One person can make you wish you never started a discount program. Don’t they know discounts are generosity based? I should do like Boston Market, $1 to $2 off…LOL
What kind of discount made you wish you hadn’t done it?
I’m doing discounted flat rates through the summer but they are only on my door hangers and have expiration terms just like a coupon.
I believe Garry is referring to a quarterly/bi annually discount, not the one time discount like i think your offering.
Ah now that makes more sense. Permanent discounts seem like a good way to get poked.
20% Quarterly clean is really the only one I offer. Sometimes I offer 10% military any time, or 10% to nudge the sale.
Lady I cleaned a house for, $528, wanted to do it quarterly. I explained first clean is full price, additional quarterly cleans are 20% off. She wanted to do a partial clean then a full clean, then a partial. I’m like - 20% is my Quarterly Maintenance Program for full cleans. But I liked the lady, so I said I would alter my program for her and do Full-Partial-Full to finish out the year and end the new quarter with partial. Then before I left she wanted to renegotiate Full-Partial-Partial, then start the 2nd quarter with Full. UGH! Please!
I tell her I will do 10% frequent customer discount.
No, she acts like we signed a contract for her pebble under the cup routine.
Meanwhile I picked up another Quarterly full house clean two blocks away. 
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Thats what i thought you meant be your original post, happy i was correctly responding to @Samuel.
He seemed a little concerned that he jump in with both feet before checking the water temp. 
Geeze Louise, @Garry . Ya need to train your clients better, buddy.
For me, no way I’d offer a discount without them following the full rules to get a discount. It saves yourself stress, and feeling like people are using you for a doormat.
I don’t have time to be nickel and dimed.
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You know, I try to be flexible with people and service their needs. Actually in 8 years this is the first one who wanted to go to the mat with me about MY discount that I offer. But every now and again someone pops their head up and tries to test me. I am informing her today that I do not have to offer any discount what so ever, I do so to benefit those who wish to get on MY Quarterly Maintenance Schedule. There are more benefits to it where I take care of a bunch of little things during my visits, which I DO NOT have to do either, but it is a reward system. Some times training is simple, sometimes it is painful. Welcome to the world of f%$ing with Garry.
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Are you at the point in your business where you don’t need every client? It sounds like a problem job to begin with. Stick to your own rule if you don’t need her job. Worst case you do someone else’s house, best case she uses you and you get the money you want.
Right, I don’t really need every client, but I’m not arrogant and shove any to the wayside as I strong-arm through life. That shows as I altered my program for her. This is a hard neighborhood to break into and this year I landed three accounts! (including hers). Not a big deal because life is fluid. Like I mentioned, I landed a Quarterly yesterday just two blocks away exactly as my program is laid out; no quibbling, no if this, no if that. If she can’t see the benefits of getting on MY program, then someone else always will - and did! 
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I don’t think it is arrogant if you decline to do work for someone that won’t pay the price you estimated.
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I cleaned my mother’s windows for free. That was generosity-based, or more accurately, it was “I owe her way more than clean windows-based.”
Discount programs should not be generosity-based. They should be efficiency-based. This is the only way they are Win-Win.
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Tomato, tomatto…Fixed figure to clean windows. Generously discount for multiple cleans in the same year after that. Never charged my Mom for mow, edge, trim, landscape adjustments, paint, boat repair, cement wall repair. She had an open free coupon book that never expired.
This is how it works for 99% of the folks.
Today the customer opted for outside only, quarterly. That’s fine, no discount offered since it is not full house clean.
“Oh by the way, can you clean the business windows outside quarterly also?” Yes, I can. Both jobs booked, quarterly, no discount to be offered.
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Hey Garry. I have never offered a discount for quarterly cleaning. How long have you been doing that? That is a great idea. I am sure the discount has worked well for you. Don’t let her bother you man! She can easily be replaced when you want to.
You would be surprised how many people don’t care about a discount.
I do referral discounts and ‘full-meal-deal’ discounts (gutters and windows in/out). I’ve been changing my discount numbers, so things are starting to get confusing, particularly with homes of people I’ve known that I already discount because they are family friends, etc.
I have offered it since very early on. I met with some resistance on my prices at first, so to try to avoid that I started offering 20% off after first clean if they commit to a full quarterly clean. First cleans are always toughest, so always full price. Maintenance is easier because most all of the problems have been taken care of, and I try to up-sell screen repairs at that time too; sometimes adding the screens on the next discounted clean allows me to add to THAT invoice. Screens last about 5+ years around here. So maintenance is easier which saves me time and loyal customers money. Several of my accounts that benefit from this are past the $400-$600 mark, so it helps to buy loyalty even when it comes time to raise prices instead of start all over with someone else at a higher rate.
Very cool. Nothing like a maintenance clean and having a loyal client for years. Always a good idea to take care of them. You definitely know what your doing.
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Yes, keep it simple! When trying to appease certain customers who want to ala carte their service it can get confusing. Like the most recent lady for me who wanted to switch how I do my Quarterly. It ended up she wanted a 5 month break then jump back in. No, no, no.
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