Search Results for “raise your prices”

Why (and HOW) you should raise your service prices NOW!

KickStart: ‘Charging more’ let’s you pay more to attract better applicants! (And keep the great team you’ve already built.)

I’ve always pushed my students to “charge more”! Why? After almost 50 years in this industry (I started young!) I’m convinced the vast majority of residential service contractors do not remotely understand the TRUE COST of daily business.

But hey, I’m not really a ‘number crunching accountant’ type of guy! So instead, I just preach to my students:

1) “All other things being equal… its better to have LOTS of money instead of having NO money!!”

Is your service company ‘bleeding out’ and you don’t know it?

by Steve Toburen

KickStart: STOP🛑 losing money BEFORE you focus on increasing gross sales. Read on…

Profit: “The revenue remaining after all costs are paid. These costs may include labor, materials, interest on debt, and taxes.”

Ah yes, that wonderful and too-often elusive word, “profit”. And yes, as a Home Service Business owner you need (and deserve) LOTS of profit.💲💲💲 (Which should be calculated AFTER paying yourself a fair wage for your labors.)

In Praise of Creative Procrastination!

by Steve Toburen

KickStart: When you honestly don’t know what to do… WAIT!

Motivational speakers constantly exhort you to “git ‘er done” and “get moving”! But since Steve Toburen isn’t a ‘goo-roo’ I’ll remind you that sometimes ‘Procrastination Pays’! Say what, Steve?😲

Yep, when I’m honestly perplexed on what to do going forward I’ll engage in what I call…

‘Creative Procrastination’: Waiting on events (or just plain ‘serendipity’) to show you the next step.

Let me be clear on what Creative Procrastination (CP) is NOT! CP doesn’t mean slacking off and then complaining that a) the economy is bad, b) competition is too fierce or c) there are too many ‘Price Shoppers’ out there! (Our industry is full of excuses like these and so many more!)

How to measure (and reward) your service employee’s performance

by Steve Toburen

KickStart: Pay your star employees more while also banking more profits yourself with this ‘WEB Plan’ concept.

co·nun·drum /kəˈnəndrəm/ (noun) “a confusing and difficult problem.” Yep, our Residential Services Industry is full of… (wait for it) ‘conundrums’! For example…

Conundrum: You want (and need) to pay your employees more and yet… you still need to make a profit. YOUCH!

SOLUTION: Develop my concept of a Worker Efficiency Bonus (WEB) Plan that that A) holds your workers ACCOUNTABLE when they mess up but also B) REWARDS an employee when he or she creates extra profits for your company.👍👍

Why (and how) to RETAIN your ‘Very Best People’!

by Steve Toburen

KickStart: Keep your employees from leaving when you tie them to your company emotionally.

Home Service Business owners everywhere are understandably freaking out with the current hiring crisis. I really do feel your pain! Finding anyone to work (much less the Very Best People) is brutal out there!😲

Shameless Self-Promotion Alert: My 3-hour ‘Hiring the Very Best People’ online seminar will kick start your recruiting efforts!

But wait! Even better than using my (very effective) Six-Stage Hiring Funnel is to…

How to book previous clients AFTER raising your prices

by Steve Toburen

KickStart: Don’t call attention to your new (higher) prices for clients wanting to rebook. (Most can’t remember what they paid last time!)

It’s no fun living in fear! And yet far too many Home Service Professionals are SCARED TO DEATH to raise their prices!😢

NOTE: It is essential to raise your prices in this age of competing for the Very Best People (VBP) since the VBP want (and deserve) to be paid more. So…

What is ‘Perfection’ in Your Residential Services Business?

by Steve Toburen

KiskStart: Learn to ‘let go’ (and discover ‘Personal Freedom’) by redefining the word “perfect”.

I’ve been accused (unjustly in my opinion) of being ‘a bit OCD’!😲 OK, OK! I’ll admit I liked things to be ‘perfect’ in my home services business and especially for my much-loved customers! Sound like anyone you know?🤔

Here’s the deal. If you are serious about growing your company into a ‘Critical Mass Business’ (one that will run smoothly without you being there 24-7) you MUST tweak your definition of ‘perfection’. Here’s why…

How to attract (and keep) great service employees!

by Steve Toburen

KickStart: Share money, praise and profits to attract and keep the Very Best People!

I learned so much from my residential customers. After all, our clients had to be financially successful even to afford our high prices💲💲 So, I would just 1) ask questions and 2) LISTEN to my client’s answers.

One very wealthy CEO (who I suspect was a bit bored in retirement) often regaled me with his stories. Since I was trying to build a Critical Mass Business that could run without me I focused on Paul’s hiring tips. His first tip was…

Break free from the ‘Low Price’ Service Trap forever!

by Steve Toburen

KickStart: Benefit from our current run-away inflation rates to justify your new (large) price increases.

In ‘normal times’ (is there such a thing any more?) I’m a huge proponent of small (3% to 4%) yearly price increases. Here’s why:

1) A small yearly increase will ‘fly under the radar’ of your clients. (Most customers can’t remember what they paid last time.)

How to ‘set the stage’ to interview a ‘Career Candidate’

by Steve Toburen

SpeedTIP: Create a relaxed environment to put an applicant at ease during their job interview.

Remember your first (and maybe last) blind date? Were you tense, nervous and scared?😢 OUCH! Never a good start to a long term relationship!😲 And yet isn’t this exactly how your job applicant (and you too) feel before a job interview? Therefore you should…