About 3 weeks ago I took my personal vehicle to a returning customer’s house to say hi while my guys were working there.
The one lady sees me pull up and starts drooling over my car. It is a beauty, and no, it is not a cheap car. We have a nice conversation about my whip and life in general and I leave. Later that day, we get a callback for a drip on a first floor window, so I hop back in my personal car and head over there with a few rags and a bottle of Zep.
I pull in front of her house and she’s already on her way out the door with her invoice from 2016, asking why the price almost doubled from then. I explain that she has been a customer since 2013, and we never raised her prices. Times have changed, and the price of everything has gone up. We had to raise prices accordingly.
You have no idea how hard it is to explain this to a long term customer while standing next to your new, rare and expensive sports car that they said they “wanted one so bad”. I’m taking the shitbox vans to touch ups from now on lol.
Just walk away, and find a customer that appreciates you and your work. Cheapskates will be problematic, and will likely complain about everything you do. They wont be a good reference regardless of your professionalism or quality of work, because he already has it set in his mind that you are trying to rip him off even before you begin. You don’t need those headaches. You need good customers instead. Don’t waste time negotiating with him when you could be using that time to find a better customer that you want to work for.
I’m in my 2nd year and this has been my biggest struggle, I aim for $75/hr but honestly only hit it half the time. I don’t know if i’m undercharging or what but I charge $7/pane for in/out glass, frames, tracks and screen, $4/pane for outsides only glass and frame. In/out jobs kill me while outside only jobs are nice. My problem is trying to make every job work, for example, I have a job tomorrow for $139 (my minimum for outsides only). They hummed and hawed and offered to pay cash when I said they would be at $200, I cut a deal with them for my minimum… looking back $140- $20 gas, $20 DI resin = $100/3 hours- 2 hours working, 1 hour drive time $33/hour- now I have insurance, website, marketing etc to pay. so say $30/hr, plus I have to quote, invoice, do taxes unpaid. No health insurance, pension etc… So long story short I need to refine my jobs and raise my pricing.
Yea I’m starting to feel the expenses. Not only all the business expenses but what about my personal expenses?? Also no health insurance and all that so yeah, I’m not gonna be sorry about my pricing.
This. I never quite understand why window cleaners trust the homeowners so much. Not because homeowners are dumb, but because everyone counts windows differently.
I had someone tell me over the phone that their sunroom had 8 windows. I went online to a recent Zillow posting of the house, and those 8 windows were 8 sets of 2-casement windows. My count was double what they had told me.
Those are big margins of error to risk, and I run into it all the time when people try to describe their windows over-the-phone.
Looks like you could raise your prices a little. Good thing is, since you’re the owner, you can adjust on-the-fly and tweak your numbers however you like.
I started with $14/double-hung, then lowers to $13. Also adjusted my casement prices up over time.
As for screens and tracks, I include them but always mention that I only use “a towel to wipe the tracks and screens.” If they want me to brush, vacuum, and wet-cloth-wipe the tracks, that’s an extra charge (anywhere from $5-$7/track). And, if they want me to soap & brush the screens, that’s also an extra charge ($3/screen).
A few other things you could do to adjust your prices up:
Raise your minimum to $150 for ANY job, and possibly set separate minimums for 2-story+ jobs.
Divide your estimate between a “basic” and “deep” cleaning. This is what I do; basic cleaning is glass cleaning plus wiping tracks and screens. Deep cleaning involves vacuuming and my Xero screen cleaner. This helps you move faster on the “basic” cleaning jobs.
Work out some specific prices (for your eyes only) for different windows. For example, small/medium/large casements are priced differently, as well as polygonal shaped-windows. Double-hungs are priced higher because of those dumb latches that get in the way and the extra detailing.
add in fees (your eyes only) for each ladder move ($5/ladder set), each window that has obstructions like trees/bushes that you’ll have to work around, and each hazard (power lines or steep grading).
Sometimes I’ll include those extra fees if my total price seems lower than how much work I know the job will take. Sometimes I don’t if it would make the price too high.
Just my 2 cents. Running solo, I tend to make a lot of on-the-fly adjustments. Sometimes it bites me in the butt, but you live and learn.
You shouldn’t give a guaranteed price based on there discrimination. Let them know this price is subject to change upon inspection. This is a ballpark price. Put exactly that verbiage in the estimate you send them , and exactly what they say they have. That way your covered
I would also Google earth every house and Zillow . What ever it takes to get eyes on it. Ask for a picture of the back that’s the hardest part of the house to see on Google earth.
Make sure your verbiage is good on your estimates. Price doesn’t include any type of storm windows , hard water stain removal etc etc .
The price is for 10 Doubke hungs 10 Casments and two sliders . Subject to change based on inspection on amount of windows
How much is it worth to him to hire someone with no insurance? Needs to borrow ladders? Charging so low that the Bucket Bob is eyeing things to steal? Hires someone with sub-par skills and tools and does a poor job and skips over things?
Perhaps the business he is running has a found a way to cut corners so badly that he himself only charges about $30-$40 per hour. I bet if he opened his books - if he has any - would show a good profit margin to successfully stay in business.
usually those who hire services regulalry give little grief if any over pricing since they are used to what it costs to hire many services
a contrast to a do it yourselfer who hasnt had his windows done in forever and you’re the first service he’s hired in ages and he doesn’t even want to do that
anyone in the construction world is a pain cause they feel anything “labor” should be minimum wage
all different segments of thought out there, it’s a great thing when you’re dealing with a person in all the right segments of thought
I called around town and got pricing from other cleaners this week and found that I am in the upper median of prices. Solo guys can make that $100+/hr fairly consistently. I hit $100-130/hr when I work solo. When I have workers they are anywhere from $45-85/hr.
That said, what a client or even someone on this forum says about what you or I should charge or earn does not really matter! That’s is all up to each of us.
One of the guys I called was literally HALF the freaking price of the rest. He and his sons have 2 nice vans and an older van running around town. He is a great guy and does good work. I’d go hungry on his prices with employees but as a family operation he is happy.
The local repairmen charge $100-150/hr. That is where I want my numbers to be. They charge fro parts and labor. Their guys make $17-50/hr.
Do you and choose to be happy. I could definitely make better money in fewer hours solo but I choose to work PT in the field and the rest in the operations side. It is saving my back; numerous old injuries that have caught me way too early. So I have chosen to be happy with a team average of $62/hr. It has increased from $49 in just two years and as I raise prices and manage my guys better and maybe find someone with no experience willing to work for less than $20/hr it’ll go up more.
when you call us, we have a girl who picks up to quote/answer questions
when you book…it comes with reminders of your service coming up
when we show up on the job, we have uniforms, a car wrapped in our logo, proper tools to get the job done
when we’re done, you get an emailed invoice and can either call in to take payment or do it yourself online.
I can’t remember the last time someone told us we shouldn’t be charging what we charge… heck… we get 100-200$ tips on the regular
I’ve found having a certain image has helped in justifying the price tag… it’s not actually me making 120-130/hr… its the business with all that comes with it. Ever since we started caring about our image, no one has tried to lower our prices/ask us why we charge what we charge
It’s funny, after this guy, like right after… I booked 3 high paying jobs and an apartment complex said they want to move forward with me.
I remember the guy sounding condescending.
He assumed I’m not busy now and that I could lower my price for him.
“You’re probably not busy right now, can I pay you hourly”
That’s when I told him it’d be $100 per hour minimum lol.
Also if I get that apartment, it’d be a nice transition from my job since I’ll be leaving my job October and could schedule that job for like the whole month of October.
Lol that’s a good company looking out for the consumer?! You mean that’s a company that won’t be in business next couple of years. No one should lower prices in a bad economy, no one. If anything the economy will crush out our little slice of business if we don’t raise our rates. Work trucks and vans cost more than any other time, all supplies are going up. Our gas expenses all summer were stupid, our pricing must reflect a profitable business that can withstand these winds.
Just had a client that has used it three times in three years call and ask what her prices, $130. I raised at five dollars over what it was three years ago when we first cleaned it. She bawked and said I can’t believe you raise your price on me. I told her I have to stay in business and she hang up. Life is better already.
We’re in the mid/upper range pricing wise for our area; but we treat folks right, are honest, do things in a timely manner and communicate every step of the way.
Just had a GM for a restaurant we clean for walk in while we were mid job, and tell us how much he appreciates the professionalism and how much easier it makes his life knowing his windows/frames/sills are 1 thing he never even had to think about; he cuts the check and just knows it’s done.
Naturally we were thankful for his kind words. Even more thankful that he bought our lunch and gave us a running vendor discount moving forward.
Chuck the whiners to the curb and get quality customers who understand you get what you pay for. I tell you truly, that’s one client who will now always have clean windows moving into big tourist weekends; top of the list.
