I’d like to incorporate these concepts into my own residential service in the near future. I’m interested in two things:
If you use a 3-tier package system, what do you offer?
What names do you use?
I’ve gathered that some offer just outside service as their lowest level, and full cleaning of everything for their highest. I was thinking maybe glass only for the lowest; glass, screens, light dusting of tracks and sills for middle; and all of the above plus thorough tracks sills and frames for the highest tier.
For names I’ve seen Silver, Gold, Platinum. I really liked @Samuel’s Embassador, Presidential, and Royal. My mom actually liked my idea of simply Basic Clean, Deep Clean, and Premium Clean.
Funny, i had also thought about “The Works” for the top tier.
I’d be interested if you would notice any differences if you started using your tier system more. The psychology in those links is really interesting; excellent reading (well, two are videos actually) if you haven’t gotten to check them out yet.
I don’t offer tiers. I give people prices for what it will take to get their windows cleaned. Some have screens, some don’t; Some have really dirty tracks, some don’t.
If in the process of cleaning the windows I am going to make mud in the tracks then the tracks have been added to the cleaning price. I get hired to clean what can be cleaned. If some require deep cleaning to get cleaned, that is added in to the over all price as it is more time consuming. Time is money. I find it works for me.
I like that strategy too. One reason, though, that I’ve been considering this a bit more is that in my (so far very limited) experience I’ve been noticing that bringing the windows up to my standards didn’t necessarily match the customer’s standards, i.e. I’m cleaning to a German level of perfection when in reality they just wanted the bulk of the dirt removed. The problem in this is that to clean to my standards would require charging more and perhaps result in losing the sale when i could have offered less service at a lower price point that they would have been willing to pay.
Also, I’m wondering if it would assist in closing more sales because of the phycological factor of the middle tier not seeming so expensive when compared to the higher tier.
If I’m correctly understanding especially the article on pricing, it’s more a phycological “trick” to steer the customer to the product you want them to buy while making the price seem more palatable.
For me, the service tiers have proved themselves a fantastic tool but I’m not bound by them. I give customers any combination of services they want, and price accordingly.
The service tiers just serve as a quick reference, both for myself and the customer, and a simple way to price jobs. Customers looking on my site can compare ballpark prices quickly without entering any data whatsoever. In my notes I can write one word and the price instead of a huge rundown of everything I did.
A lot of people have no idea what actually goes into getting the results that they want; they just know they want clean windows and realize they will have to pay someone to do it.
Cleaning windows and leaving dirty screens and tracks will be noticed every time the customer looks out their window, even though that is what they asked for.
Also, your business name goes on every job you do. If a neighbor or friend knows that you came around and cleaned the windows, but upon closer look while visiting, they see the tracks and screens are still dirty - what message does that convey about your service? They do not know that a deal was struck to clean this but don’t clean that - they just assume you did a sub par job.
For this reason I assess each job and price it according to what it will take for me to clean their windows. This is the level of service to be sold. I have had a few who said - “Well, just do these front windows and kitchen windows” - that’s fine, I have a minimum to show up and clean windows. More times than not they say go ahead and do it all. You can’t always get 100% of the jobs you bid on. I realize starting out you need to, I did too. Other choices to offer is outside only this month, then next month inside to lessen the burden of sticker shock some folks feel.
Window cleaning - like house cleaning, lawn maintenance, pool service, and a day at the spa, is a luxury service - need to target that audience.
Yeah, I’m always disappointed when someone leans toward outside only cause i know the windows will only look ok. I so want them to have that wow feeling you get when the glass disappears completely.
I can relate to your philosophy in my tutoring job. Our packages cost thousands of dollars and mostly people with a lot of money buy them. But I’ve had a few customers who were cheap, and then were upset when their kid didn’t have a miraculous test score increase with just three lessons. I was always trying to upsell - not for the money - buy so they would truly get what they wanted and needed.
i’m not saying your system is wrong for you but it would not fit most of my current customers.
sometimes it’s not convenient to have someone inside at an appointed time vs just come by and do the outsides.
some rarely open their windows so the screens don’t get as dirty and they need deluxe screen cleaning (part of the whole hog).
outsides get dirty faster than insides usually and many of my customers do in and out in the spring and outs only in the fall.
if i went to my mechanic to have my brakes done and he told my i would have to change my tires because they’re not up to his standards i’d find a new mechanic.
if a dentist refused to repair a broken tooth or do a filling because my yellow teeth would reflect badly on him same result.
if went to restaurant with only one item on the menu i would only go when i wanted that particular thing.
there are countless studies that prove that offering the right amount of choices to customers increases sales.
too many is as bad or worse than only one.
Yep, we all slice an apple differently I suppose. I get so few that just want an outside clean and screens are hit or miss if they attach from the inside or the outside.
I do have a few who detach the screens before I arrive where I do the windows and screens then reset and when they get home they reattach. But, for the most part, full on cleans are what I aim for so the windows look as good as they possibly can.
