James
First off, forget the suite prices you see on TV from the big multiples. Look carefully at what they're offering and you will see that they are grotesque pieces, often very large, that few people will actually buy. It looks good on TV though and entices punters to walk through their door. They are then hit with the upholstery that they would actually want to buy which have less attractive prices. Most of the suites that I clean are, on current new valuation, more likely to be £1500-£2000 and more.
As others have stated, after the house and the car, the typical most expensive capital items in a home tend to be floor coverings (collectively) and the three piece suit. The dining suite can also be included, but it's a low cost maintenance item. People don't buy quality to want to look after them cheap.
Try to think of yourself as offering a service of value to your prospect, not on low cost price. If price was always the deciding factor, we'd all be driving small, imported Asian cars, have something like a Goblin vacuum cleaner and be sitting at plastic "patio" style dinner tables.
The biggest barrier to fair and reasonable charges is often in the mind of the seller, not the buyer.
With your sales delivery during audit, ask them the right questions, do a thorough inspection, tell them about their suite eg fibre content, condition of fabric, foam, seams etc. etc. Give them realistic expectations, so that they can feel reassured that they have a knowledgeable and reliable tradesman in their home. The price comes at the end.
Something that works for many of us is to also break down the quotation, so chairs cost £x, small sofa costs £y and large sofa costs £z. Pouffees cost £s, scatter cushions £t and arm sleeves £r. Prospects can then see what they are paying for. If your charges are high enough, and if you are feeling generous, you could always offer to clean the arm sleeves and/or scatters for free as an incentive to have the whole suite cleaned.
Finally, and especially relevant to many newbies, When you were an employed person, lets say you were earning £12 per hour. Now, as a self employed buinessman, you may be earning, for example, £40 per hour. But you do not make a PROFIT of £40 per hour. Some of the things you need to deduct from that figure include the time and cost in travelling, chemical costs, advertising, general transport and adminsitration costs, insurance etc. etc. Lets say that you have now halved this figure per hour to £20. As capital purchases are made from profit (they are not a business overhead) you also need to set aside for your next machines and upgrades, van, computer etc. etc. You're not now earning as much as you thought. My point in all this being that many newbies will relate their earnings as a business to what their salary was as an employee. It "does their brain in" 'cos they think that they have become a rip-off merchant. Nothing could be further from the truth. It's what you have to do to survive in this society.
Safe and happy cleaning
The Ken