There are a ton of pricing threads but this is the most current RESIDENTIAL ONLY!

Residential
81

There are MANY $1000+ cleanings in my area too. I’m not a solo guy, but I don’t have 4 crews running around either.

I guess my question would be how many one off cleanings and how many clients is being lost a year, that you don’t have time to show up and do a personal bid? I don’t aim to lose clients (even though it does happen some) and I don’t look for one time cleans (even though I will do them).

I’m not kicking you in the nuts, you just make it sound like your turnover is so high, you have no time to bid. Personally, I do a lot of bids between jobs and on weekends if I’m not near them through the week. It’s no big deal to me to go out of my way to catch that bid on my way to do something else.

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82

I agree with this part of your reply.

I guess every customer is different, some prefer a crew to complete the job quickly and then there are some customers that prefer the solo person they trust in there home and dont mind the 2-3 days to complete the job.

I see the benefit in both situations from the eyes of the customer.

Every situation is different.

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83

It should be around here somewhere. We need to get it updated and streamlined .

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84

Hmmm, I can see why it would be most efficient. I see both ways. So far, personally, I want to have that face to face with every customer.

We will see as time goes…

85

That is quite a broad generalization, I myself and I know about a dozen guys who worked for larger companies and then had moved to a new area and started up their own business, these guys are very experienced and either prefer to work solo or have a helper from time to time for larger jobs.

Having a set price per “window” is not realistic where I live, as a window can range from 2 to 10 or more panes or anything in between, I always pre qualify customers who ask for a over phone quote I give them a ball park from $X -$Y for the size of home they say they have and would happy to give them a free in person quote. I have a set price for each part of the window.

I probably book about 20% of phone ball park quotes, with in person quotes I have 2 times of the day I do quotes, before the first job and after the last job. As others have said its about building a rapport with the customer, I often land almost all of the in person quotes and many times they tell me they are going with me even though my quote is higher than the other guy who they also got a quote from.

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86

The reason giving a bid over the phone works for me with residential is the volume. We give at least 15 bids a week for residential and about 5 commercial bids that we go out on site to meet. The residential bid is price per window because every house average out with window size and they dont have much that takes extra time for hard to access areas.

Found we don’t ever deviate from our window price, so no need to spend the time.

I can see how meeting with each customer is beneficial and could help close but just not neccessary for me.

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87

Being awarded all of your bids is not good, your prices aren’t as high a you think.

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88

Yes it was and is why it was stated as “in general”

Window cleaning is simple but depending on where you live, style of windows change and so do customer expectations/needs.

We may all perform the same task but with different approaches for sure.

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89

That’s awesome Gary! I’m going to incorporate something similar to that. Thanks for sharing!!!

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90

All I’ll say is if your system works for you, that’s great. I’m glad you found what works and is profitable for you.

But I will reiterate, that it doesn’t work for me, and many people, with varying company sizes. Sometimes you just have to show up in person and do the quotes. Like @TexasRich pointed out, there is too much variance between windows, and an in person quote is the least I can do for the prices I charge.

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91

When they show me 3 different quotes and mine is highest and they tell me they go with me because the other guys were not very friendly or professional or treated them more like a number, its the combination of being personable that lands the jobs, especially in a small town where much of my work comes from word of mouth. Being highly recommended by people you know and respect bears more weight than a budget price.

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92

For the most part I’d say people are over complicating it. I put a pretty concise specific point about how we bid jobs per/pane. I don’t care how many windows you have but you’re gonna have a set number of panes regardless.

Whether they’re really dirty requiring a deep clean, really high, hard to reach or very large there’s a set price for each of those up-charges in addition to the per pane formula.

So basically lets say you have 15 windows that are all double paned that’s 30 panes for the exterior 30 panes for the interior. We have a set bundle price for that which is discounted for doing both interior and exterior. Also we charge a little more if they require an initial deep clean, if there’s any latter work, extra-large windows or hard water removal etcetera.

In the rare cases in my area (even though they are several homes, it’s still rare) that have french panes like six-by-six, or less than 1’ by 1’, and under 6’ tall, they get a discount per pane. This is very easily conveyed over the phone!

The formula is very very simple, it’s not confusing, it doesn’t change, it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks and it’s per/pane and per side. Most customers that are in a hurry that just want the job done right, they care about reputation. We tell them, “Our prices are set per/pane per-side. We have x00 number of customers that happily pay. If this is cool, then it should be cool with you cause its cool with the rest of them.”

Now here is the best part of being a business owner, if it is not cool well then they really aren’t the type of customer we want to build around. It’s hard to find good help, so its very very difficult to grow large window company in a small market. Can’t speak for larger markets and all small markets. If prosoects try to nit pick over every window pane count, after we do the job if they still want to nitpick they don’t have to use us again.

The clients that want more time can ask all the questions they want over the phone after we have all their information. This way they are slightly invested in the deal. It takes time do develop an office assistant in how this is done, but that way you build a solid foundation of clients that appreciate what we do.

If they agree over the phone in earnest to the per pane and then receive an email with the breakdown, it’s up to them to cancel, we have prequalified properly then cancellations become rare. This saves 1-2hrs for each residential bid, then it’s time to set up recurring service at time of service (after they are happy).

I’m wanting to implement a credit card deposit for new clients with a 48hr cancellation to avoid flaky people, that commit and we schedule, then they cancel last minute. With our prequalification however, this is minimal occurrence at most, but it still happens occasionally. But we, by this method, have accumulated great clients and reputation and price increases haven’t cost us anyone not worth losing.

93

Let the voice on the phone do the talking then I can be the owner. Simple pane count 420ext 420int, 840 total. I would discount due to sheer volume and that job would ball park $2500. I would leave $500-$1000 for wiggle. But if I lived in your area I would be used to that type of job and so would my secretary. And honestly that would be worth bidding in person, but in my area we have homes from that size, down to 6 panes. So…

I admit that I will likely drive to bid a job like this one, but mostly only commercial get a visit ahead of time, but definitely this house unless it’s a 1hr drive, still not gonna happen. They are probably used to that, someone with a house that big wasn’t born yesterday.

94

Why discount because you’re doing inside and out?

Outsides you’re dealing with organic particles and dirt, interior your dealing with furniture and other obstacles.

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95

It’s by design

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96

Sorry big J, but your phone interview just missed that house by $1000.00. My wife and I did it in 8 hours for about 1500. There is a grand stairway that had a couple of awkward sets and the living room was easily 30 feet to the top windows. With your ‘sight unseen’ pricing, you likely would have priced yourself right out of it. At the very least, they wouldn’t have taken you too seriously. It would sound like a ‘go away price’.

In addition, when these people are dealing with businesses they are expecting you to come out and take a look at things. They certainly have no intention of counting all 420 panes. Heck, it took me forever and a day to count and recount to make sure I have the right numbers. Same with the landscapers, painters and the exterminator. They didn’t become millionaires so that they can do your job for you.

That said, many of you are already pretty booked up and really don’t have that many openings. It’s more of a situation that you are not taking on any new customers. Or at least not that many, which is great. So losing the job is no biggy. But for those building or expanding, there is no replacing the face to face.

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97

I said $500-1000 in wiggle, (that goes both ways). Also you totally missed the point if you think I implied they should count panes. That’s literally putting words I never used out there. It’s pointless to argue when you’re putting words in my mouth.

Especially because I admitted that on a house that large I would go and bid it but if you were to take the wiggle room off I was right on according to your pricing. That doesn’t mean that me and my wife could have got it done in 8 hours and that I would have charged $1500.

Never said they should count their own panes and that’s not a typical house for us so it would be rare that I would have to go and count something that big. (You said 420 panes so maybe you meant that was total. I took it as exterior only in which case I accounted for 840 panes total).

Conversation would have went, “Sounds like you have a really big house. I’ll come and give you a bid”. However, if I didn’t have time to come out and give a bid I would have said, "Probably gonna be between $1500 and $3500 I’ll give you a price breakdown upon arrival on service date as our prices are set. (So there won’t be any price gouging) Our prices are set for all of our customers across-the-board.

At that point they could have pre qualified themselves and said. “That’s a pretty big cost gap but as long as there’s a price breakdown and your prices are set great.” (Done deal.) OR they could have said, “we don’t like prices being set, that sounds fishy and too reasonable, so we don’t wanna hire you”. Then I would have said “OK perfect” (because then I don’t want them that’s what I would have been thinking).

98

The only reason I have such a large price gap is because I’m basing it off of your pane count of 420 which could be 840. I make sure to explain interior and exterior panes so that would have made the biggest jump in my demonstration.

I would never have given somebody a gap of 1500 to 3500 (It was just an example) but because the numbers are unclear based on what you typed something a simple phone call could have cleared up I could have said:

“If you have as many as 420 panes it could be about $1500 if you have as many as 840 panes it could be as much as $3500. Our prices are set we have hundreds of satisfied customers that pay that price.”

But that’s the beauty of owning your own business, this is how I do it, it works for me.

99

I’m doing talk to text so I apologize for errors but let’s say I have a prospect requesting bid for a house it’s gonna end up being a $150 job and it takes me 30 minutes to get there 30 minutes back and then I end up talking for 30 minutes so it takes an hour and a 1/2 to bid a job that’s going to take me an hour and a 1/2 to clean plus an hour of drive time when I go to do the job.

Now if I’m getting 10 of those a week there isn’t enough time in A-day to complete them all therefore I made the decision to set prices over the phone pre qualify and therefore we have to not to drive around which is going to take more time than I have.

There are variables that you take into account if presented properly, you will yield customers. If presented poorly it wont-work, however in the demonstration of the hour and a 1/2 to get a job, if the customer says no, you never get that time back. Although if the customer says yes, and you get a repeat customer you still never get that time back.

So I would rather eliminate the hour and a 1/2 and maybe get a couple of more nos and spend 10 minutes on a phone and get a couple of yeses, to me it’s more worth it that way.

100

Apologies if you thought I was being argumentative. I don’t doubt that it works. I don’t know you, but I have observed @anon46335951 and his business formula and I know it’s working for him. And this goes for others as well.

I don’t do 150 houses in general. I did one last year, but it was a friend. Most are in the 500 and up range. The majority don’t even live in the home as it’s a second or third property. That’s why it’s expected to view it in person. But the price is usually factoring in my time to look at it.

I’m solo with the help of my wife when needed. Many of us that work solo or with a small crew sell ourselves as much as the service. That’s why you will find us bidding in person as much as possible. To meet us is to know us, and to know us is to like us. It keeps the service personal and makes the business overall more enjoyable.

That’s not to say your way isn’t good for you, it sounds like it is. But not for me. Like I said in the first post, if I’m too booked to even take a look, I pass on it or pass it on.

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