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Price Check

4K views 18 replies 9 participants last post by  jrs.landscaping 
#1 ·
Just getting a second opinion on what you guys would charge to plow and salt this lot. I've had it for several years and now someone decided to give the owner a second snow/salt quote and i think he is low balling. Parking lot is about an acre and im in Northwest suburbs. Plowing and salting parking lot only, no walks. Snow can be placed almost anywhere.

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#4 ·
If it were here, I would want $180 a push and $100 + materials to sand, each hopper full is $100 and materials BTW.
That's a good sized lot, and I see 3 loading docks that need to be backdragged? Be there a good hour and 20
minutes, right?
 
#5 ·
Buswell Forest;1667104 said:
If it were here, I would want $180 a push and $100 + materials to sand, each hopper full is $100 and materials BTW.
That's a good sized lot, and I see 3 loading docks that need to be backdragged? Be there a good hour and 20
minutes, right?
That sounds about right. The other guy was charging $70 per push up to 10" and $140 after that. Then $20 to salt the ENTIRE parking lot. Up too how many inches would you plow for $180?
 
#6 ·
All my work is per push, not by incriments. So, whatever trigger they wanted up to say, 4.5 inches. If they wanted me to come after that, then I would up it to $210. More snow is more time. Pricing in incriments I find to be ********. Set a trigger, and I will be there. I make "x" per push. The lower the trigger, the lower I will charge up to a point. Only because the customer is not made of money, and I will make my money on volume most storms..so, say this lot is mine at $180 a push with a 3" trigger. In a 12" snow event, I will be there 4 times. If they wanted me to come @ a 1" trigger, I would lower my per push to 100. They would hopefully see that as a very fair deal, but I would make 1200 on 12 inches instead of the 720 I would have made at 180 per 3" trigger. But on that lot, 100 a push is the lowest I could go..I want to average 100 an hour minimum over the course of a shift. And that is an hour plus job even at an inch.
 
#7 ·
And we all know that 20 won't buy enough salt and sand mix to do a 100' sidewalk. What a lying dirtball. He will hang himself in a quick hurry. Then they will call you up, crying. Then you tell them your price went up 10%.
 
#8 ·
Buswell Forest;1667175 said:
And we all know that 20 won't buy enough salt and sand mix to do a 100' sidewalk. What a lying dirtball. He will hang himself in a quick hurry. Then they will call you up, crying. Then you tell them your price went up 10%.
Awesome i will look into other pricing options for future customers. And ya i dont think this guy knows what hes doing. Check out his site rycoplowing.com
 
#9 ·
lino9408;1666776 said:
Just getting a second opinion on what you guys would charge to plow and salt this lot. I've had it for several years and now someone decided to give the owner a second snow/salt quote and i think he is low balling. Parking lot is about an acre and im in Northwest suburbs. Plowing and salting parking lot only, no walks. Snow can be placed almost anywhere.
Without having to re-bid this place I would simply give the owner or manager a call. Say "hey I have done this for how many years now, I have looked at his bid and there is simply no way he will get it done for that amount." Explain to him the costs (but not the actual dollar amounts) and explain how long it takes to do each step. Makeing note for anyone else who reads this (caps for attention only)
:waving:IT IS STATISTICALLY PROVEN THAT THE CONTRACTOR WHO CAN BREAK DOWN THE BILL TO THE CUSTOMER AND EXPLAIN WHY IT COSTS WHAT IT DOES IS 80% MORE LIKELY TO BE CHOSEN BECAUSE THE CUSTOMER CAN SEE EXACTLY WHERE THEIR MONEY IS GOING WILL BETTER REASON WITH THAT PRICE THAT YOU HAVE BID THEM. >>>READ THAT IN LAWN AND LANDSCAPE MAGAZINE<<<:waving:
 
#10 ·
BossPlowMaster;1667299 said:
Without having to re-bid this place I would simply give the owner or manager a call. Say "hey I have done this for how many years now, I have looked at his bid and there is simply no way he will get it done for that amount." Explain to him the costs (but not the actual dollar amounts) and explain how long it takes to do each step. Makeing note for anyone else who reads this (caps for attention only)
:waving:IT IS STATISTICALLY PROVEN THAT THE CONTRACTOR WHO CAN BREAK DOWN THE BILL TO THE CUSTOMER AND EXPLAIN WHY IT COSTS WHAT IT DOES IS 80% MORE LIKELY TO BE CHOSEN BECAUSE THE CUSTOMER CAN SEE EXACTLY WHERE THEIR MONEY IS GOING WILL BETTER REASON WITH THAT PRICE THAT YOU HAVE BID THEM. >>>READ THAT IN LAWN AND LANDSCAPE MAGAZINE<<<:waving:
I am friends with the owner, i will talk to him and see what he is thinking. I was just wondering if i was charging too much, but this guy is def a low baller.
 
#11 ·
lino9408;1667304 said:
I am friends with the owner, i will talk to him and see what he is thinking. I was just wondering if i was charging too much, but this guy is def a low baller.
I am going to write a short post about industry standards and about customer satisfaction... watch for it in the new posts
 
#12 ·
lino9408;1667304 said:
I am friends with the owner, i will talk to him and see what he is thinking. I was just wondering if i was charging too much, but this guy is def a low baller.
The best person you can screw, Is some one you know.
Maybe your friend know other guy is way to low. Your friend is trying drive your price down. By using this low bid to get you lower your price down.

You ever thought about that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
#15 ·
Same thing happened to me last year. A place we had been servicing for 4 years decided to switch because they found a cheaper price. We were salting the lot for $100 and someone offered to salt it for $30. Well the place looked like ***** last year and you could tell whoever salted it was doing it by hand. About 3/4 of the way thru the season I caught the clown salting the lot. He pulled in the lot with a younger kid (maybe 15) and set up a wheelbarrow in the back of the truck. He then dumps in 2 bags of salt, climbs back into the truck and drives partway thru the lot while the kid in the back throws handfulls of salt down. We sat and watched laughing the whole time.

Well guess who called the first part of september asking if we could turn in prices for snow this year. When I asked her about last year she said they had to call the guy everythime it snowed then after he would salt they would have to call him back to fix what he didnt salt the first time. She said they had several people slip and fall last year. BTW we resigned them this year with an increase in price.
 
#16 ·
Bossman 92;1667386 said:
Same thing happened to me last year. A place we had been servicing for 4 years decided to switch because they found a cheaper price. We were salting the lot for $100 and someone offered to salt it for $30. Well the place looked like ***** last year and you could tell whoever salted it was doing it by hand. About 3/4 of the way thru the season I caught the clown salting the lot. He pulled in the lot with a younger kid (maybe 15) and set up a wheelbarrow in the back of the truck. He then dumps in 2 bags of salt, climbs back into the truck and drives partway thru the lot while the kid in the back throws handfulls of salt down. We sat and watched laughing the whole time.

Well guess who called the first part of september asking if we could turn in prices for snow this year. When I asked her about last year she said they had to call the guy everythime it snowed then after he would salt they would have to call him back to fix what he didnt salt the first time. She said they had several people slip and fall last year. BTW we resigned them this year with an increase in price.
Win win for you xysport
 
#19 ·
Buswell Forest;1667175 said:
And we all know that 20 won't buy enough salt and sand mix to do a 100' sidewalk. What a lying dirtball. He will hang himself in a quick hurry. Then they will call you up, crying. Then you tell them your price went up 10%.
$20 could salt sand that whole lot

$7.25 PCY for screened sand in pit

$9.00 per bag for rock salt

that's $3.75 profit for the load, granted it will be mixed 100 : 1

payup :laughing:
 
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