ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Are you sometimes at a loss for words?

How would you answer this?

Bill,

There is no real answer for this. I'll give you another example of this mentality.

Back in the days when I had some spare time, I used to make stained glass windows & lamps. One day at a craft fair a woman inquired into about the price of my simplest lamp & I said "$120." She looked shocked & said "I can buy the same thing in plastic for $10." Go for it.

Basically, most people have no idea about being in business. I'd be glad to install that 49 cent outlet, that the customer furnishes, for $34.51 My personal feeling is that a 49 cent outlet is too expensive. I'm sure your $35 is your minimum charge for doing anything & it sounds reasonable to me since mine is $33. People don't have a clue about overhead.

Ask this person if that is an installed cost.

Do it yourself next time.

Its all part of a conspiracy to keep you poor.

If you think thats expensive, buy your car parts at the dealership.

I charge that price for the same reason a hospital chrges $20 for a Tylenol that cost them 3 cents.

I resent your accusation that I'm stealing from you.

I had a guy once who had agreed to my price and signed a contract. When I was done he wanted to beat me down on the agreed upon price. He said I wasn't worth $30.00 an hour. He said he had worked in an automotive factory(one of the big 3) for 25 years and he only made $26.00 an hour. He was a production worker, not skilled trade.
I pointed out to him that he made a lot more than that once you figured in his employer's half of social security, his health insurance and prescription program, retirement, paid vacation, worker's comp, paid sick days and 5 figure a year profit sharing. Plus he didn't have to furnish his own tools and equipment to do his job and if he had to stay late they paid him time and a half; double time on Sundays and holidays! So figuring on the fly, we came up with him making about $52.50 an hour if you count all the benefits.We figured I get to keep about $11.75 of my $30.00 an hour. So I asked him, "Wouldn't it honk you off if the company met you at the timeclock every Friday afternoon and tried to beat you down on the amount of your paycheck?" He gave me a check with his apologies.

That'll be $0.49 for the receptacle, and $34.51 for knowing how to install it.


oh , by the way, home depot sells dictonaries...

Sparky,

Realistically, you're not going to satisfy anyone with that explanation.

How do you justify your rates?

How do you justify your rates?

that is true Bill.
But then again , how does any trade or proffesion? Do we go on about our overhead, schooling etc. Or do we simply say it's what the market will bear?

Sparky,

I'm just curious as to what you really say, or what you think they understand.
Overhead? Time? Training?

I think they might best understand Time and Overhead in that order.

Bill

The same person probably paid $5000 for the landscaping, and didn't bat an eye...

This is another reason that I give itemized invoices down to the wirenuts and 6-32 screws!

[This message has been edited by sparky66wv (edited 08-05-2001).]

Time and Overhead

most likley the $$$ angle would work,
i suppose they would not understand my installs are just as much a thing of bueaty as thier flower beds.....

Sparky,

This isn't the thread about the Boots. (just kidding)

I think the 'suppose it was you' angle that figures out how many different locations they could travel to and install an outlet in one day (not many) and how much do you charge. Then ... subtract this, and this, ..... etc. then .. How do you pay your Bills and Eat?

It gets tedious, but seems to work OK, They seem to understand after laying it all out. I was hoping for a simpler way.

Bill

[This message has been edited by Bill Addiss (edited 08-06-2001).]