You got to love 55 and above retire mobile home parks.

[chris francis 15]

I need to vent little. I got call from 55 and above mobile home park today wanting to get there house wash. Home owner asked how much for house wash I ask how big is the mobile 25feet by 56feet so do the math little over 1200sqr not including the car port. So gave the guy quote for the wash said about 85 dallors this guys sales that is alot money. I told him if he can get 3 more homes I will drop my price to 70 dallors. So what do you guys think he said he got his home washed for last.

[PressureWashE 14]

30 bucks?? I would have charged my minimum set up fee, of 120

[plainpainter 217]

You're wasting your time. You were a ***** at $85. I did one two summers ago for $150. And I still feel like a ***** for doing it. You can't squeeze blood from a stone, and you can't build a business from mobile home owners.

Next time someone like that calls tell him that you have a 10 mobile home wash minimum and everyone has to pay up front.

[TNRoofCleaner 16]

Yea and they can bring them to your wash bay.... LOL

[chris francis 15]

down here pple are geting anywere from 45-65 dallors to wash doable wide mobile home they expect for that price to clean there driveway and wash there house man I hate those calls plus hate when they try that I am on SS so you can not charge me. I normaly tell them that I charge this amount because I am lics and ins. they still don't get point.

[TNRoofCleaner 16]

Move on. Better not to drive there than getting enough to pay for gas only. Do like the others suggested. $150 minimum to turn the key. More than enough work out there without dealing with this.

[plainpainter 217]

Move on. Better not to drive there than getting enough to pay for gas only. Do like the others suggested. $150 minimum to turn the key. More than enough work out there without dealing with this.

I've been analyzing my numbers for the past year and it seems to me that my turn-key minimum is over twice that.

I am breaking the rules for gutter cleaning though - I am trying to see if there is an actual business to be built doing them. Is it perhaps a way to get your foot in the proverbial door to upsell future services? On the whole we'll have to see. Yesterday I cleaned this woman's gutters out for the second year in a row - and she knows I have a painting company - and there was a painting company in her home painting the whole place.

[RGilliam 46]

yea thats a waste. I've done several mobile home washes, but not for $85.00. My friend actually suckered me into staining some womans deck for practically nothing earlier this year....

[PressurePros 249]

Chris if you swim in a poll with sharks, you'll be lucky to collect minnows. Try to target a better demographic.

[Oxfordlawn 14]

You must agree though that the area and economic status of an area also dictates what you can get away with charging for a house wash, mobile home or otherwise. If someone were to go to Winter Haven FL. and say I will get a minimum of $150 turn key price to show up and wash your house, you won't ever have to worry about finding your keys. So...do you do a job for the going rate for an area? or remain stubborn and demand an amount that will never fly..and never work? where's the middle ground?

[PressurePros 249]

Tom, I understand where you are coming from. If you are selling a pressure washing job and you are selling it to older people on a fixed income, there is only so much you will get. Two answers I would give you for that are summed up in one reply.

Try to sell the benefits of what you are doing to people that can both appreciate and afford what you are offering. People buy Lexus and BMW's down in Florida like they do everywhere else. Let's face it, a car gets you from A-Z. You can buy a $20,000 Nissan Altima that is a nice vehicle yet some people will still prefer to pay more to have a better driving experience.

Its all in who you market to and how you market to them. I doubt you will find a Porsche dealer two blocks from a trailer park. When you do find that Porsche dealer the salesmen are going to be a different caliber and have different techniques from the Chevy salesman.

[Rick2 42]

I've heard it a million times, mostly from the more affluent older retired folks. I call it the AAPR speach. " I'm on a fixed income, bla,bla,bla." Meanwhile there's a new Caddy in the driveway of a 3/4 million dollar house. If I tell the average working-class Joe that I charge 250-300 an hour to do his roof and I'll be done in less than two hours he'll jump at it. The older affuent people think I'm nuts for charging that much.

Move on to where the money is and do a good job so they tell their friends.

[plainpainter 217]

You can't squeeze blood from a stone - and there is no law that guarantees your area can support a viable business model. If $45 is the 'going' rate - then I ain't 'going' to open up a business.

[Rick2 42]

I refuse to get out of bed for 45 an hour.

[All Surface 24]

Welcome the the world of Pressure Washers in Florida. I normally do them for a set price if I can get it. it's just extra spending money. If they don't want to pay then they are more than willing to call the other 648 power Washers in our area.

[plainpainter 217]

Welcome the the world of Pressure Washers in Florida. I normally do them for a set price if I can get it. it's just extra spending money. If they don't want to pay then they are more than willing to call the other 648 power Washers in our area.

Sounds like the perfect recipe for ***** nation. If Sam Kinison were alive today, I wonder what he would tell us pressure washer that lived in areas like Florida?

[Rick2 42]

I loved Sam Kinison. "This is sand.. want to eat some M... fuc....er. God, I loved the way he laughed.

[RPetry 564]

Sam Kinison had to be one of the most bizarre and hilarious stand up comedians of our generation. Ironic that he was killed by a drunk driver and Sam was just married, and had been sober and off drugs for months.

[luca71 14]

i know i need to go back and do my signature ,but just logged on and read this and had to respond.One of you guys had brought up the car salesman

annalogie and it cracks me up i had been in the car biz for 18 years before i started this biz and some of you seem to think that you are joe girard (look the name up) when it comes to selling these jobs now i consider myself a pretty good closer and have the awards and documentation to prove it ,but there are alot of wash crews in my are of new jersey and i always see the same rigs parked in the same driveways so either your making enough money off of the one job a month your getting and spilling ill advise or do not have a clue.This economy is still in sad shape and people are going to shop and hock you for every nickle the can weather they can afford your premier service or not.Yes there are jobs i will not do because i cant even break even on the job (including my salary)not just chems and time. But before i turn down any job i will always try to make it work out ,even in pressure washing there is always a way to make a deal .And if you want to call me a low baller thats cool but while im eating steak and your trying to figure out how to come up with gas money to run your rig maybe you will think about your pricing .

[Oxfordlawn 14]

I agree and thats sort of the same thing I was trying to say as well. If an area only will warrant charging lets say $85 for a small house wash, you cant come in and say I wont work for less than $150. If an individual wants to stay alive and make some money in these economic times and be out there working, I feel we need to be reasonable in our choices. I can sit at home all day and state I charge $250 for a house wash, and not work, or I can be out there charging what everyone else is, be out there working and making some money. Whether the rig is moving or not, you still have bills to pay, so it may as well be moving and most importantly, be visible out there as advertising and be seen.

I personally am very fortunate to live right next door to what I think is the worlds largest retirement/golf community, with all houses ranch style single story homes. Also everyone here has been brainwashed to the mindeset of the houses needing to be washed every 6 months, so I am building next years schedule already. Although the price per unit is very low, I can go knock out several houses in a short amount of time and be home by 2 or 3 and make a coouple hundred profit. Thats not too bad for this area in these times. I'll take it. I too have to eat and pay my bills.

I DO NOT LOWBALL...I SET MY PRICE TO BE IN LINE WITH EVERYONE ELSE IN THIS AREA...ALL 300 OF US:D

[luca71 14]

i agree and i didnt mean to be a bone head with my first reply ever .I do almost nothing but retirement communities because know one wants to do them .I also sealcoat driveways so pressure washing was a great addition to that biz because if there is even the slightest chance of rain there is no sealing.I have seen guys cringe at the thought of a $99 house wash but look at the big picture.These retired folks have nothing else to do but take care of there homes and they all try to keep up with the joneses.When I get a call to do 1 sealcoat job in there i bring alot of extra sealer because i end up doing at least 5 more while im there .The same with washing I go to do 1 house in there and end up getting at least 2 more every time with out fail. these home are mostly new construction single story vinly sided boxes that only take an hour tops downstreming with low pressure.Plus i get the driveways for the seal coating every season so i practically own these developments because the old folks love me and i dont try to kill them with my pricing.By the way in my area ther are 20 of these developments and i do some work in all of them and in the 2 years ive been doing it my income has doubled because as the clients begin to trust your work the neighbors are soon to follow.

[plainpainter 217]

I agree and thats sort of the same thing I was trying to say as well. If an area only will warrant charging lets say $85 for a small house wash, you cant come in and say I wont work for less than $150. If an individual wants to stay alive and make some money in these economic times and be out there working, I feel we need to be reasonable in our choices. I can sit at home all day and state I charge $250 for a house wash, and not work, or I can be out there charging what everyone else is, be out there working and making some money. Whether the rig is moving or not, you still have bills to pay, so it may as well be moving and most importantly, be visible out there as advertising and be seen.

This is a going out of business attitude - doing what everyone else is doing. Would you jump off a bridge if everyone else was? If an area only warrants $85 house washes - is it your only conclusion that you too must provide an $85 house wash as well?

If you could figure a way to knock ten off a day like this - I'd say you've found a way to make money doing them. Personally - it's not my responsibility to meet someone's price goal. Attaching my rig and driving to some residence and spending time and driving back for $85 would bankrupt me. If I averaged my operations cost per customer - it probably costs me over a $100 per customer. So doing $85 washes would cost $15 each time.

So if I did a job for $150. I've got $50 leftover for profit and salary, factor in an hours round trip ride, an hour on the job, and an hour prepping in the morning fetching stuff and putting stuff away when you return. And my company profits and salary is $17/hr.

Now factor in I don't get 8 hours of work nor drive time each day - nor do I even get 12 months of the year to work - and that goes down to probably in the range of $5-6/hr of company profits and salary per hour.

95% of you guys go out of business, that's a fact. The other 5% have figured out this japanese koan of $85 house washes and found ways to be profitable.

I'll let you in on a secret - by not turning the key in the morning waiting for my minimum price has allowed me much free time. And with all this free time I am pursuing other venues of business. Always strive to be in a position of power. If you force yourself to be dependent on pressure washing sales - then of course you will make the costly mistake of doing $85 house washes. Think outside the box. Just think for one little moment that you aren't relying on pressure washing for 100% of your income. Suddenly life is all different - your horizons will expand.

[luca71 14]

And with that attitude you will soon be out of business,1 Free time means your not doing work your looking for it,2 waiting for the phone to ring telling people your minimum price so the can shop you with the next phone call is retarded no salesmanship involved there . So lets go back to the beginning with all the (joe girards) out there again that think they have this figured out.Im not sure what calculating method your using I know what my insurancee cost is ,i know what my truck payment is , i know how much i need to make to cover my 5k mortgage is and still eat take trips and pay for the escalade the wife drives and at $99 a house for the old folks i somehow manage to get it done and still add too my investments so im im not seeing the logic i may have to do a few more houses and driveways a year to do it but my equiptment isnt sitting in my yard waiting for the phone to ring so my lazy but can give them a price that they can shop me on.It makes me happy knowing the guys in my area wont get out of bed for less than 150 per hour ,it makes my marketing easier my closing percentage higher.there is an old addage from the car biz that i didnt believe until i did it, gross profit follows units not the other way around.

[plainpainter 217]

Apparently you guys don't want help - you want to stick your nose at guys doing $550 house washes and doing 1/2 mil in sales yearly and say they are bad business men.

[luca71 14]

no dan thats not the case , this year i will top out around 620 k for pw not including my sealcoating my point is there is no one business model that is better than another one i just happened to find my niche in a bad economy .The model i use is take customers out of the market same as a car dealer you guys may not like it because in the long run i will come out on top and you will have to lower your prices to compete or to just stay in business. I approach things with a big biz box store mentality and it seems to be working im not saying it will work for all but i do know im already booked through april and may of 2010 for pw and sealcoating .

[PressurePros 249]

Luca71, I have read Joe Girard's book. Its old school selling and was effective for the time. You are coming to a mindset that selling is the solution. That's not what I am saying. Its a part of the solution. The first stage that you are missing is the marketing. If your marketing is putting flyers on windshields at the Walmart and placing an ad on CraigsList, yes, you are going to be limited in how much of a premium you can charge.

Your contention that you can profitable doing low priced jobs is flawed. Your new to the business (I am not implying you don't have a business sense). You may not be seeing the big picture. Busy is just being busy.

Hypothetical situation for two startups.

.. one does 3 $500 houses per week.

.. the other does 15 $100 house washes.

The first owner spends more time marketing and selling so the time outlay may not be much different than the second owner who lives by "just git-r-done".

The first guy spends more on advertising and the second guy has higher direct costs so again, fairly similar profit margins.

Here is where the second business plan falls apart. Lets say both companies do great work and start getting referrals. The higher priced guy gets the higher end jobs. The second guy starts running around like a chicken without a head. He feels successful because he is washing from sunup to sundown. They are still grossing the same dollars.. here is the magic point:

The second guy now needs to hire someone to help him. The first guy still has plenty of time in his week to perform extra work without hiring labor. The low priced guy may have to hire two crews to do the same gross dollars as the higher priced guy. What do you think that does to his profit margins?

Low priced guy does $140K with a $45K payroll. His operating expenses are higher because his crews are running from job to job. It doesn't matter how state-of-the-art your equipment is or how fast your guys are. Setting up on 5 jobs will never be as efficient as setting up on one job. This guy also has more equipment that can break down, employee headaches, more liability risk, higher materials percentage, etc.

High priced guy does $100K, is home by 3 pm every day, doesn't worry about payroll and actually makes more profit with less things that can go wrong.

Its not the model for everyone. Some guys refuse to get into the sales and marketing aspects of a business. From your standpoint and background Luca, it may be prudent to keep your mind open and revisit your stance down the line. If you haven't already read it, E-myth is a book every business owner should read.