Need some advice on getting clients (Cleaning)

[Amazin]

thanks for the useful input. Very useful information. @Smith's Clean: Do you only do commercial clean? how do you normally get clients for domestic clean? I think its better for me to focus on one first because I move to the other one.

 

[Smith's Cleaning]

We are a new business ourselves. As far as domestic customers go, its a little slow at the moment. I've visited shops etc this weekend and asked them to put up a flyer. I suppose you have way more competition than we do, but we are about to try the local paper next week and see how it goes.

A good web presence could bring huge benefits too. These days the yellow pages and thomson local are thrown in a cupboard and never used, thier online directories is a different story and can do well depending on your business/area.

You could try posting flyers to domestic properties but i've never been a huge fan of it myself. I tend to just stick to shops with flyers. Reason being, most flyers are thrown straight in the bin when they come through our door. Its just my personal opinion but it doesn't seem very professional to me.

Keep at it and dont give up, you will get the customers in the end. And when you do, 'word of mouth' is the most powerful form of advertising you will have. Providing you do a good job.

 

[Katy Radcliffe]

I'm going to visit a few letting agents tomorrow, to see what they need in terms of EOT cleanings. I'm not actually going to offer my services, but explain that I am looking for information so that I'll know what to offer when I'm ready to do so. I did this with an agency the other day and the woman was very friendly and was very interested in getting my contact details. I'm going to follow up with her in the next week.

Smiths, do you have any advice regarding EOT's? What would you say that most agencies want? What would make me competitive?

 

[Smith's Cleaning]

Hi Katy,

With EOT cleans i give a fixed price because some are in an aweful state, so got to make it worth your time. I've made many phonecalls to competitors, and the majority only offer general cleaning.
Included in my price is driveway and carpets cleaned. This will make you competitive as they think they are getting extra services.

As for 'what landlords want'. I think of it like this. If you look around the property and think, "i wouldnt live in this" then you've not finished. Some customers have higher expectations than others.
A check list is a good idea. Make a list of cleaning jobs that would need to be undertaken around the home(easily done with microsoft word) and ask the landlord if theres anything he/she would like you to pay particular attention too.

But thats the main rule I stick by. 'If I wouldnt be happy with it then the customer probably wont be too.

Hope this helps.

 

[Amazin]

The problem with me is that right now I'm just a self-employed cleaner. I'm not a business entity. I've done some cold calls to local businesses and many of them already have a sub-contracted cleaning company that does all their cleaning. Large organisations such as the NHS will only accpet your service if you a business entity.

How about twitter? any of you tried twitter?

 

[Smith's Cleaning]

My business is on twitter but register is about all I've done at the moment. Not had much experience with it and not sure how to make it work for me. I'll have a read up at some point

 

[rvsupply]

It is very nice to hear that This is the way you wont have to reduce your price as you are being recomended and most people will be happy to recomend you.

 

[channs]

Hi Amazin,

I'm in the Wigan(North West) area and also run a cleaning business.

The list of "potential" customers for cleaners is endless. I regularly contact many types of customers. Vets, care homes, letting/estate agents, dentists, banks. Basically any business that has a property/office.

What I find has good results is sending out a letter introducing the business, make a note of all the contact details and follow up with a phone call a few days later. If they say they are not interested at the moment, ask them if you can send them info/offers from time to time and get thier email address.

Have you thought about other services you could offer?
I also offer valeting, conservatory cleaning and carpet/upholstery cleaning. You will be surprised at how many say "the carpets in my office are looking a little tatty, could you give them a clean?" At an extra charge
Or the office workers asking you to valet thier cars while you are there.

As far as pricing goes. I offer a reduced rate for new customers for contract cleaning stating that the rates will be reviewed after 3 months. A good way of getting new customers, even if they say they dont need you after 3 months.

Another good way to do is to offer something free in exchange for contact details. I'm not an expert in the area but some part of the service you would use to build the relationship. The idea is that you setup a automatic set of emails and continutally market to the people on the list. You provide thems with lots of emails and tips on cleaning and every so often mail them with services, prices etc.

Happy to discuss more, send me a PM

 

[Perfect Windows]

Have you tried leafletting for domestic work?

I know you've tried knocking, but I'm not sure cleaning is something I'd say "yes" to at the door to a cold caller.

My experience has been that I get a 0.5% return from leaflets. The interesting thing is, though, that a quarter of the calls are more than a month after I've dropped the leaflet, so plenty of people need time to mull it over.

After a fruitless search for a company who I could trust to deliver them, I finally decided to do it myself. An ad on Gumtree for leafleteers at £6 an hour got me 40 responses in three days. The ad said they would have to carry a GPS tracker, so I know the leaflets are going out. So, including a very high quality leaflet, I'm looking at about £75 per thousand delivered. At a 0.5% return, that's around 5 customers, so £15 a customer.

Might that suit you?

Vin

 

[Katy Radcliffe]

I'm assuming that Amazin, like me, has all the time in the world to deliver his own leaflets. That's what I'm going to do. That will afford opportunities to chat with people if you run into them in the garden, etc.

 

[Amazin]

My experience has been that I get a 0.5% return from leaflets. The interesting thing is, though, that a quarter of the calls are more than a month after I've dropped the leaflet, so plenty of people need time to mull it over.

Thanks for that information, now I have a better idea what to expect. Someone mentioned that it was like 0.3% or something and I was put off by that. I'm a very efficient person and I prefer to speed up the process by going door to door. Its true, some people do take a while. My first client didn't call me until 3 weeks later. btw, are you a window cleaner? To be honest, perhaps I can make more money if certain window cleaner decides to pay me some commission per sale. Some people told me they need a window cleaner instead.

After a fruitless search for a company who I could trust to deliver them, I finally decided to do it myself. An ad on Gumtree for leafleteers at £6 an hour got me 40 responses in three days. The ad said they would have to carry a GPS tracker, so I know the leaflets are going out. So, including a very high quality leaflet, I'm looking at about £75 per thousand delivered. At a 0.5% return, that's around 5 customers, so £15 a customer.

again thanks for the useful information, is it really that hard to find a company that is reliable?

I'm assuming that Amazin, like me, has all the time in the world to deliver his own leaflets. That's what I'm going to do.

I want to see results, time is too valuable to waste. I did 3 hour cleaning today and made £30. After that, I went straight back knocking and got myself another potential client.

 

[Perfect Windows]

To be honest, perhaps I can make more money if certain window cleaner decides to pay me some commission per sale. Some people told me they need a window cleaner instead.


again thanks for the useful information, is it really that hard to find a company that is reliable?

Window cleaners will typically pay 2x clean value for canvassed work. Try calling window cleaners near you and ask them if they want the potential customers you're finding. You'll need to be sure you're pricing them correctly for the cleaner you choose. It might help you to offset some of the cost of canvassing.


As for your question on finding a company: Yes, it is VERY hard to find a company you can trust. There are threads upon threads in here about the problems, so you do need to be careful.

Vin

 

[channs]

Have You Thought About List Building Using The Internet? It Goes Like This.
You Set Up A Webpage Which Gives Away Something Of Value For Free In Exchange For The Customers Details. You Then Market To The List (Build A Relationship) And Periodically Add Services. I'm Happy To Explain More, If You're Interested PM Me.

 

[Amazin]

^^thats interesting. I think I'm ignoring the power of online marketing. I'm planning to set up a website soon. I did checkout few cleaner's website, its rubbish. Just a plain, simple information board with no attraction and entertainment value.

I got an idea everyone. I mentioned this to my current clients but I will attempt it myself first. I been thinking how I can differentiate myself from other cleaners and how I can add more value so that my clients will feel its worth the money.

Basically I told them that cleaning is not enough, it is also important to tidy up. This means organise the items and put them away and possibly manage them for the client depend on what it is. So its a "tidy up" service that will add extra value.

The challenge is that you might not know what to do with certain items especially if its a personal item. This means you will need to consult with your client but once its done, you don't need to ask them again.

One of my client has items all over the place and it looks really messy no matter how hard I try to clean. Its not easy but if I pull it off, it will add great amount of value.

 

[Katy Radcliffe]

Amazin, do some googling on "decluttering services" and you'll see what some people do. I'm going to do something quite similar, but I have to be careful that I don't bite off more than I can chew. Professional declutterers/organizers often work with people who actually have pathological hoarding issues. That is not something you should attempt unless you really know what you're doing. The pro's I've seen often have backgrounds in psychology.

Others come at it from an interior design angle.

I had a lovely conversation with a woman who does that in Edinburgh. She actually advises people on how to sort out what really matters to them, and then how to organize it. It's pretty intensive work.

I know to limit what I do to basic things. For example, I'll help someone sort through stuff they want to organize, and offer to take things to the charity shop for them at the end. I can help someone organize their kitchen cupboards, for example.

I am also willing to tidy up regular surface clutter. But, you're right - you do need to ask where they'd like things to go. This is actually exhausting work. You have to think about each item. If it's not your own item in your own home, you have to think about it AND ask the homeowner what they'd like to do with it.

That's why it's so much easier to clean someone else's house than your own - when it's your own house, you get distracted by things you ought to do. "Oh, yeah... that book is overdue... I need to take that to the charity shop... that reminds me, I need to buy more of those..." I am willing to help someone with that process, but it can be very hard for them to do it.

When cleaning cluttered houses, I find it helpful to just sort of gently stack things. If a counter is full of stuff like papers and small items, you can just put them into a cardboard carton. But, don't expect them to actually take the carton and put things away. In my experience, that carton will be exactly where you left it the next time you are there. It's just a way of getting to the surface you need to clean.

 

[Janebert]

If I had the money, I would defo employ someone to help me organise cupboards and declutter.

Anyway, this has got me thinking. Could you guys set up some kind of "alliance" - your own network of non-competing cleaners - who help each other out with marketing, business ideas, national companies to work with. For example, if one of you creates a leaflet that works in your area, maybe you could share that with the others (so that you're not reinventing the wheel), and sharing marketing plans etc.

Jane

 

[Katy Radcliffe]

Jane, there are some cleaning message boards that do that.

 

[Katy Radcliffe]

I have not read all of the posts, but here are my thoughts.

You are trying to charge £12 per hour in Leyton/Leytonstone, thats like me opening a gourmet restaurant in a slum in africa. Its not going to work. You are also not even a registered company and yet you want to charge more than what companies are charging.
There was a time when I could earn £10-15 an hour working as a handyman, but now you could get someone for maybe £7-8
You are contacting companies but your not a "proper" business.
Sorry but for this to work you seriously need to rethink your strategies.
You have a degree in business but think you will make it doing it like this :|:|
You also want to pay employees £7 but make £5 profit on top of that, sorry but I do not think thats realistic these days.

There are cleaning companies that make that sort of profit on top of wages. However, they may not be selling their services in poorer areas.

 

[Amazin]

Katy: thank you for your input. I will look into it later. Just to clarify, I don't want to take that into a professional level. Just enough to make the place more tidy and I know its a time consuming process. A cardboard carton is definately a good idea. The little personal items are annoying, so many of them and I don't know what to do with it

You are trying to charge £12 per hour in Leyton/Leytonstone, thats like me opening a gourmet restaurant in a slum in africa. Its not going to work.

I stopped in Leytonstone after two weeks of knocking. I moved on to Wanstead which is one of the richest areas in East London. My plan is get few more clients then move toward Essex or West London where I could potenitally charge even higher.

You also want to pay employees £7 but make £5 profit on top of that, sorry but I do not think thats realistic these days.

Can you elaborate that bit further if you don't mind? Are you suggesting that I'm not charging high enough or I should pay my employees lower?

 

[Smith's Cleaning]

I always check what my competitors are charging on a regular basis.
£10.50ph is on average what people are paying. Some charge up to £15ph for an EOT clean depending on the state the tenant has left it in.

I quoted a job at £10.50ph, and £45 for a couple of carpets cleaned early last week and the landlord seemed to think it was very cheap.

I'm in Wigan, so i think charging £12ph is spot on for London.

 

[Katy Radcliffe]

@Amazin

You are just starting out
You are not offering anything different to others
You are not a registered company but yet you still expect to make £5 per hour profit(I know there will be expenses/costs out of that but they are not all that much for a cleaning business).
I really think you need to get a company set up/uniform etc... and then take on some work at a lower price so that you can get a reputation and also references.

Getting registered with HMRC doesn't cost anything, and is a legal requirement for any sole trader.

I agree that it helps to have a polished professional image, but by the time someone has employees, they're probably doing the set-up and uniform.

I don't know if it's a good idea to quote a lower price. It just devalues what you have to offer. He's not currently asking for £12. He's asking for £10. As long as you're not desperate to get money for food and shelter, you can afford to test the higher price points.

I'm not any further along than Amazin, and I've gotten work at £10 an hour no problem, and I've got an interested client to whom I quoted £12.50. After our initial phone conversation, she contacted me again, and I'll be visiting her at her home to discuss her needs. It's obvious that my price is not a problem for her.

 

[Katy Radcliffe]

Im sorry I disagree...
London is teaming with unskilled workers but most people can clean. Anyone can start a cleaning company. Especially one that is not even registered.
I typed into google, cleaners wanstead and the first result I was given was £8.90ph. Also I do have a modicum of knowledge in what im saying

Yes, the London area is a brutal market for house cleaning. However, there are people who don't look for the lowest price. If they trust you to deliver a superior service, they will pay more. Some people are (rightfully) suspicious of the lowest price. They're not buying a top at Primark... they're letting a person into their homes. They'll pay for dependability, trustworthiness, and a higher level of service.

There's no way a company can make a legitimate profit at £8-9 an hour. Unless they're just dealing with really crazy amounts of volume and taking a cut for referring self-employed contractors, there's really no way they can be paying minimum wage and making a profit. And, if they're an agency dealing in commissions at large volumes, what value can they be offering the clients?

I think most people who try these cheap services will be unhappy with what they get for their money. Some of them realize where they've gone wrong and stop shopping on price, alone. Others just keep trying to find someone who will give them everything they want for cheap. Some of those may succeed.

 

[Katy Radcliffe]

Im on about more aiming at businesses, whom you will be providing cleaners for daily for a year which amounts to profit
Also you have not looked at developers, ie builders clean, repeat clean, sparkle clean.
Domestic clean, yes there are some people who will pay £12.50. You may even find someone who would pay £15 but that ALONE will not make a business. Also what happens when that person find out that they can get a cleaner £5 cheaper?? unless money is no object then they may move on to someone else.

There are plenty of successful cleaning businesses - and independent cleaners - who retain loyal customers in spite of costing more than the competition. Particularly in the domestic market. There are people who will pay more than £12.50. I know of one local competitor that charges £15 an hour. There are some independents who charge £10, and then most of everybody else is between £10 and £15. The sort of people you want to clean for are not mere price shoppers. It's not that money is no object to them. It's that they have a different perception of value. They won't find that value at £8 an hour. They are willing to pay more for the level of personalized service they want.

Many cleaning companies prefer to go for commercial accounts, but that's a different sort of business. I am aiming at domestic clients, myself. Commercial is something to look into somewhat down the road a bit. I do do some "light" commercial - that is, I will do deep cleanings for pubs, and I'm going to be getting some end-of-tenancy work. Builders cleans are a specific specialty that I do not know enough about to attempt at this time.

 

[Janebert]

As a potential customer of domestic cleaning services, I would want to see some rationale to justify prices.

The problem with saying that you won't get value at the £8 price point, is that you don't know what value that person is delivering. Surely it depends on the individual cleaner - how thorough they are, how quick they are etc. If it's a linear relationship i.e. more gets done per hour at £12 per hour, than at £8 per hour, then I don't mind paying £12 per hour - but for fewer hours of course.

However, I suspect that the extra £4 per hour is actually paying for overheads, insurance and the business owner's profit.

In other words, there is no a priori proof that a higher price delivers superior value.

I'm in this very predicament at the moment. My cleaner (£7.50 per hour) retired, and I can't afford £12 per hour if it's still going to take 2.5 hours per week. What would work better for me would be some kind of schedule of works at a fixed price, and then they can take as many hours over it as they like. However, then you run into the problem of them trying to get it done in even fewer hours ...

It's giving me a headache just thinking about it.

 

[Amazin]

first, thanks for everyone's input. This thread is getting very interesting. This is what I call a productive and valuable thread.

I'm in this very predicament at the moment. My cleaner (£7.50 per hour) retired, and I can't afford £12 per hour if it's still going to take 2.5 hours per week. What would work better for me would be some kind of schedule of works at a fixed price, and then they can take as many hours over it as they like. However, then you run into the problem of them trying to get it done in even fewer hours ...

I think its most likely that they will try and get the things you want them to do completed just before the time limit so that way they don't have to do anything extra. As result, you don't have much to complain because they got everything done within the time limit. To be honest with you, thats your problem not us cleaners.

Value, customer satisifaction, quality, and quantity are all subjective matters just like opinions. I think the key is to understand what each customer want and everyone is different. This older gentleman took my card because "my cleaner is good and everything but sometimes she breaks stuff!" I'm surprised that he actually put up with it.

There are plenty of successful cleaning businesses - and independent cleaners - who retain loyal customers in spite of costing more than the competition. Particularly in the domestic market. There are people who will pay more than £12.50. I know of one local competitor that charges £15 an hour. There are some independents who charge £10, and then most of everybody else is between £10 and £15.

I aboslutely agree! I simply don't want to be the cheapest because I know I worth at least £10 per hour, at least! Spoke to a woman few days ago and she told she wanted me to do it for £7 per hour, I wanted to puke at that price tbh.

You are just starting out
You are not offering anything different to others

I feel slightly uncomfortable reading that, I worked my socks off and you don't know anything about me.

 

[Janebert]

I think its most likely that they will try and get the things you want them to do completed just before the time limit so that way they don't have to do anything extra. As result, you don't have much to complain because they got everything done within the time limit. To be honest with you, thats your problem not us cleaners.

How rude!

You still haven't addressed the issue of "value" - which is reasonably quantifiable in this situation. What, exactly, is the difference between a £10 per hour cleaner and a £15 per hour cleaner? What extra does the customer get?

 

[Smith's Cleaning]

Well she has a business degree and as I have already said she is so successful in business she became a cleaner who is struggling to get clients.

Theres no need for these kind of posts, threads reported.
You have started to ruin what was a very interesting thread.

 

[Amazin]

Every time anything is suggested that she does not want to hear it is shot down Are you seriously telling me that when you first started out you had a set price and would not lower it no matter what. Cleaning companies in London are charging upto £15 an hour but they are established businesses with track records etc... If you can get in with a company at a lower price point then not only do you build a reputation you also have the opportunity for referrals etc...

Let me clarify something, I'm a 25 years old male, 5 foot 11 and reasonably muscular. Your logic is that I should charge lower because I'm not a company yet, I'm new, and less established. If I'm doing a good job, then why should I under value myself? The bottom line is that you don't know me and the quality of my work so why are you making that assumption? Btw, I didn't say I wouldn't lower my price no matter what, I'm just saying I know I worth at least £10.

My current clients are happy with me and I worked very hard. I cleaned the bathroom floor with spray and kitchen towels becase it was so dirty and I always give a thorough clean. People will notice when you work hard.

I also mentioned that I'm planning to help my clients tidy up things so I'm actually looking for ways to add more value. If someone pay £10 per hour, then I will make sure I deliver £10 worth of value.

How rude!

You still haven't addressed the issue of "value" - which is reasonably quantifiable in this situation. What, exactly, is the difference between a £10 per hour cleaner and a £15 per hour cleaner? What extra does the customer get?

My apologies if I offended you. Its was not my intention of course. You are asking a very complex question so the answer will not be straight foreward.

"What we obtain too cheap we esteem too little; it is dearness only that gives everything value. -Thomas Paine"

If you hire me and pay me £7 per hour, I know for a fact that I will not work as hard as I would on £10 per hour. I will just fullfill my duties without doing anything extra. If you pay me £15 per hour, I will do everything I can to keep you happy so that I can continue to receive that sort of pay. Thats just me, can't speak for others. what do you want out of a cleaner?

 

[Janebert]

My apologies if I offended you. Its was not my intention of course. You are asking a very complex question so the answer will not be straight foreward.

"What we obtain too cheap we esteem too little; it is dearness only that gives everything value. -Thomas Paine"

If you hire me and pay me £7 per hour, I know for a fact that I will not work as hard as I would on £10 per hour. I will just fullfill my duties without doing anything extra. If you pay me £15 per hour, I will do everything I can to keep you happy so that I can continue to receive that sort of pay. Thats just me, can't speak for others. what do you want out of a cleaner?

Well, hopefully my asking the question will help all the cleaners here evaluate what they're offering, what the real value is and help them accordingly with their marketing and pricing.

So, let's see if we can break it down.

As a domestic customer, I have 3 choices - employ a cleaner direct, use an agency, or use a company that employs the cleaner.

If I use the company, the price IMMEDIATELY goes up by about 50%. Why? Because I'm paying for the following:
Company vehicles and petrol
Cleaning products
Insurance
Uniforms
Branding and/or franchise costs
Advertising
Back office costs
The company's profits
And, most annoyingly, probably VAT which instantly pushes the price up 20%
And, I might be paying for some peace of mind due to cleaners having been vetted by the employer, having someone turn up at the same time every week and general convenience of dealing with the same company regardless of whether the cleaner stays or goes

For me, personally, none of that actually drives any "real" value - as it does not change the ultimate "outcome" that I want. What I want is a clean house at a price I can afford, from someone I can trust.

Cleaning companies make a big deal out of the reliability and trust factors, but it is possible to find trustworthy people that you employ directly. So, for me, that 50% additional costs doesn't give me anything extra.

The next part of the equation is whether the individual cleaner is any good or not. It's my experience that what they get paid doesn't really influence that a lot - some people are good at cleaning and others are not!

Also, it would be virtually impossible to demonstrate a linear relationship between price and the amount of work done or the result achieved. If one person charges £7.50 per hour and another one charges £15 per hour - are we to assume that the more expensive one does twice as much work? This seems unlikely unless the £7.50 one is sitting around having a tea and fag break for at least one third of the time. (Which I have experienced - but it wasn't me paying the bill!)

I've had a number of cleaners over the years, and didn't really notice much relationship between what I paid them and how good they were. In fact, probably my worst experience was when I used a cleaning company and they would send 2 girls to do 2 hours work. They would turn up 5 minutes late (thus costing me 10 minutes due to there being 2 or them), trip up over each other whilst running around, I had to leave out detailed lists of what needed doing (taking me time each week), and then they would leave 5 minutes early.

Equally, I have been responsible for employing cleaners for our blocks of flats and can say with some confidence that the more expensive ones did NOT do a better job - they just had more overheads.

If you want to charge more than the average self-employed, casual cleaner then I would suggest that you have to offer the same kind of peace of mind that a company can. I.e. if you're off sick or on holiday, you have a replacement, you have been vetted in some way, you bring all your own equipment etc etc etc.

Good discussion. I think I will try to employ someone directly, because I don't want to pay for overheads.


I think that quote about value is true sometimes, but the tangible value has to be there. For example, it would be illogical to buy an iPhone from one place at a higher price than at another retailer, if there was no additional value bundled with it.

Jane

 

[Amazin]

What I want is a clean house at a price I can afford, from someone I can trust.

Hey Jane: I think you're being very honest with your feelings and I thank you for that. This provide me with insights. At same time, it is also possible that because you have limited amount of budget therefore you're looking for reasons to justify why you don't want to pay more.

I've had a number of cleaners over the years, and didn't really notice much relationship between what I paid them and how good they were.

Are you suggesting that you will not work harder if your boss is paying you twice as much? I know for a fact that I would. It is hard to measure per pound though. I probably end up doing a loudsy job if someone only pay me £7/hour. Sometimes people are like flowers, the better you treat them, the better they will treat you. If you just want a regular standard cleaning based on volume which I think you are, then maybe thats why you struggling to see why you should pay more. For me, I do more than that.

Cleaning companies make a big deal out of the reliability and trust factors, but it is possible to find trustworthy people that you employ directly. So, for me, that 50% additional costs doesn't give me anything extra.

also the CRB check! I'm not a company yet so I don't charge extra because of that, I charge extra because I do extra job and produce extra value. I think the key is to understand what each customer want and meet or exceed their expectations.

So what is this extra value I'm on about? That boils down to my creativity and my own initiative, I already mentioned to include a tidying up service for my clients, I'm already doing thorough clean, I'm also thinking include a little DIY service. e.g. The paint on one of my client's window has cracks. I can help them to repaint it. Little things like that will create a surprise factor which will keep my clients happy because after all, I'm adding extra value. I'm the super maintaince service! or perhaps I should do this:

£7/hour-I will only do the basics, as long you don't complain and continue to use me, I'm happy as a cow. Probably use your chemicals to save myself some money considering I'm only making £7 per hour. (I've watched a cleaner in Fitness First using their phone to call her home country and her attitude stinks.) Even if I lose this customer, it doesn't matter cos I can't get paid worse than this.

£8/hour-I will complete everything you ask me to do but don't ask me anything extra. However, considering its little bit more than £7/hour, I will work harder

£9/hour-Hmmmm not bad, lets make sure I do a good job!

£10/hour-yes, exactly what I want right now, I can use the profit to buy my own chemicals and equipments and do a even better job.

£11/hour-this is clearly a generous customer, I can't let that person down!

£12/hour-yes, customers this generous are hard to find! I'm willing to do extra just to keep them happy.

£15/hour? - wow, This is what I call a gold customer, I better do everything I can to keep it!

Moral of the story? In life, what you put in is what you get.

 

[Janebert]

You're missing the point.

From the customer's perspective, it's not about hours - it's about results.

I honestly do not understand what you mean when you say I want "volume cleaning". No. I just want cleaning. And I resent the inferences.

*You have completely failed to demonstrate what additional value someone would get by paying you more.*

As for me, I have probably worked harder when I got paid £7 per hour than when I got paid £22 per hour. My brain does not work to constantly remind me of my hourly rate. Slacking off because your hourly rate is lower is nonsense and you'd get fired out of most jobs. Personally, I just do the best I can regardless of my hourly rate.

It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to say that you should be paid more per hour, because you included more services. You would be paid more because you stayed there longer.

What I think you're failing to realise is that there's not much "value add" to cleaning. It's not like the difference between working with a new qualified NLP therapist who might charge £30 per hour and working with Anthony Robbins who charges $10k per hour.

Anyway, this is just getting ridiculous now. If you believe you're worth more, then charge it and fill your schedule. If you're struggling to bring clients on at the price you want to charge then either (a) you need to be marketing to a different target market or (b) perhaps what you're charging is not a price your market can bear.

 

[Smith's Cleaning]

Every customer is different. Some are only looking for the best price and others looking for the best service.

Ask the customer if you can arrange an appointment at the premises before giving a price. Meeting them face to face can make a real difference. You are just another average joe over the phone and you can sell yourself better if your with them. When i meet up with a customer i try to chat about day to day stuff rather than "business" only so that they can get to know me a little.

Start off low. You might feel you are worth more but get your first customers on board and word of mouth will do the rest. Well most of it.
Im offering the chance of a free clean or valet to new regular customers. Seems to go down really well. Even if they dont come on board ask them if you could send them info and special offers from time to time. They might see one of your offers a few months later via your newsletter that they want to take advantage of.

You will get plenty of advice on here. Some of it will be usefull and some of it a waste of time. Some people may give advice as if they were the customer. Every customer is different. Stick at it. You will learn from your mistakes as we all do in business.

 

[virtuallysorted]

As a customer, I don't like the sliding scale of charging "depending on effort" idea at all - it's rather like an advert I saw the other day for a virtual assistant:
Proof checking - £X per page for one check, £Y per page for 2 checks

Um, I may be missing something here, but surely it's either proofread properly or not? I'm not paying you twice so you do a proper job!

 

[Smith's Cleaning]

As a customer, I don't like the sliding scale of charging "depending on effort" idea at all - it's rather like an advert I saw the other day for a virtual assistant:
Proof checking - £X per page for one check, £Y per page for 2 checks

Um, I may be missing something here, but surely it's either proofread properly or not? I'm not paying you twice so you do a proper job!

Every customer is different and is looking for different things in the type of product/service they are looking for.
Find out what the customers needs are before anything else.

 

[Janebert]

As a customer, I don't like the sliding scale of charging "depending on effort" idea at all - it's rather like an advert I saw the other day for a virtual assistant:
Proof checking - £X per page for one check, £Y per page for 2 checks

Um, I may be missing something here, but surely it's either proofread properly or not? I'm not paying you twice so you do a proper job!

Agreed. I don't understand it either. Why charge more per hour because you bundle in additional services or imply that you'll work less hard if you agree/negotiate a lower hourly rate.

 

[applemaidcleaning]

Hi, contact local landlords and get into student accomodation cleaning at first and at the same time you are cleaning it is worth setting up bluetooth marketing. As for prices you do not want to be cheap £10ph+ for domestic regular and then sort your spring cleans / one offs from £12ph
Commercial i have listed below - if you require a domestic cleaning calculator i have made up please let me know.

Check the cleaning hours against the square footage. For premises over 5,000 sq ft, you should charge for approx 2,500 sq ft of cleaning per man hour. If charge for only 2,000 sq ft per man hour, you're probably charging too much. If you're charging for 3,000 sq ft of cleaning per man hour, they are doing well. Check also the hourly rate. It should be £8-9 per hr for premises over 10,000 sq ft, and £9-11 for premises under 10,000 sq ft.

 

[Smith's Cleaning]

The more I read this thread. The more I despair really and the more I can predict where the OP will be in 12 months time.
@smiths cleaning, you have your company name and contact details and yet you say the things you do with regards to the business etc.. :|

I'm being honest and have nothing to hide regarding my business.
You only seem to open your trap when you want to insult someone. Go troll another thread.

 

[Janebert]

This might put the cat amongst the pigeons:

Scientific proof that money beyond a certain base line does NOT motivate for tasks that are beyond entirely mechanical:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc&

So, if more money motivates you to do more work, then you might be admitting that what you're doing is very simple and mechanical.

Jane

 

[Amazin]

From the customer's perspective, it's not about hours - it's about results. I honestly do not understand what you mean when you say I want "volume cleaning". No. I just want cleaning. And I resent the inferences.

*You have completely failed to demonstrate what additional value someone would get by paying you more.*

Jane, I already tried explain few times but you still don't get it. Our views are very different. You're coming from a customer point of view and I coming from a cleaner's view. You're basically saying, there is not much point paying extra because:

you just want cleaning and not interested in other services
you don't want to pay for their overheads
There's not much value to add in cleaning
Pay them £7 or £14 won't make much difference

I'm not a cleaning machine who will do the cleaning then go home. That's not what I'm about. Of course, I can do that too if I want. I'm a human being, a professional who is capable so much more depend on my ability and my initiative. You're paying for my time, e.g. 2 hours, within that space of 2 hours, what is done and quality of it will depend on my ability to perform. A good cleaner will exceed expectations. If I want to add value, I will find a way. Just because you can't see how doesn't mean I can't find a way to distinguish myself from the rest by adding more value through innovative ideas. I just can't run a business on £7 per hour, besides, my clients are happy with £10 per hour. Now I'm going to do some research and study about certain aspect of cleaning so I can add more value.

As a customer, I don't like the sliding scale of charging "depending on effort" idea at all - it's rather like an advert I saw the other day for a virtual assistant:
Proof checking - £X per page for one check, £Y per page for 2 checks

Um, I may be missing something here, but surely it's either proofread properly or not? I'm not paying you twice so you do a proper job!

So, if more money motivates you to do more work, then you might be admitting that what you're doing is very simple and mechanical.

I wasn't suggesting that I will run my business like that. I was trying to describe a human nature. I prefer to pay employees higher salary so I can attract better candidates. Cleaning is only simple and mechanical because people have no imagination and creativity. I see myself as a carer for properties. This will broaden my scope of work.

If you do not like other peoples opinions go and sit in a dark room by yourself.

how rude, Smith's cleaning made some very useful contribution to this thread. Nothing wrong to express your opinions but did you know that it is possible to do it in a way that is less offensive?