glassbox-design
New member
dp........
How Much Should I Charge?
- Thread starter mhhauser321
- Start date
glassbox-design
New member
i agree with nasek, but they do say it's unethical to let a fool keep his money...
word of mouth is best. Iive had "strangers" over to my home and straight up said to me, i will pay you x amount to set something like that up in my home.
word of mouth is best. Iive had "strangers" over to my home and straight up said to me, i will pay you x amount to set something like that up in my home.
mhhauser321
New member
2crazyreefers
I am going to get bonded
I am going to get bonded
KyleO
Premium Member
Just to add my 2 cents........I am a Network Consultant and am going on year 11 of my own "service" company. I always charge fair (industry) rates and never overcharge or gouge anybody. This is the way to build a reputation and get your clients to swear by you.
I saw the comment that "this is the way the world works" and wanted to say that we all make our own decisions and never have to go along with unsavory practices.
Build an excellent reputation as fair and knowledgeable and you will never go hungry......
mr.wilson
.Registered Member
Absolutely. Eventually the client you gouge will walk into a retail store and see you took advantage of him or her. As soon as one their aquarium-savvy friends asks "how much?", your reputation is finished. I get my work from jobs I've done over the years, sometimes 10 years later, out of the blue.
If you want greater profit margins and some freedom to set pricing, provide a unique service and create your own product lines. Offer good value for money and it's a win/win situation.
nasek718
Premium Member
I've gotten this a few times myself. I just tell them how much I have tied up into my tank since it's inception and they stop asking. I will however tell them that it's not that expensive to maintain and that when they are really serious about having a tank and not just making passing conversation, give me a call. So far I've hooked 3 people. But I draw the line when they call my corals plants....
KEstep
Premium Member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10375738#post10375738 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by acrohead500ppm
it depends does the guy have a rolex or a swatch on his wrist?
is the tank in a 1 mill.+ house if so I would charge 2 bucks for each gallon in the display
if its the adverage cust. 1 $ a gallon of display tank.
-------hey it's just a crooked part of this business
That kind of attitude is what FLAT OUT P*SSES me off about this industry. It is immoral and wrong. I charge the same for everyone I service and I have an amazing amount of customer loyalty from the Doctors to the Burger flippers. I honestly cannot believe you posted this on here! I feel sorry for whatever customers come into your store! Lasty, it may be part of YOUR business but it sure has no place in mine. You should feel ashamed.
KEstep
Premium Member
I forgot to mention my pricing for the guy who started this thread.. Our prices are set as a flat monthly rate. Rates tend to be very close to 1 dollar per gallon. That means if we are there an hour or 3 hours they are charged the same. If you maintain tanks appropriately then you will typically be at each appointment around 45 minutes give or take. My company also provides 24 hour emergency on call service all the time at no additional charge and free livestock delivery. I have owned my company for about 7 1/2 years and have only had one emergency call at 1 in the morning. Prior to this I worked for a company in another city and only had to do one late night emergency run. Again if you do things right the first time you will not have to worry about it later. The only thing I charge more for is if they are moving a tank. At that point my cost goes up because I have to pay more people to help. Saltwater tanks run more than fresh because they get weekly visits (unless the owner wants some involvement with the aquarium as well, in that case we usually come in and do the water changes and they do the rest) where fresh get biweekly to monthly.
mhhauser321
New member
Thanks for the advice
mr.wilson
.Registered Member
Does this mean that you charge $90.00 a month for a 90 gallon reef tank? or is it $90.00 per visit?
If you go every week, you are only getting $20.77 per visit (based on 52 weeks per annum). With travel expenses and wear and tear on your equipment, I can't see how you can make money.
Plumbers, heating & cooling, and pool guys get at least $75.00 per hour. The computer nerd on wheels guys charge $90.00 per hour, and they little in the way of training. Aquarium knowledge is a rare commodity. Your pricing should reflect this as well as the cost of living.
KEstep
Premium Member
It depends on how often they want the visit but yeah that would be pretty close. It is a monthly charge and when you stack appointments like that up all day long you make money off of it. Also, what equipment am I wearing out? A siphon? some buckets? a tarp? Those last a long time and are cheap to replace. The worse part of it is gas but that is why I load up for 3 or 4 appointments so I can hit them in order. Also you can get anywhere in Amarillo in 15 minutes or less, we do not have metropolitan traffic to contend with. I feel like we charge the right amount considering many times we are not at a visit more than 30 minutes. Of all tanks freshwater take up more time per visit, but get it less often as saltwater. I did not open my company just for the money either or to rip people off. I have enjoyed reef tanks for a long time and I love it when someone tells me what I have done is beautiful. You know what they say, "Do what you love."
mr.wilson
.Registered Member
As I mentioned earlier in the thread, price depends on cost of living in your area. I would find out what other trades people charge in your area. There's no reason why you should get less than a fountain, pond or pool cleaner. Go through the yellow pages and get quotes.
I was making $25.00 an hour on salary with full medical benefits and expenses (van etc.) when I worked for another company.
I pay my employees $20.00 an hour as helpers, and give them the whole contract for service calls. If you're a fast worker, you can get six tanks done in a day, but you may only have enough tanks to work for three days a week.
Start off with nursing homes and dental offices, then work your way up to sales and leasing. I'm sure the local tax structure makes leasing beneficial for successful clients.
If a medical plan and a car are priorities, you may consider working for someone else to get started. Perhaps a position at an LFS where you can pick up clients for your second (business) job.
I was making $25.00 an hour on salary with full medical benefits and expenses (van etc.) when I worked for another company.
I pay my employees $20.00 an hour as helpers, and give them the whole contract for service calls. If you're a fast worker, you can get six tanks done in a day, but you may only have enough tanks to work for three days a week.
Start off with nursing homes and dental offices, then work your way up to sales and leasing. I'm sure the local tax structure makes leasing beneficial for successful clients.
If a medical plan and a car are priorities, you may consider working for someone else to get started. Perhaps a position at an LFS where you can pick up clients for your second (business) job.
KyleO
Premium Member
A LOT of excellent advice Mr. Wilson!!!
Although I have a thriving Computer Consultant business I have been kicking around servicing premium reef tanks (probably just a few) to spice or change things up a little. With the larger setups it sure seems like I could bring in the rates I am accustom to....and sure would be fun to set up and maintain reefs that I can't afford!
mr.wilson
.Registered Member
It's fun when you can limit your work load. You get burnt out quick running around town cleaning gravel in cichlid tanks.
It's like a lottery with the high end installations, except it eventually pays off.
Try a custom home builder or designer. Send them some pictures of tanks in nice settings. They don't care about rare corals or growth rates; just nicely framed tanks.
If you're lucky, one of the big tank manufacturers doesn't have an installer in your area and will refer clients to you. ATM has such an arrangement, but you have to pay to get on the list.
Similar threads
