[RickandJules]

Hi everyone, first post so be gentle!!

My wife and I are starting our own small cleaning business and I have a question about advertising your prices.

We at first thought that we would put up our price list ONLY on the website, not on any flyers etc, but have since been advised by a few other small independent business owners that maybe this is not such a good idea.
The thinking seems to that you should not give your competitors an edge by revealing your price plans, but to my mind, if I was a customer then I would expect to see how much I am going to be charged for each type of service being offered!!

When we were doing our research we checked the websites of other operators and found that quite a few DO NOT show there prices but ask you to contact them for a qoute.

So we wondered what you established guys do, what would you advise?  Do you advertise your prices on your websites or ask potential customers to "call for a quote"

Any advice is much appreciated,

RickandJules

[deborah waters]

Hi we always ask them to call for a quote as it lets us try and sell our work...we consider cleaning not only to be about price but also experience and quality.

[Phild]

Hi Rick & partner,

I agree customers need a price guide to pull in their eye-balls so if you can give them a range with a big low number first! (is that 'bait + switch' as it's called in the USA?)

The reality is that you don't want the 'price shoppers' when you are selling a personal service (which is how I interpret your post).

Cutting to the quick: you need to attract people into your sales-funnel then qualify them.

Do you want to work for them?

Will they pay enough, quickly enough so you can give them what you have sold them?

Do a credit check.

If it sounds too good to be true (perhaps the contract that's going to change your life?) Be a realist.

No customer should be more than 20% of your t/o.

If you can't afford to lose your time/energy/£'s and you still want to go for it just make sure your partner is onboard. No pain, no gain.

Take the Brave Pill when you have made your choice.

Best of Luck, always happy to advise a trier so feel free to e-mail.

PhilD

[RickandJules]

Hi Deborah and Phil, many thanks for taking the time to reply. I should have said that we are aiming to start an oven cleaning business. Starting small, just us and a van, dip tank etc.

I can see the point behind not advertising your prices but from a customers point of view I would expect to see them.............equally, from a business point of view then maybe I should hide them!!!

Just wondered what you guys who are already established think about it?

[J Vincent Waters]

Oven cleaning is a little different.  It's more common for prices to be quoted, or at least for deal prices to be quoted. And oven cleaning is more often bought on price than cleaning a house generally.  Still, Phil is right that you don't want the bottom end of the market, or the folk who only go on price - they are usually impossible to satisfy. 

Try to make your marketing likely to get potential customers to call; then work on conversions on the phone. 

It's also worth looking at your competitors to see what they are doing - if the most competent and successful companies in the area do it / don't, that's your sign.

Good luck!