[Susan Dean (1stclean)]

Interesting comment Susan / Justin wondered how you were doing considering the strong business you guys had built over many years at low end prices.

Never expected you make such a big change in pricing policy and your post suggests it might have been too much of a change.

Going from ( I think ) four vans working flat out to two T/M's doing zero does'nt sound like good business sense.

I know you have ( other fish to fry ) but if someone who depended entirely on c/c followed the same advice they'd have gone down the tubes

yes mate your bang on, im lucky that i dont need to earn a penny cleaning  but if i had too then i would of gone in jan thats for sure ,

thing is im not getting the calls in no where near what i use too , so i dont think its the price change putting people off 

  nobody is ringing still getting new price shoppers 

[Joe H]

Hows work?
I keep checking to see if the phone line is still connected 
Gone very quiet here
Hope its the same for other local guys - you know the cheap & nasties and the expensive ones then I'll pick up the goodies when the tide turns.

Did some leaflet drops, same day a lady rang, booked in a 3 piece suite for 2 days time, next day she cancelled - husband says she can have a new suite. How bad a day is that!

[clinton]

Joe

She cancelled :

Thats how it seems to go when your quiet and want the work..

[Joe H]

Did a job Fri morning Clinton. I asked the lady where she got my tel from - Yellow Pages (still works occassionally), and she picked me cause I mentioned eco friendly fluids, and also my price.
I charged £95 for 12x12 carpet and 2 Parker Knoll type chairs.
Chem Dry were £135, and someone else £45  :
She said £45 sounded "wrong", so picked me.

Did an asian ladys lounge and hallway week ago.
Think I told the story on here - she rang me about 8 weeks ago and I quoted over phone £70.
Too much she said, last time someone only charged £25. Why dont you ring them? I said. I have but no ringing. Gone out of business, too cheap, I said.  We parted company.

She rang about 10 days ago and agreed on my £70.
Did the job, over the moon, happily pays the £70, fixes me up to visit 3 relatives to give them quote.

They all had been to see the relatives clean carpets and all said what a very good job I done.
The quotes for them were £50 for small lounge and small hall. Got that, done it, they very pleased.
£60 for small lounge, some stairs, and half dining room : - tried to haggle down, not got that (yet)
£70 for larger lounge and dining room. Tried to haggle down to £50 and even when I was saying NO to £50 she was still asking for bedrooms to be included as well.... all for £50.  No way!

[Shaun_Ashmore]

I was saying to another cleaner in my area the other day that I was reasonably busy but have noticed the phone is quieter, I have a space left for Friday so we'll see... I also noticed that there's not much traffic on the road, usually on a Friday afternoon as I find my way home one of the main A roads is packed but I just drifted through, I wonder if people are taking advantage of cheaper holidays whilst the kids are back at school.

Shaun

[clinton]

Joe

Did see the post

Yes they are going to haggle for a cheaper price am afraid :

[Doctor Carpet (Ret'd)]

Shaun

You're definitely right about the roads seeming to be quieter.

It's great.

Can get more jobs done in a day

[Mike Osbourne]

Roger, don't go into double figures just because you can. 

[Shaun_Ashmore]

The Missus has got me taking the house to bits I have no need to get home early!

Shaun

[Neil Williams]

Perhaps I'm lucky that we have enough other work keeping us busy and a few mega commercial CC's are allowing me to get a bit tougher with the phonecalls/e-mails. It's now like it or lump it with the pricing and I have to say that I'm surprised with the success rate. I'veeven had a couple who 'vanished' for a week after giving them a price suddenly came back with Ok.
But overall the enquiries are down on this time last year. 

[will01]

My enquires are bout the same as last year but with less of a success rate. Whereas last year I maybe got 4 out of 5 enquiries, this year year it seems I'm getting 2-3 out of 5.

If I had a damng pound for every person who says "I'll get back to you" and never does then I'd be sunning myself in California and having lunch with lemmy at the Rainbow Bar and Grill. 

will

[richy27]

my work seems to come in waves been little quiet for few weeks then next few weeks are busy busy. so adding it all up it averages itself out to being ok.

[Andrew Briscoe]

Over the last 6 months i have found the middle 7 days of every month to be very quiet, seems as if they get paid at
end of month and book, and the rest seem to be booking end of month if have any surplus cash.

Sticking it out with my prices, wont drop unless it a full house/large job. £'s/ sale is up 30% on last year, although slightly less jobs,

Andrew

[mark_roberts]

Susan

I doubt your quiet because of your price rises.  Could it be that those people at the lower end of the market who you used to target are feeling the resession the most through jobs loss etc so dont have the income to spend on cleaning?

Im finding this.  The old saying of the rich get richer as the poor get poorer seems from a carpet cleaning point of view to be right.

Mark

[richy27]

i dont know about anyone else but have picked up 4 jobs this month where i have had to clean an end of tenancy for the tenants and then clean their new house its great cause they are double jobs and empty.

is this a sign things are starting to move on the property front. and with it sunnier times to come ps i always like to look on the bright side

[markpowell]

Busy as ever here, gone mad again.
Mark

[gwrightson]

had one gap this week wed afternoon, filled now tks M. halliday for passing on that one, next week 1 quiet  day but could fill that in the next couple of days. obviously your booked up Mike or going on some more Hols .

It would appear that most c/c are ticking over nicely, with a bit of luck the phone may be busier than usual tommorow!!!! Did you see the One Show bbc, its bug week and was showing bugs that can hide in the carpet and in your furnishings. My reaction would be to get my carpets cleaned after watching it 

geoff

[Mike Halliday]

Geoff it was a typical letting agent, .....can we do it tomorrow.... : : 

she was hinting about me doing it after tea, she can get stuffed, I only hear from them when they are having an emergency.

[Shaun_Ashmore]

I hate that Mike when they become your best friend when they are desperate and have a tennant moving in tomorrow or they ring up really snotty and start asking for 'your best price on..' I do private land lords but can't be bothered with letting agents.

My phone has exploded again today, Friday appointment went at 7.50 am this morning, next week well on its way also and the missus wants the bathroom finishing, I'm upto a point where I'm waiting on the plumber and tiler now so I'm relaxing for a bit before the next push.

Shaun

[master-clean]

Makes me laugh the 'best price line', I always double it and say thats my best price!

then I say..  "oh you ment the best price for you, not me!"