Is it okay if I rant?

I've been thinking about doing just that, Oz. I work $5-$7/hr less than what other independents in our area charge. I raised my rate two years ago and thought everybody would quit, but I only got a ho-hum response. Nobody cared!

Well then, give yourself a nice Christmas present...In my business my motto was not to be the cheapest around, but the best. Georgia, people will pay a lot to keep an honest cleaning person that does a good job. I kept some way beyond what I should have in terms of being talented because I could trust them...and yes, cleaning is definitely a talent!
 

I've been thinking about doing just that, Oz. I work $5-$7/hr less than what other independents in our area charge. I raised my rate two years ago and thought everybody would quit, but I only got a ho-hum response. Nobody cared!

It's usually never good to be known as the lowest-priced service in the area. Regardless of how good you are people will automatically assume you are somehow inferior.

Admittedly, pricing for cleaning services is a tough cookie to bite into. The two main methods, by the hour and by the job, both have their up and down sides.

Might I recommend (if you haven't already) you get hold of some Don Aslett books, especially his "Cleaning Up for a Living", which is an excellent guide that covers everything from setting up the legal structure of your business to getting clients and pricing methods. It was a huge help to me in negotiating contracts and gaining quality clients.
 
Sometimes . . . . . . . . . people suck.

Even in the big time corporate world multinational companies that you all know and love place last minute orders for services which my supervisors poop themselves silly over trying to escalate and expedite 'cause it's just gotta be done NOW. Then, of course, after we've been good little boys and girls and completed the work in record time, it's canceled.

Have you considered a non-refundable deposit system? But, I agree, never ever give them a chance to put you through that again.
 
Home earlier than I expected. Zipped through that house just to get the heck out. She decided that gee, maybe it's best if I DO come again in two weeks and then skip Christmas week. Fine.

Yanno, I really wonder about people who have the money to buy McMansions don't spend the money to maintain them. Is it because they're oblivious? Young and don't know that maintenance is cheaper than repairs? Oy! Penny wise and pound foolish...

Now I'm off to my dogsitting gig. Hope we don't get sNOw or black ice like they're saying because I have to drive back in the morning and the first five miles are on country roads.

Gonna take my laptop along and hope that I can connect to their wifi. BBL...maybe!
 
Georgia:
Now I'm off to my dogsitting gig. Hope we don't get sNOw or black ice like they're saying because I have to drive back in the morning and the first five miles are on country roads.
What a busy bee your are...careful on those roads in the morning.
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Oz, why is that dog barking at me? I've got three of them camped out on the sofa with me right now and THEY aren't barking.

Yeah. Busy bee. I am. Work tomorrow so up at the butt crack of dawn to feed the dogs, let them out, grab some coffee, stop by the credit union before going home to make a short fuss over my kitty (who's alone tonight unless the g'kids or DD went in to play with him a bit), collect my "ammunition" and get to tomorrow's challenge. The challenge part isn't the house, it's two toddlers and a 9-year-old underfoot while I try to dust and scrub and mop and vacuum and polish everything to a high sheen. It's like trying to herd butterflies and get 'em into the corral! No sooner accomplished than they fly out. Maybe their dad will take them somewhere to burn off some energy.
 
It sNOwed during the night here so those puppies just have to wait! The dogs I'm sitting for have been out and didn't even seem to mind the sNOw.

Text from today's client "can we make it a little later? need to pre-clean" WTH? PRE-clean? Just get the darned stuff off the floors and counters!

Just as well. There will be time for the black ice to melt and get blown away by the wind. I hope.
 


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