That Old Chestnut Pricing

[M.K Cleaners.co.uk]

HAHAHAHA do you not know of big window cleaning companies?

A firend of mine and previous employer runs a window cleaning company with 6 employee's and 3 vans, how is he to pay 6 guys wages and insurance and maintenance etc on 3 vans ASWELL as cover for certain things like sickness, loss of work while earning less than £40 an hour.

Running a van and paying someone a full time wage with national insurance and holiday pay can be £30,000 easily.

Tell me how you're going to pay that on £20-30 an hour work?

Honestly, tell me that answer.

That should be per person not for a team of people lol

 

[Masons]

So... what, the fact that some people need to earn a lot per person means you can't?

If a big company needs its employees to earn £40, £50 or more an hour to maintain a company, then why shouldn't I charge competitive prices with them and I myself earn £30, £40 or £50 an hour...

One rule for big companies with big overheads, another rule for those without?

 

[M.K Cleaners.co.uk]

So... what, the fact that some people need to earn a lot per person means you can't?

If a big company needs its employees to earn £40, £50 or more an hour to maintain a company, then why shouldn't I charge competitive prices with them and I myself earn £30, £40 or £50 an hour...

One rule for big companies with big overheads, another rule for those without?

Dont bite my head off!, Ill just stop replying your clearly ****** off about it all lol

 

[Masons]

Why, do I sound like I'm being funny?

Just replying.

Read it with less aggression.

I'm straight forward in my talking and direct.

Is all.

 

[Richard]

I do mention something in the book, if you ask window cleaners what they charge/price you will get different answer.

Writing a book meant a lot of research, part of that was being nosey and asking window cleaners, how much you earn? My findings were extensive; sole traders do earn less than 20K at one end of the scale and more than 80K at the other, the difference is huge, some window cleaners earn in a week what others will earn in a month.

It’s up to you.

Richard

 

[mrtaytay]

pricing up the bigger commercial jobs is always difficult. Its ok to say that you will price on how long it will take, but its very easy to miscalculate using this method......some sites are just very awkward. I have recently priced up for a church and new community centre...windows inside and out, plus every piece of internal glass. even mirrors. I used my usual formula...one pound for bigger windows, 80 pence for smaller etc. I estimated that it would take me two days. On doing the job, I found that a lot of the windows were far more awkward to get to than I had imagined. It will take at least another day. I will put it down to being a lesson learnt. I will try and remain chilled about it. I did most of the internals on friday, when it was ******* it down all day and will complete the internals tomorrow, when it will be ******* it down again, so I couldnt have got anything done anyway. some jobs are so so difficult to price...even with experience.

 

[C-THROUGH]

Agreed and a good post but again............. Keep it simple.

 

[Richard]

Mrtaytay, I understand what you are saying, you will still make mistakes, but less of them.

If the building is different or more difficult and complicated, your past experience wont be of help, the element of uncertainty will only apply to that job.

Another reason why its better to have some sort of pricing structure, then your judgement on this type of work improves then it does become part of your experience.

Richard

 

[GMcleaning]

GM.

I never said things were wrong I don't think. I just stated that such formulas can undermine you.

An you saying ladders are a PART OF WINDOW CLEANING?

NO!

I use my ladders once a week max.

In the title window cleaner, where does it say ladder?

And this is my formula, everyone else can use their own.

Your formula of working out an hourly rate including "business costs and profit" isn't a bad formula, as you obviously know what your business needs and wants are... Don't think I can't read.

Working out an what you want in an hour is different and offers no insight on how people get an hourly rate they want.

It's not really a formula, more of a pick a number that sounds good.

You say "that way everyone has to pay the same price per hour so your not ripping anyone off, unlike pricing everyone up individually for what you think you can get.out of them."

I question this as:

I spend 7 hours on one job, getting paid £20 per hour, which is the "how much you want to earn per hour" rate.

The job consists of cleaning a 3 story building and gets cleaned once every 6 months.

This job takes great risk and cannot be properly estimated time-wise depending on the fact 6months worth of muck is different depending on season and many other factors.

That should be priced up the same as a 6 window coffee shop that gets cleaned weekly, can all be cleaned without ladders or poles, is set back from roads and has shutters while its shut?

Each to their own I guess on that one.

Each to their own.

masons

by saying my way undermines my business is another way of saying im doing it wrong isnt it?

and no, you dont 'have' to use ladders to be a window cleaner, but you shouldnt charge more for something that any trad window cleaner would do for a standard price, you shouldnt charge more for using a ladder to clean windows, thats ridiculous!

and as for your job examples, a 3 storey building with 6months worth of grime will take you much longer to clean then an easily accessible ground floor coffee shop thats cleaned weekly, so you will earn more for it as it takes you longer and you charge based on time, at the end of the day as long as your hourly rate is an amount that covers your bills, puts you in profit and isnt just a random choice of what you want to earn then you will earn well regardless of how long it will take you, simple really, and tbf on commercial jobs a more complicated way of pricing might be required, but most cleaners on here clean mostly domestic rounds, and i dont agree that they should be adding more cost for the factors you stated.

just my opinion and i get that its the way you do it and it works for you, but both you and richard have come across as believing your way is better than everyone elses, it might not be the case, but thats how it comes across

 

[GMcleaning]

GM.

I never said things were wrong I don't think. I just stated that such formulas can undermine you.

An you saying ladders are a PART OF WINDOW CLEANING?

NO!

I use my ladders once a week max.

In the title window cleaner, where does it say ladder?

And this is my formula, everyone else can use their own.

Your formula of working out an hourly rate including "business costs and profit" isn't a bad formula, as you obviously know what your business needs and wants are... Don't think I can't read.

Working out an what you want in an hour is different and offers no insight on how people get an hourly rate they want.

It's not really a formula, more of a pick a number that sounds good.

You say "that way everyone has to pay the same price per hour so your not ripping anyone off, unlike pricing everyone up individually for what you think you can get.out of them."

I question this as:

I spend 7 hours on one job, getting paid £20 per hour, which is the "how much you want to earn per hour" rate.

The job consists of cleaning a 3 story building and gets cleaned once every 6 months.

This job takes great risk and cannot be properly estimated time-wise depending on the fact 6months worth of muck is different depending on season and many other factors.

That should be priced up the same as a 6 window coffee shop that gets cleaned weekly, can all be cleaned without ladders or poles, is set back from roads and has shutters while its shut?

Each to their own I guess on that one.

Each to their own.

masons

by saying my way undermines my business is another way of saying im doing it wrong isnt it?

and no, you dont 'have' to use ladders to be a window cleaner, but you shouldnt charge more for something that any trad window cleaner would do for a standard price, you shouldnt charge more for using a ladder to clean windows, thats ridiculous!

and as for your job examples, a six storey building with 6months worth of grime will take you much longer to clean then an easily accessible ground floor coffee shop thats cleaned weekly, so you will earn more for it as it takes you longer and you charge based on time, at the end of the day as long as your hourly rate is an amount that covers your bills, puts you in profit and isnt just a random choice of what you want to earn then you will earn well regardless of how long it will take you, simple really, and tbf on commercial jobs a more complicated way of pricing might be required, but most cleaners on here clean mostly domestic rounds, and i dont agree that they should be adding more cost for the factors you stated.

just my opinion and i get that its the way you do it and it works for you, but both you and richard have come across as believing your way is better than everyone elses, it might not be the case, but thats how it comes across

 

[Richard]

GMcleaning don’t get upset by my comments or masons, in the book I never tell the reader what to charge and masons is just explaining some things to consider, the book is more about ways to increase net profit and remain competitive with your prices.

I do charge more for using ladders as rule, because it usually takes longer to clean than if I was to use wfp. You can’t charge the same as wfp maintain your hourly rate, if it’s going to take longer when using ladders, your prices will end up all over the place and you will be working at different hourly rates for different work, although you are doing the same job.

Best of luck to you

Richard

 

[GMcleaning]

i disagree, if anything i would expect you to charge more for wfp, you have higher overheads to consider, plus when you consider, purifying you water, filling your tanks and your setup and packaway time at each job with hoses etc its not quicker than trad.

 

[GMcleaning]

like i said, if it works for u guys then great, but it does come across as you think your way is better, and to be honest its not, its just a different way, horses for courses as they say and im sure your book would work great when doing lots of commercial work, i just dont think charging extra on domestics for the same job that a trad cleaner will do as good a job for less while still maintaining there profits is the right advice to be giving?

again, just my opinion

 

[Richard]

I think wfp is much quicker, that’s the reason I charge less for wfp on some domestics than a trad cleaner.

Richard

I maintain a house with 7 sides and has 47 window frames, I use to do it trad when I change the customer to wfp, and the price went down to £45. I gave her the choice pay more for trad or go wfp.

 

[Posh]

That's ok at bigish houses but when your doing £10-£12 domestics GM is right I think it takes longer. I've started the same kind of house with a wfp chap & I'd done the fronts just before he started. He caught me up but then when we'd finished I put stuff away & was off before him & he'd been doing it 7 years so he wasn't new. On some instances it's quicker but other times it's not.

 

[GMcleaning]

i think thats unusual, most wfp cleaners charge more in my area than trad, and from the info on this forum i thought most areas this was the norm also?

 

[C-THROUGH]

I really am bored of this whole pricing thing now and I am really annoyed at some of the posts I have received ( I wont name names) but some people have accused me of talking behind peoples backs and others have questioned my MOM status (even though I was only joking).

Lets not go down the road of other forums (Clean it ??) where we argue amongst ourselves!

WE are supposed to be helping and supporting each other!!!

 

[GMcleaning]

I really am bored of this whole pricing thing now and I am really annoyed at some of the posts I have received ( I wont name names) but some people have accused me of talking behind peoples backs and others have questioned my MOM status (even though I was only joking).

Lets not go down the road of other forums (Clean it ??) where we argue amongst ourselves!

WE are supposed to be helping and supporting each other!!!

but we can disagree and debate, thats what forums are for

 

[Richard]

i think thats unusual, most wfp cleaners charge more in my area than trad, and from the info on this forum i thought most areas this was the norm also?

I can’t say myself who charges more overall the trad window cleaner or the wfp window cleaner.

What I do no is some of the work I have priced around £25, it would take 3 trad cleaners to keep up with me on that work. Every Tom, **** & Harry want to make a wfp pole these days, why do you think I made a wfp brush, Some brushes are so slow to use.

Richard

 

[GMcleaning]

I can’t say myself who charges more overall the trad window cleaner or the wfp window cleaner.

What I do no is some of the work I have priced around £25, it would take 3 trad cleaners to keep up with me on that work. Every Tom, **** & Harry want to make a wfp pole these days, why do you think I made a wfp brush, Some brushes are so slow to use.

Richard

haha, really? it would take 3 trad cleaners to keep up with you? they must be pretty slow

 

[Richard]

Straight forward work like you see industrial sites, the buildings usually have large frontage of windows and then maybe a lesser amount on the sides overall size maybe 40m at the front, cars parked out front, I can clean these in 20-30 minutes, park outside no obstacles for wfp and quick and easy to do, A lot of glass for a trad cleaner with lots of obstacles.

I have meet some trad cleaners at the top of there game, they earn more than some wfp cleaners I’ve met. You can’t only judge the cleaning method, it’s the individual as well, and then the equipment they use and how they use it.

Richard