Alongside JtotheD’s standard service thread: is your pricing fixed and firm with no give or more of a “eh, I’ll do it for this”?
Is there any criteria that causes you to lower your price? Little old lady, really nice neighborhood that you want to be all up in, will do house 4x per year, etc?
Do you have a minimum that you must have before taking a job?
What’s your “ideal” sweet spot of a house?
They have to go thru my screening process first! I ask questions, and I usually can spot the trouble ones. If its someone who can potentially give me a headache, I em no longer interested. However, if its a refferal I stick it thru.
When I do lower my price, I do it for fallowing reasons; Want to get in that neighborhood,nice people,easy job,slow day, I’m happy lol!
this is exactly everything that i do.
touching more upon the “potential headache client”. usually its always a man that calls and thinks that he can wheel and deal, or intimidate me to bow down to his feet. i get off the phone as quickly and politely as i can.
I don’t discount for new customers or to get into neighborhoods. People talk and I don’t want to have the hassle when Betty comes crying that I charged her 100 bucks, and only charged her neighbor Mary (who got me into the neighborhood) 75 bucks, and Mary has more windows.
I do have a minimum I need to charge as a “stop fee.” As stated above, while talking with customer, if they appear to be a “difficult” customer, I price accordingly.
I learned MANY years ago, the old saying of, “you never say no to new business,” can be trouble
Everything is negotiable 
Especially when the homeowner is holding wallet sized photos of dead presidents, or Ben franklin, in their hands
Yes it is but there is not many people both sides (cleaning owners and cleaning customers) that know to negotiate
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I agree. And for me it goes UP and down.
I love to add more on, as much as a customer likes to add the old “ooh, while you’re up there, can you…?”
I really do try my best to find out if they are just looking for “best price” or if X is all they can really afford.
I once gave an example of a family who really wanted to throw a graduation party for their son.
That can be pretty expensive, and ego’s are fragile.
Maybe offering a “first floor only” or “backyard/party area” is a nice compromise for someone who wants to do something special,
but maybe cant afford the whole enchilada of my full service.
(I was ridiculed for the most part, I believe)
I love to create on the spot ‘packages.’
Another example is a current elderly customer…
She has me dust the tops of her cabinets she can no longer reach and some light fixtures, when I do the windows.
Her family tells her not to do that, you’re just wasting money… "we’ll come and do it for you."
Yet… [B]they never do[/B]. And she just wants her apartment looking clean for when they DO visit.
For her. Each new task, I lower my rate.
Some things we do just barely pay labor, I don’t Make a dime, and I’m FINE WITH IT!!!
If it ever gets to zero, so be it.
I always like doing something extra at no charge for my clients. Especially the older clients. Maybe changing an air condition filter, bringing trash can to the road,picking up paper at end of the driveway so they don’t have to get out in the cold and get it, etc
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What about your pricing for those who you would 'always do something extra for?'
Hard or firm?
I was on a customer’s floor in her kitchen changing the filter for the icemaker in her fridge last week. All in a day’s work
Honestly, I charge everyone the same price per pane, etc. So many of my clients know each other. If I give a discount for one client, it spreads like wild fire to all my other clients. I have had this happen before. It is just easier for me to charge everyone the same.
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No two houses are the same…I don’t use a one price fits all model unless they are in a same-style community, there are too many variables. I have two duplex communities where all the units are supposed to be the same…they aren’t. Some units take longer because of accessibility around landscaping, trees, water stains, etc.
I am not going to charge the same price for a window with 6’ holly or rose bushes in front of it versus one without. This is why we don’t give phone or internet estimates, every job gets eye-balled and bid in person
Totally. I completely get ya on that… 
It’s like, you love it when a customer is 'working for you.'
But you hate the fact that they are ‘working for you.’
Exactly!! Then you have a client that says…“I know you charged Mrs. Smith only $20 for that. Why am I paying $25?” I did not like being in those situations. I do charge extra for hard to reach windows because of landscaping, trees, furniture I have to move, etc. After I figure out the total per pane, I add extra to whatever I feel will take me longer. It works great!
I did a customers windows last week and he wanted me use his pressure washer to clean the green off of his PVC fence and cement wall out in the yard. Sometimes what you do to keep the customer happy. Pressure washing IS a job in itself.
This go around I am offering 10% off for new cleans, (trying anything to make up for lost time), but with that I am not budging on my starting price and even charging for all of those extras like difficult landscape, 2nd and 3rd floor surcharge, screens, etc., then feeling comfortable with the 10% off.
Well said I agree , But if something is to far out of my way I do try to give a phone bid as long as it’s not a big house I tell them this is jiust a ball park . Anything big I like to look before I speak .
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Like you said that’s a job that’s not a throw In. When. We are talking throw in it’s something that’s done out of the goodness of your heart, and should only for the most part take 5 10 15 20 minutes at the most . Anything in the half hour to an hour range an they say can you do this I say yes would you like a price for that . Especially that power washing that your talking about .
I don’t llke snarky people if he says you just can’t do it for free. I would say do like working overtime for nothing .
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Like I said as long as it’s minimal time no big deal I like throwing on a little something extra. Gives you a good feeling an locks down a customer
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