First Customer! spring clean up billing.

[lurch]

100 posts...i under estimated my first spring clean-up and now i feel like crap...i worked hard getting that lawn back into shape for basiclly pennies...but i did get 3 more customers out of it so i don't feel as bad

[supercuts]

15 years later im still trying to bring some of my original customers up to a fair price. last year i just bumped them all up and they all complained! oh well, aint working cheap anymore. i think the reason they complained is because they were my first few jobs and i was young. they had lower income levels and a cheap price from a young kid is what they were looking for. as i grew, so did my prices, but these people were a little on the lower income side and didnt want to pay. those initial prices set a level they expected. luckily, ive been with them so long i dont think they'll fire me unless they really cant afford it.

[Blades and Blooms]

Originally Posted by fiveoboy01

I'd say no. Reason? You're building your customer relationships on price and not service. And customers who use you because of price will dump you in a heartbeat for no reason simply on price alone. Doesn't matter how good a job you do or how good you are to them, or how long you've been servicing their account(just ask rodfather about that...).

I myself would not want referrals due to "He's got the lowest prices around here", I'd rather it be "He's got excellent service and he's very friendly and reliable."

couldn't have said it better, I estimated a leaf cleanup job (no hauling, just blow into one big area) next to one of my regular jobs right before Christmas, I told the lady 80 bucks just because I was already there and almost done with my regular yard $65/cut, well long story short I should have been about 2x that or around $150, she asked should she give me some more money and I told here that one was on me...I gave her a price and it was my own fault. She has since asked me to do some other work for her and hopefully my sticking to my word is worth something....

HTH,
Brad

[Keith1981]

Good advice. I heard mentioning of charging a dollar a minute. I'd feel bad charging the lady 120 for a 2 hour job. I was thinking around 65.

[fiveoboy01]

The minute you start "feeling bad" is the time you start losing money.

That sounds harsh, but it's a reality. You can treat your customer like gold but doing work for piddly $ isn't one of the ways to do it.

[Blades and Blooms]

Originally Posted by fiveoboy01

The minute you start "feeling bad" is the time you start losing money.

That sounds harsh, but it's a reality. You can treat your customer like gold but doing work for piddly $ isn't one of the ways to do it.

exactly, be sure to know what it costs you to run your machines/expenses or what your time is worth, jotherwise you are in it for charity basically

[PatriotLandscape]

If you have low overhead (no one has no overhead you need to depreciate your equipment) then don't charge as much but dont low-ball. What I would do when I started was put the proposal together like I didnt care if I needed it. then put it together like you really need it. Pick a number between those two and you'll make money and gain a great customer. assuming they aren't looking for a low-baller

[N.H.BOY]

Originally Posted by Keith1981

Good advice. I heard mentioning of charging a dollar a minute. I'd feel bad charging the lady 120 for a 2 hour job. I was thinking around 65.

Dude tell me the place where she lives and I'll give her a price Just joke-n with ya. Sounds like a 2 hour job from what you wrote, so I'd say 80 bucks. If she ask why tell you some good reason why, you deserve it man. If you think this is your only one it will not be. Good luck and let us know what the out come is. It's all snow anyways right?

[N.H.BOY]

KEITH---Just saw your ad on criagslist and it said 50% off first service--So yea I would say you might HAVE to law ball if you said that in print. Just my 2 cents.

[ed2hess]

In our area the only people who need spring cleanups are the ones that are too cheap to have a full time lawn service. So if you bid low to these folks you might get a customer but probably a bad customer.