[ian harper]

Paul

I seen and had the chance to buy stuff from people that are going out of business and what you say is very true that's why I think asset building, business model building is key to selling a business.

One guy had had a franchise failed and he went on that fail on his own. now with all that business training you would think he would have listened. Others try and sell their van and machine thinking thats a business. or a database thats not been worked.

You have to get away from the thinking that its us that people buy. I am sure that when someone buys from a franchise its not the current owner they buying into its the brand

I bought some sites and they bring me in thousands a year. thats value

[ian harper]

Mike because I do move outs, thats my focus and where i think the reliable income comes from. you got to have a starting point that keeps you in the game.

£100 a job depends on me selling. I clean carpets, my marketing does the selling.

ITs true that face to face you can get that money but i want a system that does not depend on that

its still does not change the fact that £100 is £100 no matter how much work you have done for it   Its really down to the skill of producing a steady flow Of £100 Jobs and how productive you can be at meeting that demand.

I dont have add on services i just clean carpets and sofas. having these services show that a cleaner is not working Full weeks hours  or can not survive without them. why go sideways when you can learn and move ahead?

[Craigp]

The cheap carpet cleaners enigma.

Why if competing on price works so great, does the cheap carpet cleaner not get so busy that they increase their price?


Surely when your flat out booked up the logical thing to do is raise your price?

For me, this tells me they are not that busy.

[garry22]

high price will never dominate any market they will have a share but not the largest slice, as long as that large slice make more money thats the winner

Luxury market ...Rolex, Ferrari, Sunseeker, Wally (luxury yachts) ?

[Craigp]

Gillete razors dominate the razor market.

Ipads dominate the tablet market.

Ipods the mp3 market.

[V_Purcell]

cleaners always think that low price equals low job price, not true. people spend up to their budget. one cleaner might do less rooms and charge the same job price as one doing more rooms. its the value thing again. some people think that high price equals safe and good workmanship.

if someone has a bad experience with a low priced cleaner chances are they will not go to that part of the market again, and will go for a more expensive priced cleaner thinking that its going to deliver a better job, no so as the outcome will be the same a clean carpet at whatever price they pay. they just was unlucky first time, and might be just as unlucky at the top end.

at the low end we just have to work a little harder proving that its not cheap but value and that the outcome will be the same. thats why you would have to sell more on the phone and not leave it to your sales message. apart from having to do a face to face sales call

Low end customer are better repeaters in my view. these are the people that buy carpet cleaners and hire (competition comes not just from other cleaners). they want clean carpets and know they need to get them done regular.  when they find a cleaner that can do it a a price they like they are regular.

switching from front end profit to both front and back end will make you more money plus save on overheads and what's the most expensive item? sales & marketing

JP says, Profit comes from

1. Increase the number of clients you have.
2. Increase the price tag of your average job
3. Increase the number of times that they use you.

I would add one more

4. keep overheads under control

great book on pricing

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Undercover-Economist-Tim-Harford/dp/0349119856/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1378855847&sr=1-1&keywords=Undercover-Economist

I agree with you there totally. I have charged lower prices since the day I started. Have been doing it 27 years and still doing it 300,000 jobs later.

[ian harper]

Craigp

when you sit in front of a spread sheet and you can see trends then you will understand why someone would get excited about discovering that  numbers can guide your business decisions and can tell you where the market is.

your right that its an option to raise your prices but that's a choice. and by doing so you then start to work against what the numbers are telling you. its not what we want its what is working. its not about one carpet, one job its about profit and what works.

anyway I am excited i seen something and I like to share it with others its your choice and I respect it sorry if what I say does not fit with what you believe. BTW i am here to share and help not to show off, hard to believe I know. FT and JP cost people thousands. JP did say when I meet him that when he started that if you give someone information for free they value it less than if you charge them. he is right.