We are doing much better at this point than we were last year and definitely better than two years ago! I really hope we have an amazing spring
Update: havenât heard back, but Iâm happy to report that an estimate we did yesterday at a horse ranch for a 6800 sq ft house just called us to book. Why do I share this? Itâs for $1,500+, our single biggest residential job to date. Two years ago, I wouldâve gone for this other personâs âofferâ because we were new and no one knew our name. Not the case now, and thatâs why we stick to our guns, because we know something better will come along shortly after.
Thanks for everyoneâs feedback, we really appreciate it!
I think we pretty much knew how we were going to respond before Anthony created this thread, but it still was really great to hear feedback from like minded business owners. Also, just hung up from a phone call with a homeowner we did a quote for yesterday. Weâd given two different options, he chose the more expensive one and wanted to book as soon as possible! No whining at all about $1500+ to clean his windows. It just solidified to us why we donât discount our work just because someone asks.
Thanks
Anthony, looks like you will soon be in a perfect position to tack 30% on to that job next time they call. Youâll never look back and wonât need to negotiate.
Donât even respond to that garbage. Dude, let them clean their own windows. 469? Rub that in your chest. 469.
Random.
A 5k sq ft home and its more than they were expecting? Tell them to pound sand. They lie.
$690k home back in 09 that Zillow now says is valued at $1.1 million. Lives in one of the more exclusive towns in Orlando. Like not too far from the bay hill golf course. Probably thinks window cleaners are Neanderthals who club their food before eating it.
Lol.
I personally wouldnât use the words âCanât justify to payâ and rather use the words âcanât affordâ. Because thatâs really the truth. They already justified hiring someone to clean the glass, they just canât afford it.
If we all could have our picks of cars we want to drive, we would pick things that we just canât afford to drive. We already justified why we want it, we just canât afford the price.
Hmmm , telling someone they canât afford it sounds worse Imho. Might sound a little condescending.
Donât get me wrong Iâm ok wih that if ther real jerks , but if therr just giving it the old letâs see if we can get them down.
Letâs face it âŚwe have all at one time, or another tried to weasel someone down on price for something
Doesnât make someone a bad person, An just because they try doesnât mean ya have to give in to it, so saying somethkng like the above is a great way to say thanks , but no thanks.
In the instance that I sent this email, I knew the customers could afford it, as it was around the corner from a bunch of places I do regularly, last time was in the area I saw a competitor at their house, in my market there are more cleaning companies than I can count for a population of 55k, every cleaning company will clean windows, 90% of them use a windex type method and they charge $35/hr so my aim is not to insult them as they will just tell the next person they hire how I said they couldnât afford to have the job done and they are getting it done.
I need to separate myself from the janitor who doesnât want to pass on the work to a specialised service, as its not just general cleaners in my area that offer window cleaning, half of the mower men and handymen also offer it
You are right, it IS condescending. I find it condescending when someone tries to beat me down more than a few bucks for my services. Who in their right mind haggles with other service providers?
Who haggles the plumber?
Who haggles the HVAC guy?
Who haggles their housekeepers/maids?
The last one to haggle me was over a job that was going to take a day to complete, 2 people, 6+/- hours. Prices it out at 1200. They tried beating me down to 300. I even asked them how long the other company took to complete the job, and was told a full day.
These people literally lived in a mansion. HUGE house.
You can say they were just being cheap, or that they were âpaying market pricesâ, but the quality of my work and the competitor are NOT the same. Trust me when I say, they couldnât afford me.
So yes, itâs a crass thing to say, but no less insulting than some moron trying to beat you out of your money.
Yes I agree people can be condescending also, an in this case your absolutely right this is where you say I understand you canât afford it. Then slide them over the picture if the 2 crack heads I put up in the other thread , An say â. These are the guys you get for 3 hundred for this job , An do Yourself a favor lock the Medicine cabinet , Let me know if you want me at 1200.00.â
The ones that try to haggle you down a little ⌠like if they said " can ya do it for 11 hundred ". To me they arenât really being condescending , there just trying. Whether we give in itâs a game time decision
All I can say is this, someone trying to get a deal or haggle is trying to get you to discount 10% or less of the bill.
Someone trying to rob you is trying to get something for nothing. Like the OPâs issue, some of us face morons sometimes and I find no need to be polite to them. I donât see it as a ânever hurts to askâ thing, as much as I see it as being insulting to business people. Like I said, you donât negotiate with other service providers like that, and I am no different.
I expect haggling when buying a used vehicle, a house, or at a yard sale. I donât go to any service provider and think itâs ok to haggle.
Besides, what would you think of a service provider that IS willing to slash prices so deep? Iâd think they were purposely trying to screw me if they could afford to cut prices like that. I would think they are dishonestâŚ
No plumbing in that house?
No central heating system either?
I would haggle on that one too then.
Seriously though, I donât see the big deal in someone trying to get a deal. No one wants to pay more than they have to, and haggling is just a way of making sure they are not. If you are willing to drop the price, then they know they almost paid more than they had to. If you stick to your guns, then they know they are getting their best deal from you. Some people are taught to haggle. They are just doing what they think is right, so if you do what you think is right (stick to your price) then it is all good. Not a big enough deal for me to get upset, unless I was offering a ridiculously low price to start with. Then it would be a little disappointing.
What he said. I did 4,000 sf for 800. Took me two days. They didnât bat an eye. Hereâs what she said when she saw the windows some 2 weeks later, as she had been out of town, I dealt with the husband, who also went out of town when I did the job:
Hi ******,
Got home last night and was blown away by your work on our windows. I had no idea they could be so STELLAR!!! A seriously fantastic job. Well done! Thank you!
Stick to your price. It still isnât enough.
It offends me when people offer less if they pay cash.
I simply respond by offering to do the appropriate (less) amount of work for the new offered price.