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Thread: Am i too expensive?

  1. #1
    Member lemonhead's Avatar
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    Default Am i too expensive?

    Turned up this morning at one of my regulars to mow her lawn...took me an hour..1hr and 3 minutes to be exact(i have a stopwatch in the toolbox)..did my check of the gardens as i always do,everything was tip top.knocked on her door and then it was on." your not doing enough for the payment($35)"..i have a friend whom has a gardener and he picks up all the leaves as well as the weeding for just $30...i said i could possibly understand the leaves but the weeding too!!!!...bloody hell..i told her to employ his services as i wasnt an idiot and doing a fairly large lawn for 35 dollars was more than a fair price...we entered into a fairly heated exchange and i left knowing it would play on my mind all day...surely theirs not gardeners out their that mow weed and pick up leaves every visit for $30...is their ???????

  2. #2
    Senior Member geoff's Avatar
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    Default Re: Am i too expensive?

    Unfortunately Darren there are so many cheap arse contractors out their that do the cheapies,to mow and weed and pick up leaves for 30 bucks let the dumb fcuk take over...when it gets busy he will be flat out with customers ( hopefully X one now ) like that one ,working 10 plus hours a day whilst you can earn his daily take in under 3 hours...I know things can get a bit slow at times but to suceed in this game you have to do two things.......do a great job
    .......Charge a good rate ( 35 is way to cheap in SE melbourne now )

  3. #3
    Member Edstar78's Avatar
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    Default Re: Am i too expensive?

    Mate, I wouldn't even consider $35 per hr. I charge more but my customers are treated like gold and I do lots of small things free of charge. I'd be saying exactly the same- go with him! I've actually knocked back a job because they wanted an hrs mowing for $35/ hr. it costs me half that to dispose of the grass!

  4. #4
    Member lemonhead's Avatar
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    Default Re: Am i too expensive?

    I have done it in 48 minutes but took my time this morning...easing my way into the day...by the way clients friends lawn is a similar size..thanks for the replies too...cheers...its funny you find yourself questioning yourself even though you know your right!!!

  5. #5
    Member lemonhead's Avatar
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    Default Re: Am i too expensive?

    You know its not your day when about 2 hours later i deleted an enquiry on my phone by a lady wanting regular mowing done...i pressed delete instead of replay...i called vodafone but theirs no way of retrieving deleted messages,shouldve stayed in bed i think....

  6. #6
    Senior Member Dazz1's Avatar
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    Default Re: Am i too expensive?

    From one Darren to another, $35 an hour way too cheap

  7. #7
    Senior Member bb1's Avatar
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    Default Re: Am i too expensive?

    $35 is cheap. and yes there are far cheaper out there but doing it for cash most likely. You dont want a client like that, even if you did it for free, she would still say you are to dear.

  8. #8
    Senior Member PaulG's Avatar
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    Default Re: Am i too expensive?

    You cannot run a business as a sole contractor at $35p/h. Given that most of us have running costs of around 40 - 50% of our turnover, you're essentially working for $17p/h when it's all said and done. Might be simple maths but that's the way I look at it.

  9. #9
    Senior Member cadase's Avatar
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    Default Re: Am i too expensive?

    Had one last week, gave her my price $42.00, can you do it for $35.00. No, i can do it for $42.00. ok, but i expect the driveway weeds to be poisoned and leaves cleaned up, for that price. No i can do the lawns for $42.00. How much would it be with my pensioner discount ?. I can do the lawn for $42.00.
    I don't know where this idea of pensioner discounts come from, i know they're on a fixed income, but i'm not... i have to work my ass off to make a living. An extra $2 in their pocket is $2 less in mine

  10. #10
    Senior Member SunM's Avatar
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    Default Re: Am i too expensive?

    A regular suddenly becomes too stingy to pay $35?! That's pretty sad.
    Cert III Arborist

  11. #11
    Member of Forum Stripes's Avatar
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    Default Re: Am i too expensive?

    I think with the business name you have you are attracting tight arses. You will create a niche market for yourself but it will be attracting tight arses who's eyes light up when they see budget in your name and expect a very cheap price. I would drop the budget from your name and put your prices up. Attract the clients who are willing to pay a fair price for the hard work that you do instead of having to argue with tight arses who put the guilt trip on you.

  12. #12
    Senior Member sterlo's Avatar
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    Default Re: Am i too expensive?

    Quote Originally Posted by Stripes View Post
    I think with the business name you have you are attracting tight arses. You will create a niche market for yourself but it will be attracting tight arses who's eyes light up when they see budget in your name and expect a very cheap price. I would drop the budget from your name and put your prices up. Attract the clients who are willing to pay a fair price for the hard work that you do instead of having to argue with tight arses who put the guilt trip on you.
    +1....very good point.

    Would you get the same customers if you were called Prestige Mowing Services fro example..

    Sterlo
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    http://www.sterlinggardenservices.com/

  13. #13
    Member Tomo's Avatar
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    Default Re: Am i too expensive?

    I won't go below $40 min now just not worth unloading my gear and the petrol cost for less,renters,or tight arses get told that's the quote and i don't barter the price or add trimming on top of the mowing quote been stung once to often.

  14. #14
    Member of forum dirkmirk's Avatar
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    Default Re: Am i too expensive?

    Im doing a bit of soul searching at the moment, quit a low paid job to take on crappier but higher paying work industrial cleaning in a factory, the paid pays what I think is good but I good laid off after 2 weeks they stuffed and hired too many and restructured or some sh!t.

    The factory job paid $1,050 gross for 40 hours, breaks included, to make that money in my eyes as a contractor Id want at least $35 a hour to get $1,400 gross, that figure would be purely labour not machinery included ie gardening, so then you need another $5 per hour labour charge to account for lost days & inconvenience of chasing down payments and taking care of tax/super/etc, at the factory you clock on/clock off and the money appears in your account every week and super and tax is taken care of as is all tools and machinery.
    Thats not even taking into account travel costs, the factory was 2.5kms away, 25ks per week in diesel which is about $4 give or take, that cost could easily blow out to $100 depending on how you have to travel.

    I do a couple of mowing jobs and charge a preschool $55 takes roughly an hour, a lady down the road $35 roughly 25-30 minutes, $35 is almost half price of what you should be charging so dont let this lady talk you down.

    Lets be realistic you have to look at what you can be earning doing general labouring/factory work and think you need an additional $20K minimum on top of that to break even as a sole contractor, the figure could be much higher than that.

  15. #15
    Senior Member PaulG's Avatar
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    Default Re: Am i too expensive?

    Actually picking up on Brian's comment, I hadn't even considered that ramification.

    Hallmark Gardening (or Lawn & Garden or Garden Services) would be appropriate as a 'Hallmark' by name is associated with a distinguishing characteristic or trait, notably a mark or sign stuck on items made from precious metals.

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