I understand that some of you charge alot for cleanings. I believe im some areas of the USA you can get theses high numbers. Not saying were im from I cant either. But Im in a rural part of Fl with All the elderly people from the north who come dwn here. Also average pay is around 8-12 a hour. Yeah you guys heard wright ,its a employers market dwn here in florida. The day labor places dont even have work dwn here. Fl and Cali have most forclosers in the Us. That said alot of us cant charge 1800 to do a sectional. Do you know how many beer cans a hill billy would have to recycle to pay that.

With alot of mobile homes and elderly people and alot of people out of work we have to lower are prices or atleast keep them fair to what people are makeing or I wll be out of the job........

I used to be a Hack for 5.95 a rm in Chicago People had alot more money when I lived up north It seems its a whole new bowl of wax down here.

 

[Brian R]

.28
.38
.43

For three different packages that I have put together.

First one is Clean without bells and whistles..some custy's don't want or can't afford.

Second, is the works with speed dry and grooming (no protect or deod.) Most popular...because I push this one.

third, I am offering green clean with all the second package.

This doesn't apply to property managers, commercial buildings or tile and grout cleaning of course.

.10 protect traffic areas
.30 protect all.
In both cases I measure whole room

.10 for topical deoderizer

estimate for pet urine

$100 minimum for residential

My postcard that I put out is basicly the first package price. I don't think this is "bait and switch" because I truely get the carpet clean with that package.

 

[B&BGaryC]

Im sorry guys , I understand that some of you charge alot for cleanings. I believe im some areas of the USA you can get theses high numbers. Not saying were im from I cant either. But Im in a rural part of Fl with All the elderly people from the north who come dwn here. Also average pay is around 8-12 a hour. Yeah you guys heard wright ,its a employers market dwn here in florida. The day labor places dont even have work dwn here. Fl and Cali have most forclosers in the Us. That said alot of us cant charge 1800 to do a sectional. Do you know how many beer cans a hill billy would have to recycle to pay that.

With alot of mobile homes and elderly people and alot of people out of work we have to lower are prices or atleast keep them fair to what people are makeing or I wll be out of the job........

I used to be a Hack for 5.95 a rm in Chicago People had alot more money when I lived up north It seems its a whole new bowl of wax down here.

I live in the middle of nowhere montana where the minimum wage is around 6 dollars.

I still get between 20 (commercial) and 90 (bells and whistles residential package) cents a square foot. It has to do with the area a little bit, but not as much as you think. 28 cents a square foot is the lowest anybody should charge for residential. That is a low low price for any market. If you are not at 28 cents a square foot, you need to change it immediately.

 

[Dolly Llama]

I live in the middle of nowhere montana where the minimum wage is around 6 dollars.

I still get between 20 (commercial) and 90 (bells and whistles residential package) cents a square foot. It has to do with the area a little bit, but not as much as you think. 28 cents a square foot is the lowest anybody should charge for residential. That is a low low price for any market. If you are not at 28 cents a square foot, you need to change it immediately.

I'm curious, Gary, what percentage of your peeps fork over .90 cent-o-square?

and I don't understand why .20 cent is OK for com, but unacceptable for res??
I don't find com carpet is any slower of faster to clean than res traffic lane only cleaning

so why such a difference in price?


..L.T.A.

 

[Ken Snow]

Gary is just blowing smoke. It always amazes me how everyone insists that what they do is the only way to do things and anyone else doing something different is inferior or a huckster. I assume we all strive to make cheerleaders, well let me tell you it can be done and very profitable for a lot less than the numbers thrown out here.

Ken

 

[bob vawter]

10-4 on what Ken sED.........! It ain't what you MAKE...

it's what you kin keep!