Know your VALUE and YOUR SKILL and you will quickly learn WHO YOUR CLIENTS ARE.
Price is based on experience and skill. Both go hand in hand. If you have no experience then skill is low, price is low. Lots of skill and experience means price should be high. Hence why pricing posts are pointless as we can see a pic of a job but have absolutely NO IDEA how good or experienced you are. If you are after a guide for price, then buy the BRICS price guide and work out your own rates. Don’t use someone else’s, as you are likely to price yourself out of a job, or price yourself too low. Only you know what you need to survive. You should also know timings for painting areas and understand standard costs for metre or linear metres on a number of different substrates. Once you understand that
Decorating the “Poor Cousin” to Other Trades?
Never be intimidated by a customer, I’ve knocked back toxic and arrogant customers because I’m in a position where I can. And good customers know good Decorators are not going to charge a pittance.
In business terms, painting is known as a “Low cost of entry” business. You know the story: Matey gets made redundant and he goes to B&Q and buys a roller set and a couple of brushes and some overalls Hey Presto: he’s a decorator! Thanks to B&Q also screwing our trade by convincing anyone they can paint (idiots, I despise them) our part of the industry is always going to be vulnerable to attack. I certainly don’t know all the answers, but I do know that everything needs painting, whether it be industrial, or domestic, or trade wise. Are these “low cost” newbies going to compete with the decorators who can abseil and earn £500 a day? Are they going to compete with the guys who have all the spraying kit? Are they going to break into the architects and designers market? Would they be let loose on an English Heritage property? Its the biggest market out there, its the trade that keeps you the fittest, its the thing that everybody sees and its the thing that everybody needs – it’ just getting the thinking caps on and market ourselves properly. I doubt Adidas worry about the £5 trainers on the market stall. I wish there was a way to fix the trade easily but it is still there and always will be!
Good Professional Decorators are not out to rip you off they are trying to earn a living for a service that they have learnt over the years, something you cant do professionally, and to a high standard.