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Help with pricing, please...

by jokabi
8 replies
Hello!
I have a painting contractor client that I just set up a reputation management page for. It's a Wordpress theme where they either click on a "thumbs up" to leave a good review or a "thumbs down" to leave a bad review. I am also supplying him with a postcard to give or mail to his customers to try and get them to leave a review.

The good reviews go to a page with links to a bunch of review sites that will take the visitor right to the businesses site so they can easily leave a review.

The bad reviews go to a contact form where they can rant and rave and it goes directly to the owner.

I'm also making him a mobile website that I normally charge around $300 for.

I've already made a video for him and ranked it at the top of the first page of Google. He told me he's gotten a lot of business from it. I also did his Google Places and he's #1 for the main keyword. I only charged $500 for both the video and the Google Places.

He doesn't currently have any bad reviews that I've found. He just wants to get more good reviews.

I always have a hard time coming up with what to charge for my services. I hate it!
This is in an area of about 30,000 population.

Does anyone have any advice out there? I need to contact him asap. One of these days I'm going to make what I'm worth.

Thanks for your help,
Kathy :confused:
#pricing
  • Profile picture of the author CageyVet
    If you are hosting the Wordpress ORM site and you are also paying for the postcards that you are supplying....

    You charge between 5-10x the cost of the post cards which covers your creation costs plus your marketing expertise. This include a refresh of the card's look/content every 6 months just to keep the client knowing that you actually add value. As for the ORM webpage, I would go for something like 1/8 - 1/5 the cost of an average paying job per month. So if he normally charges $800 for a job, then you charge him between $100-150 per month. This price is not that much for the "VALUE" that he is getting when positive reviews are added to his online brand profile. It is a reasonable amount for a passive product that you are hosting or maintaining, especially since it does not require much maintenance. If you do more work in terms of the reviews that he gets, rep management, citation, etc...then you need to take on more to the price you are charging.

    I have set up a few of these types of ORM pages for some of my landscaping clients and they have no problem paying the 1/5 customer cost for me to host and maintain this simple system for them. I make sure to notify them of new reviews so they can reach out to those customers with referral coupons for their friends (adds a lot to getting new clients).
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    • Profile picture of the author jokabi
      Thanks for your reply, CageyVet!
      That definitely gives me a better idea of what to charge. I also like the idea of letting him know about new reviews and also to change the postcard occasionally.
      I think I'm going to come up with a price list to give to potential clients so they know what to expect.
      Thanks again,
      Kathy
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    • Profile picture of the author jokabi
      Oops! Double post.
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  • Profile picture of the author CageyVet
    I love passive systems that I can setup for clients to get a recurring revenue stream. The thing that many people in IM do not do is that extra little bit to add actual value to those systems. This little bit of value is what will set you apart from the rest of the IM smucks. Also, this little value is what the business owner will talk about when mentioning you to other business owners...

    My price list includes my hourly rate...i have 3 different rates depending on the type of project...

    Then most of the projects that i work on that are not hourly are similar to what I mentioned. Then are a % of the average customer value for that business, either a 1 time valuation or a lifetime valuation. All depends on the business model they have in place.

    This way businesses that do a lot of micro transactions (flower shop, barber, etc)do not get screwed by large one time fees and businesses that do larger or long term recurring fees (sports physio, landscapers, doctors, etc) pay an appropriate amount to get clients and still feel a sense of value in the services I provide.

    In the end, I do not under charge because I KNOW that I am WORTH EVERY PENNY....since I can deliver on my services.
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  • Profile picture of the author jokabi
    That makes a lot of sense and what I'm working towards. Are all of your clients in your local area or do you have clients from other cities? I live where there's a bunch of small towns on the Oregon coast and business owners here just don't seem to "get it". The population of the two biggest towns are about 9,000 each. I'm a Portland girl and after 20 years here I'm ready for the big city again (although Portlland isn't THAT big of a city.) Thanks again for your comments and ideas!
    Kathy
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  • Profile picture of the author CageyVet
    I have clients locally, nationally and worldwide....There really should be no restriction in this day and age as to where your client is physically located.
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    • Profile picture of the author midasman09
      Banned
      Kathy.....one of my internet buddies, in a town of about 10,000 (in Oregon)....asked me the same question last month. He wanted to get into Ranking Videos for service biz (Plumbers, Roofers, Pest Control and Painters)

      So....WHAT to charge for a 1st page Ranking Keyword (House Painter (Town))

      He told me he had tried a Flat monthly fee with an initiall set up fee and struck out. I told him to try the "Per Call" dealee!

      Use a phone # from CallFire so as to know EXACTLY how many calls are coming into the phone because of the Video AND....charge an initial set up fee of $190 and $35 a call for the first 20 calls ($700)....$190 + $700 = $890.

      Then...see how it goes and....when 20 calls come in....you can then Justify charging a minimum of $500 a Month!....or more.

      Heck....a couple of yrs ago the lowest bid to paint my house was $6500. If a painter gets ONE job a month....he's gotten a GREAT ROI!

      If he had tried charging $500/mo initially....he wouldn't have gotten any Painter to go. PROVING his video works and brings in Calls....turns it into a different ballgame. No Longer is it...."Will It Work?" It now becomes, "It Works....I've proven it to you...NOW let's get down to Brass Tacks!"

      Don Alm in Roseburg, Oregon.....heading over to Newport this weekend.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ron Lafuddy
    Don,

    Have you used a CallFire number in any of your print advertising
    as a way to prove/verify that a business is getting calls from an ad?
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