My Struggles with Pricing Concierge Services
This week I want to dive into one of the biggest questions and biggest issues that Concierges face: how to PRICE your concierge services.
When I started my business back in 2010, I did as everyone else does in the industry. I stalked dozens and dozens of other “concierge” websites out there and paid close attention to what their fee structure was.
I’m sure you’ve found the same thing I did.
Some people post their prices, others do not. Some say 30-minute minimum, others say one-hour minimum. Others charge in “bundles” and others offer “packages.”
So as a newbie in the industry – I was LOST with a capital L!!
I even researched several books on pricing too – but the books said things like:
You can charge “by the hour,” by the “project” or sell a “bulk of hours.” Again I felt LOST with a capital L.
So, I did the only thing I could. I just “started.”
When I started out, I decided to price my services at $25/hr. I thought it seemed like a fair and reasonable rate.
And NO ONE hired me.
I even remember when I was first getting my feet wet. I met a doctor who lived in my neighborhood. I was excited and thought right away – “I have a client!!!” YESSS!!!
So on a lovely evening, as I sat in his home and was served tea by his wife, he proceeded to take me around his home. He shared with me some of the closets in his house that were overflowing with ties, suits, shoes, clothes in general.
Again, I was like, “yessssss – I may have my first client!!”
So, we sat together again in his sitting room as I proudly began to explain to him that I could absolutely tackle those closets and how amazing they would look when I was finished. I was even imagining some new baskets, better hangers and reorganizing the entire space.
Then he looked at me and said, “I could never ask you to do something like that.”
I literally sat there shocked! Apparently, he felt that cleaning out closets was “beneath me” – insert face smack.
That night I went home and increased my rates to $35/hr. Then my phone started to ring…
And that worked for a while…
But having to “sell” services over and over, hour by hour, became an exhausting challenge in my business. I felt like I was always hunting for a sale – and THAT made me feel like CRAP!
And when I started to have more overhead, my profit after expenses felt like nothing in comparison to the amount of time and effort I felt I was putting into my business. Many a night I would cry on my husband’s shoulder telling him “I work soooooo hard” and I’m barely making any money.
I needed help – AND needed to see things I wasn’t seeing. So I hired a business coach who could look at the numbers and make recommendations.
Then, my coach encouraged me to “increase my rates.” I tried, but then I hit an energetic snag.
Then another business coach told me to sell my services in “blocks of time.” That seemed to work a little bit better for a while… until it didn’t. And again – I felt like I was always hunting down another sale. And the clients I was attracting didn’t have full buy-in.
After many trials and errors, I found a way to price my personal concierge services in a “membership model” and THAT is when things started to change for me. Sales were easier to predict, knowing “when” to hire the next team member became easier and taking a consistent “paycheck” no longer felt like I was hurting my cash flow.
Then we started to find more and more ways to show up in the marketplace in ways that people say YES – over and over.
And I owe that all to what we refer to as our “perfect pricing model.”
But here’s the thing my friend. My “perfect pricing” may NOT be your “perfect pricing.”
There are things that need to be considered: geographical location, ideal clients, and the VALUE that you bring to the table as part of your unique selling proposition. But once you know WHAT works – all you have to do is MODEL what works for others.
So if you too have struggled with getting really clear on “how to price” your services, how to make a more consistent income and how to show up BIGGER in your community – Then you need my “Confidently Priced to Sell” Program!
In this 3 hour course, I’ll be showing you the membership model we have been successfully using in our business for over 5 years now, plus how to create sales and money “on demand” with what we refer to as our “wild card” offers… ( You’ll know exactly what that is for YOU’RE business at the end of this training )
The KEY to successful sales is:
- Having enough sales conversations
- Having pricing that is easy for your clients to understand but also supports YOUR bottom line
If you’re still waffling back and forth in confusion, or you’re tired of selling your time an hour at a time – Consider doing this for yourself!
Sign UP Here – https://theconciergeacademy.com/pricing
Stop selling one hour at a time – it’s going to kill you!
Stop giving away your time for “free” doing “free consultations” ( I show you how to STOP doing that – and what you should do instead )
Get your hourly rate, packages, retainer packages AND promotions mapped out and have your pricing and fee structure created by morning without taking years trying to figure it out on your own!
Get Your Pricing Figured Out Now!
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Welcome readers! If this is your first time reading my blog, thank you for stopping by! As a concierge who has built a successful business, I have decided to help other budding entrepreneurs do the same! As the Founder of The Concierge Academy, I write about specific topics and marketing strategies that Work for our industry!
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