Are They Complaining About Your Prices?? (Mobile Welding Business Issues/Try This)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ค. 2024
- In this video I will be talking about how you can get more welding work by targeting a different customer. I'll also share how we can do this. I understand starting a business is difficult and it's frustrating trying to make enough money to run your business while also fitting into your customer's budget. I hope to help with these things through this video. I hope you find this video helpful. For more welding business education check out our online trade school arosswelding.school
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I stay away from cheap customers. I know what my quality of work is worth and I’m not willing to budge on prices. That’s one good thing about being self employed.
I have been in custom machine design and building and see this all the time. Most of the problems are from customers who think they know how to do what you do and do not have the ability they also think that the Internet has all the answers and custom designs can just be downloaded. Some time it is better to walk away from from cheap customers instead of losing money on a job. Good advice
Starting out I took any work I could, including a few jobs that I ended up losing money on. I was so eager to get my name out there and build a positive reputation. That definitely taught me to be more picky about what jobs I take on and who I work for.
It’s hard to stay away from some of the cheaper customers. They’re my neighbors (farmers) and get in a bind needing a baler fixed or a new hay spike etc… I remember them because they’ve sent work my way when things are tough. They get a different rate than anyone else. Scratching backs is a good thing sometimes
I have learned to charge serious prices to be taken seriously
I tell them if you’re shopping prices or want it in a hurry I am not your guy. Works great
Simple. I love it
You really gave me the confidence to try and start my own mobile welding business! The only thing I’m lacking is a torch but I even had an engine drive😂 thank you!
Good afternoon, learned these lessons in my body shop. Every farmer in the area could weld and paint. All of them were just pathetic. Like you I advertised in larger areas and acquired a really solid customer base. Thanks for a great Friday afternoon video. You take care and good luck.
When customers say I am too expensive I ALWAYS say: you’re correct, I am too expensive…..for YOU..!!! I don’t do cheap or fast or the easy way…I do it the correct way, with the best equipment, and supplies. It cost money to have quality.
Sometimes you have to explain why you are expensive. American materials, American supplies, hand built. I was asked just two days ago if I was “ok with foreign steel”….i just laughed and said no. No I’m not.
well said Patrick...thanks for pointing this out...Paul down in Florida
Just want to add something about the foreign steel. Some of the biggest steel manufacturers are chinese, indian and japanese companies, often times internationaly based. They serve the industry! It is simple thing to be flexible about it. If it comes from a quality proven source, then the steel is made just to a differen national standard, which if you pay the time and make the effort to research, can easily see to what american standard corresponds in a on-line site, database or a chart. Simple as that. For example, tata steel netherlands is a major exporter of a sheet metal for the automobile industry in the US.
@@6pekXX I completely agree with that..!!! I was trying to not offended our friends in China by calling out there shity products specifically. I don’t care to what “standard” they their products are….they aren’t.
There are so many metal roof installers popping up. So many are doing it wrong for cheap. The knowledgeable licensed contractors will charge more but the metal roof will last.
I paid a licensed contractor and my neighbor hired a guy who charged $400. A year later my neighbors metal roof is leaking, the wind is lifting it, spiders moving in under unsealed panels.
If you know what you're doing, don't undercharge.
Great advice Austin and some really good comments too. Keep up the great videos and thanks for sharing, stay safe. Fred.
I usually tell them , i don't do cheap. If you want cheap do it yourself.. I work with rental/construction companies. When the machine is down it's costing them more money per hour than i would charge... Keep up the good work Austin..
If anything I undercharge. I've been saving truckers a lot of money repairing their air ride axles when they hit stuff. Usually I can get the axles square in about 4 hours which usually saves the driver about 6k and they're back on the road same day.
Yup. I’ve welded on my cousins truck for free just cause he’s family.
@@wafflestomper3982 I help a buddy of mine that does a lot of 4x4. It's fun welding on armor for his undercarriage. Lots of 4130.
I’m 153-196 pending travel an hour in Nova Scotia!
Weld on the side for years and am an electrician and do side work. You are absolutely correct. Great advice. Bad thing is most people don’t appreciate quality, top notch, work and want rock bottom prices. Pay for my time and service I am willing to provide.
You said before making a video about 6013 we are still waiting 😅
God bless you Mr. Ross I am praying for you and your family… proverbs 27:17 - 1 Corinthians 13
KNOW your costs. Bid for a profit. Anything less will make you broke and tired if you don't keep up with your overhead and other expenses. Profit is great, but net profit is what pays the rent.
As a beginner welder I questioned my quality of work and didn’t charge very much. As time went on I questioned my pricing because I was getting compliments on projects and not making much profit. Once you know your worth. You set your price and stick to it. Not everyone understands the time/effort that is put into ANY project. Like the saying goes, a few appreciative customers is better than a lots who are not.
One thing I would say might be helpful is to not let it get to you. As a small business owner mostly in the remodeling industry and also in a small area, I tend to take it personally and that is hard to get past. Just give the soft bid and if they keep the conversation going, they might actually be interested in the experience. Unfortunately these days, almost everyone thinks 'they can do anything' because of the DIY channels and the digital age. It's getting harder to filter out the not so serious form the serious, and then filtering to those who actually have the funds to do what they can or cannot afford. It's definitely a hard part of the business that not many want to share of pass on ideas about. Thanks again Austin for your insight! And remember one things younger guys, you are the future and some of you will be just as successful and some of you won't, just keep swimming.......
Good advice!
Hey good channel. Just gotta state my experience with dealing with customers . Been a welder for 25+ years and just went out on my own 2yrs ago. I bought a 08 F550 with a 5000lb crane. (free and clear) I live in south west MN and do work in MN SD NE & IA 90% farmers rest is construction. First year grossed 140 grand and going to pass that this year. Anyhow I watch a lot of you welders with channels and all of you say to go look for work sell your self pass out business cards!!!! Well I do NONE of that!!! I only advertise on craigslist so all of my customers CALL me.. Then when I do work for someone, they tell their friends and so on and so forth. I charge 80 to 120 an hr. And people up to 4hrs away will bring me projects to work on. Everything in my business for welding is PAID FOR!!!
I tell them go buy your own welder rig and equipment then your gas and rods not to mention the steel then come back tell me what they going to charge for same job my personal favorite is when they screw up and still call you back in 😊😊😊😊
It always cost them more when they have to bring it back to me after they did it themselves or somebody cheaper did it😁
Thank you Austin good advice greetings from South Africa
I have customers that own their own welder but don’t have the time to run it like farmers and excavation companies the are just to busy doing other things they call me and just need it done and trust me
Just let them know all work stops until they step back due to your liability insurance not allowing them to participate on a job they clearly couldn't do without hiring and and then remind them your still getting paid for standing there talking and drinking coffee usually gets them
always get content Austin, best wishes from Orlando, Paul
Great advise. With any industry, learn who needs / uses your product or service, who has the money to afford the best AND who’s willing to pay for the best. This is of course on top of you being the best and selling yourself but you should avoid selling yourself to a nice person that’s willing to pay but turns out doesn’t have the funds or a jerk that has the funds but doesn’t value your services.
- Don’t work for an outfit that is owned or controlled by vanguard or black rock.
So many thoughts.... Price shoppers are usually a waste of time. When I was a mechanic we had people call the shop all the time price shopping oil changes. At that time we charged $59 and we lost money on every oil change at that price. They would tell us about the quick lube place down the street that charged $19 and ask if we'd match it. Nope. The only reason we even did oil changes was to give our regular customers a one stop shop and to look cars over and hope we could find profitable things they needed to make up for the lost money on an oil change. Bottom line: If someone is going to give you a hard time about a $59 oil change, what are they going to be link when they need $1,000 in brake work? Not worth it. Move on to someone that appreciates the service you provide. But at the same time, don't confuse price shopping with getting bids. Your attitude about getting a $500 job can't be the same as your attitude about getting a $50,000 job.
People that have the ability and the equipment to do something themselves are a problem because they don't associate business costs with doing it themselves. Using myself as an example, I can weld and fabricate and I have most of the equipment I need to do those things at home. I don't do those things very often, so having some welders, saws, grinders, etc. costs me nothing; the equipment I have will likely last me the rest of my life. Similarly, when I buy a box of rod, spool of wire, or bottle of gas they last a really long time. Those things aren't associated with any individual project for me. Same for my time. I generally value my leisure time at $80/hr if someone wants to hire me to do a project for them. So if I have a 10 hour welding job I can do myself I look at it as an $800 job. A pro can't do that. A pro's equipment has a finite life and will have to be replaced. And it's probably far nicer equipment than I have. Same with consumables. They have to account for every piece of rod, wire, etc. they use because they go through so much of it. Their machine has a cost per hour both for replacement and fuel. Then the cost of doing business. Insurance, driving to and from the job, etc. all have a cost that has to be covered. The job that I do myself with an apparent cost of $800 is probably 3-4 times that amount if I choose to pay someone else to do it. And I'm OK with that.
Some people complain no matter what you charged, the worst were Cat UAW employees, they made far above the standard living wages and bitched the most about our prices, this was the 60's through 80's now I understand they don't make squat, the most grateful were farmers and truckers
Makes sense. Sick of the the knowit all wanna be welder customers.Complaining about things they cannot do well theirself.
Well Austin, there is something out there called ECONOMICS. Everyone is subject to economics. I started welding in High School in the Ag Shop in the 1960's. Later I took welding courses at a Community College. Over time I took welding at three colleges. I grew up hearing everyday how much money Weldors made. They called them WELDORS, welders are the machines I was told!!. I heard people say that. Then came along the late 1970's. Unbeknownst to ME, the Texas Oilfield had collapsed. I am sure that I heard that, but I never thought about the impact on WELDING in my area. I was a LONG WAY from the Oilfield This was in the days of Jimmy Carter as President too, THAT did not help. INFLATION had taken off and was soaring. Just like NOW we had AWFUL INFLATION and a President that did NOT HAVE A CLUE. I never really wanted to be in the WELDING BUSINESS. I simply wanted to weld my own stuff. Well due to things beyond my control I was no longer able to travel, as my family had a farm and small feedlot as we had mother cows and sold beef directly to the public. My father died in 1980. The farm had been besieged with CRIME when the Dallas Fort Worth metro-mess sprawled out to us. Starting in 1971, the farm and home started getting burglarized and my mother REFUSED to move to a safe place. The house alone was burglarized 10 times and had one HOME INVASION. I could not persuade her to MOVE to a safe place. I found out later she had Asperger's Syndrome. So, I had to move in with her. Even though I did NOT WANT TO, I had to stay with her and run that beef business. It made a little money, it made enough to be called a good sideline, but not good enough to live on by itself. Then in 1983 the small packing house we had near us, the last one in North Texas, CLOSED. It was a CO-OP and the lady that owned the most STOCK in it, she was very old and her attorney basically closed the packing house down for estate reasons. I could no longer get the cattle processed. I needed something to make a living. So, I started a welding and fence business. The trouble was, there were Weldors EVERYWHERE. You could NOT charge by the HOUR. I had to BID on jobs TURN-KEY and they hired the cheapest bidder. No matter how cheap I bid a job, someone would under bid me. Some people were working by the hour, but it was for NOTHING rates. One man I had known for a long time was building a Training facility for Race Horses. I went to his place and he had a Weldor there, and he was paying him $10 bucks per hour. I looked at the work and it was GOOD!!! But he was wearing out his equipment and not getting anything for it. This was in early 1980's. I had begun taking some MORE welding courses at a community College to improve and learn some more processes. I could already weld and the instructor noticed that. Then he told me, "The reason I am teaching here is WELDING IS DEAD". I asked, "why do you say that?" He said, because when the Oilfield collapsed and those Weldors were laid off and now they all moved HERE looking for JOBS. I continued ahead, but it got NO BETTER, then in 1987 the Texas REAL ESTATE market Collapsed. Real Estate in TEXAS dropped, on average, 25%. virtually OVERNIGHT. Then the Savings and Loans COLLAPSED. I must close, as TH-cam only allows comments to be so long. More later, remember *economics will affect you in ANYTHING and EVERYTHING* This tale is not over.
What about the ones that wanna help"Also tired of training costomers.any sugestions?
I tell them if they want to help, the price just doubled. That usually puts a stop on them wanting to help..
I have had plenty of cheap customers over the year just tell them thank you I cannot work for that,I get many farmers because they learn that cheaper is not always better,if they need hand I will help them small,Quick jobs lots of time I will do it for free,when the big jobs come they will usually call me and don't ask for a quote, respect goes a long way
know your value, stick to it, lots of folks will hire you that know enough, but simply don't have the time so they hire a specialist, because the specialist will get it done faster, and cheaper
the folks that want it done CHEAP! will eventually figure out how to do it themselves or hire someone with less skill and end up paying more anyways.
Biggest thing though, don't let them talk you down in price just to stay in work, but also if you ain't workin... you might want to look at A: your work, B: your rates.
Yup I’m in ok been welding for rancher that is a know it all but as long as he signs the checks I’ll keep showing up. Lol
Over the 40 years I have been able to weld the cycle of faster better cheaper is sickness…. You get one of the three not all.
When I had a welding shop in the mid 80’s I laid a lot of pipe in the catfish industry. I had a customer quit using me for a guy a dollar less an hour. Later on they called me with an emergency repair of a pipe put in a pond years before broken off by a tractor that drove off in the pond… worst thing was it was cast iron and broken off on a long angle. Their backhoe holding the piece would leak down just about the time I got it tacked off and break again. Keep in mind I’m standing in the pond in rubber boots…..after 3 attempts I threw my leads up on the bank and told them to call their cheaper guy. Never went back….
Thanks Austin, then you have the “all you got to do” engineers out there that think every job is just a simple job. LOL I got tired of the nickel and dime mentality in an agricultural area. If it had not been for timber industry I would have starved….
Nope everyone I deal with is tickled to death and return customer, welded a large cracked aluminum rim today, a hundred a hr to 500 for a minimum mobile ect ECT...let ur work do the talking
I value my time at 100/hr I must charge 150-200/hr to clear that I NEVER work for less
I'm the first viewer
Red Adair said this about being expensive, "If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateu"
Watch my tail lights get smaller.
They know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. Kick rocks
The actual video starts at 4:25.
I'm a grinder and paint kinda welder. Easy to sell my work LOL
I'm struggling to get a phone call let alone sell the job
There is an old saying in construction; CHEAP BIDS CHEAP.
Theres too many. So called welders trying to work a rig. Get experience first. Then maybe run a rig. With over 50 years in the trade ive seen so many wantabes fail
it make senc
Alot of time that's my price deal with it will loose the job .
This girl wanted stainless tube welded for a chair I wanted 300$ which my old boss told me to charge per hour etc .....she couldn't afford that
If I had done it for 100$ I still would have made money rather than no money.
Even giving them a free part etc goes miles
But there are lots of dickheads so it's case by case
@7:25 YOU DONT EVEN NEED TO GO THAT FAR.. JUST SAY, "A WOMAN"... LOL
I think it's hilarious that you used doctors in big cities as an example of people who know nothing about welding.
lol I just needed an example… the title of the individual or what the individual does doesn’t really matter… I tried to express that as much as possible. That’s why I kept saying these are just examples… And that the examples I was giving could very well be the very opposite.
OK this is getting too specific to the business, and not on the welding, I wish all well! bye!
Dont let the door hit ya on the way out
If you're wanting to watch welding and heavy machinery repair, check out cutting edge engineering Australia. But even Kurtis will share the cost sometimes of materials and how it compares to buying new instead of repair. It is kind of nice to get the business side from time to time.
@@tinabenbridgman thank you, I already watch Kurtis and have seen all his videos and watch several other channels, while I dont mind a bit of the business side I am a retired woman, 69 years of age and an amature welder/machinist. I also know that Austin is trying to expand his business and school and that is great, it is just not for me. Also at 69 I sure am not putting up with the snide comment the first respondant said to me and I resent Austin giving the comment a like....totally classless, be well
Makes sense. Sick of the the knowit all wanna be welder customers.Complaining about things they cannot do well theirself.