The first question that is asked about a house cleaning business is the amount to be charged for the services rendered. It is a question that is both easy and difficult to answer because it is entirely dependent on your business goal and your marketing plans. The answer will be easy in the sense that you already set your goal on how much money you want to make; difficult in the sense that everything is dependent on how you are going to fare in the market in the face of the competition you are going to face.
Your first priority when you start your house cleaning business is to get your fair share of the market which you will discover later to be the most difficult part of your endeavor. Many people will recommend advertising as the best approach to this problem.
Advertising, you will discover, is another major problem as you will be confronted with the question of what market segment you want to target for your business. Will you be in a position to target the high end market that will require sophistication and technical-savvy operation? Or will you settle for the low-end market where your broom and mop brigade will fare well?
Granted that you have defined your target market and you have prepared your advertising blitz, another factor to consider is the competition. How do you stand in comparison with the competitors in terms of the quality of service they provide? Finding the answer, how will you then compare with them in terms of how much they are charging? Being a newcomer in the business and having yet to prove your worth, you must have something to offer to convince clients to shift to your company, lower rate being a major attraction. This is, however, a very dicey situation. If lower rate is the only difference you can offer, there will always be people who will keep on under-bidding your job quotes. This might lead to a bidding war that could entirely wipe your business out.
We should not forget that you ventured into business because you want to make money. You can figure out your hourly rate and overhead of operations plus what you will consider to be a fair profit for your business. Now, how will it stack against the rates competitors are charging? You cannot just keep of lowering your quote because it is an unwise business decision. You need something else to offer, say a customer benefit that will make prospective clients interested in your service. You may also introduce innovations in the field of house cleaning that competitors have not thought of yet. You have to imaginative and innovative if you want to stay in business.
Remember that clients will not mind paying more money if they will be getting exceptional service. This should be part of your business plan and your marketing strategy. The amount you will charged must be commensurate with the services that you will provide. This will be your best advertising pitch.
