Transcription
Okay, so one of the hardest questions to answer that people ask me is how much to quote. So much depends on the price that you're quoting. It will depend on the location that you are, whether you're quoting a job in a village or a town. Towns can often be uh quite competitive. Villages, people can often expect a slightly higher price if there's extra traveling involved to get there. Obviously, different areas of the country, prices can vary so much. Uh, London areas can obviously be more expensive. Areas further north can then be uh slightly cheaper.
And then of course it depends so much on you and your business. Now, if you've put in place a lot of the things I'm recommending, like a professional image, you've invested in a smart website, uh, and you've got a good logo, those kind of things, a customer has likely seen all those things before they've got in contact with you. Now, if you then speak to the customer in a really kind and friendly way, you ask them uh if there's any issues with the job uh that you're quoting for, by the time it comes to telling them the price, they're already really expecting a higher price from you because of this quality image you're putting forward, uh, because of the customer care that you're also offering to them. So, those things can really add up and then command a higher price for the job that you're doing. So that makes a lot of your initial investment in some of those things really pay off if you're ultimately able to charge a higher price.
What I would also say is that the most important thing really is not to underprice a job. You really want to make sure that your business is sustainable. What I mean by that is you need to charge a price that's high enough to make it worthwhile your time and effort, but also so that you can replace pieces of equipment when they need replacing, maintain and look after your van, replace your van when it needs replacing. If you're not charging a high enough price, then those things will be difficult to maintain and that means that your business won't be sustainable. So really don't underestimate what you are worth and make sure you charge a price that's high enough for the standard of work that you're doing.
If you've made it clear to the customer that you're going to that extra length to uh include certain aspects to the job, added value, uh, and you need to make sure you make that clear to the customer before you then tell them the price. And then that makes a higher price far more justified. Then of course uh if you are charging a slightly higher price and the customer is not too sure about the price as it is a bit higher, well you can always come down a little bit on the price, offer a discount. In most cases I like to really stick to my price and not compromise my price. But often as a little incentive what I may do is offer uh a slight discount if a customer is asking for a number of different jobs. So, if I've quoted for a number of different things for the same customer, maybe for fascia cleaning, uh, conservatory roof cleaning and window cleaning, all in the same uh, location, I will then offer a discount if the customer says yes to all of those things in the list. That makes for a nice little incentive for the customer. It works well for me because I'll be in the same place for much longer, but it represents great value then for the customer. So that's just one way that I will offer just a small discount in those instances.