Creating Lowballers?

[timhays]

jason,we operate full time with minimal but legitamate overhead,every once in a while we will get a retail customer who says our pricing is half what another competitor price,butin the same token get 50 calls from people who ask price and hang up,never to call back.

who's right and who's wrong?

it doesnt matter,base your prices on your needs and dont worry what anyone else charges because it doesnt affect you.

good luck and hope to see you in years to come.

 

[russ s]

tim is absolutly correct this is your buisness and your workmanship ,sell yourself and your services and justify your own pricing ,never talk bad about the competition just tell them what you do and how you are gonna do it and then do what you say even if it cost you a little extra

 

[Asbestos]

One question

If you do not want to give advice to competitors what possible reason are you here for?????

Is is just to harangue everyone with long posts?

One thing that can happen with fourms like this is an expansion of the industry as a whole. Just like any other trade association promotion of the industry helps everyone. Example- a homeowner says "some guy pressure washed my house and it ruined the paint and he got water on the carpet" everyone he tells will most likely NOT get there house PWed, ever. But if it was a good experience he will tell others and they will also get it done that means new business for everyone.
Ways to increase market share of any product
1. get existing customers to use more. ("every cut every time")
2. develop new uses for your product. ( arm and hammer)
3. get new people to use your product (more and more people are discovering . . .)

 

[James S]

I was one of the only pw businesses around my area and a guy I knew decided that's what he wanted to do one day. Up and quit his gutter business which he made excellent money at cause he was tired of doing it. Talked to ole dad, dad gave him money...What's he got to lose? If he doesn't like it, he'll just do something else. I've been doing this for 3 years and he's been doing it for 3 weeks. I lost a fleet contract to him the other day and I was a little pissed at first but then, come to think about it.......He doesn't know his @$$ from a hole in the ground on fleets. He'll either screw up or just up and quit like he did with his last fly by night business. Now, that fleet owner still has my number, I'm the next guy he calls.

I don't mind helping him out. Hell I wish I had someone to help me out when I first started. It's the people that truly care about their work that will make it. The people that show up one day wanting to do it right and the next day doing it as fast as they can no matter what it looks like don't care about their work or their reputation. They don't care about what's right...just right now. By helping him out, I keep in contact with how tired he is of it already. If he does go out, I know right off the bat where contracts are that need to be filled.....That's more income for my business. If he doesn't go out and he does make it, you can never put a person down for trying to better themselves. And as the above post says, if he goes out and does good jobs, others will notice and want theirs done too. That just opened up a chance for a new contract for me right there. I will not low-ball and I will not go behind someone's back to get his/her contracts. I agree that we shouldn't spend so much time worrying about lowballers. Chances are real good they do half if not less as good a work as we do. We charge more but have a solid reputation. Hint: that's why we're still in business. In the end, the guy that charges appropriately and keeps up the satisfied customer reputation will always come out ahead. I've built my business reputation off one principle: Quality always speaks for itself.

 

[jetstream1]

One day here and the next gone hey where at in florida are you me Orange City

 

[wllsmth2003]

i am a newbie, on certain services

have been pw for 8 years, looking to expand in a few different services. i need some clients that are more regular, maybe deck cleaning, grocery cart washing(i know nothing about) gutter cleaning, shingle cleaning. There are several pw companies in the spfld, mo area but plenty of work i am sure:

Besides doing fleets, which i refuse, what other avenues of income(or pw services) are there that are "regular" every week,monthly, yearly,whatever

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