Am I too expensive?

[tobyswindowcleaning]

So I recently took on a new job. A house with 10 windows, 2 of which were bay windows with lead patter, and a sliding glass door.

I quoted the house £13, but was told that was too expensive as his last window cleaner was charging £4.50 but hadn't seen him in a year. But is £13 too much for a house like that?

Based in Croydon, London

 

[Deleted member 257]

No...

 

[Jimroot]

...but hadn't seen him in a year... (Because it's not worth turning up to clean for £4.50)

£13 is not too pricey.

 

[JClean]

Definitely not!

Sounds fair price to me

Sent from my iPhone using Window Cleaning Forums mobile app

 

[boarcity]

theyll be lying about the price. its a common tactic used to beat you down to about 7 quid . if anything id now go up in price and see how they react

 

[chris clean]

Had one recently who rang for a quote for Windows guttering etc as a one off as soon as I got there she said i have already gor a lot of quotes and highest was sixty. I said I will give you mine then it's up to you. Quick look and said i can do it for £100. No way she says that's just trying it on when the others are under £60. I stayed perfectly polite and said i would go for the cheap guys too thanks anyway. Amazingly a few days later she rings and incredibly all the others are booked up and cant do her job and she's happy to pay mine.

 

[Spartan]

£13 sounds cheap to me....

Is it all round?back/front/side or Just the front of a house?

 

[Clisty1989]

Sounds about right to me, but theres less money round here

 

[rugbywolf]

So I recently took on a new job. A house with 10 windows, 2 of which were bay windows with lead patter, and a sliding glass door.
I quoted the house £13, but was told that was too expensive as his last window cleaner was charging £4.50 but hadn't seen him in a year. But is £13 too much for a house like that?

Based in Croydon, London

Sounds like his last windy was doing it for 'pin money' (the pillock).

 

[DMD]

if you can afford to do that house for £4.50 and turn a profit after tax, NI, fuel, materials, uniform, time & insurances then batter in.

Work out what you need per hour to break even, then add on your wage and divide it by how long the house should take

£13 seems average, not high or low.

 

[Diwrnach]

I would say £14, but only because I only charge even numbers /emoticons/tongue.png

 

[David K]

They always try to squeeze with "the old windy did ..." "But for some funny reason he ain't around anymore !" - I reply... :hehehe:

 

[Rosewood]

I don't like charging odd numbers either, apart from 5.

I'd go for £14 or £15

 

[TommoTrueShineWCS]

In london? He must be lost...

 

[Tuffers]

£13 sounds too cheap to me, trad, lead, 2x bays + 10 other windows and sliding doors. No mention of how regular. Sounds like at least a £20 job to me.

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

'Am I too expensive?' 'Is this the right price?' 'How much should I charge?'

These questions are often asked by new or less experienced window cleaners (do not take offence at the previous statement)

When starting out, either from being made redundant, wanting to better ones self from a dead end job or simply realizing that being stuck in an office will probably cause early death (by suicide) pricing can be a bit of a nightmare.

The answer is to the first question is simple, if nobody will pay your prices then yes you are too expensive. There are two solutions to this, solution 1: reduce prices until you start to get a steady rate of acceptances. Solution 2: Move to a more affluent area.

In the beginning coming home with 4 or 5 new clients at £8 per job is a winner as you are now making £40 per clean more than you were when you left the house that morning.

Eventually you will get to a point where you are handling 200-500 customers (based on a solo operator and the size of the jobs) and you will know exactly how long a job will take and exactly how much you want to charge just at a glance.

Your per job average will increase as you progress and quote more accurately and start to drop off the lower value work.

Just yesterday I was called to do a quote on a pokey 2 bed terrace, I turned up and realized that I used to do this house 2 years back. Then I cleaned it at £8 per clean, good money for a 10 minute job. New couple have moved in (shame as the previous lady was MILF) I wasn't really interested in the job as I don't care for terraces so I quoted it at £16 four weekly or £20 eight weekly, they jumped at the 8 weekly at £20.

When I realized that other aspects of my business were more valuable time wise I decided to wind down the windows and sold my round. In just a month since selling it I have acquired over £800 of new window cleaning customers and all are at 2 -3 times more than I would have previously quoted and all of them are happy with the pricing.

Previously I would have quoted a job at £10 thinking that was good cause other windys in the area were charging £6 or £7 per clean. Now I charge for the same job £20 and they accept, they are not however paying just for window cleaning, they are paying for the full service, reliability, regularity, window cleaning, frame work, sills etc, multiple payment options, text reminders, 100% satisfaction guarantee etc. If they reply to a text, 'not this week I'm on holiday' well there is no reading them the riot act, just a reply of 'Have a great time, see you next month' The more I charge the busier I get.

The biggest difference I have noted since I increased my prices big time is a lot more texts and emails 'Thanks, the windows look great' and the like, and they are referring me to their friends like crazy. Have I become the most expensive window cleaner in my area?, almost certainly, am I pulling it off? For sure. How? All the personal little touches, remembering all their names, their interests, hobbies, kids and pets names and soon enough I am a lot more to them than just the window cleaner, I am a person they now know and converse with.

Difference between starting out is when I was starting I was hungry, cheap and competitive, 'stack em high, sell em cheap' now I am not so hungry, (a bit too overweight in fact) So I pick and choose the jobs I do and don't want.

I guess after all the waffle the advice is charge whatever you like, if they don't want to accept the price they don't have to, just like no one is forcing you to take them on as a customer to begin with.

Happy hunting.

 

[Tuffers]

'Am I too expensive?' 'Is this the right price?' 'How much should I charge?'
These questions are often asked by new or less experienced window cleaners (do not take offence at the previous statement)

When starting out, either from being made redundant, wanting to better ones self from a dead end job or simply realizing that being stuck in an office will probably cause early death (by suicide) pricing can be a bit of a nightmare.

The answer is to the first question is simple, if nobody will pay your prices then yes you are too expensive. There are two solutions to this, solution 1: reduce prices until you start to get a steady rate of acceptances. Solution 2: Move to a more affluent area.

In the beginning coming home with 4 or 5 new clients at £8 per job is a winner as you are now making £40 per clean more than you were when you left the house that morning.

Eventually you will get to a point where you are handling 200-500 customers (based on a solo operator and the size of the jobs) and you will know exactly how long a job will take and exactly how much you want to charge just at a glance.

Your per job average will increase as you progress and quote more accurately and start to drop off the lower value work.

Just yesterday I was called to do a quote on a pokey 2 bed terrace, I turned up and realized that I used to do this house 2 years back. Then I cleaned it at £8 per clean, good money for a 10 minute job. New couple have moved in (shame as the previous lady was MILF) I wasn't really interested in the job as I don't care for terraces so I quoted it at £16 four weekly or £20 eight weekly, they jumped at the 8 weekly at £20.

When I realized that other aspects of my business were more valuable time wise I decided to wind down the windows and sold my round. In just a month since selling it I have acquired over £800 of new window cleaning customers and all are at 2 -3 times more than I would have previously quoted and all of them are happy with the pricing.

Previously I would have quoted a job at £10 thinking that was good cause other windys in the area were charging £6 or £7 per clean. Now I charge for the same job £20 and they accept, they are not however paying just for window cleaning, they are paying for the full service, reliability, regularity, window cleaning, frame work, sills etc, multiple payment options, text reminders, 100% satisfaction guarantee etc. If they reply to a text, 'not this week I'm on holiday' well there is no reading them the riot act, just a reply of 'Have a great time, see you next month' The more I charge the busier I get.

The biggest difference I have noted since I increased my prices big time is a lot more texts and emails 'Thanks, the windows look great' and the like, and they are referring me to their friends like crazy. Have I become the most expensive window cleaner in my area, almost certainly, am I pulling it off? For sure. How? All the personal little touches, remembering all their names, their interests, hobbies, kids and pets names and soon enough I am a lot more to them than just the window cleaner, I am a person they now and converse with.

Difference between starting out is when I was starting I was hungry, cheap and competitive, 'stack em high, sell em cheap' now I am not so hungry, (a bit too overweight in fact) So I pick and choose the jobs I do and don't want.

I guess after all the waffle the advice is charge whatever you like, if they don't want to accept the price they don't have to, just like no one is forcing you to take them on as a customer to begin with.

Happy hunting.

You charge top dollar and then get texts and emails saying the windows look great? They refer you to their friends like crazy because you're expensive?

Sounds ideal!

 

[Markyboy 50]

You charge top dollar and then get texts and emails saying the windows look great? They refer you to their friends like crazy because you're expensive?
Sounds ideal!

Only happens to green tho lol

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

Only happens to green tho lol

I have stopped with the 'Yes Mrs Brown, Right away sir' and the doffing my cap to all and sundry.

Now it is first names only, 'Yes Jane, of course I can Paul' exactly the same just the names have changed.

I have gone from being the lackey to being a business owner and quality service provider that talks to them on the same level as opposed to the old school view where we are stood with cap in hand, holding our hands out and being grateful that they could be bothered to chuck us some scraps in exchange for having provided them a service. In short I am killing off the 'Master - Servant' attitude that many still seem to have toward our profession.

 

[Markyboy 50]

I have stopped with the 'Yes Mrs Brown, Right away sir' and the doffing my cap to all and sundry.
Now it is first names only, 'Yes Jane, of course I can Paul' exactly the same just the names have changed.

I have gone from being the lackey to being a business owner and quality service provider that talks to them on the same level as opposed to the old school view where we are stood with cap in hand, holding our hands out and being grateful that they could be bothered to chuck us some scraps in exchange for having provided them a service. In short I am killing off the 'Master - Servant' attitude that many still seem to have toward our profession.

Hats off to u mate. Go for it

 

[Taxlossloz]

I have stopped with the 'Yes Mrs Brown, Right away sir' and the doffing my cap to all and sundry.
Now it is first names only, 'Yes Jane, of course I can Paul' exactly the same just the names have changed.

I have gone from being the lackey to being a business owner and quality service provider that talks to them on the same level as opposed to the old school view where we are stood with cap in hand, holding our hands out and being grateful that they could be bothered to chuck us some scraps in exchange for having provided them a service. In short I am killing off the 'Master - Servant' attitude that many still seem to have toward our profession.

Great post

I was surprised recently while working alongside A B Jetting

I am a ' cap doffer '

Tony however is not

He strolled up the big drive , put his cig out , put the big quote in take it or leave it .... Three big jobs accepted in 30 mins

I think his big van with flashing lights may have helped tho