It can be tricky to discuss price increases if your company is new. It is a powerful strategy that can improve your company’s bottom-line. It can also cause customer discord and possibly lead to them looking at other cleaning companies. You can increase your prices effectively without affecting your customers by implementing a well-thought strategy. These are four tips to help you get started.
Tell customers proactively
It can be difficult to tell customers that prices are rising. Transparency with customers will ease the pain and prevent anyone from feeling left out. Customers who are reasonable expect that prices will rise sooner or later. Be honest with your customers, regardless of whether the price increase was necessary to offset costs or simply to keep up with market prices. Communicate your increase with a thoughtful message and approach. Reaffirm your appreciation for their business. Reach out to those who are unhappy about the increase. You will encounter less resistance if you communicate with people directly. Be sure to inform your customer about price changes before you start service. There are few things worse than discovering that you owe more on the day of your scheduled service.
The cleaning market
Your business can benefit from market research to justify a price increase. Your prices can be benchmarked by comparing the charges of your competitors in the area. Is your current price lower than the competitors? Are you higher? Customers will test the market. A complete view of your competitors’ pricing positions can help you decide how much or little increase to push for.
Choose the right cleaning service
Value is the main focus. It might not be the best strategy to apply a blanket price hike to all your cleaning services. It might be more beneficial to spread out your price increases. You should start with cleaning packages that offer the most value to your customers. Customers may be willing to pay a little more for services they actually use. Customers will be more willing to pay higher prices if the quality of the service is equal or better than the price. Customers will be more willing to pay higher prices if they get something in return. You might consider bundling services or offering customers an incentive. To provide the best service, make sure your cleaners have been properly trained. Your cleaning services will be perceived as more valuable if you add value to them.
Don’t get greedy
Try to imagine yourself as the customer. It is difficult to accept drastic price increases. It is important to show logic behind your price hike. Customers who feel that they are being overcharged for their products will lose trust. Be cautious. The historical inflation rates for the US hover around 2 to 3%. If you haven’t raised prices in the past several years, a 10% price hike could send shockwaves through your customer base. It may also be tempting to raise prices more often after seeing the positive impact on your bottom line. Customers will accept if you keep your prices reasonable. Customers can be frustrated if they are charged excessively for cleaning services or are constantly increasing their prices.
Leave a Reply