Where do you fit in?

In regards to rates again....are you more expensive, the same or lower than your competition? Im curious because many factors can set ones price and because one is cheaper doesnt mean anything vs the most expensive....if the most expensive cleaner in town is financed out the rear and the cheapest is paid in full....one may have better margins.

This isnt to say im thinking of being the low price leader although it would work!...im wanting price to dictate pace. I am more interested in your frame of mind and the logic.

mine is: price will slow or speed my volume based on my need at the time of year. even the lower priced time will be above my competition.

I never track this variable, it just never mattered to me where I stand with my competitors....I don't operate their business. What I can control is my costs and needs regarding price.

I do know via bidding, that my price on commercial is low and my residential is high. That might seem foolish, but I get more work through commercial accounts than I do through residential referrals.

The way I look at it, each business I clean for has employees and customers, both of which I interact with and both of which get to see my work in person. A simple store front, might get you exposed to 6-7 employees and maybe 30 customers in a simple hour of work. That adds up pretty fast....especially in a small town.

Judging by 3 phone calls that I received today, Im on the high side.

One lady said she has someone that could do it for half the quote that I gave her and get this, She just wasn't able to get a hold of him

Mo wrote:Judging by 3 phone calls that I received today, Im on the high side.

One lady said she has someone that could do it for half the quote that I gave her and get this, She just wasn't able to get a hold of him

Sounds too familiar, lol.
I'm definitely on the higher side and I'm happy where I am, I don't get every single customer but I get the best batch that 99.99 % will be happy with my cleaning and so much easier to deal with.

In my area I am on the higher side, but compared to some of you guys, I am cheap. I really do not worry too much about what other cleaners charge, I just know what I want and need to make. I try to keep my prices affordable to the average consumer but too expensive for the price shoppers and the coupon shoppers.

Last week I had a call from someone that purchased a home in my neighborhood she freaked out on a 300.00 quote and it wasn't easy seeing the competition cleaning her place this week

were not the highest here but I wouldnt really want to be.     D.A Burns is the highest but they have 2 multi million dollar cleaning plants/rug shops..  

their wall to wall residential is very high priced and they clean lots of mansions but also deal with extremely picky people who are not at all down to earth and would sue you for everything you got and sleep like a baby that night    

just dont want customers like that,   I really dont care what they pay.      

I like to be on the higher end but not the highest,   so you get all the upper middle class and still a lot of high end homes.        

I like cleaning semi-high end new construction because all the carpet is the same white poly,    cleans up so easy and looks brand new without a lot of effort...    the customers tend to be more down to earth and have good referrals.      


honestly dont like cleaning super mansions with snotty little kids and lap dogs that piss everywhere on ultra expensive wool carpet.      Some of those people are normal and super nice,   but many of them can be a pain to deal with and the risk/liability of cleaning in their home can be very high.      

cleaning carpets isnt really risky at all,   but you never know some rich prick takes a fall trying to walk over your hoses and he could easily just end your business and there is nothing you could do about it.      

There arent many sue happy people here,   but the ones that are you will find in the ultra rich areas of Seattle

I agree with you AC, don't care for the mansions either. Most of them around here treat you like a migrant field worker and don't value your efforts.

I say most, but many are great people and a joy to work for. It is just like any sector of the world, you find azzes in all areas.

If you want to be treated like family, clean for the rural folks. Not only do they normally pay cash (dresser drawer full of cash), but often feed you as well. Just beware of the farmer's daughter....that trap still exists.

milspec6 wrote:I agree with you AC, don't care for the mansions either.  Most of them around here treat you like a migrant field worker and don't value your efforts.

  Barumpump! Thank You! Ill be here all week.

I have some mansions we service and the people treat us like family, offer a sandwich etc

but also have had enough snobbies that I know thats not a market I would want to be in, they could care less about you.. sure they pay more but the jobs arent enjoyable.

I bad job in the harbor or on the hill is better than any job in the Ghetto, to me anyways........I'd rather vac up light dust than trash and sunflower seeds.

No matter the house, the money is always the same color green and spends the same for me.......but it's the ones I have to have my eyes in the back of head that "aren't enjoyable".

ya working in the ghetto no good, but who from the ghetto even has their carpets cleaned for more than 75 bucks.. most of that market is either rug doctor or super hack $9 a room

ACpower1 wrote:ya working in the ghetto no good,   but who from the ghetto even has their carpets cleaned for more than 75 bucks..      most of that market is either rug doctor or super hack $9 a room

You'd might be surprised, ghetto 'hoods doesn't necessarily mean there's no money.
I have a couple customers I clean for on a yearly bases, that both live in the city of Compton.......yep, the one in all the rap songs. And they pay good money for good service that I provide.......no less than $150 per trip even if just 2 small rms.

Then there's the Big black lady I did a job for a long time ago when I worked for a bait n switch co., who also lived in Compton. I did the typical deal we did then, gave her a ridiculous price for a couple rooms, she said "ok do it" and pulled 4 100 dollar bills out of her bra!!

You never can tell, unless you're willing to ask by giving them the price......assuming isn't good, even though I still have a bad habit of doing it sometimes.

There are some nicely maintained homes and manicures lawns in some neighborhoods on Compton

Maybe, but I haven't seen them.........But I'm sure it's no different than the city I live in, Long Beach....where you can find 3 mil. beach front homes just a few blocks from ghetto apts.

The ones I mentioned in Compton do not have nice lawns though...........more like the kind of house you pull up to and think to yourself, oh great it's the worst house on the block!

Funny how some neighborhoods are like you describe Davey.

The first time I ended up in New Orleans, I was staying at real nice Howard Johnsons. When I went out for a run, the desk clerk warned me to not go West and no more than 3 blocks to the South.

I laughed it off having run through a lot of rough neighborhoods, but the guy wasn't kidding. Two blocks to the West and it was a scene from "Escape from New York" and I wasn't near as tough as Snake.

LOL, I still remember the last time I was in Compton, passed by a bunch of gang bangers and they were all looking at me with their hands on their hips, I'm guessing they are preparing for a bunch of SWAT teams jumping out of the back of my van as soon as I passed them

DP the narc

Let the truth be known: Being the "Cracker" I am, I do not "fit in", in the city of Compton!

I advertised in google adwords back then, I immediately put "Compton" in the "negative" keyword list

Ahhhh common, you'd fit right in over in the CPT, DP!!

Nice use of emo Dave

Isn't this EASY-E?