Considering lowering my prices

Hi guys i know this is all pretty much individual but im considering lowering my prices for window cleaning.

Currently for me

Fronts only £10 small/normal £12 for larger

Whole houses £15 minimum up to £25

Now I think as competition is getting harder and harder im thinking of trial and error. Keeping all current custies where they are at the moment but going out canvassing im going to try

£5 - £7 fronts

£10 - £15 whole house.

I reckon i could bag 4 x as many jobs and hopefully all neighbours so no travelling or moving.

Hourly rate may be the same.

Anyone tried similar?

Prices are estimated by the way in what ill charge.

I price work in my town cheaper than outside it for similar reason. I have lots of compact work that makes the hourly rate as good if not better...

Safeguards compact areas from others while not being too cheap. Works well for me.

Price high outside own town is what I do now

Plenty of competition were I am but I ain't lowering my prices as I know I do a better job than most.

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why would you want double or 4x more work just for being cheap?

Your price should justify itself with quality of service.

Your much better getting half the work you quote for double the money than loads at less money.

if you get every job you quote your to cheap.

Remember that people know each, people talk. If word gets out you are taking new clients at a lower rate, you might get current clients demanding the same. Therefore you devalue your business and work harder for the same money or less.

Of course we all help out new window cleaners, throw lots of advice around. Myself included. But all these newbies have to work somewhere. In your town, in my town, pricing lower and lower devaluing our businesses and earning potential.

If your not careful you'll end up being a very busy fool

There is something in having average priced work and very compact as opposed to great priced work far apart. Because at the end of the day, days earnings matter, not hourly. And our best days are average priced work but we have the whole estate.

But there is a balance. I.e you still need a minimum standard hourly rate that you won't compromise, whether that be £30, £40, £50 etc.

i dont think in 19 years i have ever decided that im going to start charging less on new customers.

i think its a bad idea but i see your point. its whatever you feel is right that mmatters here the most

Don't lower your prices under any circumstances,, that would be the start of a bad thing that you may never recover from!!

Cheers guys appreciate opinions.

Please dont get the wrong end of the stick im not going out to undercut or knock my pipe out for peanuts!

What i mean is for example i might do 15 jobs in a day averaging £15 taking £225 a day, currently covering 30 miles of driving taking 5 hours.

I don't think im picking up work at the rate i should be.

My meaning behind lower pricing but not cheap as chips, is, I think below £10 fronts only and say £12 whole house is alot more appealing to potential customers than £10 front & £18 whole house.

30 houses averaging £10 is a £300 take home everyday. While maybe cover 2 miles taking 5 hours.

Yes its more work, but it is more money.

I think maybe it may also provide me with a lot lot more customers and bhilding a nice compact round.

Everyone loves a nice earning job but they may cost more in lost work and travelling.

Just food for thought.

IMO.

When you drop prices you get 'those' custies that just want cheap.

Minute that xmas comes round or the ciggy tax goes up again and they need to economize the only thing getting dropped is you.

25 years ago I worked for a large fancise consisting of 17 rounds worth 4 k set ups for two people and was knocking out around 225/350 aday all trad 225 was if a day of leds on the south coast and a few gutters\roofs average £35 an hour so don't undercut your self going cheap cause in the end you will end up splitting round up and selling off for peanuts and will hate it in the end

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IMO.
When you drop prices you get 'those' custies that just want cheap.

Minute that xmas comes round or the ciggy tax goes up again and they need to economize the only thing getting dropped is you.

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What in your opinion is cheap @Green Pro Clean Ltd ? Im not talking about £2.50 houses.

What in your opinion is cheap @Green Pro Clean Ltd ? Im not talking about £2.50 houses.

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Oh dear. Nor am I talking £2.50 houses.

This will kick off all kinds of 'well I got whole streets at those prices' type comments that arent constructive but here goes.

As I have mentioned before I have a minimum of £15 now just to turn the key in the van. 2 years back when we were doing 2 and 3 bed semis as low as £8.00 we used to get LOADS of the... 'oh i'll pay you double next time' or 'my wifes not here now and she deals with all that' type nonsense.

What I have found (personally) is valuing your service above all others and charging accordingly will mean you have less customers, it will also mean you do less work but most importantly you will have less messers.

Knock knock...... how much?

£8

£8? I can manage that every 4 weeks (is their thoughts)

Knock knock.....how much?

£15

£15..? You're having a laugh...that's a pack of cigs and a six pack! (Is their thoughts)

The ones that say 'ok' at £15 feel it's a fair price for a fair job.

(I use £15 merley for example as that is my minimum)

At the end of the day what ever you charge is your business and you choice... it just frustrates me to see people undervaluing themselves.... i know what it takes to do the job right and if you're doing it right then that should be reflected in how you and your clients value your business.

If you want to charge 5p per house that's your call but don't expect your clients to value your service if you dont.

Just my 2p worth.

Charge em 15 quid for 2 windows you'll get away with it all day long.

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I can understand the whole minimum price ideology, and getting rid of messers, this is very easy to do when you are doing 25+ hours a week and earning enough money to live the lifestyle you want. It becomes difficult to stick to when some weeks you have next to nothing on and struggling to make ends meet.

My business plan has always pushed me to commercial work rather than residential and my philosophy on this is get it at the best price you can, but first and foremost get it. When I've got an 80% full schedule then I can pick and choose jobs and prices.

Very fair points made and can completely see tge logic in them. I always have charged very well and still do.

I just thought maybe by slightly lowering prices maybe 20% on some streets or areas for example i can get them on board and still earn paticularly well out if it.

Like i said they are not and never will be micky mouse prices but sometimes i do think £8 for 2 windows and a door is not cheap and might get a few streets worth of work.

Cheers guys appreciate opinions.
Please dont get the wrong end of the stick im not going out to undercut or knock my pipe out for peanuts!

What i mean is for example i might do 15 jobs in a day averaging £15 taking £225 a day, currently covering 30 miles of driving taking 5 hours.

I don't think im picking up work at the rate i should be.

My meaning behind lower pricing but not cheap as chips, is, I think below £10 fronts only and say £12 whole house is alot more appealing to potential customers than £10 front & £18 whole house.

30 houses averaging £10 is a £300 take home everyday. While maybe cover 2 miles taking 5 hours.

Yes its more work, but it is more money.

I think maybe it may also provide me with a lot lot more customers and bhilding a nice compact round.

Everyone loves a nice earning job but they may cost more in lost work and travelling.

Just food for thought.

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I have never felt I have picked up work at the rate I should despite been the only cleaner in my local work area to have a website for almost 8 years now and a active FB page , For me I know it's the price i quote and also the need for new customers to sign up to GoCardless so at times I only get a small number of new enquiries and window cleaners are popping up all over the place .

Also it's that time of year where startups and UB40 bucket bobs are coming out of hibernation.

A large company operates around my area, they bombard all new estates with flyers with low prices on - no 4,8,12 weekly option on, you choose what you want - and it's the same price. What I would quote £12 for they are charging £8. They pay staff £7.50 an hour and have numerous vans. I watched one of their guys work when I was on one of these new estates (door knocking). He moved his van a few times but did - what I saw - around 11 houses. The next day he was back, the next day he was in another estate where I was working. I have three houses on one of these estates and 1 on another. I too have considered lowering my prices, but these companies are well and truly established in theses estates so the thing that holds me back is 1. You will get messers (the cheap guys) & 2. Your still not guaranteed the work, you might just end up with one on an estate that's a pig to get round!

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Also it's that time of year where startups and UB40 bucket bobs are coming out of hibernation.

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Forgot about them making the return :rofl: