Hello,
I am new to the business and a sole proprietor. With that being said, I am always looking for new ways to market my services and beat my competition, and still have time to do everyday operations. My theory is that while quality of work gets repeat business and referrals, you need a way to successfully sell yourself the first time. I was thinking as a new marketing technique, offering residential customers flat rate pricing. Ofcourse I still have to check, recheck, and recheck again, my numbers. But as an example, $175 for up to 20 windows, any size. The avarage home in my city is between 15 and 25, depending on the exact area. I figure that in reality, the average person is only going to make 3 to 4 calls for estimates. Nobody has time in todays world to actually shop around for services, bad economy or not. I think this technique would offer that “one call service”, (the customer already knows what is being charged so the only call to be made should be to schedule appointment for service. “What if they have more than 20 windows?”–offer flat rate pricing per window, any size, pictures and bays extra.
In that same subject … I haven’t tried that since my main market is homes $300K and up and you cannot offer a flat rate on those. But I wonder how this can work in other subdivisions with homes with less value, and probably less income.
I’m not much of a business man yet and very soft hearted so I don’t know if doing window cleaning for “working class” will bring me something good.
Have you already tried a phone script for qualifying customers and providing an educated estimate? You could also dazzle them with dialogue about your business, your methods, and other miscellaneous debris. Wouldn’t that help instill customer confidence in you? To me, one-price-fits-all begs the question, “Does this guy really know what he is talking about (without knowing my residence)?”
Or, are you interested in competing on price alone?
I have just done that…There is an area near me that have LOTS of High Ranch/Bi-level homes…yet I rarely get and calls from them. So I Ran a flat rate special just for those type homes. I put it in the local town newspaper for a few weeks…it just started. But like Tony said…extra for storms…I put a little asterik with it saying storms extra$$
Personally I don’t see this as a bad idea at all, nor do I see how it questions your ability or quality of work at all. Basically it all comes out the same, but perhaps just makes it easier for your customers to determine your rates with ease. Bottom line, it is the quality and service that you provide that will bring on continued success, and being customer oriented, keeping it simple.
I say, go for it, do it and see what happens and learn. Nothing is carved into stone, you can always change, alter, adjust from your own experiences.
I use the per pane method and it is standard but allows me to do the free estimate which almost assuredly gives me the closed sale as a result. I’m getting to the point I was before where new customers are just scheduling over the phone but until I get so busy that I can’t keep up, I like to go out and give the estimate and that way I can create a work sheet from the estimate so that when the date comes to do the work I have all the equipment information we need and the particulars of the house that were noted on the visit and more importantly what the customer described as being the most important to them.
I fill out my work estimate/work sheet and then just translate that into a simple written estimate for the customer. I don’t think any type of pricing is better than another. I’ve seen several methods that are successful for companies.
I never do flat rate pricing other than maybe offering a block discount for condos/ apts that are basically all the same…every job is different. I will tell a customer that an average house is maybe 45.00-60.00,(1/2 hr job) just to give a starting point…if they think thats too expensive, move on…
Wow, it’s almost like you went to my website! I charge $179 for up to 20 windows and $8 for every window past 20. Remember 179$ or in your case $175 up to 20, so if they have 14 windows for example, its still $175.
I have found flat rate to be quick and easy for the customer instead of pricing per size, story, sq feet etc. They typically want something quick and over the phone, or so that’s been my experience.
You can also try taking your prices higher, it’s whatever you want to work at and what the market will bear. If their are so many homes and businesses and not enough window cleaners to clean them all in a year, then charge whatever you want. Someone will pay what you want!
