ugh this is so true! I did a low ball quote yesterday for a client and now I am kicking myself in the ass for it. SO not worth it. I need to be more confident and learn how to be comfy throwing out higher prices. Love your videos!
Yeah man.... lets go with an air of confidence. Not settling for less Im BRAND NEW in the game.... but did all phases of work for years as a worker. I was ashamed my first job last week , for not knowing how it would go on my own. Afraid i would take too long. Or whatever. Very silly. I want to charge a decent price. And see what happens. Have a confidence that i just walk off if they are not willing to pay. And hit the bricks till i get someone who is. Who is gunna pay my bills in one day for that week or month. Thoughts guys?? Im so not knowledgeable about pricing. Have no good connections w any boss who i think would help me out. Its like a grimey competition in the whole area im from. Ppl are so scared. I have NO CLUE about pricing
Just dont want to work for pennies anymore. Or basically what i used to make as a worker, to get the job. Everything has to be factored. If its 93° , maybe ur best bet is to start early and cut out by 2. To u thats a day. Can u make in 7 hrs significantly more, than u used to, as a worker in 10-14 hrs?? I had better. I cant be scared of getting rejected. Its just, when uve gone door to door to 700 houses and u got not a call.... When one person takes u in their back, and says can u do this..... and u have to feed your family and not get evicted.... That u might say some stupid low rates without thinking..... to get the job.... like i did last week. And all it did was cover overdraft fees in the end anyways. I certainly could use a bro. I wish i had someone to guide me in this area in all this
Call Tony Bass, you're welcome...www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJzj4tZP1zcsy84rNMvLMmC0UjWosLBIM061TDM2NDewTDUxNbYyqDBLTjQwMjdITUtMSbY0S7T0EinJz6tUSEosLlZIzs8rLs0pycxLBwApuxcc&q=tony+bass+consulting&oq=tony+bass+&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j46j0j46j0l2j46.4694j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#
I really don’t like telling other contractors how much they should charge or how much I try to charge. I once told a Utuber contractor you should try to charge 80-100 an hour for your skill. Someone in the comments said my wife is a doctor and I did the math and last year she made 96 an hour. So your trying to tell me I should pay the guy pressure washing my deck the same ? Your damn right. Who is going to pay when something breaks ? Who is going to pay for you at 60 with skin cancer doing this line of work? Each and every day my goal is to make as much as possible. People need to understand one thing, the customer can care less about you or your problems. The only way to grow a business and really see a different level of income is to make 700-1000 a day. I’m telling you now $300 and $400 a day is good but not great. Until your bringing home 2000-3000 a week in this day and age , your not doing too much. All this is just my opinion from growing my business.
People like that a dumb, a doctor MAKES 96 an hour but they cost the company more than 96 an hour. If i make say £50 an hour I put £30 in my pocket I'm not making £50 an hour I'm charging it, there's a massive difference.
We as small business owners all have similar struggles, thanks for being authentic and real. You are on the right path with pricing. It takes money to grow a business and you can't do that being the cheapest guy in town.
Keith, your passion, honesty and wisdom has been an inspiration to me every since I first discovered you. Your open and sincere revelations speaks to the true experience and struggle of the small business owner and reflect many experiences I have encountered in my own personal journey and I thank you for sharing your insights with us. Any new or aspirating business owner can do nothing but benefit from listening to your wisdom. Thank you , my brother.
Im glad, your words has gotten me through many a tough time and i can relate to every single word that you say... so I'm happy I can share something that meaningful to you. Spiritual warrior, keep fighting the good fight. :) I'll be listening. Again, thanks.
Exactly. A software engineer makes 100K a year typing code into a computer all day. Does he feel like he's ripping off his company because he doesn't break a sweat during his entire work day? Hell no. He feels like he should be making 200K a year and the company is lucky to have a guy like him. That's because he was encouraged as a child and has a great self image. A lot of people never had that support and that's our biggest weakness. Good for you. Your time is invaluable. When you become president of the united states these home owners will think "Wow I got such a great deal on my service... The president only charged me _____"! Keep it up brother!
Hi Keith!! We live in a small mining town in Australia! I love your videos! I started my gardening and landscaping business a year ago on the 1st of July after I came across your channel! Your videos have been critical to me building my business! I started with a cheap utility and a few bits a pieces cleaning up gardens by myself....a year later I now have 5 people working for me and 3 vehicles and 2 trailers! You have been a super inspiration man!! Thank you!!! Sending you lots of blessings! Marelize
True.... Took me awhile to figure this out when I first started but it's absolute truth! You can't rip people off but you can't be afraid to charge either. If you get every job that you quote your prices are way too low
I've listened to you and watched your videos for years. I just did a landscaping job. They have a professional landscaper. He is successful and owns several properties, including a house two doors down from them. HIS property has amazing plants, including a bushy Crepe Myrtle. She's been requesting plants from him since last year-- but he made no time for her. He gets to cut her grass and trim her plants once a year. I picked a picky woman's plants for her, planted them and now the baller can trim my plants! This could be a solid six figure profession working solo only 45 hours a week + travel time. I doubt I'll ever go full time, but thanks to you I've gained a solid side gig option! Gotta love "luxury services."
That thing you said about good money really spoke to me man. I find myself saying “I made good money today”. But I still can’t take my family to dinner without thinking about how much I’m gonna spend.
Another problem is, voice of mouth. People start talking bout this one guy who is so cheap within 1 month you"re booked for an entire year. But by the end of the year you can close up shop.
I think one big reason for this small business owner phenomenon is how much time, energy and sacrifice it takes to even just get it off the ground. After 2 years of grinding your ass off, hiring and firing, making mistakes and networking to get it breaking even we sometimes get stuck in that mindset. We tend to grow slower than the business if that makes sense. Speaking for myself mostly, I’m just now starting to get better at getting my true rate and I’ve been in business 6 years and lose a lot of bids because of it
I'm sitting down the street from hopefully a future client and it's my biggest landscape job yet and I'm about to give them the quote. I've been watching your videos and preparing for this since 5 this morning. I reverse-engineered the estimate and I think I have everything covered. This excitement that I feel is truly terrifying and good at the same time. This is what it's all about getting started. I just wanted to say thanks again because I'm not sure if I would have the courage to do it or even know much about doing it at all!!!!
Been there. This year my first year I under cut a job by alot but I'm still learning now I know. That's exactly what happened I blew my tranny on my truck costed 3000. Man it will take me a while to make it but I'm determined to price better moving forward
Dear Keith Thank you for all the teaching that you provide I did a job that was supposed to take me 3 days end up 4 days I still made a profit for this job but I also know that I missed making more money by loosing other ones. thank you for all you do.
Great video kieth have this problem till today afraid of giving the estimate I have in my head rather than the price I should give bc of losing the job ,
Man I just got out the Navy and have been going to school full time on the GI while working at Home Depot on weekends. Expressed myself to my wife that I'm not where I want to be in life. I study and work 24/7. She said "babe you do a great job on the yard minus your allergies lol why don't you make a lawn care business.? You have all your own equipment, a truck etc". After I slept on the Idea and talked to a few people it seems like something I can obtain. After watching your videos it has given me more courage to go out and be my own boss. Let's see what happens, will keep you updated. Thanks boats!
Keith - no apologies needed. I think you were on point for this whole video. You were riffing on something that you wanted to share: that’s why we subscribe to you.
I just got to 9:27 and wanted to answer your question. I think it's because most of us don't know what the right quote is. How do you figure profit into your bid. I mean I hear you throw numbers around about what you charge to do a tree or a Bush or to spread mulch or pine needles, but never a breakdown as to why you charge that. What warrants $150 to trim a tree or $45 to trim a hedge? I screwed up tonight and priced a job way too low again, but like you said, now I'm stuck doing it for that much. I just don't know. I can admit it.
The stresses of "The S Quadrant" teach us the lessons that will bring us into the relaxing peace and security of "The B Quadrant." They are just parts of our education, and I'm here to say, this was an important video, and I hope a lot of people take it to heart. I am so happy that I have left all the stresses and anxieties behind, and not by leaving the yardwork profession; but rather, by succeeding in it, as you are.
bro you are so correct. im about to hire a landscaper cause these fools out here are doing front and back yards with edging bush and brush management and charging $50 per visit, twice per month. my neighbor had three guys in her yard for 3.5hrs for 50 bucks. i cant do it myself this cheap. i thought she was paying like 300-500 per visit.
Hey keith I just wanted to say you have been a big inspiration for me and my brother he owns his own landscaping company and he makes the money your talking about man he charges and make the money he set out to make and now he is living the dream and I'm now starting my own company and you have helped a lot thank you man
Thanks Keith. You always deliver. Yes, a lot of what you say we already know, or should already know. But watching your vids helps revalidate and remind to stay the course. "Maximize profits and obey the law."
Thanks man. I'm going to start my own land scaping business here in California next month. I saved up enough money to buy a truck, lawn mower, trimmer and blower. I'm ready for the fire. God bless you and your family. A Million Thank you's. 💪
That was f-n great ! Cause we all ( especially me ) been there many many times. PS. Sorry for me feeling better for your frustrations! Been in this bus for 25 yrs. Totally get it
You're exactly right! I did a cleanup quote yesterday for this disaster of a yard. And I kept thinking the whole time I'm bidding this for the time I know it's gonna take me cuz it's gonna take a lot for this mess. No way was I gonna be chained to that yard smacking myself in the head with a rake while gnawing on a chicken bone! If another company lowballs that job, God bless 'em! Love your passion, it's reality guys!
Good video Keith. This is so true. I just started my buisness and when I'm giving quotes, its hard because in the back of your mind you know there's some guy somewhere that will do it for cheaper.so you wanna get the job but you also wanna be profitable. So I've just been going with my gut when writing my quotes i know this this is the best price i can give or else i won't be profitable so why do it .and even though I'm worried its too much,I close my eyes and click send lol. Its been working well.i think if your doing an excellent job then your clients won't mind paying a little extra and those are the clients you want.
Hey Keith love your channel I've been seeing you grow as a businessman I can totally see the confidence you have now as you continue your journey. Keep it up. Never sell yourself short bud. Shootout to you from Omaha Nebraska !
Thank you Keith ,you walk the talk because you been their .thanks for the heads up , landscapers sometimes just talk the profit side but not the dark side when equipment breaks. But you do both sides. ,👍
Thanks man ! Really appreciate it, ive given 2 quotes that have been atleast 20% cheaper then local companies and got rejected i was thinking that even though i didint want to go lower i was going to have to.. but no im going to, im going to stand my ground !! 😡
I love your videos and this is so true their is so much competition in our field. My husband and I have our company. I run all the office, accounting and marketing. When he goes out to a site to provide an estimate. I go through the estimate double check prices and labor costs and gas and travel then I send out the estimate. I tell my husband if you provide great service even if your a little higher they will come to us because our work is good.
I agree with what you are saying I live in the uk Have a landscaping company I know all my running costs and profit margin I need to work in to cover all my expenses etc but after quoting 30 jobs and only winning 3 down to price it gets really demoralising and takes a lot of unpaid work to produce the quotes I live in one of the most deprived areas in the country so people are very price conscious There comes a point where you don’t have any work so you have to come in line with your competitors We try and aim for the high end clients but they are few and far between I have started to pre qualify my clients on the phone basically telling them that our garden start from a certain price point Seems to save a lot of time
Exactly. You get known for being cheap as well (made this error). Plus you can work 3 days and earn the same as 5. The worst feeling is when you’re working for nothing especially if the clients are rich.
Hey brother, I appreciate your videos. I just started my own business after 12 years working for everyone else. I just experienced my 1st customer with the intent to low ball me. I stuck to my guns being professional 💪💪. Example ,she said I can get $31/ yard for mulch, then I asked her who's going to install it. My price was $75/ yard for delivery and installed. She actually was getting a better deal with that price instead by hour. So then she asked well if I buy the mulch how much would you charge to install it. I said $50/hour plus delivery. Needless to say she said she would call back. She had me write out the contract and had it set for this Thursday and now she changed her mind. I said you're paying for professional services and it will be done right the first time. She said well I will let you know. I'm thinking in my head if she takes to long I'll add another 25% 😂😂😂
Hay there keith ....lol we the business Owners Like u and i cant talk to any randum person. They Will think that we are going peanuts lol. How daré u rip people off for a sprinkler head that u havent broken yet??? LOL... but thats the Way IT is. 👍🇵🇷
I moved almost 20 yards of mulch in 3 hours for peanuts. The guy guy flips out 5 ones, does a magic trick turns them into 5 hundreds, gives me one and some change. I was so done after that. Whole mentality shift.
this is my first year in business. i have learned that already. i bid a job very high today just in hopes they wouldn't accept it. not only did they accept. they tipped on top of it. love your videos dawwwg. keep it up.
Keith, I totally agree, but even quoting high doesn't mean the customer isn't going to find other ways to screw you AFTER they accept your quote. Here's a few things I've experienced lately that are driving me crazy. Would love to hear how you deal with them: 1) Requesting endless changes and substitutions; 2) Expecting endless consultations/meetings, calling all the time (including all weekend) to discuss things that have already been discussed 4 times, and generally disrespecting my time; 3) Micromanaging every detail of the actual work once it's started, even though they have NO knowledge whatsoever of plants, landscaping or design; 4) going behind my back to MY suppliers (this one REALLY burns me up) to see if they can buy things direct and just get me to install them, so THEY can save a few bucks and deny me any profit while just paying me for grunt labor.
Write change orders on the proposal with added cost IN FRONT OF THEM, bill them for call time and make sure they’re aware you do bill for time since time is money, ignore their micro managing and be selective of what you respond to and don’t respond to. Make sure your supplier knows name and address of the client, they can refuse to sell to them if you already put an order/hold on material. If that doesn’t work for you, don’t “warranty” the plant and labor to install/take out when and if it dies. If they continue to piss you off, cancel the contract on them and let the next guy deal with it.
Try to grow your business to the fact that you dominate your market place. When your able to do this customers will seek you out and prepay for services. But in order for this to happen you must dominate your market place and there are only a few ways to do so. I will say it doesn’t happen over night, it takes a little bit of time.
When certain customers ask for more, to some I say that'll be extra and they're like nevermind! Another guy haggle me down then tried to get me to do his bushes at no extra cost. I was like that'll be extra and he's like, well my other guy, my other guy, my other guy. Yeah, go get your other guy.....
I put a clause about change orders on all my contracts, so in principle I charge for any substantial changes. The tricky part is the gray area where they try to swap things of equal value. Even if the material cost is the same, it costs me time in terms of revising quotes and talking with the client. Once or twice it's not a big deal, but sometimes you get people who are just neurotically unable to make up their freaking mind, and it becomes a massive time-suck. As for the supplier issue: it's amazing how many people don't understand the concept of wholesale vs. retail, and if I try to explain it to them, get all cagey and think I'm trying to rip them off. 'Owner profit', 'administrative costs' - these things a real to ME, but so often customers think the only thing they're supposed to pay for is the actual time I spend on their property digging holes etc. I know I need to find a way to deal with these things effectively - but it's not easy when you're already stressed out and overworked.
Youre right keith. I used to do this until one day i realised ive worked every day all year and still no better off then a guy down the road working a 9 to 5 job. When youve worked all year and still cant afford anything you soon realise your price needs to go up. Keep it going keith.
I just found your videos by total happenstance. I have started a small business and made all of the mistakes that you are talking about. To point of failure. I still own my shop. Screen printing. I only do work that I can make a profit on, a solid profit. If it’s not there I don’t do it. It took a bunch of free work long nights to learn the hard lessons you are talking about. Truth. I was the guy underbidding. Worst mistake I ever made. Will not do it again. Thanks for videos. God bless. I love your hustle!
Man i dont even landscape, but i watch all your stuff because i enjoy listening to you....like full on listening....you are authentic and deal and have been through the shit, and i can tell....you learned and are trying to learn...your advice and philosophy really resonates with me...kieth your a good dude....here is some positive karma. I know u will receive it
Brotha Preach i'm not sure if i'm under quoting or not but I charge 50 per hour no exceptions most of the time customers give me more. I know this was 2018 but it still applies. Can you please talk about taxes or bring on an expert to talk about them with your connections I believe in you. I havnt paid my taxes for 18 or 19 this is my second year and have some money on the books for those two years that I need to tackle but my business only covers my bills.
You’re awesome bro. That’s why I like listening to your videos , always truthful real stuff. Keep up the good work. You inspire me to go out there and give out best Quotes keep it real brother keep on yelling lol 👍🏼
Came back here because I gave a quote today and the customer said no (cant afford). I estimated the job at $1320 (labor cost) @ 16 hrs. Now, i offered to do the whole job for $1800 even. Id make $1000 in two days (of course, it might take longer). If they accept my $1800, id be pretty happy because im broke and homeless and need money. However, im not willing to work for pennies. Been there done that!
True talk, I've massively under quoted a commercial maintenance job, I actually detest going there now as I know I'm working for peanuts, tried asking for more hours at the site but they aren't interested, shall I just cancel contract guys and learn from it?
The bid formula is this. If you're getting 100% of your bids your prices are too low. If your getting 0%-25% of your bids your prices are too high. You want to be in the 50% range, that's your sweet spot. 2nd formula: time vs cost vs quality. Customers get 2, contractor gets one. No one says they want a low quality job so that's a given. So it comes down to cost vs time. If they want it done right away, you get to charge more. If they can wait longer on the calendar you can lower the rate a little, but not much. Here in Silicon Valley there is no off season, except for mud.
Hey how do I know what to quot for landscaping jobs, how do I know I havent over quoted. Also not shour if that when you do a landscaping job if you get the muny whe you tern up to do the job or after the job
Great video Keith! My Grandpa was a house painter and I remember him saying he could make more money sitting at home than working for a lower rate! I thought that was crazy until I got older. I’m in sales now and I completely understand what he meant back then! I have a set number that I go by now and if a customer doesn’t spend that with me then it’s not worth it to me to pursue that customer! I believe that even a new guy starting out today can and will make it if they don’t get caught up in the “lowball” game!!! Keep up the good work and have a happy holiday!
At 12:50 I agreed with you man. F that, like we're supposed to let ppl take a deuce on us. You learn from your mistakes and that's called wisdom my friend
Keith, five seconds into this video and I cannot help but to agree with you. Stop undercutting your business or go broke! Great start to another great video.
When I trained my Shrub & Garden Manager I basically said all that you said. This “Rant” should go through everybody’s estimator part of their brain before putting the price to any quote. Good stuff man!
Story of my life, I have been underbiding jobs so I can pay my bills. Then I when I have a sudden break down, or need to higher employees I am always getting notifcations that my bank account hit zero. Then I always use my real estate money to foot the bills at my cleaning company. This year I went to hire employees and found that they work slower then I do. So now its like a night mare, where 70-90% of the jobs go directly to employee labor. Now I am finding myself calling up my customers asking them to pay more like $6 bucks more and they are cancelling like I am yesterdays news. I have gotten to the point where I don't even worry about losing the $12, or $10, or $15 dollar customers because there is so many other people out their willing to pay my rates of $35 for the same amount of windows. Keith Kalfas is so dead on with charging what you should charge and allowing the customers to buy your rates instead of feeling like they are getting a deal.
I figured you might like knowing there is a yardwork company (no landscaping; just outside maid service, so to say) that has literally zero concern for route density. At Diamond Yardmasters, route density is simple: From the meeting at the office in the morning: Drive from The Office to your Monthly Maintenance appointment. Drive to your Extra Visit appointment. Done for the day. Unless you are on the Overhaul Crew, then it is just: Drive (or ride) from The Office to the Overhaul site. Done for the day. That's all folks!
What many people don't think about is the opportunity cost as well. Especially on big jobs. So you get this really big estimate and you cut back the price in order to make sure you get it. It's a $50,000 job and it's gonna take two weeks. In the mean time you turn away two weeks worth of work. That two weeks worth of work would have turned the same profit as this big job potentially in the short term. Then you missed out on doing work for all those people who could be a repeat customer, give us a referral, and post online reviews. If you compare the lifetime value of that one customer to the 8 or 10 you turned away I'd bet the 8 or 10 have a higher lifetime value than the one. The opportunity cost can be your largest expense on some of these large jobs where you block off your calendar. So you gotta get full price. Or maybe even HIGHER price. Thanks Keith.
Keith, I haven't been watching as much lately, but damn I need to get back to being a dedicated listener. THESE videos speak volumes to me because I can relate to a LOT of the content in this video. Bid a few jobs recently and yep...all those unforeseen things WILL (and did) happen.
I've just taken the plunge and started my own landscaping company here in Vancouver, I've been working as a foreman for a decent size company doing jobs well in access of 100k and what i've learned from that is customers who are in the market for jobs that range in the 10s of thousands are most likely business people themselves and know the value of money so therefore will be able to pick up on your lack of knowledge on how to quote and they know how to squeeze every bit out of you (they usually are the ones who will want work done for free) so like you said Keith quote right and don't under quote and know your customers.
So we know confidence is huge on getting people to say yes. Do you think a professional estimate packet, professional looking truck, and uniform plays a big part in that? I've found that often times we can knock peoples socks off with professionalism and they never even get another quote with junk removal. I'd imagine the same could be done in landscaping. Thoughts?
Do not listem to these fool's that tell you that you need anything! All of the people that follow you and watch your videos that love you and admire you and the people's lives that you have touched and some that you have even saved know that you don't need anything but we need you to STAY YOU, 100%! Dude... BEST BELIEVE THIS.... We ALL Love who you are and what you're about!!! If you were anything or anyone any different, even in the slightest way we wouldn't be here watching your video's and cheering you on my dear friend!
Passionate is ok bro!!! The greats have always been passionate. Average ppl expect you to act average. When you go above and beyond, they call u nuts..... until...... things come to fruition over time. Then they follow you. And want to be just like you. People have very little faith or none. They have to see it to believe it. Keep going bro. Love you man. God bless you and your lovely wife and family. 🤗
Great job Keith my detail biz that I started from scratch goes through the same emotions everyday. Keep the passion my man and keep cursing to convey your message you know they say people who curse are more intelligent!
That crazy I started doing that adding an extra 50 to 100 dollars to the quote for that same exact reason. Or if it takes longer then what I expected. This is with clean ups since I live in NY we get alot of leaves and some yards really don't know into you start the clean up I basically worked for free at 1 job and after that job I said never aging I'm pricing high so just incase I ran into an issue. It been working out good
Love it. Not in the business yet but I am thinking about it. Want to leave the automotive collision business. Because the margins are not that good in the business.
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
ugh this is so true! I did a low ball quote yesterday for a client and now I am kicking myself in the ass for it. SO not worth it. I need to be more confident and learn how to be comfy throwing out higher prices. Love your videos!
Don’t let them sell you. Quote high and people will pay you. You want your client list to be all top dollar people.
Yeah man.... lets go with an air of confidence. Not settling for less
Im BRAND NEW in the game.... but did all phases of work for years as a worker.
I was ashamed my first job last week , for not knowing how it would go on my own. Afraid i would take too long. Or whatever. Very silly.
I want to charge a decent price.
And see what happens.
Have a confidence that i just walk off if they are not willing to pay.
And hit the bricks till i get someone who is.
Who is gunna pay my bills in one day for that week or month.
Thoughts guys??
Im so not knowledgeable about pricing.
Have no good connections w any boss who i think would help me out.
Its like a grimey competition in the whole area im from.
Ppl are so scared.
I have NO CLUE about pricing
Just dont want to work for pennies anymore. Or basically what i used to make as a worker, to get the job.
Everything has to be factored. If its 93° , maybe ur best bet is to start early and cut out by 2.
To u thats a day.
Can u make in 7 hrs significantly more, than u used to, as a worker in 10-14 hrs??
I had better.
I cant be scared of getting rejected.
Its just, when uve gone door to door to 700 houses and u got not a call....
When one person takes u in their back, and says can u do this..... and u have to feed your family and not get evicted....
That u might say some stupid low rates without thinking..... to get the job.... like i did last week.
And all it did was cover overdraft fees in the end anyways.
I certainly could use a bro.
I wish i had someone to guide me in this area in all this
Call Tony Bass, you're welcome...www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJzj4tZP1zcsy84rNMvLMmC0UjWosLBIM061TDM2NDewTDUxNbYyqDBLTjQwMjdITUtMSbY0S7T0EinJz6tUSEosLlZIzs8rLs0pycxLBwApuxcc&q=tony+bass+consulting&oq=tony+bass+&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j46j0j46j0l2j46.4694j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#
I really don’t like telling other contractors how much they should charge or how much I try to charge. I once told a Utuber contractor you should try to charge 80-100 an hour for your skill. Someone in the comments said my wife is a doctor and I did the math and last year she made 96 an hour. So your trying to tell me I should pay the guy pressure washing my deck the same ? Your damn right. Who is going to pay when something breaks ? Who is going to pay for you at 60 with skin cancer doing this line of work? Each and every day my goal is to make as much as possible. People need to understand one thing, the customer can care less about you or your problems. The only way to grow a business and really see a different level of income is to make 700-1000 a day. I’m telling you now $300 and $400 a day is good but not great. Until your bringing home 2000-3000 a week in this day and age , your not doing too much. All this is just my opinion from growing my business.
damn right! lets build the middle class that obama destroyed
People like that a dumb, a doctor MAKES 96 an hour but they cost the company more than 96 an hour. If i make say £50 an hour I put £30 in my pocket I'm not making £50 an hour I'm charging it, there's a massive difference.
£400 to 500 a day x 4 days a week in England or there is no point. Makes me laugh when people think it goes straight in our pocket.
Yep! This is capitalism, not communism!
Wow I just read that I need to record that in my head thank you sir and blessings to you
We as small business owners all have similar struggles, thanks for being authentic and real. You are on the right path with pricing. It takes money to grow a business and you can't do that being the cheapest guy in town.
Yes absolutely
This is the THRUTH!
Keith, your passion, honesty and wisdom has been an inspiration to me every since I first discovered you. Your open and sincere revelations speaks to the true experience and struggle of the small business owner and reflect many experiences I have encountered in my own personal journey and I thank you for sharing your insights with us. Any new or aspirating business owner can do nothing but benefit from listening to your wisdom. Thank you , my brother.
Dude this means a lot.
I just want to be real.
Screw looking cool.
Can't fool anyone anyways.
Might as well be real.
Im glad, your words has gotten me through many a tough time and i can relate to every single word that you say... so I'm happy I can share something that meaningful to you. Spiritual warrior, keep fighting the good fight. :) I'll be listening. Again, thanks.
right on time bro😎
Ron Hall for real! Same here!
It sounds funny to say but Keith kalfas changed my life....
I hate when people do that, it devalues everyone's work.
Love your vlog, very inspiring.
If people in industry would network each other and help instead of cut throat everyone could afford to feed the geese lol
Exactly. A software engineer makes 100K a year typing code into a computer all day. Does he feel like he's ripping off his company because he doesn't break a sweat during his entire work day? Hell no. He feels like he should be making 200K a year and the company is lucky to have a guy like him. That's because he was encouraged as a child and has a great self image. A lot of people never had that support and that's our biggest weakness. Good for you. Your time is invaluable. When you become president of the united states these home owners will think "Wow I got such a great deal on my service... The president only charged me _____"! Keep it up brother!
Hahahaha
Damn true
Youre videos are valuable for many businesses not just landscaping.
To make a long story short value your time and the service you provide.
I still return to this video from time to time to stay on track thanks Keith
Hi Keith!! We live in a small mining town in Australia! I love your videos! I started my gardening and landscaping business a year ago on the 1st of July after I came across your channel! Your videos have been critical to me building my business! I started with a cheap utility and a few bits a pieces cleaning up gardens by myself....a year later I now have 5 people working for me and 3 vehicles and 2 trailers! You have been a super inspiration man!! Thank you!!! Sending you lots of blessings! Marelize
Thank you for being real- God bless your business and life.
I’m thankful that you keep sharing your knowledge. This helps me to avoid hard knocks on the head bro!!! 💯
True.... Took me awhile to figure this out when I first started but it's absolute truth! You can't rip people off but you can't be afraid to charge either. If you get every job that you quote your prices are way too low
I've listened to you and watched your videos for years. I just did a landscaping job. They have a professional landscaper. He is successful and owns several properties, including a house two doors down from them. HIS property has amazing plants, including a bushy Crepe Myrtle. She's been requesting plants from him since last year-- but he made no time for her.
He gets to cut her grass and trim her plants once a year.
I picked a picky woman's plants for her, planted them and now the baller can trim my plants!
This could be a solid six figure profession working solo only 45 hours a week + travel time. I doubt I'll ever go full time, but thanks to you I've gained a solid side gig option! Gotta love "luxury services."
Bro Keith your videos changed my life, thank you for your hard work on making your videos!, Juan from Washington State.
That thing you said about good money really spoke to me man. I find myself saying “I made good money today”. But I still can’t take my family to dinner without thinking about how much I’m gonna spend.
Another problem is, voice of mouth. People start talking bout this one guy who is so cheap within 1 month you"re booked for an entire year. But by the end of the year you can close up shop.
I think one big reason for this small business owner phenomenon is how much time, energy and sacrifice it takes to even just get it off the ground. After 2 years of grinding your ass off, hiring and firing, making mistakes and networking to get it breaking even we sometimes get stuck in that mindset. We tend to grow slower than the business if that makes sense. Speaking for myself mostly, I’m just now starting to get better at getting my true rate and I’ve been in business 6 years and lose a lot of bids because of it
I'm sitting down the street from hopefully a future client and it's my biggest landscape job yet and I'm about to give them the quote. I've been watching your videos and preparing for this since 5 this morning. I reverse-engineered the estimate and I think I have everything covered. This excitement that I feel is truly terrifying and good at the same time. This is what it's all about getting started. I just wanted to say thanks again because I'm not sure if I would have the courage to do it or even know much about doing it at all!!!!
Ahhhhhhhh!!!!! I got the job!!!!!!!!!
@@bynumtreeandlandscape7506 how is it going these days?
I love coming back to this video thanks Keith I’ve been averaging 80-100 hour for simple jobs like cleanups
Thanks for these videos bro. I'm just starting to be out on my own and the videos really help!
Been there. This year my first year I under cut a job by alot but I'm still learning now I know. That's exactly what happened I blew my tranny on my truck costed 3000. Man it will take me a while to make it but I'm determined to price better moving forward
Dear Keith Thank you for all the teaching that you provide I did a job that was supposed to take me 3 days end up 4 days I still made a profit for this job but I also know that I missed making more money by loosing other ones. thank you for all you do.
Great video kieth
have this problem till today afraid of giving the estimate I have in my head rather than the price I should give bc of losing the job ,
Man I just got out the Navy and have been going to school full time on the GI while working at Home Depot on weekends. Expressed myself to my wife that I'm not where I want to be in life. I study and work 24/7. She said "babe you do a great job on the yard minus your allergies lol why don't you make a lawn care business.? You have all your own equipment, a truck etc". After I slept on the Idea and talked to a few people it seems like something I can obtain. After watching your videos it has given me more courage to go out and be my own boss. Let's see what happens, will keep you updated. Thanks boats!
Love the video buddy. Its spring! Let's have some fun and grow.
Keith Kalfas for president!
thanks for the truth
its worth more than gold
You do not need an evaluation, your just very real. I love that you don't write these videos, you just are.
Watching alot of your videos. 1st year in business. But yrs of experience. Trying get out the worker mentality.
Keith - no apologies needed. I think you were on point for this whole video. You were riffing on something that you wanted to share: that’s why we subscribe to you.
I appreciate it when you break things down in small business details bro. Keep at it. Thanks.
I just got to 9:27 and wanted to answer your question. I think it's because most of us don't know what the right quote is. How do you figure profit into your bid. I mean I hear you throw numbers around about what you charge to do a tree or a Bush or to spread mulch or pine needles, but never a breakdown as to why you charge that. What warrants $150 to trim a tree or $45 to trim a hedge? I screwed up tonight and priced a job way too low again, but like you said, now I'm stuck doing it for that much. I just don't know. I can admit it.
The stresses of "The S Quadrant" teach us the lessons that will bring us into the relaxing peace and security of "The B Quadrant." They are just parts of our education, and I'm here to say, this was an important video, and I hope a lot of people take it to heart. I am so happy that I have left all the stresses and anxieties behind, and not by leaving the yardwork profession; but rather, by succeeding in it, as you are.
bro you are so correct. im about to hire a landscaper cause these fools out here are doing front and back yards with edging bush and brush management and charging $50 per visit, twice per month. my neighbor had three guys in her yard for 3.5hrs for 50 bucks.
i cant do it myself this cheap. i thought she was paying like 300-500 per visit.
Hey keith I just wanted to say you have been a big inspiration for me and my brother he owns his own landscaping company and he makes the money your talking about man he charges and make the money he set out to make and now he is living the dream and I'm now starting my own company and you have helped a lot thank you man
Thanks Keith. You always deliver. Yes, a lot of what you say we already know, or should already know. But watching your vids helps revalidate and remind to stay the course. "Maximize profits and obey the law."
Thanks man. I'm going to start my own land scaping business here in California next month. I saved up enough money to buy a truck, lawn mower, trimmer and blower. I'm ready for the fire. God bless you and your family. A Million Thank you's. 💪
That was f-n great ! Cause we all ( especially me ) been there many many times.
PS. Sorry for me feeling better for your frustrations!
Been in this bus for 25 yrs. Totally get it
You're exactly right! I did a cleanup quote yesterday for this disaster of a yard. And I kept thinking the whole time I'm bidding this for the time I know it's gonna take me cuz it's gonna take a lot for this mess. No way was I gonna be chained to that yard smacking myself in the head with a rake while gnawing on a chicken bone! If another company lowballs that job, God bless 'em!
Love your passion, it's reality guys!
Good video Keith. This is so true. I just started my buisness and when I'm giving quotes, its hard because in the back of your mind you know there's some guy somewhere that will do it for cheaper.so you wanna get the job but you also wanna be profitable. So I've just been going with my gut when writing my quotes i know this this is the best price i can give or else i won't be profitable so why do it .and even though I'm worried its too much,I close my eyes and click send lol. Its been working well.i think if your doing an excellent job then your clients won't mind paying a little extra and those are the clients you want.
Hey Keith love your channel I've been seeing you grow as a businessman I can totally see the confidence you have now as you continue your journey. Keep it up. Never sell yourself short bud. Shootout to you from Omaha Nebraska !
Thank you Keith ,you walk the talk because you been their .thanks for the heads up , landscapers sometimes just talk the profit side but not the dark side when equipment breaks. But you do both sides. ,👍
When I listen to you talk it makes me go harder at what I want to get accomplished,Thank you!!
Thanks man ! Really appreciate it, ive given 2 quotes that have been atleast 20% cheaper then local companies and got rejected i was thinking that even though i didint want to go lower i was going to have to.. but no im going to, im going to stand my ground !! 😡
I love your videos and this is so true their is so much competition in our field. My husband and I have our company. I run all the office, accounting and marketing. When he goes out to a site to provide an estimate. I go through the estimate double check prices and labor costs and gas and travel then I send out the estimate. I tell my husband if you provide great service even if your a little higher they will come to us because our work is good.
So far I enjoy all your videos you're very realistic. Thank you!
Thanks Alex you're welcome
I agree with what you are saying
I live in the uk
Have a landscaping company
I know all my running costs and profit margin I need to work in to cover all my expenses etc but after quoting 30 jobs and only winning 3 down to price it gets really demoralising and takes a lot of unpaid work to produce the quotes
I live in one of the most deprived areas in the country so people are very price conscious
There comes a point where you don’t have any work so you have to come in line with your competitors
We try and aim for the high end clients but they are few and far between
I have started to pre qualify my clients on the phone basically telling them that our garden start from a certain price point
Seems to save a lot of time
Hey bodyi like the fact you keep it real
Life/business how it actually is special in the beginning
We are on the same level 💪🙏 well said. and how awesome that you know about admiralty law and corpse-oration .
One job that was quoted correctly is better than five that were under bid financially but more importantly mentally.
Exactly. You get known for being cheap as well (made this error). Plus you can work 3 days and earn the same as 5. The worst feeling is when you’re working for nothing especially if the clients are rich.
Hey brother, I appreciate your videos. I just started my own business after 12 years working for everyone else. I just experienced my 1st customer with the intent to low ball me. I stuck to my guns being professional 💪💪. Example ,she said I can get $31/ yard for mulch, then I asked her who's going to install it. My price was $75/ yard for delivery and installed. She actually was getting a better deal with that price instead by hour. So then she asked well if I buy the mulch how much would you charge to install it. I said $50/hour plus delivery. Needless to say she said she would call back. She had me write out the contract and had it set for this Thursday and now she changed her mind. I said you're paying for professional services and it will be done right the first time. She said well I will let you know. I'm thinking in my head if she takes to long I'll add another 25% 😂😂😂
Hay there keith ....lol we the business Owners Like u and i cant talk to any randum person. They Will think that we are going peanuts lol. How daré u rip people off for a sprinkler head that u havent broken yet??? LOL... but thats the Way IT is. 👍🇵🇷
Nice video brother, you should make more rant videos. I miss the bathroom rants lol
I moved almost 20 yards of mulch in 3 hours for peanuts. The guy guy flips out 5 ones, does a magic trick turns them into 5 hundreds, gives me one and some change. I was so done after that. Whole mentality shift.
20 yards in 3 hrs ? How many people with u
this is my first year in business. i have learned that already. i bid a job very high today just in hopes they wouldn't accept it. not only did they accept. they tipped on top of it. love your videos dawwwg. keep it up.
Keith, I totally agree, but even quoting high doesn't mean the customer isn't going to find other ways to screw you AFTER they accept your quote. Here's a few things I've experienced lately that are driving me crazy. Would love to hear how you deal with them: 1) Requesting endless changes and substitutions; 2) Expecting endless consultations/meetings, calling all the time (including all weekend) to discuss things that have already been discussed 4 times, and generally disrespecting my time; 3) Micromanaging every detail of the actual work once it's started, even though they have NO knowledge whatsoever of plants, landscaping or design; 4) going behind my back to MY suppliers (this one REALLY burns me up) to see if they can buy things direct and just get me to install them, so THEY can save a few bucks and deny me any profit while just paying me for grunt labor.
Insane! Wow
Write change orders on the proposal with added cost IN FRONT OF THEM, bill them for call time and make sure they’re aware you do bill for time since time is money, ignore their micro managing and be selective of what you respond to and don’t respond to. Make sure your supplier knows name and address of the client, they can refuse to sell to them if you already put an order/hold on material. If that doesn’t work for you, don’t “warranty” the plant and labor to install/take out when and if it dies.
If they continue to piss you off, cancel the contract on them and let the next guy deal with it.
Try to grow your business to the fact that you dominate your market place. When your able to do this customers will seek you out and prepay for services. But in order for this to happen you must dominate your market place and there are only a few ways to do so. I will say it doesn’t happen over night, it takes a little bit of time.
When certain customers ask for more, to some I say that'll be extra and they're like nevermind! Another guy haggle me down then tried to get me to do his bushes at no extra cost. I was like that'll be extra and he's like, well my other guy, my other guy, my other guy. Yeah, go get your other guy.....
I put a clause about change orders on all my contracts, so in principle I charge for any substantial changes. The tricky part is the gray area where they try to swap things of equal value. Even if the material cost is the same, it costs me time in terms of revising quotes and talking with the client. Once or twice it's not a big deal, but sometimes you get people who are just neurotically unable to make up their freaking mind, and it becomes a massive time-suck. As for the supplier issue: it's amazing how many people don't understand the concept of wholesale vs. retail, and if I try to explain it to them, get all cagey and think I'm trying to rip them off. 'Owner profit', 'administrative costs' - these things a real to ME, but so often customers think the only thing they're supposed to pay for is the actual time I spend on their property digging holes etc. I know I need to find a way to deal with these things effectively - but it's not easy when you're already stressed out and overworked.
Youre right keith. I used to do this until one day i realised ive worked every day all year and still no better off then a guy down the road working a 9 to 5 job. When youve worked all year and still cant afford anything you soon realise your price needs to go up. Keep it going keith.
I just found your videos by total happenstance. I have started a small business and made all of the mistakes that you are talking about. To point of failure. I still own my shop. Screen printing. I only do work that I can make a profit on, a solid profit. If it’s not there I don’t do it. It took a bunch of free work long nights to learn the hard lessons you are talking about. Truth. I was the guy underbidding. Worst mistake I ever made. Will not do it again. Thanks for videos. God bless. I love your hustle!
Man i dont even landscape, but i watch all your stuff because i enjoy listening to you....like full on listening....you are authentic and deal and have been through the shit, and i can tell....you learned and are trying to learn...your advice and philosophy really resonates with me...kieth your a good dude....here is some positive karma. I know u will receive it
Dude, advice like this has helped me so much. You are an amazing E-mentor and you instill the confidence in me to push my self. Thank you.
Haha E-mentor... that dope.
Best of success my friend
Love your videos man!! I’m starting a business from scratch with next to nothing so your channel is perfect!! Keep them coming!
😂 2 year old video haha my bad.. still great videos ✌🏻😎
Brotha Preach i'm not sure if i'm under quoting or not but I charge 50 per hour no exceptions most of the time customers give me more. I know this was 2018 but it still applies. Can you please talk about taxes or bring on an expert to talk about them with your connections I believe in you. I havnt paid my taxes for 18 or 19 this is my second year and have some money on the books for those two years that I need to tackle but my business only covers my bills.
Your videos are better when you rant, it shows passion, and people can relate to it!
You’re awesome bro. That’s why I like listening to your videos , always truthful real stuff. Keep up the good work. You inspire me to go out there and give out best Quotes keep it real brother keep on yelling lol 👍🏼
Thank You for all your wisdom!!
I can always relate.... Great video! Perfect timing!
Great video Keith! I Love the real talk as always!
Yeah it’s all about the passion. Thank you
Came back here because I gave a quote today and the customer said no (cant afford). I estimated the job at $1320 (labor cost) @ 16 hrs. Now, i offered to do the whole job for $1800 even. Id make $1000 in two days (of course, it might take longer). If they accept my $1800, id be pretty happy because im broke and homeless and need money. However, im not willing to work for pennies. Been there done that!
True talk, I've massively under quoted a commercial maintenance job, I actually detest going there now as I know I'm working for peanuts, tried asking for more hours at the site but they aren't interested, shall I just cancel contract guys and learn from it?
The bid formula is this.
If you're getting 100% of your bids your prices are too low.
If your getting 0%-25% of your bids your prices are too high.
You want to be in the 50% range, that's your sweet spot.
2nd formula: time vs cost vs quality. Customers get 2, contractor gets one.
No one says they want a low quality job so that's a given. So it comes down to cost vs time. If they want it done right away, you get to charge more. If they can wait longer on the calendar you can lower the rate a little, but not much.
Here in Silicon Valley there is no off season, except for mud.
You know the game!
Hey how do I know what to quot for landscaping jobs, how do I know I havent over quoted. Also not shour if that when you do a landscaping job if you get the muny whe you tern up to do the job or after the job
Great video Keith! My Grandpa was a house painter and I remember him saying he could make more money sitting at home than working for a lower rate! I thought that was crazy until I got older. I’m in sales now and I completely understand what he meant back then! I have a set number that I go by now and if a customer doesn’t spend that with me then it’s not worth it to me to pursue that customer! I believe that even a new guy starting out today can and will make it if they don’t get caught up in the “lowball” game!!! Keep up the good work and have a happy holiday!
Thanks brother
I did it Keith. I finally got a career. Won’t ever forget you
Bro Keep preaching the biz truth
At 12:50 I agreed with you man. F that, like we're supposed to let ppl take a deuce on us. You learn from your mistakes and that's called wisdom my friend
Keith, five seconds into this video and I cannot help but to agree with you. Stop undercutting your business or go broke! Great start to another great video.
When I trained my Shrub & Garden Manager I basically said all that you said. This “Rant” should go through everybody’s estimator part of their brain before putting the price to any quote. Good stuff man!
Story of my life, I have been underbiding jobs so I can pay my bills. Then I when I have a sudden break down, or need to higher employees I am always getting notifcations that my bank account hit zero. Then I always use my real estate money to foot the bills at my cleaning company. This year I went to hire employees and found that they work slower then I do. So now its like a night mare, where 70-90% of the jobs go directly to employee labor. Now I am finding myself calling up my customers asking them to pay more like $6 bucks more and they are cancelling like I am yesterdays news. I have gotten to the point where I don't even worry about losing the $12, or $10, or $15 dollar customers because there is so many other people out their willing to pay my rates of $35 for the same amount of windows. Keith Kalfas is so dead on with charging what you should charge and allowing the customers to buy your rates instead of feeling like they are getting a deal.
I figured you might like knowing there is a yardwork company (no landscaping; just outside maid service, so to say) that has literally zero concern for route density. At Diamond Yardmasters, route density is simple:
From the meeting at the office in the morning:
Drive from The Office to your Monthly Maintenance appointment.
Drive to your Extra Visit appointment.
Done for the day.
Unless you are on the Overhaul Crew, then it is just:
Drive (or ride) from The Office to the Overhaul site.
Done for the day.
That's all folks!
Nice rant...it hit me right in the head.
You are the man Keith.
What many people don't think about is the opportunity cost as well. Especially on big jobs. So you get this really big estimate and you cut back the price in order to make sure you get it. It's a $50,000 job and it's gonna take two weeks. In the mean time you turn away two weeks worth of work. That two weeks worth of work would have turned the same profit as this big job potentially in the short term. Then you missed out on doing work for all those people who could be a repeat customer, give us a referral, and post online reviews. If you compare the lifetime value of that one customer to the 8 or 10 you turned away I'd bet the 8 or 10 have a higher lifetime value than the one. The opportunity cost can be your largest expense on some of these large jobs where you block off your calendar. So you gotta get full price. Or maybe even HIGHER price. Thanks Keith.
Old video but GOLD best advice any body could get
Hey, I wanted to thank you for all the videos. I am finally making a decent daily average. Not where I'm wanting to be, but better since watching you.
Good man Keith, would love to work for you
Right on bro, live and learn is prob the best advice Ive ever been told, right next to, it's cheaper to keep her
Keith, I haven't been watching as much lately, but damn I need to get back to being a dedicated listener. THESE videos speak volumes to me because I can relate to a LOT of the content in this video. Bid a few jobs recently and yep...all those unforeseen things WILL (and did) happen.
Ok Keith nice video , advantage of being payed in cash or check . do you have a video on that subject
Truth. Facts. Great point bud.
I've just taken the plunge and started my own landscaping company here in Vancouver, I've been working as a foreman for a decent size company doing jobs well in access of 100k and what i've learned from that is customers who are in the market for jobs that range in the 10s of thousands are most likely business people themselves and know the value of money so therefore will be able to pick up on your lack of knowledge on how to quote and they know how to squeeze every bit out of you (they usually are the ones who will want work done for free) so like you said Keith quote right and don't under quote and know your customers.
So we know confidence is huge on getting people to say yes. Do you think a professional estimate packet, professional looking truck, and uniform plays a big part in that? I've found that often times we can knock peoples socks off with professionalism and they never even get another quote with junk removal. I'd imagine the same could be done in landscaping. Thoughts?
Do not listem to these fool's that tell you that you need anything! All of the people that follow you and watch your videos that love you and admire you and the people's lives that you have touched and some that you have even saved know that you don't need anything but we need you to STAY YOU, 100%!
Dude...
BEST BELIEVE THIS....
We ALL Love who you are and what you're about!!! If you were anything or anyone any different, even in the slightest way we wouldn't be here watching your video's and cheering you on my dear friend!
I love your channel, dude! I need to make sure I'm getting your updates.
Passionate is ok bro!!! The greats have always been passionate. Average ppl expect you to act average. When you go above and beyond, they call u nuts..... until...... things come to fruition over time. Then they follow you. And want to be just like you. People have very little faith or none. They have to see it to believe it. Keep going bro.
Love you man.
God bless you and your lovely wife and family.
🤗
Great job Keith my detail biz that I started from scratch goes through the same emotions everyday. Keep the passion my man and keep cursing to convey your message you know they say people who curse are more intelligent!
I listen to one of these every Saturday morning before I start my quotes ,
Your so hardcore & truthful, I love it!!!! Keep up the videos & the passion you have for this industry!! 👍💯😎
Don't feed bread to the geese !
Some good options are : cracked corn , grapes(cut in half) , birdseed, uncooked oats
That crazy I started doing that adding an extra 50 to 100 dollars to the quote for that same exact reason. Or if it takes longer then what I expected. This is with clean ups since I live in NY we get alot of leaves and some yards really don't know into you start the clean up I basically worked for free at 1 job and after that job I said never aging I'm pricing high so just incase I ran into an issue. It been working out good
Love it. Not in the business yet but I am thinking about it. Want to leave the automotive collision business. Because the margins are not that good in the business.