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Pool Cleaning Pricing: Essential Steps to Maximize Profits

Published on April 28, 2023

Even though finding the right prices is challenging, this pool pricing guide can help your business to get it right the first time.

By the end of this pool pricing guide, you’ll be able to: 

  • Surpass profit goals
  • Scale your business faster
  • Calculate your break-even point
  • Discover key insights from your target market
  • Implement changes using customer feedback
  • Choose the right pricing model for your business

Plus, this pool pricing guide will equip you with free downloadable gifts to further maximize profits and scale your business faster.

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1. Use Local Target Marketing Insight

Describe Your Ideal Client

Do you know your ideal clients?

Check out these questions to help you figure out what their persona is:

  • What’s their age range?
  • Are they single or married?
  • What’s their education level?
  • What’s their household income?
  • Do they have kids? If so, how many?
  • What are some of their challenges or pain points?
  • What do they do for a living? Do they have spare time?

Keep in mind, it’s important to be as specific as possible in your answers so you can find your ideal clients.

Define What Your Ideal Clients Want

Once you’ve answered the big questions about your ideal client, you need to define what your clients want. The best way to discover what clients want is through surveys with questions like:

  • What about our pool service business do you love the most?
  • Why did you choose our pool business over our competitors?
  • What do you care most about when choosing a pool service business?

Discover the Most Popular Local Pool Services

Next, figure out which pool services are the most common in your area.

Also, it’s important to know your local seasonality. This seasonality tells your business the best times of year to sell specific services.

Target Your Ideal Clients

Lastly, use these local target market insights to increase your conversions and improve your marketing strategies:

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2. Calculate Your Break-Even Point

Now that you know how to sell more effectively to ideal clients, you’re ready to find your break-even point.

In order to calculate your break-even point, you’ll have to add up all of your costs:

  • Material costs (e.g. equipment, chemicals, etc.)
  • Labor costs (e.g. employee wage, benefits, etc.)
  • Overhead costs (e.g. software, gas, office space, etc.)

Don’t forget to add up ANY other costs associated with running your pool service business.

As always, verify your break-even point with your trusted CPA (i.e. certified public accountant).

Once you’ve calculated your break-even point, you’ll know how much to charge in order to maintain profit goals.

3. Choose Your Pricing Method

Now that you’ve calculated your break-even point using the steps in this pool pricing guide, you’re ready to choose your pricing method.

Everyday Pool Cleaning Packages

When it comes to pool cleaning, many businesses choose to create everyday pool cleaning packages.

Although, it’s important to still do estimates and adjust pricing on an as-needed basis.

For example, if your client has obstacles that make the job take longer, then it’s important to make adjustments to adequately account for the extra time and cost.

As always, don’t be afraid to raise prices with inflation so you can meet profit goals. 

Pool Installation and Time and Materials Pricing

Since every pool installation is different, and material costs are on the rise, time and materials pricing ensures all of your pool installations remain profitable.

By the way, did you know you can automatically track your time and materials using Service Autopilot?

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4. Set Conquerable Profit Goals

Once you’ve chosen your pricing method based on the information in this pool pricing guide, you’re ready to set conquerable profit goals.

Then, you can incorporate these profit goals into your pricing.

Step 1: Calculate Your Business’ Net Income

Before setting your profit goals, you’ll need to calculate your business’ net income using this formula:

  • Total Revenue - Material Costs - Labor Costs - Overhead Costs = Net Income

Next, calculate your profit margin with this formula:

  • Net Income / Total Revenue = Profit Margin  

Step 2: Incorporate Profit Margin Goals into Total Pricing

Find out what works best for your pool service business by testing out a few different profit goals.

Remember, as your profit margin goals increase, so do your sales goals.

Keep in mind, your main goal is to set ambitious, yet achievable profit goals.

Step 3: Stay Competitive By Analyzing the Competition’s Prices

By far, one of the best ways to stay competitive is by analyzing your top competitors’ pricing.

For example, if you’re setting prices way lower or higher than the competition, then you might need to make adjustments.

However, always remember that the competition’s goals and costs are different from yours. Though, knowing what the majority of competing businesses are charging gives you a good general idea if you’re in the right ballpark.

5. Consult With a Trusted CPA to Verify Your New Prices

As always, it’s essential to consult with a trusted CPA (i.e. certified public accountant) to verify your new prices.

Since your financials are the lifeblood of your pool service business, you can’t afford to skip this financial consultation.

A great CPA will consider any factors you’ve forgotten to consider as well as provide additional insights.

6. Set Expectations With a Pool Service Agreement

Whether you’re cleaning or installing pools, you need a pool service agreement to set the right expectations with clients.

Your pool service agreement should include things like:

  1. Contract dates
  2. Prices, payment process, and fees
    • Remember: disclose that it’s subject to change
  3. What’s included in the services
  4. Repairs that aren’t included in the package
  5. Legal disclaimers

As always, consult with an attorney or legal consultant to ensure your pool service agreement protects your business as much as possible.

By the way, did you know you can get IP signatures when you email contracts to clients using Service Autopilot?

7. Use Client Feedback to Improve Your Price Increase Process

The best way to improve your price increase process is by gathering client feedback.

These are a few different ways you can obtain feedback from clients:

After raising prices on your least profitable clients first, it’s time to send out survey questions to ensure client satisfaction.

Then, make changes to the process as you receive client feedback. As a result, you can improve the process for more profitable clients.

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Use This Pool Pricing Guide to Maximize Profits and Grow Faster

Finally, you have everything you need to use this pool pricing guide to conquer goals and maximize profits.

Use this pool pricing guide to ensure you’re properly pricing your pool services.

In addition, you can use these strategies to help you begin implementing your new price increases in the best way possible.

When you implement these top strategies, you’ll have the power to grow faster and quickly increase profits. Take advantage of this ultimate pool pricing guide today!


Related: How to Successfully Complete a Pool Service Price Increase


Originally published Aug 5, 2021 7:00 AM updated on April 28, 2023 3:04PM

Alyssa Sanders

Alyssa is the Team Lead of Content Marketing at Xplor Field Services. When she's not writing or creating content, you can find her watching a new sci-fi series or shoving her nose into a book.
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