Home          Forum          About Us          Contact Us          User Photo Gallery


  
»User: »Password:   Remember Me? 
Posted:  17 Feb 2011 21:18  
I want your business. I service the greater Los Angeles Area. Do you want to sell your business? Please telephone me at (818) 881-7953. Ask for Mark.

Has anyone ever low balled your account? I had a customer of mine for over 20 years get a quote for half the price I had been charging. I was giving this customer both awesome service and a great price, as we grew up together since childhood.

My customer told me the other company begged to give the quote, "what could it hurt?".

When I telephone the other company they told me off and hung up the phone. 

It turns out I was able to keep the account only by lowering my rates. Is this necessary? I would like to post my clients plant material to get an idea of how much other companies would charge? Am I charging too much?

Telephone me at 818 881-7953.
Posted:  18 Feb 2011 01:12  
You can post the info here and let people message you privately through the "My Messages" feature of this forum.  Let us know what region or state you are located in, because that will help us in pricing your job.

Unfortunately, low-balling happens all the time.  With the crash of the commercial real estate market in the past few years, little commercial office construction has gone on in many areas of the country, leading to few truly new business opportunities...so some 'scapers have resorted to vulturing other 'scapers' accounts.  It's okay to give a competitive quote if you're solicited by a client, but to go in cold and try to "steal" accounts that are well-maintained simply on the basis of "I can beat any price", well, that's not just low-class, it's stupid business.

Clem
Posted:  01 Mar 2011 18:34  
Thank You Clem! This has been my business philosophy from the beginning and despite the attempts (failed so far) at vulturing, the ecomomic plunge and weak recovery, I have stuck to my principles and I am still here while some of the vultures are not! I would walk away before I would let any business change my core values and personal morality. In the end, you gotta live with yourself and look in the mirror every day.
Posted:  02 Mar 2011 02:34  
Amen, brother/sister!
Posted:  15 Mar 2011 02:39  
I know of a client of a competitor that cancelled service for a $5.00 increase per month!  WHUUUUT!!!!?  Seriously!?  They had been clients for over 12 years.  Small residential, barely made the minimum they charged per month.  Scaper hadn't raised prices in 6+ years.  Dunno what gets into some people.
Posted:  15 Mar 2011 03:48  
Well, part of the problem is that the 'scaper got the client used to paying NOTHING for the privilege of having professional interiorscape maintenance services at BELOW MARKET PRICING for at least 6 years!!!  Once you give in to the lowballing demon, you're toast.

So, all things considered, your competitor spoiled the client and now is reaping the rewards of a bad business model.  Ironically, though, the client probably did him/her a favor by cancelling, because this account could not be profitable.  Right?

Clem

Interiorscape.com is sponsored by NewPro Containers    XML RSS 2.0    XML Atom 1.0

Welcome to our Interiorscape forum for Interiorscapers, Vendors, Suppliers, Florists, Interior Designers, Special Event Planners, Educators and Students!

Home         About Us         Contact Us         User Photo Gallery