[Craigp]

"take" from here? Not read a great deal worth taking.

Still ok for chit chat, and I'll carry on thanks.

[Mike Halliday]

Craig do you not see the irony of your answer?

Plus pretty insulting to all the other member who have taken time to give advice which you  don't thinks worth even taking.

[Paul Moss]

Mike your bound to make that comment and give advice, because after all you get paid by the site to do that 

Craig your spot on mate, Mike just needs to post for his ego 

[Mike Halliday]

Paul do you mean that £40 gift voucher we get at xmas

Paul be honest, can you remember the last job you lost to someone who advertises on Facebook?  Are these companies really harming your business? 

[Craigp]

Irony, no I'm well informed already, so the advice is less useful to me, unlike the new cheapos that come on here for a leg up from their own comp.

Do I recall you had someone in your own area take your advice on leaflets and even tried to pinch your leafleters?

[Paul Moss]

Paul do you mean that £40 gift voucher we get at xmas

Paul be honest, can you remember the last job you lost to someone who advertises on Facebook?  Are these companies really harming your business? 

  Mike you missed the 0 off. 
Do they effect my business? No,  but they are diluting the industry and also deflating prices. Mike I bet your carpet cleaning prices and offers are similar to what you where charging 5 years ago.
Me you and a lot of others have worked hard and spent a lot of money to perfect our skill, I did not mind passing that on in recent times to help like minded people. But now most of the people on the forum are out to make a cheap buck in a short term and don't put anything back into the industry or to help others. Yes that has always been the case, but I would say over the past couple of years that number has trebbled and also work is harder to get because they are charging or advertising stupid prices.

[Mike Halliday]

Nope my prices have risen greatly in the last 5 years

I don't think the number has increased over the last few years it's just like everything we live in a digital ages where information is more readily avalable... There are not more of them, we just now are more aware of them.

My local YPS book used to have 48 companies listed now it is less than 15, but there are still out there using different methods of finding customer.

Plus they can charge cheap prices but unless our customer see those prices it's irrelevant. we are tuned into these companies so notice them,our customers don't give a rats bum about our carpet cleaning until the time they need us. all the cheap advertising in the world is ignored by our customer..... but we see it and take notice

[Paul Moss]

Mike what are you charging now for
Living room
Through lounge
Bedroom
H/s/l
3 piece suite

[Mike Halliday]

25% more than you, For a Job thats 50% better.... how's that for value

Seriously, if I was going to give a ball park figure I would say whatever equates to £100 an hour,  if we are in the house for an hour we would earn over £100, (this is not to say we work 8hrs a day as most people comment when this future is mentioned)

Most jobs are priced by how long it will take, so we can do empty 2 bed house for less than a ton but did a single bedroom last week that was more as it was a nightmare to do ( 3rd floor, polished banisters, big bed to move)

[Paul Moss]

So if some body phones you for a standard living room or a 3 piece suite on their own, what's your price.

[Mike Halliday]

I don't know, I never give a price over the phone.

Out of interest I told you my figures what price would you give ?

[Paul Moss]

Mike change jobs now and go and be a politician for the Conservative party 

[bennymon]

So mike if you can do a 2 bed house for under £100 then that makes you a cheapie lol del

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Jason l works the same area as me and uses a similar method to clean does that mean we charge the same prices for everything? Looking at his website prices published on here the answer is no.

Prices are in the head if you sell to one customer at your price you then look for their demographic/friends/doppelgänger

Shaun

[Darran Pryce]

We have this issue near us.  I quoted £60 to clean 1 living room 100% wool carpet (2k). Woman said why do I think that's expensive?!

I just walked away without explaining myself.   Most of my customers know somethings wrong cleaning all the carpets for £50 etc.

How many carpets shrink with dodgy carpet cleaners and using hired machines!

I still win 90% of quotes that I give out.  Most is referrals anyway.

[Susan Dean (1stclean)]

So why do you bother logging onto CIU? If you are not willing to give advice then you are just taking from the forum but not willing to give,

You must be in a  sorry  state if you feel so threatened by these cheap companies that you feel the need to keep your  knowledge to yourself in case you might help out a cheapo company.

These companies have always been around and always will be, it's like   home-clean who used to mass leaflet 'half price offer'

The world is full of customers willing to pay good prices just go out and find them rather than moan that cheapo companies are stealing all the work, the are taking a morsel of the business out there





 

bang on the money mike

[Susan Dean (1stclean)]

This is happening more and more every year . Even more so over the past 12 months.

I saw this coming a few years ago and I foresee the industry being devalued greatly in the next two years.

For this reason myself and others no longer post help on this type of forum as it is gleamed by far too many of this type of operator.

so does this include me paul   as something changed in your life ?? as when we meet a few years ago I would of said you were one of the more swiched on guys seeing all side of the industry and your like myself and have forgot more then most will ever know its a shame you have been turned into a hater 

[Paul Moss]

This is happening more and more every year . Even more so over the past 12 months.

I saw this coming a few years ago and I foresee the industry being devalued greatly in the next two years.

For this reason myself and others no longer post help on this type of forum as it is gleamed by far too many of this type of operator.

so does this include me paul  as something changed in your life ?? as when we meet a few years ago I would of said you were one of the more swiched on guys seeing all side of the industry and your like myself and have forgot more then most will ever know its a shame you have been turned into a hater  

Susan , I'm not a hater at all .

People Like you, no,
 you like me and many others have worked your way up in the game by training, by experience, by investing, testing and by sharing with like minded cleaners for many years.

I am however against people who do none of the above, they just gleam information from these type of forums / internet and go hire a machine and then work for a fast buck,usually part time from their day job for holiday money or beer money and charge stupid prices to do so.
That I'm afraid is causing the serious guys more problems along the road, even more so now as times are getting harder.

[David Deer]

£30 for ALL your carpets.

Don't forget the 10% discount for having a broken arm.
I'd love to she what she quotes for a 5 bedroom house in Kings Lynn on Berber twist and coir carpet and 3 flights of stairs. She'd have to walk there to make any money!
Perhaps we should embrace these people and get them to do our work as subbies. Id love to sit at home for £300 a day profit for doing nothing (removes tongue from cheek).
In all seriousness we want to preserve our reputation and service quality by offering the best value for money not the cheapest. Since the economic downturn everyone has been looking to save on everything and people will always cash in on this fact. The number of clean your house for £x is increasing as are the number of second user carpet cleaning machines on eBay (go figure).
 But people do still respect professionalism and word of mouth is still king.
Having a set of snap on tools doesn't make you a better mechanic and charging low amounts for cleaning certainly doesn't make you rich. So in 30 years time we shall all be retiring with a little money in the bank and she will still be scrubbing the same carpets until she's 90.
Personally I won't even try to compete with these people, I'd rather clean 1 carpet for £30 than 8.
And what do people glean from this forum? Does it help if we recommend a great product? I could tell everyone to use something that works great but would bleach a wool carpet. When they bleach the wool carpet what do they say to the client. Perhaps I suggest a great acid wash for flooring and they use it on Marble.
I have seen a great number of these companies and individuals come and go and they get the jobs and clients they deserve (Mostly ones I wouldn't like to provide a service for and have walked away from in the past). They turn up at the cleaning suppliers looking for a £2 bucket and some detergent and set up their cleaning company with a bissel and a mop.
So what do we do? Give them a hand up and steer them towards the standards we expect from ourselves, guide and nurture them so we all benefit or leave them in the darkness only ignorance can provide. yes, some will not bother and will fall away like autumn leaves but some will grow and progress and in years to come may even be moaning about the individuals who start up as they did.
I don't feel threatened by them, just a little peeved by those who employ them. But I know which battles to fight. Let's celebrate our own success instead of bemoaning their failure.
I always remember the old saying, "those you knife on the way up are the ones that kick you hardest on the way down".

[jasonl]

Jason l works the same area as me and uses a similar method to clean does that mean we charge the same prices for everything? Looking at his website prices published on here the answer is no.

Prices are in the head if you sell to one customer at your price you then look for their demographic/friends/doppelgänger

Shaun

I do big flood jobs and commercial carpet cleans every  month which means I have no need to charge much on domestics . Just ticking over 9am -2 pm taking £300 does me.