Wow…that’s a lot of money for window cleaning!!

I’ve had a few people suggest my pricing is “high.”  Well, you know what Einstein said, “Everything is relative.”  Actually he probably didn’t say that but I bet he’d agree with it.

When I hear this I feel like it’s time to educate.  People who haven’t dealt with funding and maintaining a successful business typically have little idea what it takes. I’m tellin’ you, it takes a lot. Something like 85-90% of small businesses fail.

Here’s my reply to folks who feel my pricing is out of line.

I determine my rates by:
Determining what my costs are and factoring those into my estimate.
1. Mandatory sick leave (Mandated by the government)
2. Ever increasing workmen’s compensation and liability insurance costs
3. Expensive security checks on employees
4. Cost of standing behind our work, even to our loss.
5. Responsiveness to customer timetable and needs

Support expenses: Driving to and from prospective clients to look at the project, preparing quotes, upgrading and implementing new technology, finding new clients, maintaining existing accounts, preparing and disseminating marketing materials, researching/setting up/maintaining websites, and social media posts, repairs to equipment and vehicles, replacing vehicles, shopping and laundry, cleaning the office/vehicles/shop area, lights and water, doing accounts payables, receivables, purchasing.  I suspect you understand.   Thank you for the opportunity to provide the estimate.

And…

People ask “How much does it cost to clean each window?” These factors also go into how much it costs to clean a window:  How much dirt on it? 1st floor or 2nd,? Fallbrook or Pt. Loma? Inside and out cleaning, or only exterior cleaning?  Screens on the windows? How dirty are they? What condition are they in?  Are most of the windows large or small in size or a mixed amount of small, medium sized and large? On the inside are the tracks relatively clean or need some real attention? Are their obstructions to working inside? Obstructions outside?  House on a canyon that effectively makes it a 3 story house? If windbreaks…do you want them cleaned? Are they “quieter home” program windows? Are they tinted? Is the cleaning part of a post construction cleaning? Do we have to walk on a tile roof or other “dangerous” arrangement?  This is a partial list but it helps one to understand the difficulty of quoting a per pane price.

If we are “too high” I encourage people to shop around but before you commit make sure he/she protects your floors/furniture/window treatments, make sure they are trustworthy and safe to have in your bedroom, will stand behind the work and repair or replace items that may be damaged during the work.

I hope that helps. ☺