Everyone wants to win in life. At everything. This is human nature, of course. So, when it comes to securing that deal with the property management, you want to do everything you can to make them believe in your company, your product, and most importantly, your pricing.
To be sure that you can offer competitive valet trash prices, you need to do your research the right way. To make sure you don’t lose that trash valet deal over inept competitive pricing, we will give you three wrong ways to figure trash valet prices. In other words, take this as good advice.
Can I Get a Price Check on Competitor #1, Please?
Every company has competition.
Well, most of them do.
Unless you are Lego and produce such a superior product that you create scarcity and therefore can charge more… but that’s another marketing lesson…
Competition means there is a healthy environment for you and your trash valet service to function in. If you don’t pay attention to the competition, part of boosting your competitive edge disappears. You should always have a pulse on what the competition is doing while maintaining your unique trash valet business.
Having knowledge of what the competition is charging for their services will give you a better idea of what to charge for yours. Now, don’t forget that you need to take into consideration the higher-quality work your valets will provide or those small add-on services your valet trash company offers that the competition doesn’t.
Ignoring the competition and their pricing is the wrong way to determine your valet trash prices.
Your primary goal is to beat out the local competition, not undersell yourself or price-gouge. Understand how they are servicing their valet trash customers at those prices and do some research on them such as signing up for their email marketing, reading reviews or by witnessing their work first-hand. Are you confident that your service is superior? Or do you believe what you offer has no differentiation between their services and yours? Be honest with yourself about your company’s benefits and areas that need work within your own company when comparing valet trash prices so you can charge the right fees.
Great, Just One More Monthly Bill!
Another wrong way to figure trash valet prices is to charge the resident individually. Even though the residents are still your clients, all billing should be handled through the property managers.
It is easiest for all three parties involved (your residential trash doorstep company, the property management, and the residents) when the charges for your valet trash services are included in the rent price. This eliminates the necessity of preparing and managing billing for each single door that is serviced and allows the resident to worry about one less statement in their mailbox.
Most importantly, your valet trash prices are established and contracted with the management. You are being hired by them. Even though you are removing the resident’s trash, it is the management you are supplying a solution to. Let the property manager handle the charges.
It’s Not You, It’s Me
If you aren’t catering to the customer, you should quit your job. Or, at least, find a business to start that isn’t in the service industry.
Before you can confidently know what you should be charging for your valet trash pickup service, you need to get to know your customers- both the property managers and the residents.
If you don’t stop to think about why you are servicing this complex or what sorts of lives the residents live, then it’s time to take a step back for a minute and reevaluate why you have chosen to run a valet trash company.
Talk to the property managers. Observe the residents. Make a list.
- What are the residents doing with their trash currently?
- Is there a recycling program on-site?
- Is it a pet-friendly community?
- Do the property managers seem short on maintenance staff?
- Are there minor add-on services that would benefit the residents but attract the management?
If you find that the answers to these questions are “yes”, then you need to figure your valet trash prices with options of add-on services. Consider offering a discount if the property management selects two or more extra services such as pet station cleaning or adding your valet recycling services. Once you begin to meet the demands of your clients, you will be able to figure your trash valet prices accordingly.
In other words, make it about the customer.
You will have only one shining opportunity to present your valet trash prices with the intent of acquiring the property manager’s signature on that contract. Be confident and stand behind your valet trash prices knowing that you can be a competitive player in your industry because you rise above the rest due to your attention to detail and outstanding client service.
