Minimum pricing

[WombatPool]

I know talking prices isn’t the done thing a lot of the time, but can I ask what is your minimum price, the lowest you will ever charge ?

I got half a dozen terraced fronts today whilst canvassing, mainly 2 windows and a door, I went in at £15pm. That’s the lowest I have charged so far, does that sound about right ?

Thanks guys I hope everyone is ok keeping busy and things are looking rosey in your neck of the woods..

 

[steve garwood]

£15 for two windows sounds expensive to me.

 

[Clean zero]

I would say well done £90 for six fronts can you do them all with out moving the van if so a additional bonus for about half hour work. I personally wouldn’t of got that price

 

[Part Timer]

Depends where you are, I'd struggle to get that for 3 bed semis

 

[WombatPool]

@steve garwood.. Ah really, I’ve under priced a good few jobs along the way recently, sort of got half way through the job and realised it, mainly bungalows. I mean the last thing I want to do is rip anyone off, but in some ways if this price is slightly over and I can add these to the day I do the under priced work then things could even out a little. All customers today were very happy with price, no quibbles…. I’ve been chewing over what my minimum price will be lately, and decided on £15. I might re think it though

 

[DS WC west midlands]

TBH i will not do fronts, it's whole house or not at all, my minimum charge is £20 per month, But a first clean is £65 many customers bork at paying that, but i do go above and beyond with a full restore of the frames & doors takes 2 hours at most but well worth it in my case...

 

[WombatPool]

I would say well done £90 for six fronts can you do them all with out moving the van if so a additional bonus for about half hour work. I personally wouldn’t of got that price

They are all within a stones throw of each other on the same road, most properties in between each job I sighed up today didn’t answer the door, so I wrote down the number of each house that I spoke to with the intention of knocking the whole street again, and going back to those that didn’t answer today.

 

[Pjj]

@steve garwood.. Ah really, I’ve under priced a good few jobs along the way recently, sort of got half way through the job and realised it, mainly bungalows. I mean the last thing I want to do is rip anyone off, but in some ways if this price is slightly over and I can add these to the day I do the under priced work then things could even out a little. All customers today were very happy with price, no quibbles…. I’ve been chewing over what my minimum price will be lately, and decided on £15. I might re think it though

Good on you stick to it some will pay others won’t

 

[WombatPool]

TBH i will not do fronts, it's whole house or not at all, my minimum charge is £20 per month, But a first clean is £65 many customers bork at paying that, but i do go above and beyond with a full restore of the frames & doors takes 2 hours at most but well worth it in my case...

That sounds good to me…

 

[DS WC west midlands]

They are all within a stones throw of each other on the same road, most properties in between each job I sighed up today didn’t answer the door, so I wrote down the number of each house that I spoke to with the intention of knocking the whole street again, and going back to those that didn’t answer today.

Pj is right if it works for you don't worry to much about the price, just make sure your reliable and it's a quality clean and you will be ok... Customers are like the wind, it comes and goes the trick is to manage that over time, you will find your regs the ppl who never let you down and those are the ones you go all out for..

 

[WombatPool]

Good on you stick to it some will pay others won’t

Thanks mate, I guess in the grande scheme of things pushing prices higher is better than doing work for peanuts and pushing them down

 

[BigFoot]

I do a number of front only terace properties and I love how fast you can bang them out. If you have a few together all the better! Don’t know what sort of area you work so hard to gauge price but I believe the market determines the price so if they are happy ? You’ll want to bring your ‘A’ game and do a great job as it’s top quality price but keep them happy and could be great for you.

 

[Yogi1872]

Minimum £7. Don't get anywhere near what some charge on here, I've trimmed back work now and only kept enough for myself. £1250 weekly takes 30 hours each week to complete.

 

[johnny bravo]

this time next year

 

[WombatPool]

I do a number of front only terace properties and I love how fast you can bang them out. If you have a few together all the better! Don’t know what sort of area you work so hard to gauge price but I believe the market determines the price so if they are happy ? You’ll want to bring your ‘A’ game and do a great job as it’s top quality price but keep them happy and could be great for you.

Thanks BigFoot thats very kind and encouraging words. I’ve got them all booked in for next Monday I’ll definitely make sure I do a tip top job.

 

[Chris34]

@steve garwood.. Ah really, I’ve under priced a good few jobs along the way recently, sort of got half way through the job and realised it, mainly bungalows. I mean the last thing I want to do is rip anyone off, but in some ways if this price is slightly over and I can add these to the day I do the under priced work then things could even out a little. All customers today were very happy with price, no quibbles…. I’ve been chewing over what my minimum price will be lately, and decided on £15. I might re think it though

Everyones prices will be different because different areas will have different levels of personal wealth, different costs of living etc. The general rule in business is to make profit and make as much as the market will allow. Morals should be left out of it, you're not doing people favours, you're running a business, people will either afford it or they won't, it's not your job to worry about it.

So make as much as you can. If people want to pay £1,000 per house then charge them that. One key thing though, make sure you charge everyone the same rate. If your rate is £100 per hour then charge everyone at that rate. Don't charge some more than others as for one it won't look good on you if people start comparing prices with each other, secondly it's just not right.

So set your price and just go for it, if people accept the price you say then that's all that matters.

As far as a minimum price, well I think £15 is ok for things as they are now. You don't get much for £10 these days. I think £15 for a top level service isn't over the top, it's probably about right. It's not just the cleaning of the two windows and a door. It's keeping track of when they need cleaning, texting them, collecting payment etc, time maybe minimal but it's still time and effort that needs factoring into it all.

 

[Chris34]

Thanks BigFoot thats very kind and encouraging words. I’ve got them all booked in for next Monday I’ll definitely make sure I do a tip top job.

One other thing, if it's something as good as you've just got, I'd strike while the irons hot and get them done as soon as possible. Once you've done them and they've paid you've got them. Give them a weekend to think about it followed by **** poor weather next week and they can soon change their minds.

For something like you've got I'd have shelved all my other work and just got them done.

 

[Iron Giant]

£15 for two windows sounds expensive to me.

I agree, I do terraced fronts with a downstairs bay a door and 2 upper windows at £8 soon to be £9 four in a row done in less than 30 minutes

 

[Yogi1872]

Everyones prices will be different because different areas will have different levels of personal wealth, different costs of living etc. The general rule in business is to make profit and make as much as the market will allow. Morals should be left out of it, you're not doing people favours, you're running a business, people will either afford it or they won't, it's not your job to worry about it.

So make as much as you can. If people want to pay £1,000 per house then charge them that. One key thing though, make sure you charge everyone the same rate. If your rate is £100 per hour then charge everyone at that rate. Don't charge some more than others as for one it won't look good on you if people start comparing prices with each other, secondly it's just not right.

So set your price and just go for it, if people accept the price you say then that's all that matters.

As far as a minimum price, well I think £15 is ok for things as they are now. You don't get much for £10 these days. I think £15 for a top level service isn't over the top, it's probably about right. It's not just the cleaning of the two windows and a door. It's keeping track of when they need cleaning, texting them, collecting payment etc, time maybe minimal but it's still time and effort that needs factoring into it all.

Every buisness in the world needs to be competitive with its competitors though or it won't survive. A big problem in ours is although there's not ad many now, there still is a few guys who do it for a bit of beer money and are happy making £18 an hour.

90% of the people also just go around themselfs, and when we did take people on it was cash in hand so avoided holiday pay etc. So the pricing never took the true costs of hiring someone. That side of it still has years to faze out for prices to reflect it

 

[Skxawng]

I'm likely cheaper than most on here but it does depend a lot on the context. The only thing I go by is how much time is it going to take out of my day (as in the travel time too), and what hourly rate I want to achieve.
For example I do a house next door to a customer and it's an old couple who asked if I can just do two windows (one is frosted) as they can't reach them but they clean the reat themselves. It takes less than a minute to clean and he's always stood at the door with £2 after.
Some might think why bother? Well, one thing is that they appreciate it, and the other is that it fits in with my hourly rate, £60ph for odds n ends. £2 in 2mins is £60ph.
I do some fronts of terraces that are near other customers for £4.50 each. They literally take a few minutes each out of my day so why not? I can achieve my rate.
However if someone rang me out of the blue to ask if I could do the front of a house I'd say no. I wouldn't be able to charge them enough for it to be worth it. If a full terraced rang me, I'd also say no as I couldn't make my £60ph. 5 min drive 10 min clean. 15 Total I'd have to charge £15 and 95% of them would decline that price so I don't bother.
I just tell people I have a £15 min charge immediately to get rid of most of them.
But it they lived next to a current customer, then I'd tell them £10 and there's a reasonable chance they'd accept.
So I have a minimum charge, but it's more of a minimum job size for a house on its own, unless it's convenient of course.

 

[johnny bravo]

if you are getting £40 / £50+ per hour thats great . better than some tradesmen . im happy with my takings. thats all that matters. Im actually increasing all my prices on my work now. well overdue. A few at first. Just because someone charges £7 where someone charges £15 for the same job who cares. It dosent mean you can get away with charging silly money . Especially if you work in an area wher it is saturated with windies its Competition.
Which one would you choose