"A.Lee" wrote in message
...
The Medway Handyman wrote:

"A.Lee" wrote in message ...
So, yes, I know I should be charging more, but getting it is more
difficult.

You have to consider how your customers are seeing you. How you
present your 'brand'. They obviously see you as a cheap odd job man
- not as a professional handyman. Thats why they are surprised at
your prices.

Think about this Alan. You recently spent £400 on a Festool drill driver
when you could have bought a Challenge Extreeme from Argos for £30.

A small proportion of the members of this group would consider the
Festool
good value. I suspect the majority would consider it too expensive.

The Festool drill is worth every penny IMO. It really is good.

You are getting Challenge Extreeme customers & quoting Makita prices.
Its all about 'positioning'. Andy Hall seems to know a thing or two
about
this and may be along shortly - he can probably explain it better that I.

Yes, I know. I'm working on my new advert in the next few days, I think
I'll be targetting bathrooms and kitchens, both of which I am good at,
and I like doing them.
The trouble with being a 'handyman', is that people expect you to be
cheap, (well, thats what I've found). Saying you are a kitchen fitter
immediately makes you stand out a little, but obviously narrows the
market.
I dont really advertise, but will be making an effort over the next
weeks, as, TBH, I'm probably below minimum wage now, but, on the up
side, I have a lot of good kit that I didnt have 6 months ago, so can
tackle jobs that I couldnt do then.

One thing that stands out clearly in your posts in this thread is that you
would prefer to work/charge labour only. I think that is where you go wrong.
Customers want a full package and are prepared to pay for it. Remember that
people who use a handyman service usually do not have the confidence to do
the job themselves and will also be as unsure about what parts to buy for
you to do the job.

All of my profit goes back into new kit etc, I do expect to see some
profit back in future years, but at the moment, it is a struggle.

Keep it up and good luck.

Adam