[ian harper]

Russ

[Bob Allen]

We are all guilty of shopping around,
I reckon everyone on here will at some time searched the internet for a cheaper price, be it a service or repairs on van to the lowest credit card balance transfers we are all price shoppers at some point,
yes we can argue an item we buy will be the same item as apposed to a service that we provide.
Ive had a few price shoppers recently, just one of those things.

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys

There will always be people who buy on price only and I don't even bother quoting them.

If I suspect someone is getting lots of quotes I ask them on what they are buying, price or quality , if they say price then I politely suggest there is no point in me quoting as I will not be the cheapest.

Cheers

Doug

[The Great One]

2 carpet cleaners each clean a carpet for different people of the same size and soiling level. Carpet cleaner 1 charges £25 and carpet cleaner 2 charges £50. Which one will make more money that year?

Lets say the £25 Is not a nice person there's just that something you don't like about him, but the £50 one gives off friendly, trustworthy, competent all round nice man.

Then I'd go for the £50

Don't leave personality out of the equation

Don't forget your dealing with people. Plus I would not let £25 pocket change stop me using the prefered man.

Lets say the £25 Is  a nice person there's just that something you  like about him, he gives off friendly, trustworthy, competent all round nice man. but the £50 is not.

Then I'd go for the £25.

I shop around all the time, especially when i go shopping, buying cheese, go for the 2 for 1, buy the 2kg sugar and save almost £2.00

Sometimes it doesn't matter how good or nice you are some will just see the price, I have got clients using MM to do EOT they are quoting £100.00 cheaper than me, they are basically paying the client to do work for them (by the time wages, fuel, parking, materials, tax and other overheads are taken out) I can't compete with that, a 6 hour EOT for £80.00 (and they got called back for an extra 2 hours)

Martin

[Simon Gerrard]

The problem is that people use the same buying logic to book a service as they do to buy a product.
With a product you can find what you want then look at it, touch it feel it, test it out and then shop around for the same product to see if you can get it cheaper. With a little digging you find you can get the same product online for £25 less. Whichever price you pay you end up with the same thing and this is the mental process customers go through when booking a carpet cleaner. They think regardless of what they pay they are buying the same thing. The trouble is they haven’t bought anything, they’ve merely booked it – they’ve bought it when the job is done and the guy is holding his hand out asking for their money. If they’ve gone for the cheapest option thinking they are saving money but are now standing on a sodden carpet that looks no better than before, this is when they wish they’d chosen better. But you can’t tell’em this, they just have to learn it for themselves.

Simon

[Russ Chadd]

My problem is not with the fact the guy was shopping around, its the fact that he booked me and then cancelled after he continued to shop about for a cheaper quote.
My professional approach is not at question here, i am always polite and well presented, i have good people skills and i pride my business on honesty and quality.
The top and bottom is this... some people could not give a monkey's how long you will spend doing the job, what chemicals you use, what methods you use, if you are insured, if you have had any professional training etc etc...

Its down to the price!

[Simon Gerrard]

It is partially down to the price, but a lot of it is thinking if they book X at £50 and overlook the guy at £75, they'll have saved £25, simply because they believe that all carpet cleaners are the same, just as an Indesit XYZ fridge freezer is the same regardless of the price they pay. In the case of the fridge they are right because regardless of much they pay they are getting the same thing. Not true in carpet cleaning, not because it's carpet cleaning but because it is an intangible, you can't see what you're getting until you've bought it.

Simon

[The Great One]

Hi

Simon I don't it would matter even then, as if they choose the cheaper option they won't know or see the difference if there is one at all.

Martin

[Simon Gerrard]

Hi Martin,
True, but a lot of people do and learn their lesson by it. I've lost count of the number of people who tell us, 'last time I had my carpet cleaned it was wet for days....' When you ask they how much they paid, it is usually peanuts, so they got what they paid for, but in future they tend to be a lot more fussy about quality and prepared to pay more to make sure they get it.

Simon

[Steve Rothwell]

I get a lot of these people who now no longer want gallons and gallons of water pumped into their lovely (dirty) carpet.   

Being an LM cleaner does have its advantages sometimes...


 

[Steve Barnett (Carpet Care Plus)]

The problem is that people use the same buying logic to book a service as they do to buy a product.
With a product you can find what you want then look at it, touch it feel it, test it out and then shop around for the same product to see if you can get it cheaper. With a little digging you find you can get the same product online for £25 less. Whichever price you pay you end up with the same thing and this is the mental process customers go through when booking a carpet cleaner. They think regardless of what they pay they are buying the same thing. The trouble is they haven’t bought anything, they’ve merely booked it – they’ve bought it when the job is done and the guy is holding his hand out asking for their money. If they’ve gone for the cheapest option thinking they are saving money but are now standing on a sodden carpet that looks no better than before, this is when they wish they’d chosen better. But you can’t tell’em this, they just have to learn it for themselves.


Simon

Good post Simon

[JandS]

Unless of course they do get it done cheaper but
to the same standard.

John

[ian harper]

Guys

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys

I don't think we give our customers enough credit.

I would say I pick up at least 75% of the jobs I want, that is well priced, decent size, who want a top job and are prepared to pay a decent price  for it.

Of the others I can usually tell within 10 seconds that I doo not really want this job, too small, too far for the size, price shopping, difficult access etc.

When I buy a service, I am never looking for the cheapest as I want good quality and know the cheapest is very uinlikely to give me this.

Cheers

Doug

[Ian Gourlay]

Ian, I know you are a great student of Marketing  and I have followed and watched you over the years.

You are also an Engima to me, as on some of your Web Sites you are cleaning Carpets at very low prices , when everything about you tells me you should be one of the best and top dollar  Carpet Cleaners in Essex and surrounding areas .

[Craigp]

Ian H. have you tried the free room?

I knew a c/cer who did and he said it just never worked because most people will just take the free room

Also that not many people want to take you up on the offer

It's not not for me anyway.

[Jim_77]

Probably depends on how you present the "free room" to the customer Craig.  If you just do it and make nothing of it, maybe it will just be taken as a favour?  However if you make a bit more of a song and dance about the free room it starts the customer thinking, maybe will have a different outcome?

Ian, I know you are a great student of Marketing  and I have followed and watched you over the years.

You are also an Engima to me, as on some of your Web Sites you are cleaning Carpets at very low prices , when everything about you tells me you should be one of the best and top dollar  Carpet Cleaners in Essex and surrounding areas .

It's easy to get on the mailing list of the so-called "marketing gurus" who send out frequent emails with "free titbits" etc etc, and then copy/paste that stuff into a forum post

However, implementing it successfully into your own business and becoming a millionaire is a completely different thing

[Ricky M]

aint read ALL the post but i see it as: people buy from people not just offers or the best equipment and if they give a ( gentlemans agreemant ) then go else where, then they felt more at ease with the person they eventually commited to ( IMO )

but what do i know   

[Craigp]

It was done much like this.

 http://www.dustbusterscarpetcleaning.com/Free-Room-of-Cleaning-Carpet-Audit.html

[ian harper]

respects