Do you charge different prices based on season? I started doing this a couple years ago and its been quite lucrative. Supply and demand type of thing. This spring we are charging $15 for a regular 2 pane window… Im even thinking of jacking it to $16 a window because so far people aren’t batting an eye. Keep in mind Come summer when we are super slow we may lower to $10-12 a window.
I don’t charge more. My prices are the same throughout the year. But you have given me an idea to charge more to those customers who must have their windows cleaned by X date, even though we are booked months out this time of year. It makes sense to charge more to those customers I think because I will have to pay my guy overtime to accommodate those customers.
Yeah Seth there is that… and on the flip side you can take those customers that dont want to pay that much and offer to schedule them for August if they book NOW at a discounted rate.
I try never to discount my work. My guys still get payed the same, so I’m the only one who loses.
Chris,
Last year when I was busy, I set a $400 minimum on all residential work. I still landed most jobs.
This year, I will do the same. As I am busy, the price will be higher. I just bid a house that has 6 over 6 windows with glass storms. I usually charge $25-30 for each of those. I set this one at $40/window, which puts the price well over $1000 and the customer didn’t even hesitate.
Take advantage of that. You can get them to repeat, too. Once the job is dialed in, you can drop the price for the “maintenance cost”. The customer will be pleased with a lower price. You will be happy with repeat work that is higher than usual.
That’s my opinion.
It makes me SOO happy to see threads like this one, because so many guys are terrified to charge higher prices, especially during peak seasons.
I constantly am amazed at how much more I would be willing to pay for [I]everything [/I]that I buy. Our clients are the same.
Another way to boost this price even higher is to use a standard “minimum charge” format, even if they only have a handful of windows. Sometimes you can pull off charging ridiculous per pane pricing using that approach.
Oh - and to answer your question, I’ve never considered doing this before, but maybe this year I’ll try jacking the prices up for Spring. Thx for the idea…
Okay – after reading this thread today, I followed the suggestions to raise ones price into immediate action.
Last spring I provided a quote to a homeowner who, as it turns out, went with another party.
She called today and requested a quote even though I was not the lowest price last year – she stated that she had been impressed with my professionalism when I inspected her property and provided my quote (she didn’t state if there were issues related to the other party.)
Over the phone, I provided a quote in which I raised my price by 40%. She sounded pleased and booked the business right away.
That is great feedback and thanks for sharing 
She sounded pleased and booked the business right away.
Sweet, Larry.
Doesn’t that make you wonder how much the maximum you could have got away with charging her may have been…?
And imagine if we do this with EVERY single client this Spring, over last year. Even if we lose 1/3 of our clients, we still make more money in way less time than it took last year…
Pricing is a HUGE deal.
Like Kevin says,
that is the old customer client list and business strategy ideas.
Take all customers, give them a rating of either A - B - C
A most profitable
B profitable, but less so for some reasons
C need to be evaluated
raise rates, now you lose some, but you make more money that year and do less work. Great Business strategy, thinking and implementation.
I am doing that in a limited way this year, and next spring, it will be full implementation.
There are whole books and classes dedicated to this, and it works, may bring companies back from the brink of disaster and elevate already profitable companies into even larger profitability.
Yes - and it takes real GUTS (or whatever else you’d prefer to call it) to actually pull this off like Larry did today.
It’s not easy to look someone in the eye and tell them a price that is twice or three times as high as your competition and not flinch, but once you do it a couple of times, you’ll be hooked for life.
This is exactly the kind of stuff that makes for substantial and rapid business growth.
It all boils down to finding out how much you can charge. I am all for getting top dollar for a great service, but there will be give and take. We will lose volume but gain margin (unless you are REAL inexpensive, then raising prices may not hurt at all. In fact it may stimulate sales as you may be perceived differently)
I would take higher margin over higher volume any day… my prices are going up this year.
I thought you were leaving window cleaning?
I am… I am a little behind schedule ;(
I am doing that in a limited way this year, and next spring, it will be full implementation.
Ed, why not this year? Just curious…
I’ve always thought Spring time was our “hottest season” pretty much supply & demand?
I always get more in spring or…at least try too! I do concentrate on better paying gigs as opposed to settling for the less desirable.
