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Do we upsell too much or not enough? Had a talk with an old timer that made me question it
Ran into this retired sweep, Bob from Pittsburgh, at a parts store last Tuesday. He said when he started in the 80s, a basic cleaning was $45 and people just paid it, no extras. I quoted a customer $280 yesterday for a cleaning plus a liner inspection and new cap, and they almost walked. Bob said we're pricing ourselves into being used only when chimneys are already failing. I get that insurance and liability have changed the game, but is he right that we're losing the routine maintenance crowd? Anyone else feel the squeeze between doing the job right and scaring people off with the numbers?
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allen.quinn5d ago
Bob from Pittsburgh sounds like he's remembering the good old days through some pretty thick rose colored glasses lol. A $45 cleaning in the 80s adjusted for inflation is still around $130 today, so it's not like prices doubled for no reason. Plus back then nobody was worried about dryer vent fires or carbon monoxide lawsuits the way we have to be now. The real issue is whether you're explaining the value or just throwing numbers at people, cause $280 for a legit full service sounds fair if you break it down. Maybe the old timer's crowd just had less options and more trust, but that doesn't mean we're pricing ourselves out, it means we gotta sell the why better.
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