Small Town

[NS'Creter]

Where I'm at is a small town by most standards. My immeadiate service area consists of 5 small towns and their outlying areas. The nearest major city, Halifax, is 100 miles west. Being in a smaller area has its obvious disadvantages with the cusomer base being small and there are also advantages like being one of the very few options available. I am the only stainer and engraver here. There is one stamper who is grossly overpriced, but he's been doing it for so long that he can command it. I used to stamp but dropped it this year...I don't like it. So he is a competitor, but not. I compete against paverstones which I just priced myself a few days ago for a driveway (I had to know what my competition could offer). They priced in at about $5.00 per sqft before labor costs. The other competition is a DIY material that a box store sells. It is called "Granite" and "Hardrock"...it's junk. It is an overlay with few options and prices in at $1.75 per sqft minimum for materials.
So the advantages I have over my competiton are obvious (to me)...the price difference between the stamper and me is significant with me being lower...and I can offer many more options. He can offer immediate results...his only advantage. Paverstones and I price very competitively with me offering more options and a monolithic slab as opposed to their 1 million individual pieces. The DIY stuff and I are priced the furthest apart with them being cheaper...it's the time and ability thing.

[ECI]

I am also in a small town of 25,000 and have several smaller towns in a 40 mile radis.
I am having a hard time figuring my pricing. I am fighting the economy like most folks but now we have just experienced the Mighty Mississippi's rage and the local economy is bad. So how do you know where to start on pricing? just stain and seal, cutting flagstone, engraving tile pattern, borders and engraving logos and emblems? I think that the flooding would help my biz as it would be a permanent floor that if it happened again you won't have to tear it out and replace it. Many basements flooded but not the upperfloors.

[alexwright]

Right now when it comes to pricing, I believe for all of our survival in this crazy economy right now we are all charging what we need to to survive. I just did about 2,000 sq ft and it went from $3 to $2. My staining I did for $3 but adding some stain to a stamped area and also doing a sealer removal on another smaller area I just priced here and there to get the job and make some money. The economy is very sporadic and I am continuously flooded with calls right now. I have turned in about 12 bids in the past 2 weeks. Yes that is quite a bit but majority see my prices as expensive and I am charging regular and sometimes a bit lower than I need to but I am still not getting a lot of jobs. If I got even half of these jobs I would be rolling big time.

[NS'Creter]

Well, you're getting the calls buddy and that's the hardest part of the battle. Remember that it is a numbers thing and you're getting the numbers calling. I also understand about working for less just to keep working. When the mindset of the masses goes to saving money it's hard for guys like us...luxury items. I guess at the end of the day it's most important to bring a buck home and not lose any.
We had an economic downturn here a couple of years ago. Last year was a little better and this year is becoming much better. Two of the bigger employers had shut down but are going again. Hang on!!

[xscash]

i am also from a small town, here i try to get my product in front of as many people as i can. word of mouth travels fast. 4x6 post cards full color 2 sided...do a mailer, hang them in the local stores. ive increased my web traffic by 200% since aggressively advertising on a low budget. i will not work for less, when the times change they will expect the same price. also you weed out the tire kickers.

[NS'Creter]

I beat out the paverstone option and the stamp-guy for a big driveway job. WhoooHooo!! We gotta place the driveway and come back to pretty it up in 30 days or so. We beat out the pavers for obvious reasons but I want you all to know that it wasn't determined by price against the stamped. Folks are getting it finally. They want more options and better traction than stamped can offer. They also said that the uneven texture that comes with stamped isn't for them. Cool huh?