I'm very skeptical about the actual usefulness of flat rate pricing. It seems to work best for plumbers and HVAC guys. They do the same tasks over and over, replace a toilet, FAU, whatever. In electrical, no two jobs are alike, conduit runs, worksite conditions, every job is a custom, hand crafted "work of art".
I think what the Flat Rate books allow you to retrieve a price from a third party and this appears to the customer as legitimate. This enables you to provide a higher price without seeming to assume personal responsibilty, after all, it's what the "book says"
Let's get real, what I'm about to say is not pretty. The general public has contempt for tradesmen. The see us as construction goons and they can barely tolerate our presence. When I've quoted hourly rates like $45 and hour, I've had many recoil in horror. When I asked what they thought a fair rate would be, it's usually $15 an hour. Since they are genuises and they don't make $45 an hour and you are a goon, they react poorly when confronted with hourly rates.
So, here's the problem, the public is convinced that we're contemptable low lifes, yet in reality we are business owners and have serious expenses and obstacles related to providing quality electrical wiring. So we find ourselves in a position where we must conceal our true rates. They view us as circus monkeys but the irony is they lack the ability to comprehend business.
This is the true problem. It's the public's misconception of trade workers.
End of rant.
....Richard
[This message has been edited by Knob_and_Tube (edited 01-20-2005).]
