<quote><i>quote</i><hr size="1" color="red"><b>Lowballers are everywhere and if they choose them over you, than you know that quality service is not something they are interested in. <hr size="1" color="red"></b></quote>
<font color=e87400>This single statement is a very narrow-minded one. When I hear people say this I simply cringe. It takes real audacity to assume that just because someone is charging less, that they are not running a reputable business.
Take a moment to reflect on HeavyChevy's initial post on the first page of this thread. There, obviously someone is lowballing the price for the service in that area yet the park Manager tells HeavyChevy that the company is insured & there have been no unsatisfactory reports. Now, you'd have to assume that their service is pretty fair seeing as they have been apparently operating in that park for sometime due to their price increase statement. Thus the statement of "Quality of service not something they are interested in" is incorrect in a case that we have right here in front of us.
What spooks me about this is that still, many people here, after this has been discussed on more than one occasion, feel that price reflects quality & dependability. And from this assumption I wonder how you must sell your jobs with regards to bashing your competition. If a customer tells you that they have a quote for 50% of what you have quoted them, what are you saying next? Do you just spit it out that that lower quote came from an inferior company? I have little doubts that this happens on a daily basis. Unfortunately many prospects probably fall into that, makes me wonder what impact this has on our customer base. How much BS do our customers go through.
Sorry if I am coming off to strong here. But people make this statement pretty often & it just bugs me to no end. It is simply not true. Next someone will make the other statement that to do a good job you have to have a “State-of-the-Art Rig†SCHEESH!!
PS. I'm not a lowballer nor am I defending them in their sales strategy or lack there of. I am simply trying to correct a common misconception that lowballers always do inferior work. This is sometimes the case & perhaps often the case but not near always the case.
<hr size="5" color="e87400">
<font size=+1><b>As far as washing trailers.</b></font> Can be good money, can be bad money, can keep you busy, or they can keep you tied up. As with any other thing in business you have to ascertain a viable & acceptable price for both you & the customer. One that the customer can perceive value in & one that you can show a adequate profit that encompasses all the facets of your business from A to Z including a small percentage for your pocket at the end. All markets differ from region to region, trailer parks in your area may be “saturated†with quotes for pressure cleaning, then again they may not be. You’ll always be able to attain higher prices from markets with less competition than markets with greater competition. That’s just a fact of life.
Your best bet will be to go to the parks & talk to the managers to find out what has transpired in the past, did they ever refer contractors, did they announce specials in the flyers or meetings, have they had any bad experiences in the past with contractors, what are there tenants like <I>(this one is kind of important too, I have seen some small over 55 parks where everyone in the park was just piss mean, which can spell REAL TROUBLE for the wary contractor)</I> etc etc etc… Feel them out & then make an educated decision whether to pursue the venture or not & how to price if so.
GL</font>
<font color=e87400>This single statement is a very narrow-minded one. When I hear people say this I simply cringe. It takes real audacity to assume that just because someone is charging less, that they are not running a reputable business.
Take a moment to reflect on HeavyChevy's initial post on the first page of this thread. There, obviously someone is lowballing the price for the service in that area yet the park Manager tells HeavyChevy that the company is insured & there have been no unsatisfactory reports. Now, you'd have to assume that their service is pretty fair seeing as they have been apparently operating in that park for sometime due to their price increase statement. Thus the statement of "Quality of service not something they are interested in" is incorrect in a case that we have right here in front of us.
What spooks me about this is that still, many people here, after this has been discussed on more than one occasion, feel that price reflects quality & dependability. And from this assumption I wonder how you must sell your jobs with regards to bashing your competition. If a customer tells you that they have a quote for 50% of what you have quoted them, what are you saying next? Do you just spit it out that that lower quote came from an inferior company? I have little doubts that this happens on a daily basis. Unfortunately many prospects probably fall into that, makes me wonder what impact this has on our customer base. How much BS do our customers go through.
Sorry if I am coming off to strong here. But people make this statement pretty often & it just bugs me to no end. It is simply not true. Next someone will make the other statement that to do a good job you have to have a “State-of-the-Art Rig†SCHEESH!!
PS. I'm not a lowballer nor am I defending them in their sales strategy or lack there of. I am simply trying to correct a common misconception that lowballers always do inferior work. This is sometimes the case & perhaps often the case but not near always the case.
<hr size="5" color="e87400">
<font size=+1><b>As far as washing trailers.</b></font> Can be good money, can be bad money, can keep you busy, or they can keep you tied up. As with any other thing in business you have to ascertain a viable & acceptable price for both you & the customer. One that the customer can perceive value in & one that you can show a adequate profit that encompasses all the facets of your business from A to Z including a small percentage for your pocket at the end. All markets differ from region to region, trailer parks in your area may be “saturated†with quotes for pressure cleaning, then again they may not be. You’ll always be able to attain higher prices from markets with less competition than markets with greater competition. That’s just a fact of life.
Your best bet will be to go to the parks & talk to the managers to find out what has transpired in the past, did they ever refer contractors, did they announce specials in the flyers or meetings, have they had any bad experiences in the past with contractors, what are there tenants like <I>(this one is kind of important too, I have seen some small over 55 parks where everyone in the park was just piss mean, which can spell REAL TROUBLE for the wary contractor)</I> etc etc etc… Feel them out & then make an educated decision whether to pursue the venture or not & how to price if so.
GL</font>
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