[Ken Wainwright]

Just a general observation.

As a good rule of thumb, the longer established CC's on these forums tend not to worry about what others are charging, whether lower or higher prices, and just concentrate on their own business' and developing their own marketing strategies to suit their own needs.

Those wishing to grow and develop their business tend to want to be in the same position of the former just mentioned, but they are trying to do it with one hand tied behind their back.

I know that the transition from one to the other is difficult, but perhaps it is wiser sometimes to take a step back and be objective about your goals and how to achieve them.

If you are pre-occupied with what others are doing/charging, it is easier to take your eye off the ball.

Safe and happy cleaning
Ken

[davep]

Surely what others are charging has an effect on your business, if you have someone down the road charging £60 per full house you cant just ignore it  :

[Doug Holloway]

Hi Guys

Ken's point is valid, there will always be someone down the road charging a ridiculous price, this caterpillar will either grow into a beautiful butterfly charging good prices and doing a top job or be eaten by a blackbird, probably more likely.

What will definitely not happen is that he will still be a caterpillar in 2 years time !

In other words cheap CC's come and go because the business model does not work and the reason it does not work is that the business is not actaually making any money, if the maths are worked out properly.

Cheers

Doug

[Ken Wainwright]

Davep

Yes, I would totally ignore it.

A £60 price for that work is not where I want to take my business.

If you compete on price,  there will always be someone who is cheaper. Where would the downward spiral end

Safe and happy cleaning
Ken

[davep]

Yip, its about educating the custys then, you get what you pay for 

[Ian Rochester]

Doug,

I have a "caterpillar" just down the road from me who charges £40 for a 3 peice, £22 for a lounge and £75 for a full house, he been going for over 17 years and owns a lovely 5 bedroom house in a little coastal hamlet.

He's a nice guy, he used to do my carpets before I started, however, I know I do a better job than him because I have been told so on many occasions by customers who changed from him to me.  But he is still busy and still seems to be doing very well.  I very rarely see any blackbirds around his house and cannot ever see him blossoming into a butterfly!

I have consciously not competed with him on price but instead on quality of work for what I believe to be a more realistic price, without being too far away from his prices.

[Dave_Lee]

No matter what they claim these people (They certainly arent Carpet Cleaners) just go through the motions and probably dont really know how, to thoroughly clean a carpet. £50 or £60 for a full house using a TM (Which one?) even not moving any furniture is going to take a couple of hours minimum. Its just rubbish, they are selling on price alone, quality doesnt come into it. I dont know about anyone else but 'Job satisfaction' plays as much a role as earnings in my operations.
Dave.

[Ian Rochester]

As my old boss once said to me many years ago,

"If you do a good job they'll tell two of their friends, if you do a bad one they'll tell 10!!"

Very true.

[Susan Dean (1stclean)]

No matter what they claim these people (They certainly arent Carpet Cleaners) just go through the motions and probably dont really know how, to thoroughly clean a carpet. £50 or £60 for a full house using a TM (Which one?) even not moving any furniture is going to take a couple of hours minimum. Its just rubbish, they are selling on price alone, quality doesnt come into it. I dont know about anyone else but 'Job satisfaction' plays as much a role as earnings in my operations.
Dave.

big claims there dave job satisfaction is most important to me that why i dont need fastrack to help me rip people off and trust me if fast track was anygood why are you still working surely if it was anygood they would of tought you how to make the best of the big money you earn


one thing for sure i wont be working after 50 maybe 45 if i can buy two more house in this next two months takeing me too 15 in all and only one with a morage mine 40k outstanding until novmber where ill have none

chicken feed turns chickens in to big fat profit you just have to know what to do with the feed 

[*paul_moss]

Susan I did not know you were that rich. I think its time you left Julian and came to live with me.

[spencer davies]

Too much  information for me I am afraid  :



S

[lands]

Haha. If Paul died his hair black put a couple of tampons inside his cheeks we can call him Mr F West

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Ripping people off because they charge bigger prices isn't true, bigger prices get bigger expectations so you have to spend more time on the edges and the finer things the hourly rate may work out less.

I have 2 houses I rent out  (paid for this year ) and have had and probably will have more 2nd businesses but I will probably work until I drop or Sheffield United win the Premiership (which ever comes first), I enjoy work and enjoy making a shilling I don't want to stop, she'll only have me doing something I don't want to do.

Shaun

[lands]

believe me Shaun, you will have a long working life

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Tha't exactly what the Missus said!

Shaun

[Doctor Carpet (Ret'd)]

Clive Jenkins (the 1970's trade unionist) once said

"If working is such a good idea, how come the rick always let the poor do it?"

Just thought I'd throw that into the debate

P.S. It's probably the only thing he ever said that I could possibly begin to agree with.

[Jason Hedges]

Clive Jenkins (the 1970's trade unionist) once said

"If working is such a good idea, how come the rick always let the poor do it?"

Just thought I'd throw that into the debate

P.S. It's probably the only thing he ever said that I could possibly begin to agree with.

Very true, trouble is finding good people to work for you...

[elliott cleaning]

Jason

You will always find people to work for you.   It's down to you to ensure that you train & treat  them, so that they become good & reliable employees

[Ken Wainwright]

Clive Jenkins (the 1970's trade unionist) once said

"If working is such a good idea, how come the rick always let the poor do it?"

Just thought I'd throw that into the debate

P.S. It's probably the only thing he ever said that I could possibly begin to agree with.

But is that true?

Bill Gates still works.

Richard Branson still works.

Paul McCartney still works.

The list of the successful, rich and famous who still work goes on and on and on....... They don't need to work to keep a roof over their heads, they work to be successful for themselves and their employees.  If they packed up just because they had "made it" there would be a very long dole queue.

It is the motivated people of this world who work hard to benefit themselves initially, who then go on to provide work with all the benefits, and disadvantages it has to be said, so that others may progress themselves and provide for their own families.

There are people on these forums who are employers. It is they who have taken the risks. It is they who have the big overdraught. It is they who have mortgaged and borrowed to grow the business to not only, hopefully, bring more success to themselves, but provide rewards for their employees. It is the man/woman at the top who takes the biggest risk, it is they who deserve the biggest rewards.

This is the way the free world works.

Safe and happy cleaning
Ken

[Dave_Lee]

Susan, I wasnt having a go at you or anyone else. The amount charged for a full house, wasnt my point either. My point was that to make it pay doing a full house cheapely, you have to do it quickly, and I know as well as any experienced professional that to do it qickly, you have to take short cuts and that is not doing it thoroughly. Fine if thats how they want to do it, or perhaps they actually think they are doing a good job, because they dont know any better, but it simply is not the professional way to do it. A professional thorough clean cannot be done quickly enough to make a profit, charging low, low prices.
As to your boasting about how well financially you are doing, well done, but you have no idea how much I earn so how can you make your presumtions, and for your information, even though I am now 62 I have no wishes to even think about retirement, you know why? I enjoy my job and I can take time off anytime I want to pursue my mountaineering, running, long distance walking or any other interests I have.
As for your remarks about the Fast Track. People get from the FT what they want as I did, which you may be surprised to know was not that much in my case as I had already been in this business for over 20 years when I did it. I did it for one year only and that was six years ago, but you are right and they do encourage members to put their money in property etc.
Dave.