Square Footage Discount

[tmiklethun]

Just did a cleaning on a house that 2800 sq ft of carpet and 2 - 16 step staircases. It was referred by one of my Realtor Partners, who until now has sent be a bunch of tiny condos. They are complaining about the price I charged on this large house. Even though the price is consistent with what I have charged them for everything else I have done, just on a much larger scale. Do you give extra discount for extremely large homes.

Here was my price breakdown on this job. My standard cleaning included: furniture moving, prevacuum, prespray and pre spot, agitation, hot water extraction, Ph Balancing, Grooming and speed drying.
This package runs and $.35 a sq foot and $3 per stair

On this job I did not have to do furniture moving, prevacuum or speed dry.

Standard Charges for cleaning $1076
Discount: No furniture, prevac or speed dry -$196
Discount: Sq footage discount -$30
Discount: Referral of Realtor Partner -$85
Total amount billed $765

I give all Realtor Referrals a 10% discount and I gave the square footage discount because I didn't have to drive to multiple jobs to get that much square footage. The job took about 7 hours so am at about $117 a production hour. I really don't like to ever go below $100 a production hour, I am often closer to $125.

This realtor does send me a lot of work, but the majority of it is really small, almost no profit, jobs (condos). She said her last cleaner only charged $500.00 for the house, .17 a sq foot. I told her that may be why he went out of business., but that I would look at my numbers and make sure they were right.

Sorry for all the details, but I figured someone might ask.

Here is my question for such a big job would you go ever further on the discount, or default to your minimum hourly target rate? I can't go to 500, but I could probably get to $680 and still hit $100 an hour, but I am afraid it will send a negative message about my pricing.

 

[Papa John]

Your Reply to her was spot on! I often tell people, who ask me to match someone else's lower price, "My Goal is to Beat my competitor's Quality not their Price" and be willing, and able to walk.

But 7 Hours!?-- seems too long for the size and not moving furniture or prevac? I can see taking that long if you moved furniture. -- maybe its that Arizona Heat? I think I would Die at the 5th hour! Or I would have the AC blasting to keep me cool and help w drying.
Maybe its the equipment or procedures? If you ever in SF feel free to contact me for some Speed training.

All The Best,
John

 

[tmdry]

There's no reason to discount your prices.

If you have to clean 3000 square feet plus 2 staircases, than charge your rate, that's a lot of work and you should be compensated for it.

Don't go by what you want to make rate, in fact get a helper or another machine, and cut that job in half and make more $ on the next go around.

There are plenty of realtors out there that need their homes cleaned before showings.

 

[TomKing]

Just did a cleaning on a house that 2800 sq ft of carpet and 2 - 16 step staircases. It was referred by one of my Realtor Partners, who until now has sent be a bunch of tiny condos. They are complaining about the price I charged on this large house. Even though the price is consistent with what I have charged them for everything else I have done, just on a much larger scale. Do you give extra discount for extremely large homes.

For any regular referral source you should have a set process for discounting if at all.

What you shared is confusing and hard to understand.

FIRST RULE. Make it easy for the customer to buy from you.

For a referral source like a realtor they should be able to know what it is going to be without talking to you.

Create a menu for them. Realtors are used to all their other service's being set prices or %.

 

[cobra]

Wasn't there an agreement with price up front? If so, thats what we agreed to, so that is what they pay!!!

 

[hogjowl]

I have kept some fairly detailed records over the years and I can safely say that,working alone, 7 hours is right on the dot how long I would have taken on that job if doing a basic three step process. Adding machine scrubbing would have added another hour.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I have kept some fairly detailed records over the years and I can safely say that,working alone, 7 hours is right on the dot

Foook you're slow, porkchop!

3.5 hours cleaning (800sq/ft hr) if vacant. Another hour on the steps for a total on 4.5 hours.

Travis
You're talking about $265.00 difference, you have three choices:
1. Do nothing and bill as is, but it will certainly be the death of your relationship
2. Bend a little and see if she will accept a compromise. Discount $182.50 (1/2) could possibly still be the end of the relationship
3. Accept full responsibility and bill her for $500.00

I think I'd try to work the compromise and see if that flies.

I agree going forward any time its something different than the norm, you should give at least a ballpark estimate to avoid this situation.

 

[tmiklethun]

Wasn't there an agreement with price up front? If so, thats what we agreed to, so that is what they pay!!!

In a way. She knows that she will pay about $.26 a sq foot after her discounts are applied.

I never meet with this realtor, I just gain access through a contractors box and only call her if there is an unusual issue, odor issues or repairs. I didn't think extremely large house was an unusual issue.

 

[tmiklethun]

Foook you're slow, piglet!

3.5 hours cleaning (800sq/ft hr) if vacant. Another hour on the steps for a total on 4.5 hours.

Thanks for the feedback and you are quick, I clean at about 600 sq ft an hour, about the same as you for the steps.

Honestly, I would lose the account before I would go to $500. I have no interest in setting that as my standard pricing model. I have been considering letting this customer go anyway all the pain in the butt condos that I make very little on. If I can't turn a profit on the homes she sends me, it doesn't make sense to keep working with her.

 

[tmiklethun]

I have kept some fairly detailed records over the years and I can safely say that,working alone, 7 hours is right on the dot how long I would have taken on that job if doing a basic three step process. Adding machine scrubbing would have added another hour.

Well I guess we are both premium pigs Marty. LOL

 

[tmiklethun]

Your Reply to her was spot on! I often tell people, who ask me to match someone else's lower price, "My Goal is to Beat my competitor's Quality not their Price" and be willing, and able to walk.

But 7 Hours!?-- seems too long for the size and not moving furniture or prevac? I can see taking that long if you moved furniture. -- maybe its that Arizona Heat? I think I would Die at the 5th hour! Or I would have the AC blasting to keep me cool and help w drying.
Maybe its the equipment or procedures? If you ever in SF feel free to contact me for some Speed training.

All The Best,
John

Thanks John

 

[Desk Jockey]

Sorry Travis I made the pig comment at sMarty, not you.

600 isn't slow and if furnished or heavily soiled, those are pretty good production rates. But vacant I would think you could easily produce higher sq/ft rates. ???

Porkchop what would your son have done in a similar setting?

 

[tmiklethun]

Sorry Travis I made the pig comment at sMarty, not you.

Not at all, I was making a play on Marty tagline " I pre-vacuum because I am a premium pig". Thanks for the input.

 

[Barry-QDCC]

Don't ever move to So Cal and expect to get that much for a 2800 sq ft with 2 staircases. Wow! I mean if you can get it great for you but around here - no way. At the same time 7 hours seems like twice as long as it should take to do.

Different strokes for different folks. To get back to what you originally asked. If this RE agent normally sends you condo work that you don't make money on, and now your having trouble with this one, if it were me, I'd ask her what she thinks is fair ($I think you mentioned $500) I'd charge her that and then I'd not do any work for her again. Why would you even consider working with a person who doesn't respect you or your work?

But again, she might just be shaking her head at a $1000 bill for carpet cleaning a 2800sq/ft house.

Edited: ok. I see you discounted to $765. Your hourly earning rate is good, certainly not outrageous. I think... It's just your other figures are off a tad bit.

 

[Shane Deubell]

Definitely sounds like some miscommunication, in those cases i go with what they think it should have been.
Why? shame on me for not putting it in writing.

Hard for me to understand this process, in the future especially on larger jobs i would make sure they have something in writing.
Even if you don't have an exact number you can email over an outline.

 

[Desk Jockey]

The thing is we all decide what pace we want to clean at and what we want to charge for it. There is no right or wrong to what speed you clean (providing you still delivering value) or what you want or need to charge for it.

My cleaning motor is always in high gear, I want to rock the job, get in, get out while still delivering a high level of clean. It doesn't bother me to sweat, if its a day I know they need me I'll bring two sets of shirts and change at noon.

Can I do it day in and day out? Wellll...not at my age...well not in the shape I'm in.

I can do it, here and there but if I had to do it regularly I wouldn't want anything else big for the rest of that day. Maybe a couple of minimums after and then done for the day.

It would be a well earned Miller time after that!

 

[hogjowl]

I don't know how any one person crew can properly perform a three step process and do more than 600 s.f. Per hour. I'm at around 500.


Two of us can do 1000 sf/ hour.

 

[Shane Deubell]

The thing is we all decide what pace we want to clean at and what we want to charge for it. There is no right or wrong to what speed you clean (providing you still delivering value) or what you want or need to charge for it.

My cleaning motor is always in high gear, I want to rock the job, get in, get out while still delivering a high level of clean. It doesn't bother me to sweat, if its a day I know they need me I'll bring two sets of shirts and change at noon.

Can I do it day in and day out? Wellll...not at my age...well not in the shape I'm in.

I can do it, here and there but if I had to do it regularly I wouldn't want anything else big for the rest of that day. Maybe a couple of minimums after and then done for the day.

It would be a well earned Miller time after that!

Its the recovery time!

I am the same way ... go, go ,go
The problem is something always hurts the next day

My ankle still hurts from last thursday, not sure wth i did.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I don't know how any one person crew can properly perform a three step process and do more than 600 s.f. Per hour. I'm at around 500.


Two of us can do 1000 sf/ hour.

What are the 3-steps?
1. Drag ass?
2. Take a nap?
3. Not break a sweat?



I agree there is definitely a beneift to a 2-man crew, especially if you don't hog the wand (sorry bout the pork reference!). Trading off turns at the wand will help keep you at maximum production and not wear anyone out much.

 

[Able 1]

I would hit that for $500 and it would take me just under 3 hours.. 7 f'n hours Wtf were you doing?

I have been working by myself for the last 3 weeks my custy's are not impressed.. I get "so you are by yourself" more then I can count.. They all love the smooth running machine that 2 guy's provide and I don't blame them.. When I work by myself I feel a little retarded..

 

[ruff]

I have been considering letting this customer go anyway all the pain in the butt condos that I make very little on. If I can't turn a profit on the homes she sends me, it doesn't make sense to keep working with her.

Unless you need to make whatever you can at this stage of your business (I don't know much about how many years you've been doing it and how busy you are, etc.) Why work in situations where you can't make money? It ain't your hobby. And you do sell a valuable commodity- your time.

Unless you need anything you can get- Don't do it unless there's a decent profit in it for you. And most of the time, those small jobs from these kind of clients will not turn into large ones. Particularly if they hint that they'll send you a lot of jobs in the future.

I do agree with Shane though, it is definitely a communications issue. Learn from it how to communicate clearly, it will help you in the future. Ask her what she will consider to be fair and go with it. Most people will not take advantage.

And if she does, consider it a cheap learning experience.

 

[Mikey P]

I would hit that for $500 and it would take me just under 3 hours.. 7 f'n hours Wtf were you doing?

I have been working by myself for the last 3 weeks my custy's are not impressed.. I get "so you are by yourself" more then I can count.. They all love the smooth running machine that 2 guy's provide and I don't blame them.. When I work by myself I feel a little retarded..

no shit

I did three $400 jobs by my lonesome today, took forever (home at 7pm) and I about collapsed at the last one, seriously.


gimmie a chimp.

 

[tmiklethun]

I would hit that for $500 and it would take me just under 3 hours.. 7 f'n hours Wtf were you doing?

Well shit I guess I was doing the cleaning steps right. Are you really claiming that your production rate is 1000 sq ft an hour? Is your wand even touching the carpet or are you just splashing and dashing? You would have to be moving the wand faster then most people vacuum to get your production rate. Some of these comments are like a $50 hooker promising to make you nut quicker. Quicker isn't always better!

My process on this job was: Prespray, dwell time, agitation, rinse baseboard, vacuum edge of carpet, hot water extraction, groom. Dwell time is about 10 minutes a room, during this time I post grooming the previous room and pre-spotting the next room. I also do not rush the wand on the carpet, I am trying to clean more then just the tip.

 

[Shane Deubell]

Had it happen to me yesterday.
Corporate office called in a job but when crew arrived the onsite manager needed something more.

Some of it is my bad though for not stopping by to see it first. So we will take a partial hit because i was a contributor.
Can't win em' all.

 

[hogjowl]

I would hit that for $500 and it would take me just under 3 hours.. 7 f'n hours Wtf were you doing?

Well shit I guess I was doing the cleaning steps right. Are you really claiming that your production rate is 1000 sq ft an hour? Is your wand even touching the carpet or are you just splashing and dashing? You would have to be moving the wand faster then most people vacuum to get your production rate. Some of these comments are like a $50 hooker promising to make you nut quicker. Quicker isn't always better!

My process on this job was: Prespray, dwell time, agitation, rinse baseboard, vacuum edge of carpet, hot water extraction, groom. Dwell time is about 10 minutes a room, during this time I post grooming the previous room and pre-spotting the next room. I also do not rush the wand on the carpet, I am trying to clean more then just the tip.

His production rate WAS 1000sf per hour, but he uses a 2 person crew. You were working alone.

You people need me here sometimes just to help y'all keep up!

 

[Newman]

Your price model is right in line. Your discounts were more than I would have given. I will not exceed 15% off of any job. Just because some poor schmuck did the job for peanuts in the past is no reason for you to give away your excellent level of service. Stand your ground. You are not that other guy, why is the other guy not doing the work? Never mention your needed per hour rate to a customer. Keep the conversation on the square footage on the job. It is a fair and balanced formula that works well.

 

[Shane Deubell]

Nothing wrong with the price but its unclear if the agent knew what it would be, specifically.

Looking at it through the eyes of the agent they probably ASSUMED it would be same price as last contractor.
Now its 50% more...

Not helpful to get all defensive in these situations and stand your ground if there was legitimate confusion.

Better off to relax and ask questions, customers are not the enemy...

 

[PrimaDonna]

Wouldn't discount. 7 hours does seem like a lot of time, even for 1 person. Definitely need to prequalify the job better to manage expectations of the client.

 

[hogjowl]

Wouldn't discount. 7 hours does seem like a lot of time, even for 1 person. Definitely need to prequalify the job better to manage expectations of the client.

Hack woman!

 

[PrimaDonna]

Hack woman!

Call me names all you want....but no hacking here and it works for us.

Perhaps I came off a bit short in my response. If it were us, the 'prequalify" would have been (under the assumption that we knew it was a property that was larger than the typical ones we get from this particular realtor). "Thanks for the opportunity. This property is a bit different then the work we have done for you in the past. I'd like to take some time to review the cost for a property like this since it's a different scope then we are both used to working with. Can we discuss this now or would you like me to send you an estimate via email?"