Stop Second Guessing Your Price Quotes for House Cleaning

Jean Hanson

A lot of house cleaning business owners second guess themselves when they get price resistance from potential clients. When a customer says "your price is too high", some people suddenly back down or become unsure that the price they just quoted is justified.

One person recently quoted a price of $180.00 for a home that she estimated would take 9 hours to clean. That works out to $20.00 per hour. The customer felt the price was too high and now the cleaning business owner is beginning to wonder if she DID price it too high.

Assuming her time estimate is right, $20.00 per hour is definitely not too high - in fact it may be too low. When you own a business you are not working for an hourly wage -- you have expenses to pay and a profit to make, and the only way to pay those expenses and generate a profit is to charge a rate that will cover both.

If you are quoting prices to potential customers who feel your price is high, then you may be targeting the wrong people. If they are looking for someone who is going to charge them only $10 or $15 an hour, then you need to move on. These low rates are what "trunk slammers" charge - people who don't pay taxes, take cash under the table, are not insured and who haven't legally registered their business.

When digging deeper into this business, we found that she was using home made flyers to market her business. The flyers LOOKED home made, so she was naturally attracting potential customers who were not interested in hiring a professional cleaning service. Rather, they were looking for a cheap maid. When your marketing materials do not look professionally made, the image you project is less than professional, so people expect to pay less.

When you present yourself and your company with an image that conveys your professionalism, you start to feel more confident in yourself. What you'll find is that people who are looking for a solid, professional cleaning service won't have a problem paying your prices - even if it's $30 per hour or more.

If you don't feel comfortable going from $20 to $30 per hour, you might try going from $20 to $25 per hour to start. You can eventually work your way up to a higher hourly rate. Upgrade your image, work on your confidence, and then try out this new pricing with the next customer to see what kind of response you get. The more you practice the more confident you'll become. Before you know it you'll fill your business with customers who will happily pay your price for the quality service they expect.

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Jean Hanson helps owners of residential cleaning companies build a more profitable and successful cleaning business through her online community at MyHouseCleaningBiz.com. Read inspirational cleaning success stories at http://www.cleaning-success.com, and sign up for House Cleaning Profit Tips at http://www.MyHouseCleaningBiz.com.