set prices per room

[green bee]

Im new to this so im opening up this question for some ideas. Im going to do a set price per room, to target market the people who want to save money and still have clean healthy carpet, 15 for hallways, 25 per bedroom, 35 for family rooms, only adding for time spent on coffee/pet spot/red spots??
what are your ideas?

 

[green bee]

Green Bee Carpet Care in Oregon

 

[Dolly Llama]

what are your ideas?

if the homes you plan to target are all cookie cutter size, it could be fine.
But some master bd rms can be 500 sf while others may only have 100sf of cleanable carpet .
Same for living rooms/great rooms , rec/family rooms, etc.

You need a size limit of what you call "one room"

next is the amount of furniture you'll move (if moving and replacing furniture is part of your service)
Bd rms can be the biggest PITA and can beat you up if they're expecting wall to wall cleaning .
Some are too small to move furnishings effectively to clean wall to wall.
Others can have very heavy pieces and/or in "less than" sound condition and trying to move them will create a very real risk of damage .

Most folks are fine with traffic lns only in bed rooms, some want wall to wall though.
So that should be accounted for in your pricing



..L.T.A.

 

[Brian R]

If you've been cleaning long enough, or really know the home sizes in your area. You can average out what the rooms will end up being and price accordingly.

Like Meat sed, have some kind of sqft limitation no matter what but be flexible.

If it's dirty as hell....be anal....if it's clean already...you can give in a little.

Remember to list your "extra" charges like you stated.

Room pricing is hard sometimes because you lose on some jobs and win on others.

Customers with small houses maybe be thrown off but customers with big houses may think you're full of she-I-it.

So you always have that game to play.

The best thing about room prices is the quote over the phone is easier...not always better.

When they hear the price, it gives them a reason to shop for lower ones.

I always give a ballpark no matter what and follow it up with a "We always give the best price we can once we see the areas to be cleaned"

That really set's them at ease....if you're not an A-hole they will believe you.

It's all about the feeling they get.



This has been a moment with Brian. Iseeru

 

[Ken Snow]

A set price vs sq ft pricing has nothing to do directly with lower or higher price, though many room pricers do tend to be lower on ave.

We have been room pricing for about 35 yrs now (for the first 38 we were sq ft), and I don;t see us going back.

Put a sq ft max as others said and determine what you will move for the price and go for it. You can always change it on a dime if it doesn't work out for you.

Ken

 

[Brian R]

I do, however say in my ballpark that it's "approx $ per room for an average room".

Like ken said....it's all the same at the end of the day really.

Room pricing is just square ft pricing with a name on it.....As long as you have your limitations.


Make sure you have a minimum as well.

If you just have "room prices" ...They may want you to come out for just one room for $25.00.

Crowley does something like $45.00 for the first room then $25.00 per room after that with a minimum of 3 rooms.......Not sure exactly but you get the idea.

 

[renegade_cowboy]

If you are unsure, have a sliding scale. You can say your 3 areas is $119-$139, prices depends on soiling and furniture moving. Go over the price during the consultation, its more of a custom plan for the customer and allows you the wiggle room for some of the more demanding jobs.

 

[FLYERMAN]

I tell people that I charge $30 per room up to 200 sf. $60 if there bigger than that. Furniture is $7 an item and if you want me to move it has to be empty i.e. dressers or cleared of stuff i.e. tables. I don't move stuff that's too big for one man i.e. pianos, hutches, etc.

With that said getting prices on here is like getting prices for what we pay for rent/mortgage. I mean what it costs to do the work is just as important as what you charge. Some guys would go bankrupt charging what I do because their cost of doing business is so much higher.

Even then it's all about what you get to keep!

 

[Ken Snow]

I could retire in a year if I got that much flyerman LOL

 

[green bee]

Thanks you guys, im going to try it for a year(set prices) if im still starving ill look at other options, for now its where im comfortable

 

[dday]

Below, in blue type, is what your local Stanley Steemer is charging in your area. For comparison, I have posted what the local Stanley Steemer in my area is charging below that in red. If you are going to charge by the room, you can certainly do worse than by using SS as a template. For example, you will likely do worse by "winging it." Stanley has a bad rep on the forums, but don't snub your nose at them - they've been around a lot longer than most of us, and will likely be here long after any of us has completed our last dry stroke.

I would suggest you refrain from charging different prices for different types of rooms. You will unduly complicate and confuse things, especially as you are trying to close for the cleaning appointment over the phone. Sure, for a large walk-in closet, a landing, a small hall of less than, say, 100 sq. ft., have separate pricing. But otherwise, keep it simple, like Stanley (and no doubt like my favorite larger cc'er - Hagopian).

Stanley uses 300 sq ft as the room size limit. In my area that 300 sq. ft. limit is wall to wall, i.e. length x width of the area, and it does not necessarily mean cleanable area of carpet. A 301 sq. ft master bedroom with a King sized bed is two areas for SS, even though they will not move large beds (at least our local SS will not, and neither will I, by the way).

Also, note that the prices below are cleaning only, and do not include deodorizer or Scotchgard. I opened the "disclaimer" on the first offer so you can see the fine print.


Any 3 Areas Cleaned for $123

SCHEDULE ONLINE USING THIS SPECIAL
HIDE DISCLAIMER
Must inform technician of internet offer at time of service. One area equals any room up to 300 square feet; combined living areas may be considered as 2 rooms. Baths, halls, staircases, large walk-in closets and area rugs are priced separately. Offer does not include protector. Residential only. Valid only at the Bend, OR location servicing zip code 97701. Not valid with any other offer. Some restrictions may apply; call for details. Offer expires 6/30/2011.
Any 4 Areas Cleaned for $164

SCHEDULE ONLINE USING THIS SPECIAL
VIEW DISCLAIMER
Any 5 Areas Cleaned for $195

SCHEDULE ONLINE USING THIS SPECIAL
VIEW DISCLAIMER
Any 6 Areas Cleaned for $234


Here is the Stanley Steemer Price list from my area:

CARPET CLEANING
1 Area 44.50
2 Area 89.00
3 Area 124.00
4 Area 150.00
5 Area 180.00
6 Area 200.00
7 Area 220.00
8 Area 240.00
9 Area 260.00
10 Area 280.00
11 Area 300.00
12 Area 320.00
13 Area 340.00
14 Area 360.00
15 Area 380.00
Hall 17.00
Entry / Foyer 10.00
Laundry Room 12.00
Walk-in Closet 12.00
Landing 10.00
Bathroom 12.00

If I were you, I'd start your pricing at your SSteemer's prices or even higher as an Owner/Op in Bend, Oregon. You can always charge less if you feel you need to do so. It is much more difficult to raise prices that are too low than to lower prices that are too high. And as an O/O, you do not want to start from a point so low that you feel you must upsell upsell upsell in order to make bank. You must price your cleaning so as for it to be profitable on its own, and any deo or protector sales should thus expand your margins, rather than having your margins depend upon deo and protector sales.

Also, why charge extra for for stain removal? Dude, you're either a carpet cleaner or you're something else. And if you come to my house to clean my carpets and then tell me its extra to get the stains out, I'll say, "Great, and it doesn't cost me anything to throw you out!"

Good Luck

 

[idreadnought]

Most companies charge extra for advanced stain removal. I do not. I only do sq footage pricing but I go to the house for in home estimates. If I wasn't willing to go to the house for in home estimates then I would do room pricing. The biggest advice I can give you is sell the quality of your cleaning service before you even begin to talk about price. Lists your steps, cleaners or anything else that sets you apart then only then go into how your pricing works.