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A new Marketing Plan???
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10-18-2012, 09:21 AM
My first post on the new board. QUESTION- How does _______ Carpet Cleaning Co. charge so little? QUESTION- How does everyone else charge so Much? I was thinking about this as I was looking at an ad from Stanley Steemer in Sarasota, Fl. "3 areas for $91.95" What say you?
10-18-2012, 10:48 AM
SS has to generate an enormous amount of work over the course of a year. In my opinion they are a very good marketing company and at least in my area a not so good carpet cleaning company. When we go to a job that SS has done before us we end up with the client because yes we charge more but we actually clean the carpet. This is what we hear Wow its dry already and clean to. SS was only here for 30 minutes. You guys took 90. I set our prices because of the cost to do work and the profit I wanted to make. It took me a couple of years but we now have set prices that I could send any one to a job and they could quote it. We charge by the SF and I prefer it to X $ for an area. I do not compete with SS. There are only a few companys in the area that can give the service that we provide and there is plenty of work for all if we go look for it. I worry more about the 3 rooms for 50$ guys that give us all a bad name and drive the prices down and then go out of business or to jail. Did I answer your Q or did I just ramble?
Pete PS I saw your post in Padderland but thought I would put my post here.
10-18-2012, 01:10 PM
I think Pete nailed it. It really comes down to what is your true cost of doing business and your profit structure? Each business needs to carefully look at what it takes to be profitable. There are many folks in business today in every conceivable industry who don't have a clue about what it takes to turn a profit. Every day they fritter away making sale after sale and gradually go out of business, in spite of the fact that they've had a healthy number of sales. Why? Because they didn't understand how to clearly see the overall picture of the business as it corresponds to profitability and how that relates to the future health of their company. Profit is like the blood. Profit courses through the veins of the business and without a sufficient flow the business will die. The important thing for each and everyone of us in business to do is to make sure that there's honest profit. One companies profit will be different than another's - so learning to gauge this is an individual criterium that needs to be learned and evaluated by each business on its own terms. Here's a very helpful book on this subject... http://www.amazon.com/Great-Game-Busines...038547525X
P.S. It's great to see you here Ray! Don't be a stranger.
10-18-2012, 01:16 PM
As far as SS charging that amount is because their minimum is $99 special
everywhere all year long. It's just their gimmick to reel people in. They never clean for $99 anyway. Price goes up once they come in your door.[/b]
10-19-2012, 02:30 AM
This is absolutely right.
They do not intend on cleaning a home for $99.00. What they charge for a standard cleaning is considerably higher. (10-18-2012, 01:16 PM)Charles Wrote: As far as SS charging that amount is because their minimum is $99 special
10-19-2012, 07:07 PM
So do you guys consider that bait & switch or upselling?
Personally I think it's B&S. JMO
10-19-2012, 07:31 PM
I never would try the bait and switch. I never push the up sell either. My price is my price.
10-20-2012, 10:48 AM
how we charge depends on several factors one being residential or commercial,
Residential is strictly on a flat per sq ft basic for carpet cleaning. Commercial a bit different, there are several factors to consider. Weekend work, day, night , ease of work , access to the work, moving not moving . and the old is the customer difficult to work with. We even have some clients that we know upfront take 60 days to pay. (government work) I take all that into how I price. I have no problems with up selling clients , but will not sugest something that is unnecessary just to make my up sell quota |
