PRICE FIXING OR STANDARD RATES

The only reason I said price fixing was to get your attention. Most other business have set prices for services provided. If you call all the plumbers in the yellow pages the all charge an hour travelling time and a fixed hourly rate plus parts. Same goes for electricians, dentists ,hairdressers, lawncare companies, mechanics ( garages) carpenters, painters, roofers, and so on.

We are the only industry that goes around cutting each others throat just to say " Thats my customer " and walk away with our head bowed low, holding on to a fist full devalued currency.

The aches and pains in our back, knees, and arms drown out the rumble of our empty stomach as we load up and head on to our next job.

We have to do something about getting together and have some set rules and prices. The customers are playing us for the fools we are. They are the winners here. The money they save, they go have a freakin nice supper with. That's our food they're eating, we paid for that bottle of wine, that's our monet that they just gave to the waiter as a generious tip. While we munch on a hot dog they're munching on a Filet Minon Steak.

Stand up and be counted and lets fix a rate chart, and abide to it, don't bend, let our personalities and skills and knowledge get us the customers.

         JACK        NIGHTRIDER  EVERY MAN CANNOT BE A LEADER BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN HE CANNOT LEAD THE WAY.....ALL THESE QUOTES ARE MY OWN IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING

That is very negitive thinking Mr. Steamer. Let's assume there are 25 real carpets cleaners in a given area, it's easy to seperate the men from the boys. Let us also assume 15 come on board, and 10 cut prices......the 10 will be cleaning 3 jobs to your every 1 and make the same money. It won't be long that they realize they are working for peanuts, and will give up the business because of the long hours and little pay. That is why there are so many used truckmounts and portables for sale. In the summer they is always a hand full of new carpet cleaners and window washer out there, but customers want a professional job, and will pay the extra costs. The ones that don't want to pay, let the amature have it.......do you want to clean a whole house for 49.95 If you do better you go flip hambergurs at McDonalds cause you are far from a businessman, you become a joke, and your customers will refer to you as the JOKER who cleanen my whole house for PEANUTS.

     Jack         NIGHTRIDER   where men and boys are distinguished between who they are and what they want to be

Sorry but people are aways looking for cheaper....I'm not the cheapest by a long shot....I don't drop my prices the higher the better....it keeps the rif and raf away...but there are people always telling my customers they can do it for less..

I tell them... if you want cheaper call that guy..I can't do it for less....

Bissell sold over 100,00 units last year yanno

I totally agree to work smarter and not harder.

but as Mr. Steamer said,there will always be lowballers.

I'm just starting my second year in business for myself and every other day a new client will tell me how so and so will do it for "this much",or when handing them the bill they pull out a competitor's coupon  for "$85 whole house cleaning",and I ask how come they didn't call that guy.

Maybe I'm crazy being a fairly new biz but I tend not to budge,I know what I need to get to make the profit I want to make,therefore I charge what I charge.

I do try to remain friends with what I think are the most reputable cleaners in town and we tend to scratch each others backs instead of stabbing them.

Maybe we should form a Union,then the higher price cleaners would tend to be the ones willing to pay their dues.It'd be o.k. cuz I mean who else wants to discuss CC other than carpet cleaners