How many recurring residential customers do you have?

Im always searching for those kinds of job. Those are the best kind of recurring jobs…

So awesome and good for you.

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The problem I see with this is that if the customer refers you, there’s an expectation there to ‘look after’ the referred customer. It can possibly become a burden over time, and I don’t see myself wanting to go the extra mile for these customers either.

The other problem is that if you’re willing to drop your prices this dramatically for one customer, then why not every customer? I don’t think it is sustainable.

For me, I find that it is a healthier practice for the long run to set and stick with a crazy high price point from the start, manage the customer’s expectations so that they understand why I’m more expensive and then massively over deliver. How many local guys remember the customer’s son’s name, remember when they moved and where they came from? How many leave a complimentary ‘Touch Up Kit’ with all first time residential customers, and are flexible enough to not make the customer wait weeks for a booking? None - and that’s why I can charge double as a minimum.

Just my opinion, and all coming from an unsaturated market, so take it all with a grain of salt heh

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@Fuddlecupz i agree with you, but there is a frequency to consider tho. My price for one time clean is different from high frequency clean.

That’s not the case in this subject. Again, it the frequency. That’s where the incentives is. They still end up paying more at the end of the year as opposed to one time clean for higher amount. In my case, i made $1100 and got extra work for floor care. That is very good and highly sustainable.

I rather service 150 client/year at $1000/year each than services 1000 client for $150 as many do.

Cool, glad its working properly for you. Do you ever have an issue where the customer tells you they are keen for regular servicing, only to not get you back much/at all?

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All the time.

Oh… doesn’t that sort or defeat the purpose of the cheaper pricing? Or would you charge extra for the initial clean to make sure you’re not being screwed? Just trying to understand.

I’m starting to really consider myself very lucky to be in such a great area with competitors who are doing such a terrible job all round. Of course i don’t win every quote; I even start to get worried that I’m too cheap if I win more than half!

Not at all. That’s why i got the money up front. I wont do it unless i got the bulk of the money. I learned a lot lesson over the past 3 years.

I dont consider it cheaper pricing if my base line is being met. Because i know i will get it done to meet my $100/hr rate.

@Fuddlecupz i have program for my carpet cleaning where ill do 3 room depending on sqft and dirtiness for $299(more if redstain or urine) it comes with deo and scotchguard.%14 of that 299 as recurring payment every month. They get a open areas cleaning for free on the 6th month. After the 12 month for there next full cleaning, they already paid for it and get the full cleaning with deo and Scotch guard again.

Lot of cleaners think im crazy but it works and i know several cleaner that employs the same strategy and its crazy lucrative for them… i only have 7 client that is doing this and they love it. Cause they get 2 cleaning for a low pric in their mind… but it really benefits me the most.

A lady i know doing this has over 2000 takin advantage of the program… Which is like 80k a month…:flushed:
Every single of those subscriber is a mom with children and pets…

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Im wrong, she has 3k recurring client every month now. They pay full price for initial cleaning and every 3 months they pay $99. Clients get 1x a month unlimited spot clean or 5-10 call back every quarter for free and traffic path cleaning every quarter.

@Fuddlecupz how can we incorporate similar concepts for window or bundle cleaning if you knew ya could make 1+ million per year in revenue?

That what i would like to do 5 years from now.

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In the case of this particular job, I picked it up my first year in business, it was late fall so I needed the work. I told the homeowner when negotiating that I would drop the price (and yes, you could say it was a drastic amount from my bid) and track my time on the job and renegotiate from there. My first time cleaning it was cold and raining all day so it took a bit longer than it usually would, but still my hourly rate was just above what I like to keep as a minimum. Since this turned into a very often repetitive job, I can now complete it in a fraction of the time.

Sometimes, you have to take a gamble on a tough negotiating client. I couldn’t have ever foreseen that this would turn into my #1 favorite client. This is by far the nicest person I have ever had as a client through my business or any other that I’ve worked with.

If I had stuck with my initial bid, I would’ve lost out on the job to start with (which at times is a better option)
And if I felt like the paycheck wasn’t up to par with the job, it would’ve been my choice to drop the client.

My point: we all do many things just the same as others, but we all manage some things a bit differently. Doesn’t necessarily make our choices right or wrong compared to anyone else’s. If you find what works for you, stick with it and grow from there.

Oh, and my wife does skin care at a day spa, she had this client and referred her to me, so I I knew already that they could potentially be very good to work for. Now we both make money off of the same person. Lol!

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Lol! I kept telling my former boss he was too cheap! I used to clean carpets for $40 per room. Sq ft almost didn’t even matter! And of course I only made $12.50 an hour. :rage: :joy:
So glad I started working for myself! I’ll get into carpets again someday I’m sure!

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I am saving this thread to give some thought to this concept! For res windows, it would be amazing to increase the recurring income like this!

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Yeah lol. The reality of carpet cleaning is that ya really should be charging .75 a sqft minimum. This would be around $75 to $120 a room or more. This includes deo, scothguard, and dropping the fans for speed dry.

Unfortunately, the $40 a room is still very common here…:unamused:

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That’s a good point. Lose those storefront then lose the homes too. But if your good at what you do and priced competitively then your clients will want you and want you to make good money. They will be passing your name around with their friends and family too. So you will win or lose that along with that store front. But those who want the cheapest price aren’t the best clients to have because you won’t find any loyalty or respect for a job well done. I price and estimate high and explain my reason for this price. Explain it is high based on the time and effort it takes to complete each task in the job.

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