As a window cleaner looking to make good use of your talent and expertise, the question of how much to price your services can be a daunting road block. Information about what other service providers charge is not always readily available and therefore knowing whether you are overcharging or undercharging might not be easy. But that notwithstanding, there are a few cardinal rules that you can follow so as to make a pricing decisions that is both accurate and logical.
Rule 1: The £1 Trick
The £1 rule is the simplest and quickest way to arrive at an estimate. The method is straight-forward, charge a fee of £1 per window section. Using this rule, an average 3 bedroom semi-detached house should cost around £10 or thereabout. Of course, there’s a margin of error of plus/minus £2 to this rule.
Rule 2: Awkward Jobs
For awkward jobs or jobs that will take a bit longer than usual to finish, your pricing should be a bit higher. The rule of the thumb in any business is to get good value for your resources spent (time and effort). As such, you should always consider adding a small fee on top of your usual rate if the job seems more difficult than what you’re used to.
Rule 3: The Plus £1 Rule
After identifying the best price to charge for a job, you can go ahead and use the +£1 rule. For instance, if you were to charge £10 for a 3 bedroom semi-detached unit, consider adding an extra pound on to the price for luck. If the client accepts it, you get a wider profit margin.
Rule 4: Terms of Service
Don’t start a job until the client is clear on the paying terms and conditions. Use this rule sparingly to identify poor payers who you can avoid and replace with reliable ones. Be wary of clients who refuse to clarify on their terms of payment before the job begins.
Rule 5: Don’t Sell Yourself Cheaply
No matter how convincing the client is, never accept anything that is below your standards. The job of a window cleaner is a demanding one. Clients usually look for nothing but the very best quality. Therefore, the moment you undersell yourself, you not only harm yourself, but weaken the bargaining power of the whole industry as well.
Rule 6: The Hourly Rate
Figure out how much you are comfortable earning for an hour’s work. Note: Don’t go for an insanely high rate like 50 pounds per hour because as a window cleaner your job does not require specialist training or any technical skills. Once you have identified your ideal hourly rate, when giving an estimate look at the number of windows your client has and try to see just how many hours you will need to get the job done. Give a fair price so that you get paid a decent amount whilst offering great value to your customer.
How Much Are People Paying Currently?
Based on responses from different clients who have used window cleaning services in the UK recently, a £7 price tag for a 2 bedroom semi-attached unit with 6 big units, 2 small windows and the patio door is often charged. A 5 bedroom detached unit attracts £25 with cleaning done every 2 months. A bigger house with more rooms and window panes can cost up to £40 to clean (depending on the season). Eco Pressure Services that use industrial equipment to clean windows in and around Basingstoke charge up to £50 for a three bedroom house,
Final Word
As a small business-owner, establishing a good pricing strategy is likely one of the biggest challenges you’ll face in the early stages. Offer a cheap price and customers could see you as desperate for work and exploit that by offering you less than your requested rate. Overcharge and customers could laugh in your face. To avoid such situations, always refer to the tips mentioned above to arrive at a reasonable and fair rate.