This is my second post as a new member and am still soaking up a lot of information here on the forum. Since the Holiday season is over and Spring is just around the corner, I am trying to get a head start on building my book of business as it relates to Residential clients. As stated in my Introductory Post, I have a lot of experience with store fronts and have been cleaning family members’ houses so as to refine my speed/pace before entering the Residential market so at this point, doing a professional-looking job in a reasonable amount of time is not an issue.
Here is my issue, however: What to price my service at? Because I am experienced, I would love to earn [I]at least[/I] $60/Hr; $75/Hr.+ if at all possible. The reason I ask because I have decided to advertise my price in my first flyer campaign and would like to get some feedback before printing off a couple thousand of them. Now, from what I can gather in a lot of the posts, many on here say things like, “charge what you think you’re worth”, etc. I would like to know however, what this local market can support. Now, I live in North Scottsdale, which along with neighboring Paradise Valley and Fountain Hills, is home to some of the wealthiest families in the Southwestern U.S. In my area in particular, the average home size is about 1000 - 2000 sq./ft. and have anywhere from 10 to 15 Double-Windows (20 to 30 panes, as my neighbors would describe their homes).
From what I’ve been able to research, the least expensive charge I’ve seen for the aforementioned home size is $125 (Int. & Ext.) and the most expensive I’ve seen is $229 (Int. & Ext.).
I decided to put on my flyer the following prices for this size (20 Panes) - $139 (Int. & Ext; Screens Brushed & Scrubbed) or $99 ([B]Exterior Only[/B]; Screens Brushed & Scrubbed). That comes out exactly $6.95 per pane, In & Out, w/Screens Scrubbed and the Exterior Only price is roughly 70% of that.
So WCR, what do you think? Before okaying the final draft and sending my flyers to the printing press, how do my prices stack up? Am I am charging to much or am I selling myself short?
I try to give as much background info as possible so thank you in advance for your patience while reading my (sometimes) long posts
Hey welcome , I’m new too. But what I have learned in regards to pricing it timing . Have you timed your self? Can you clean 20 windows DH in/out and screen in 2 hours?? To hit your $60hr goal ?
If you haven’t yet timed your self , I would do it in my own house or a friends. What if it takes you 3 hours? Then you you might have to increase your price to $189?
Hope this helps , thx
Sent from my iPhone using Window Cleaning Resource mobile app
Frankie, I have found that I can only push the pane pricing to about $4-$5 on average. If your working down the Shea corridor you may find the same. In PV you can be a bit more aggressive. In Scottsdale people who only get it done once a year are will to pay more, the people who get it done twice or more I have had to keep it around $4 a pane. Have you ever google mapped window cleaners Scottsdale? We are very saturated with window cleaners. So many little dots show up, some are large companies, but lots are smaller that do things on the cheap, look at craigslist, Yikes! If you can increase the minimum I am all for it. But you have to tell me how you did it
You may want to hold back a couple of weeks before flyering. Generally speaking… As most of the snow birds who came back after Christmas just got them done, and snowbirds who stayed for Christmas had them dome before Thanksgiving. I do Almost 65-70% of my residential between September 15th and January 15th. Then I get another push March 1st though beginning of May. I send out cards and flyers middle of Feb, and always pick up a few new clients.
Anything else I can help with give me a ring, 480-268-1115, Friday is an office day.
And Good Luck
I am a window cleaner in AZ. Make sure you charge $2-$3 minimum per screen that will bump your hourly up. give me a call and we can meet up sometime . (480)442-5665 Aaron
Thanks for the input! I live in McCormick Ranch and figured I’d start flyering in my surrounding neighborhoods, you know? I completely understand where you’re coming from regarding Window Cleaners and other services “professionals” that spam the heck out Craigslist. I spoke with a friend recently who’s been a pro here in the Valley for quite some time and something he said me stuck with me. He completely agreed that there are many Window Cleaners here in Metro Phx but said, “It all comes down to who you want to be. Do you want to be coffee from Circle K or coffee from Starbucks? Same coffee, way different price”. I didn’t ask him flat out how much he charged (I felt it would have been rude) but I told him I wanted to charge $10 for a DH and he said I could probably bump that up by a couple of Dollars.
I probably am just suffering from “analysis paralysis” and need to just do it! Then find my personal sweet spot… Thanks again for reaching out!
Thanks Aaron! I considered charging screen cleaning separate but decided to just charge a higher per-pane price so as to honor whatever price I decide to list on my flyer, which includes screens. Case point: I ran into a little old lady here by where I live and struck up a conversation with her, told her I cleaned windows, etc. She asked me to giver her a quote on the spot so I did. As soon as I got to the part about whether she wanted her screens done too, she was like, “Well aren’t they included? Whaddaya mean they’re separate?”, blah blah blah. By the time I tried to explain to her how I charged, she was already engaged in the “crazy, willfully-ignorant, little old lady-mode” lol. Needless to say, I didn’t get the job and have since decided to just charge a higher per-pane price and include screens, regardless.
Find your niche.
Look around. There are TONS of cheap burger places around.
And yet there are still places that charge alot for a burger.
Why do they survive? Because SOMEpeole wants those burgers.
Become that hi priced burger.
Be diffent from the rest
Market to those who will pay what you wish, but do anyone’s windows.
Run some numbers WITH screen cleaning included.
I find people like a total package better than “one price but I can do screens for more money”
“screens included” works great to say to customers
You can always take screen price off if they don’t want them done.
Find your niche
Are you the friendliest window cleaner ?
Are you the most effiecent?
Wear shoe covers?
Offer 24hour service?
Dust storm guantee?
If youre area is satarated become one that stands out.
I’d start at $7 per window with screens @1.50 each and move up from there
But every area is different…
I have no experience with your market, but we’ve found $12/DH to be our sweet spot here. We include screen cleaning in that price, as well as pretty much most “complicating factors” like ladder work or weird landscaping. We do charge extra for multi-panes and storms, of course.
I think one thing a lot of people overlook when talking price is the homes themselves. I think some areas of the country are likely to have homes that are easier to work in. Less indoor ladder work, more open spaces as apposed to tightly furnished New England homes, Newer glass, less complicated landscaping, etc.
So I would suggest starting at the $10-$12 range, and see what happens. Not just with your close rate, but also how long the work actually takes you. As you become proficient and you get the hang of working in the homes in your area, you may find that you can make $80+/hr by only charging $8/DH. What’s more, for your particular market, lowering your price to that rate may increase the amount of sales you are able to make drastically. So really only time will tell. Just keep track of everything!
