Ask Questions 
Share Tips 
List Your Business 
Coffee Talk with Experts 
Biz Planning | Sample Plans 
Idea 
Name 
$ 
Do It! 
Promotional Merchandise
Managing | Operations
Work @ Home 
Yoga @ Your Desk 
|
|
Answer from our Guest Expert Donna Hall of The Right Answer - page 3
What to Charge for Your Services.
Knowing what to charge for a service business can seem like a guessing game at times. Too high and you'll have no customers, too low and you may loose your credibility as a professional. Check your local phone book or do some surfing on the web for companies offering the same service as you. Then call them up and ask specifically what services they are providing and how much they charge. Remember to compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges. The company's services should be the same ones you're providing. Another thing to remember is not to get too focused on what other people are charging, just use it as a starting point.
After you've found your starting point, judge the value of your own time and expertise. This can be a challenge, but with some digging and honest evaluation, you'll be better able to calculate a good starting fee for your services. After you've done a few jobs, assessing costs will be easier. Look at how much you've made after all the material costs you incurred. Don't forget to include the cost of your time. The rest is profit. Is it what you expected?
The leg work and the digging is always the hardest part of starting a business, but grab a shovel and get started! Helping to promote the importance of customer service in businesses is the icing on every entrepreneur's cake. It not only means a more productive business, but customers and customer service representatives will be thanking you too for creating a happier environment. You're on the right track!
Good Business Resources for You
Here are a few books, I'd recommend before you get started. They'll give you ideas and helpful hints on succeeding in your customer service ventures
The Independent Consultant's Brochure and Letter Handbook by Herman Holtz
How to Succeed as an Independent Consultant by Herman Holtz
Start Your Business: A Beginner's Guide by The Oasis Press
Good luck!
Donna Hall, president
The Right Answer: Customer Service Consulting
If you're chomping at the bit to dish up some more advice for this person, click here and post your reply today! The more, the merrier!
|
|
Small Business Tax Center • Idea Cafe Home • Sign Up • Biz Grant Center • CyberSchmooz •Coffee Talk with Experts • People in Biz Profiles • Starting Your Biz • Biz Planning • Running Your Biz • FREE Trade Publications • Marketing • Financing Your Biz • Human Resources • Legal & Biz Forms • Managing Your Biz • eCommerce • You and Your Biz • Gen X • Work@Home • The Fridge • De-Stress • Send an Award • Send an eGreeting • Yoga @ Your Desk • Web Guide • Idea Cafe in the News • About Idea Cafe • Advertise on Idea Cafe • Contact Us • Privacy Policy • Site Map • Small Biz News
Copyright 1995-2024, Idea Cafe Inc. Downloads are for personal use only, not for resale to others, and may not be reprinted in any form without written permission from Idea Cafe Inc. DISCLAIMER: We hope whatever you find on this site is helpful, but be cautioned that it may not apply to your own situation, or be totally current at any given time. Idea Cafe Inc. and all of its current and past experts, sponsors, advertisers, agents, contractors and advisors disclaim all warranties with regard to anything found anywhere on this family of websites, quoted from, or sent from Idea Cafe. and its related sites, publications and companies. We also take no responsibility for comments published by others on these pages. TRADEMARKS: The following are Registered Trademarks or Servicemarks of DevStart, Inc.: Idea Cafe®, Online Coffee Break®, The Small Business Gathering Place®, Take out Info®, Biz Bar & Grill®, Complaint-O-Meter®, A Fun Approach to Serious Business™, CyberSchmooz™, and BizCafe™.
|
|
|
|