[Fast 1 *]

Hi,  there are a few jobs i have that are slightly under priced,and obviously i want to put them up a bit.Has anyone got an example of a letter i could perhaps write to these customers?I only want to wack them up a couple of quid.  cheers,   gerry

[Paul Coleman]

Hi,  there are a few jobs i have that are slightly under priced,and obviously i want to put them up a bit.Has anyone got an example of a letter i could perhaps write to these customers?I only want to wack them up a couple of quid.  cheers,   gerry

Here's one that I did a couple of years ago.  The formatting has been lost due to copy/paste and the excact wording may not suit your circumstances.  Feel free to use it as a guide if you wish.
------------------------------------------

RE: PRICE INCREASE FOR WINDOW CLEANING

   Dear Customer,

   In order to maintain a viable service, it has become necessary for me to increase most prices as from my next visit.  In some cases I have not increased my prices for a number of years.  Although I appreciate that the official inflation rate has been consistently low for some time, the actual increases in the costs of running a small business have been rather higher.

   Therefore, from my next visit, I propose an increase in price for the window cleaning to:

£


   I believe that this figure represents fair value and I understand that it compares reasonably with other window cleaners who are also running a proper business (as opposed to window cleaners who only show up a few times then disappear).

   Thank you for your custom.

Regards,

[P®oPole™]

Weres your emial address FASTONE

ProPole

[Fast 1 *]

have sent it to you   cheers   gerry

[Sunshine Cleaning]

I doubled some prices 2 years ago (all increaced by about 15-20%) with a post card from vista print which simply said the new price.

Lost 3 customers, they came back after a couple of months.

Will be doing the same this year, post card with new price.
I have too much work to be bothered with justifying myself, and besides, in a couple of years you may wish to increace them by the same or more, and 2 letters on the trot justifying yourself is bad for self esteam.

[supernova77]

I doubled some prices 2 years ago (all increaced by about 15-20%)

How can you double something by 15% - 20% ?

If you double something you increase it by 100%.

Andy

[Helen]

got there before me Andy

[windows_chepstow]

Although I appreciate that the official inflation rate has been consistently low for some time,

Shiner,

I know from your posts that you're a bright bloke and probably do understand the ins-and-outs of inflation and stuff; but we're not all like that.

I have my reservations about putting out a letter that may imply I'm brighter than I actually am.  It would only serve to make me look the fool I am.

I think a well-worded letter; correctly laid out, spelt correctly and gramatically correct would do the job.

I think it's better to just tell the truth.

Something like:

'Sorry, I've underpriced the window cleaning charge to your house.  Be thankfull you've had it for so cheap for so long, but if you want to keep me as your window cleaner, you're gonna have to pay the going rate. 

The next time I rub your windows with a dirty rag, I want 20 quid

Regards,

Fast One'

Or words to that effect.

[Fast 1 *]

 

[P®oPole™]

Fast one I never got your email mate, drop me a blank message aqua_clear@msn.com

Regards
ProPole

[neil100]

Why send a letter, A waste of paper, ink and time.

Tell them person to person, no misunderstandings, Look um in the eye and watch how they react to the price going up.

Nel

[P®oPole™]

Good reply neil,

I thought about that before I last put mine up and can see exactly what you are saying so I told people that were in face to face and did also use letters for those at work etc

neil would you say a jump from 7 to £10 is to drastic?, I got alot of 8 quiders up to £10 but was abit reluctant to bumb them up to much.

I put them up by,

under ten pound brigade up to £2

over £10 £2-£4

over £25 between 3-£7

I had a few comments like "our pension doesnt go up" (yea right)

ProPole

[shammy davis jnr]

neil i agree with you mate  look em in the eye i think they will respect you more for it ,i have done this last month and lost no one out off 2500 customers
diffrent for hotels and stuff its always better if they can keep a letter to keep them self right
but  make them feel that they will let them self down rather than you tell them how valued they are and  the costs is just to cover the day to day running of things
most say nothing ever goes down son and we appriciate you have a biz to run  and we still need our windows cleaned
i always think the thought off doing it is harder than actualy puting prices up

[neil100]

Pro pole, Its not to  drastic a payrise.

If you can get it go for it.

Sometimes its worth having a go putting prices up a little bit more then what you think. You wont know till you do it.

From £7.00 to £10.00 is a big jump, but add in a price Guarantee that you will not raise their price again for 2 or 3 years depending on how often you increase your prices. It sometimes is enough to keep a customer with you. Its no suprise that the big power companys are offering to freeze prices for so many years.

If you make a price guarantee dont ever break it. Or your word will mean nothing, so think carefully how long you freeze a price for.

I put my prices up 20% at the Beginning of this year because of wfp, I made a pledge not to put them up again for 3 years, which I will stick to. But a few months before I increase my prices again I will canvass to get another £200 worth of work and then I will inrease my prices by about 15%. I will lose a few, not many but my price increase and the new work will more then cover any loses.

If I had hotels or Lots of commercial work I would tell them face to face and gove them a letter for their records after I had told them.

Nel.

[mark dew]

yep, you can't beat face to face for a successful outcome.
There is too much room for misunderstanding with a note.
Give them a personal service in exchange for the pay rise.
Good luck

[DaveWilkinson]

Its true inflation has been behaving its self, but look at fuel costs, gas and electric have went silly this year and petrol ect aint been been too great either, and when fuel goes up so does everything, it costs more to make, supply and deliver, fact of life.

Also the minimum wage goes up every year. You really dont need to justify it.

[Paul Coleman]

Although I appreciate that the official inflation rate has been consistently low for some time,

Shiner,

I know from your posts that you're a bright bloke and probably do understand the ins-and-outs of inflation and stuff; but we're not all like that.

I have my reservations about putting out a letter that may imply I'm brighter than I actually am.  It would only serve to make me look the fool I am.

I think a well-worded letter; correctly laid out, spelt correctly and gramatically correct would do the job.

I think it's better to just tell the truth.

Something like:

'Sorry, I've underpriced the window cleaning charge to your house.  Be thankfull you've had it for so cheap for so long, but if you want to keep me as your window cleaner, you're gonna have to pay the going rate. 

The next time I rub your windows with a dirty rag, I want 20 quid

Regards,

Fast One'

Or words to that effect.

Ha ha ha.  Love it 

You're quite right Tosh that any reasonably worded letter would do the job.  Next time I increase my prices (early next year), I won't be so elaborate about it.  When I wrote that letter, it was only three or four months after I returned to work after a long illness.  I felt a bit awkward increasing prices for people - some of whom had not had their windows cleaned by me for 6 months or so.  If I had been more honest about it the letter would have said something like "because I've been too ill to work much in the last 6 months or so, I'm pretty skint and need to start charging more money for the window cleaning as I'm in deep financial doo-doo."  Perhaps most of them would have been OK with that, or similar, but it didn't sound right.   

[Paul Coleman]

Why send a letter, A waste of paper, ink and time.

Tell them person to person, no misunderstandings, Look um in the eye and watch how they react to the price going up.

Nel

The ones who were in I told face to face.  The ones who were out had a note informing them of the increase stapled to their bill.

[Sunshine Cleaning]

I doubled some prices 2 years ago (all increaced by about 15-20%) with a post card from vista print which simply said the new price.

Lost 3 customers, they came back after a couple of months.

Will be doing the same this year, post card with new price.
I have too much work to be bothered with justifying myself, and besides, in a couple of years you may wish to increace them by the same or more, and 2 letters on the trot justifying yourself is bad for self esteam.

Please read carefully.

I doubled Some prices, all (others) increased by (at least) 15-20%( as i do each 2 years)


I'm glad i'm not having to write a letter to some on here, I think they would have to get an adult to explain