One important aspect of a business that needs consideration is pricing. It can make or break your business.
When it comes to a pressure washing business, the way you charge your service can help customers assess whether you are worth their money or not. It can also define your business value. Also, it is one important factor for customers to choose you over your competitors.
Are You Charging Too High or Too Low?
One advantage of a higher service charge is that it can increase your earnings, which means a higher profit. However, there must be something on your service that is worth that additional charge. If not, clients will prefer the affordable ones over you. With a higher price, you as an entrepreneur can offer a lot of add-ons and extra services that customers can enjoy.
On the other hand, when the service charge is too low, it can also attract customers. More customers can also mean increased traffic. But with this, one disadvantage is that the quality of your service may suffer from the low charge. It may drive customers away. Take note that as an entrepreneur, as much as you want to earn money, you also want regular clients to keep the business running. Everything, especially the service charge is not free. Other aspects of the business like promotion, employee compensation, food, office rent, and maintenance also need funding for it to continue. Profit margins can be affected. A very low service charge can also be misinterpreted as poor or low-quality service.
How To Charge Pressure Washing Jobs
There is no right or wrong way to price a pressure washing service. But doing so can be difficult especially when you are just starting. As a guide, you should always charge what you do. Remember, you are doing business, not charity. Here are some easy steps and guides in setting the price for every pressure washing service.
Per Square Footage
The most common, and easiest way to price a pressure washing job is per square foot. Pressure cleaning surfaces like roofs, sidewalks, driveways, decks, fences, and siding can be charged per square footage. To get the square footage, all you have to do is to multiply the length by the width of the property. Simply put, an area with a length of 140 feet and a width of 20 feet is equivalent to 2,800 square feet. If you have to pressure wash a 2,800 square foot driveway and your rate is 20 cents per square foot, then you will charge $560 for the whole job. That will be it no matter how dirty or how hard to clean the area is.
Length of Time
As you visit the site and assess the cleaning that the area needs, you can have an estimate on how to price the pressure washing job based on how long to get the job done. The charge can be computed by the estimated number of hours to finish the job multiplied by the rate per hour. As an example, a parking lot that can be pressure washed for 6 hours at the rate of $80 per hour will cost $480.
Project-based or flat rate
To be honest, the flat rate is not always an advisable way of pricing pressure washing jobs, especially for beginners. This is applicable for experienced professionals in the field of pressure washing who have a complete set of tools and equipment that can clean any type of dirt on any surface in a lesser period of time.
Are you living in the city or the country? Depending on your area, you can set a flat rate for every pressure washing job. Say for example, how much will you charge gutter cleaning for a single-story building? A two-story? How about a driveway or sidewalk?
Other Factors To Consider For Charging Pressure Washing Service
Will the demand be high or low? Are there so many residential and commercial buildings that need pressure washing services? Are you the only one with a pressure washing business in the vicinity or are there many competitors? Answering these questions can also be your guide in setting your service charge. What is the climate in the area? Predominantly cold weather can mean an unstable and seasonal demand for pressure washing. Are you living in the city or the suburbs? Where is the project located? The farther the location is, the higher the service charge because of the additional expenses and effort that you will exert into it. All of these are contributory in the way you will charge your service.
Also, The cleaning process can be different depending on how dirty the exterior surface is. As an example, surfaces with tough dirt and stains require special cleaning chemicals and solutions to give a more satisfying result. Doing so will require an additional service charge.
It is always advisable to visit the property that you are going to clean before setting the service charge. You can also ask the customers what exactly they want to be done.
Moreso, there are regular expenses that need funding for your pressure washing business to run smoothly. These may include advertising costs, staff salaries, office rent, equipment maintenance, fuel, electricity, phone, and internet connection. These will also affect the way you will charge your pressure washing service.
Determining how much you should charge your customers is one of the keys to a successful business. It can also give you a clear picture of how well your business will run not only today but also in the future.
Are you a newbie in the pressure washing business? Or you are already in the business but want to further improve your skills and business management? Whether it is window cleaning, roof cleaning, house washing, driveway, sidewalk, or parking lot cleaning, we are ready to help you in attaining business success.
We offer short courses that will help you in your pressure washing business and reach your goal of making more money than you have ever done before.
Give us a message for more information.
