Chapter 5 · Pricing
Your price is a decision.
Make it on your numbers.
Most people in window washing start by charging what the next person charges and hope it works out. This chapter builds your price from what a job really costs you, checks it against the market, and turns it into a menu, a quote and a habit of raising it.
Pricing is the biggest lever you have
Guess first. Then scroll and watch one job, with the example numbers you'll replace in a minute.
One job at $195.
The price, split
$195
Start from your numbers, not theirs
Your floor is the lowest price that pays you, your taxes, the materials and your share of the monthly bills. Below it, a job costs you money, however busy you are.
Pick one job to price
Your time
Billable time pays for the unbilled time too: driving, setup, quoting and texting.
Driving, loading, quoting, invoicing for this job
You're paid for 2.25 h but the job takes 3.25 h of your day. The price has to cover all of it.
Your pay and the taxes on it
Pay yourself like an employee first. What's left over after that is the business's.
Per hour, before taxes
Added to self-employment tax (14.1% of your pay)
Materials for this job
Supplies, chemicals, parts, fuel for the job. An example to start; put in your own.
Your monthly bills (overhead)
Costs you pay every month whether you work or not. Spread over your jobs, every job carries a share.
That's $23 a job, or $10 for every hour you're paid to work.
One job, all in
3.25 h × $25
26%
$790 ÷ 35 jobs
Profit after you're paid: repairs, slow months, growth
Price = floor ÷ (1 − cushion) = $155 ÷ 0.80 = $195
Why divide, not add 20%? Adding 20% to costs leaves you only 17% of the price.
What customers pay for residential exterior window cleaning across the U.S..
$155
Your floor
$195
Your price
Competitors are a check, not an anchor
Because you don't know their costs. They may have a paid-off truck, no insurance, a spouse's income, or be losing money and not know it yet. Your floor is yours; the market only tells you if there's room above it.
Residential Exterior Window Cleaning
Your floor
$155
Your price
$195
Typical U.S.
$150–$400
National typical range for this trade, not your city. Set your city to look for a local one. Prices vary a lot by city.
Below your floor
Don't. Every job digs the hole deeper, and being busy hides it until the money runs out.
Floor above the market
Find the cost that's out of line, raise how many jobs you do a week, or sell a bigger job where your quality shows.
Room above your floor
Price toward the middle of the range or above, and let your quote, photos and reviews show why.
Ask the AI to check prices in your area
An AI search of local prices for this menu. Treat it as a starting point and check a few real businesses near you.
You sell results
Hourly pricing pays you less the better you get. A price for the finished job lets you keep what you gain by getting faster, and the customer knows the number before you start.
With practice, a better setup, the right tools
The job took 2.25 h. Now it takes 1.7 h. Same result for the customer.
Charge by the hour ($87/hr)
This job pays
$146
Per hour on the job
$87
Charge by the job ($195)
This job pays
$195
Per hour on the job
$116
Ways pros in this trade set the price
Standard Residential
Per-Pane/Per-Track
The easiest way to start. Charge based on the number of panes. Count a double-hung window as two panes. Track cleaning and screen cleaning are add-on fees.
High Efficiency
Flat Rate By Size
Once you know your average time per house, charge a fixed price based on square footage. It allows you to quote over the phone quickly.
Commercial Focus
Storefront Recurring
Weekly or bi-weekly service for shops and restaurants. You trade a lower per-visit price for high-frequency, predictable cash flow.
Retention
Subscription Model
Encourage clients to book 3-4 cleanings a year on autopay. It locks in your schedule and prevents competitors from stealing your route.
The money that leaks out of quotes
The visit to look at a job, the trip to the supply store, the extra work you find halfway through. Some of these are your call and depend on your market. Decide each one on purpose, then put it on your quote.
Your call
Do you charge to come look?
There's no one right answer. It depends on how busy you are, what customers near you expect, and how big the job is. Here are the three ways it's done and when each fits.
What's normal in this trade · it varies by market
Free estimates are common for small jobs, and a fee is more common for big ones or for visits that take real planning. It varies by market: check two or three local pros' websites or call one and ask how they quote.
Not sure? Starting out, free estimates usually win you more reps. Once you're booked out, a fee credited to the job is the common next step.
The math, whichever you pick
Minutes
1 in 3
Each one costs you about $32 of your time. With 1 in 3 booking, giving them free costs $64 for every job you win. That can be worth it while you build a name; just know the number.
Materials you buy for the job
Buying materials takes your time and money: the store run, storage, returns, and the wait until the customer pays. A markup pays for that. If you don't buy materials, skip this one.
You pay
$60
Customer pays
$75
Margin
20%
Markup is not margin: a 25% markup is a 20% margin. Many shops use a higher markup on small parts and a lower one on big-ticket items. Some states tax materials you resell; check in Chapter 3.
Work you find halfway through
Rot under the siding, a second stain, a customer who asks for "one more thing". A change order is a written price for extra work, agreed before you do it. Put this line on every quote.
Anything not listed above, or any problem we find once work starts, gets a written price first. We only do it after you say yes.
How to handle it on the day is in Customer Service.
Your quote, building as you go
Your Window Washing Co
Quote for [Customer name]
- Option 1: Standard Refresh$180
- Option 2: Full Detail$265
- Option 3: Platinum Restoration$350
Good until [date].
Discounts cost more than they look
A discount comes straight out of the part you keep. Slide it and see how much more work it takes to stand still.
Price: $176
Left per job after you're paid: $20 (was $40)
To make what 10 jobs made, you need 20.
Offer less, not cheaper
Point to the smaller option. The price of each job stays the same.
Add, don't subtract
Throw in something that costs you little but they value.
Discount for a reason
Two neighbors on the same day save you a drive. Pass some of that on.
What you'll hear, and what to say
Scroll and each answer turns over.
The customer says
"I can get this done for half the price."
Price sensitivity usually comes from a misunderstanding of what is included.
Keep scrolling for the fix
You say
I understand. Many people do windows as a side hobby. I focus on track detailing and scratch-free methods that protect your frames. My process ensures you aren't paying to have them re-done next month.
The customer says
"Can you just skip the screens to make it cheaper?"
Offer a service reduction rather than a price discount.
Keep scrolling for the fix
You say
I can certainly remove the screen cleaning from the quote, but I do recommend leaving them in. Screens collect significant dust; putting them back on clean windows immediately dirties the glass again.
The customer says
"Why is the second floor extra?"
Be transparent about the safety requirements and liability.
Keep scrolling for the fix
You say
Second-story windows require specialized ladder safety equipment and increased insurance liability. My pricing reflects the time it takes to safely and thoroughly reach those higher panes.
Your price is never finished
Your costs go up every year whether you raise prices or not. Two habits keep you ahead: watch how many quotes say yes, and review your prices once a year.
How many quotes say yes?
60%
Some say no. That's healthy.
Hold your price. Test small raises on new customers and watch this number.
"Nearly everyone says yes means you're too cheap" is a common rule of thumb, not a study. Your own trend matters more.
Test a raise
Raise your price on the next 10 new quotes only. Keep the yes-rate and compare.
$195 becomes $205
$10 more a job, all of it kept: that's 25% more of what's left after your costs.
Review it once a year
Fuel, insurance, supplies and your own pay go up. If your price doesn't, your cushion shrinks every year without you noticing.
Your floor moves from $155 to $163. Same cushion: $205.
Raise prices for new customers first, and give regulars a month's notice.
Refining Your Skills
Videos to watch
Watch how pros manage their gear and move across ladders efficiently.
Beginner
The two-bucket window method
Efficiency is the key to profit in window washing.
Gear used in this video
We may earn a commission from some links. It never changes what we recommend, and we'll tell you when the free option is enough. As an Amazon Associate, BeProEx earns from qualifying purchases.
Common Pitfalls
Avoid these pricing traps
Pricing is where you either build a career or a hobby.
1Pricing by the hour vs. the job
Efficiency punishes you; the faster you work, the less you make.
Instead: Move to per-pane or flat-rate pricing as soon as possible.
2Ignoring travel time
A high-paying job 45 minutes away is a low-paying job after gas/time.
Instead: Implement a minimum trip charge or stick to a tight service radius.
3Competing with the 'low price' guy
There is always someone cheaper. It's a race to the bottom.
Instead: Focus on reliability and quality; your best customers are looking for trust.
Recommended Tools
Professionalizing the business
Start manual, upgrade when the time saves money.
Customer Management & Invoicing
You need a system to track recurring commercial work.
Free way: Google Sheets and PDF invoices.
When it's worth paying: When you have 5+ recurring clients.
Specifically built for service routes and scheduling. Not the right fit if People with only one or two jobs per month.
We may earn a commission from some links. It never changes what we recommend, and we'll tell you when the free option is enough. As an Amazon Associate, BeProEx earns from qualifying purchases.
Your Move · Do This Today
Finalize your pricing
0/5 done · sign in to save progress
Your business plan, prices
Your prices, on your numbers
- Floor for residential exterior window cleaning: not saved yet
- Three-option menu: not saved yet
- On every quote: nothing added yet
- Yearly price review: not set yet
Question 1 of 3
What is the primary risk of accepting high-paying jobs that are located far away?
Next · Chapter 6
Get Clients
Your prices are set and you know why. Next: getting them in front of the people who'll pay them.
Chapter 5 · Pricing
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Chapter 5 · Pricing
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