What do you think

[tonys]

Next week I intend to run ads in all my local papers right across my local area.

Just looking to nick a few a bit and pieces from the domestic sparks, if there's any work in my area (Herts and Essex)

I Need something to do and the odd pennies will come in handy until a longish contract starts in a few weeks.

Don't matter how qualified and how experienced I am, its what money people want to spend.

I'm thinking on the lines of £20 for the initial first hour of turning up, then maybe £15 an hour onwards.

Or should I go £20 then £10 onwards, bear in mind agencies don't want to pay that great money at the moment.

 

[derek preece]

£15 per hour sounds a bit low especially once you've taken off tax and business expenses.

 

[drew35]

I vote £20 then £10, it gets people to pick up the phone who otherwise wouldn't, especially just after Christmas. It gets your foot in the door, do a good job and word spreads, you can always put prices up at a later date. I had a load of stickers printed with my logo and number so every job gets one plastered over the fuse box, they can't lose your number that way. I always think its better to be working for less than not working at all, or its better to be working for less than stuck at home with the wife!

 

[rocker]

30 then 25 I would say as a minimum, that's not london either, you could probbly put another 25% on for london. Don't sell yourself short.

 

[tonys]

Good interesting replies, everything Ive got, like van tools, tester, insurance, the whole sharboo etc is all paid up, so all the money is going in my pocket so to speak.

Cheers Tony

 

[kung]

Agree with Rocker there buddy ! £30 first hr then £25 per hr after ! if you wanted you could even tweek it to £15 per every extra half hr after the 1st £30 that seems to work for me.

 

[tonys]

Kung

Where I live, there's quite a lot of builders and tradesmen, they all end up traveling to London for work (aprox 15 miles away) so the ones what are left are more than likely fighting for any work.

 

[ian.settle1]

I vote £20 then £10, it gets people to pick up the phone who otherwise wouldn't, especially just after Christmas. It gets your foot in the door, do a good job and word spreads, you can always put prices up at a later date. I had a load of stickers printed with my logo and number so every job gets one plastered over the fuse box, they can't lose your number that way. I always think its better to be working for less than not working at all, or its better to be working for less than stuck at home with the wife!

By the time you have paid out tax, NI and other overheads you will be working for peanuts for £10

 

[matt456]

£10.00 per hour!!!!! thats what i charged to do guvvy jobs for cash when i was an apprentice ten years ago
ffs thats £7.50 ph after tax and nat ins
no self respecting spark would work for that, seriously!
Your just taking the **** out of yourself and other qualified tradesman

I started up on my own last year and do bits of agency in between as not doing any advertising, van not sign written so its really only friends and their friends etc i work for.
Was charging £18.00 now having to charge £20.00 cant make anything out of it worth while you might as well be on the cards for a company if your charging charging less than £20 ph

 

[gpz900jim]

what ive done is to set up a website giving prices for pretty much all i do, then if you publicise your website your potential customers can find out how much a job is before they even phone you , as the initial call can be daunting for customers The Little Bathroom Company

 

[tonys]

Thanks for all the comments, gpz900jim is the site producing any leads?

Well I'm getting an idea of what domestic sparks are charging.

 

[kung]

Were all competing against not only sparks/domestic installers etc as well as cowboys/few pints down the pub guys but your a pro and have the quals/insurance/scheme bills etc and what your customers are getting is piece of mind in a good safe above board job done ! i think were worth our fee.

 

[Octopus]

OK, so you get some work based on £20.00 then £10.00 per hour. How exactly do you expect to get your "normal" rate in the future.

Dropping your prices may seem sensible but imagine a few weeks work @ £10.00 - you may end up regretting it.

Also if you're too cheap, you might even put people off using you.

Also, how much are you thinking of spending on advertising? You need to cover this expense too!

 

[TPES]

what ive done is to set up a website giving prices for pretty much all i do, then if you publicise your website your potential customers can find out how much a job is before they even phone you , as the initial call can be daunting for customers The Little Bathroom Company

Very interesting website.

 

[Knobhead]

I’ve never advertised for electrical work, but I took 10 years out as a professional photographer for which I had to advertise. It was drummed in to me to never put a price in an advert as it degrades your service. Include your qualifications, but there’s one I would avoid “part P qualified”, it reads as “Part Qualified” to the layman. It’s a standing joke amongst industrial electricians.