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Darran Pryce

  • Posts: 602
Web Site Prices
« on: March 11, 2014, 08:42:05 am »
Having had our prices on our website for carpet cleaning we had the odd call now and then, as most of our work came from referrals which is great.  However since taking off our prices on our website were getting a lot more calls each day with around 4-6 new telephone jobs coming in. 

Do you have your prices on your website?


Simon Gerrard

  • Posts: 4405
Re: Web Site Prices
« Reply #1 on: March 11, 2014, 05:10:00 pm »
Absolutely not. It removes the need for potential customers to ring you AND makes what you do about price and not quality, the very last thing you want as a business.
It also has the effect of putting your competitors in charge of your pricing because that is the way you have chosen to compete with them and so the spiral of tit-for-tat pricing undermines your ability to make money, again, the last thing you need as a business.
Simon

Craigp

  • Posts: 1272
Re: Web Site Prices
« Reply #2 on: March 11, 2014, 05:40:32 pm »
Couldn't agree more Simon, well put.

Interesting Darren roughly what sort of pricing? Im thinking if you go that route they would need to be the same or less than the others with prices on their site.

*Hector*

  • Posts: 9268
Re: Web Site Prices
« Reply #3 on: March 11, 2014, 05:52:36 pm »
It actually depends on which level of customer you are marketing.
If you are aiming for the low price budget end of the market, then putting prices on your website and van and anywhere else, takes out the time consuming part of weeding out customers.

Therefore only the people who are going to pay your prices get in touch, and therefore most if not all your calls are converted to work.

If you are aiming at the higher end of the market ... then as Simon says keep them off...  ;D ;D
Everyday this forum slips further from God.  :'(

benny d

  • Posts: 706
Re: Web Site Prices
« Reply #4 on: March 11, 2014, 05:59:16 pm »
Darran do you do or have a lot of SEO for your site?
I dont have a website atm as I have been ripped off twice over the years. I have a Checkatrade web page which works.

I am asking because I dont think my 2 previous sites had seo, and I guess it helps?
I do want another site, but who to trust?
Thanks
"If i'm not in action, I'm in traction"
Voted 397th best looking carpet cleaner in West Sussex 2015. Up 10 from last year...

Darran Pryce

  • Posts: 602
Re: Web Site Prices
« Reply #5 on: March 11, 2014, 06:10:30 pm »
Darran do you do or have a lot of SEO for your site?
I dont have a website atm as I have been ripped off twice over the years. I have a Checkatrade web page which works.

I am asking because I dont think my 2 previous sites had seo, and I guess it helps?
I do want another site, but who to trust?
Thanks


No we dont mate.  I have always been on the first page of goole. Wife builds my sites.. Very high ranked for carpets and windows.

benny d

  • Posts: 706
Re: Web Site Prices
« Reply #6 on: March 11, 2014, 06:17:06 pm »
How do you manage to keep it up? (Basil Fawlty voice)  ;D

The website I mean without seo? Or perhaps you cant answer that?
"If i'm not in action, I'm in traction"
Voted 397th best looking carpet cleaner in West Sussex 2015. Up 10 from last year...

garry22

Re: Web Site Prices
« Reply #7 on: March 11, 2014, 06:53:09 pm »
Benny, don't get too worried about "SEO". Two years ago, it was vastly different but now you can overdo it quite easily.

Darren's site has reasonably good on page SEO (nothing too silly or over the top). It has links to / from the sort of places that a "real" business would (Twitter, Facebook, Netmums, Youtube, Photobucket etc).

In other words, it looks totally normal with no overoptimisation or spammy backlinks coming to it. Your ranking will always depend on how much competition there is. In Leeds, the above is enough to keep it riding high.

Simon Gerrard

  • Posts: 4405
Re: Web Site Prices
« Reply #8 on: March 11, 2014, 06:55:02 pm »
It actually depends on which level of customer you are marketing.
If you are aiming for the low price budget end of the market, then putting prices on your website and van and anywhere else, takes out the time consuming part of weeding out customers.

Therefore only the people who are going to pay your prices get in touch, and therefore most if not all your calls are converted to work.

If you are aiming at the higher end of the market ... then as Simon says keep them off...  ;D ;D
Which begs the question 'why on earth would any business person only want to do business with people that only ever go with the lowest bidder?'
Especially as there as many, if not more people willing to pay a higher price in exchange for great customer service and fabulous quality.The extraordinary thing about this, and the reason it makes no business sense at all, is that the lower price guy pays the same for his chemicals, equipment, vehicles, fuel, insurance and everything else it takes to run a business as the guy charging higher prices, so the only thing that can suffer is his level of profit, which is bound to be less.
The problem is that a lot of people coming into this business believe that being competitive is about price, when in actual fact it is and always has been about quality. I dare say lots of the low price guys do a great job, so why not charge for it? The answer to that is they can't let go of that core belief that the only reason people come to him is because he is the cheapest.
I have the good fortune of knowing some seriously successful carpet cleaners, people who practically print money and it is not because they are the cheapest, far from it, but for one reason, they have succeeded in putting their customers in a position where they can't get what they do anywhere else and made their customers see them as, 'their carpet cleaner,' and that for anyone who is interested is the Holy Grail of carpet cleaning.
There are people like Susan and Julian Dean who have a particular business model based on low prices, the difference between them and the guy that knows no better is that they have chosen that model and made it work for them very successfully using a TM, as I am sure have others.

Simon


*Hector*

  • Posts: 9268
Re: Web Site Prices
« Reply #9 on: March 11, 2014, 07:00:59 pm »
I actually agree with you Simon...

But.. I was just stating a point, as devils advocate..  ;D ;D

I was actually a low priced carpet cleaner, I believed that the poor had a right to good carpet cleaning too.... however the only people really taking advantage of the low price were the people who could pay the high prices..

Over the last 5 years I have completely changed the business model, and now charge high prices, and get them... I don't work half as much as I used to, but I earn more than I used to... this is good as I am getting older..  ;D ;D
Everyday this forum slips further from God.  :'(

Simon Gerrard

  • Posts: 4405
Re: Web Site Prices
« Reply #10 on: March 11, 2014, 07:08:00 pm »
Hector,
So you've seen the light too. I'm a convertee to LM and you've been converted to charging properly.
We are getting somewhere us two ;D

*Hector*

  • Posts: 9268
Re: Web Site Prices
« Reply #11 on: March 11, 2014, 07:13:10 pm »
oooer

I've booked the church Simon  :-* :-*

 ;D ;D
Everyday this forum slips further from God.  :'(

Simon Gerrard

  • Posts: 4405

Shaun_Ashmore

  • Posts: 11382
Re: Web Site Prices
« Reply #13 on: March 11, 2014, 07:17:38 pm »
Glynn will be getting a new hat and Steve knight will make the cake.

Shaun

Glynn

  • Posts: 1129
Re: Web Site Prices
« Reply #14 on: March 11, 2014, 07:18:55 pm »
Flat cap at the most !.
Regards
Glynn


Darran Pryce

  • Posts: 602
Re: Web Site Prices
« Reply #16 on: March 11, 2014, 08:16:13 pm »
How do you manage to keep it up? (Basil Fawlty voice)  ;D

The website I mean without seo? Or perhaps you cant answer that?

Before I set my own business up 5 years ago, I was in sales and marketing for 20 years, so it helps a lot.   Like some have said, just keep it nice and simple, make your wording unique to your own business.  If a website is done well, you don't have to pay for nothing apart from the hosting etc.

I always do my own wording and the wife does the rest.

Shaun_Ashmore

  • Posts: 11382
Re: Web Site Prices
« Reply #17 on: March 11, 2014, 08:27:46 pm »
Glynn all ready for the wedding of the year.

Shaun


benny d

  • Posts: 706
Re: Web Site Prices
« Reply #18 on: March 11, 2014, 09:28:11 pm »


Before I set my own business up 5 years ago, I was in sales and marketing for 20 years, so it helps a lot.   Like some have said, just keep it nice and simple, make your wording unique to your own business.  If a website is done well, you don't have to pay for nothing apart from the hosting etc.

I always do my own wording and the wife does the rest.
Thanks for the info Darran,it's appreciated.
"If i'm not in action, I'm in traction"
Voted 397th best looking carpet cleaner in West Sussex 2015. Up 10 from last year...

clive ware

  • Posts: 540
Re: Web Site Prices
« Reply #19 on: March 17, 2014, 06:55:27 pm »
Ben - love your van. Really stands out. I`ve seen it a few times on my travels.
I`m based in Chichester.