How much would you charge?

[Hodge]

since pricing some jobs on my own, I've adopted a formula - it's my break-even amount (to cover my pay, whatever the climber charges, consumable etc) multiplied by 2, or sometimes 3 First customer who I priced for I went in really high after giving a really detailed breakdown in writing of everything involved. He liked this, and asked me back for more, which was less involved so I reflected this in a slightly lower price which still tripled what I put into it. Now he has booked for a big one at the end of the year, and I am doing a cheapy for him during May just clearing a telephone line.

 

I could have gone in low to just break even to start with on the first really big one, but then no chance of raising the price. As it is, I'm happy, customer is happy, and the people who have done the work for me are happy.

 

How many other people were quoting to do the job? Where I live there are usually a few of us quoting for the same jobs, if I went in 2 or 3 times more than what it's cost then I would have no work.

[Pedroski]

Good post

Thank you Mr Lofthouse.

 

Another reason I forgot to put down..... there has to be a contingency plan. Can't just price assuming the job will go without a hitch. Need to consider what will happen if something goes wrong and the job takes a lot longer. If someone prices a job at really low, like £250, assuming it will take one day, then it's wrong/awkward/bad practice to ask the customer for extra because he needs another half day on it.

 

And as said earlier in the thread, if you just give the customer a day rate then it puts you under pressure as the customer will want more and more out of you in the day, and they start questioning why something has taken two days instead of one.

[Hodge]

Thank you Mr Lofthouse.

 

Another reason I forgot to put down..... there has to be a contingency plan. Can't just price assuming the job will go without a hitch. Need to consider what will happen if something goes wrong and the job takes a lot longer. If someone prices a job at really low, like £250, assuming it will take one day, then it's wrong/awkward/bad practice to ask the customer for extra because he needs another half day on it.

 

And as said earlier in the thread, if you just give the customer a day rate then it puts you under pressure as the customer will want more and more out of you in the day, and they start questioning why something has taken two days instead of one.

 

When pricing a job you should know how long it will take if it looks like a day and a half put 2 on it. If your good at your job then you will know how long it takes.

[jpbeaver]

How many other people were quoting to do the job? Where I live there are usually a few of us quoting for the same jobs, if I went in 2 or 3 times more than what it's cost then I would have no work.

 

But if everyone did we'd have more money.

[Hodge]

But if everyone did we'd have more money.

 

Unfortunately that will never happen there will always be someone who will do it cheaper. I try to price jobs to cover my costs and make a bit of profit, even if I take the wood I price it do what I knock off has been put on in the first place.

[Pedroski]

How many other people were quoting to do the job? Where I live there are usually a few of us quoting for the same jobs, if I went in 2 or 3 times more than what it's cost then I would have no work.

 

Obviously it won't hold true all the time, and we've got to judge things properly which will depend on numbers of people quoting, what sort of prices they put in and how desperate everyone is for a particular job. Some jobs are so simple though. A client wanted a couple of large neglected fruit trees tidying up. The job took me on my own about 3 hours. I could have charged him £45 as that would make me my £15/hour and the costs to me were virtually nothing as I did it all with a Silky. But I charged him £150 which he was very happy with.

 

I mentioned a few weeks back that I don't do any climbing with chainsaws or anything (that gets done by someone suitably qualified), but I can communicate well with customers, understand what their requirements are and put things in place to get the job done properly and make sure everyone is happy. If I don't get a particular job I'm not really bothered, and someone else can have it. I'll just carry on doing something else.

[Hodge]

Obviously it won't hold true all the time, and we've got to judge things properly which will depend on numbers of people quoting, what sort of prices they put in and how desperate everyone is for a particular job. Some jobs are so simple though. A client wanted a couple of large neglected fruit trees tidying up. The job took me on my own about 3 hours. I could have charged him £45 as that would make me my £15/hour and the costs to me were virtually nothing as I did it all with a Silky. But I charged him £150 which he was very happy with.

 

I mentioned a few weeks back that I don't do any climbing with chainsaws or anything (that gets done by someone suitably qualified), but I can communicate well with customers, understand what their requirements are and put things in place to get the job done properly and make sure everyone is happy. If I don't get a particular job I'm not really bothered, and someone else can have it. I'll just carry on doing something else.

 

I would have charged £150 too mate, I never charge by the hour only by the job or day.

[18 stoner]

since pricing some jobs on my own, I've adopted a formula - it's my break-even amount (to cover my pay, whatever the climber charges, consumable etc) multiplied by 2, or sometimes 3 First customer who I priced for I went in really high after giving a really detailed breakdown in writing of everything involved. He liked this, .

 

I'd be very interested to know how you listed the double/tripling of your costs on the quote?

[Dean Lofthouse]

I tell many of my customers I am pricing to do the job properly, not to be the cheapest.

 

It,s also how you come across to the customer not always about price, I hope to god my customers don't just pick me because I,m the cheapest, I don't want that type of customer

[Pedroski]

When pricing a job you should know how long it will take if it looks like a day and a half put 2 on it. If your good at your job then you will know how long it takes.

 

Exactly. Unless something beyond your control happens. A mate I work with had a job for one of his clients doing 20% reductions on half a dozen beech trees and a couple of removals. Priced properly for the number of days it would take to pay everyone involved, and use of his own chipper etc etc, + about 25% on top for profit in the bank. All going well but the climber he booked for the job went chicken on the last tree. Climber was on a day rate and so was paid for the days he did, which should have seen the job completed. This was completely out of my mate's control and completely unforeseen. So mate ended up forking out money to pay someone else to come in and finish the job. Big chunk of profit gone, but a slightly larger contingency amount would have seen it all ok.