Pricing Your Services

How much is your time worth?
The answer will vary depending on each person's own financial situation, experience, and location. The average concierge charges between $25 and $50 per hour as a standard rate. Typically, less experienced or new businesses charge at the lower end of the average, and over time, as the concierge fills most of their time with consistent clients, will increase rates.

The new concierge needs to be careful about not making the rates too low. As a business owner, you will have overhead expenses like insurance, licensing, website, and taxes. You may also give discounts for packaged services, that will lower your per hour earnings. We recommend a base rate of at least $25 per hour. As your schedule fills in, rates for new clients should increase.

Charging for additional expenses
Your standard rate will cover your time and overhead expenses, but there are many items that you will need to invoice to your customers:

• Dry Cleaning Charges
• Excessive mileage
• Items purchased for clients
• Tickets and Travel
• Postage costs
• Event expenses

Some businesses charge for all mileage outside of the standard rate, and many include some local mileage and charge for miles in excess of that. You may also create special package deals where other items are included in the price.

Packages and Discounts
A great way to increase your revenue is to offer packages based on either the tasks or multiples of hours. Relocation and Pet Sitting packages are popular, as are hourly packages where the client receives a discount by purchasing a lot of hours at once. Discounts for packages generally range from 10-20 percent. Make sure you understand the impact on your hourly rate and make sure your rates are sufficient to cover your labor.

Use our directory to look at the rates others are charging, or stop by our forum to discuss the possibilities with others. The prices you charge should be detailed in your business plan and on your website.

Articles

• HR Magazine Article - concierge services as employee benefit
• Entrepeneur.com - How to be a personal concierge
• PersonalAssistantPro.com

Start-Up Guide

A good place to start is our Opportunity page.

If this sounds like a business that fits your experience and needs, then use the links below to obtain valuable information and resources for starting your new business.

• Naming your business
• Selecting a business structure
• Creating a business plan
• Licensing, Insurance and Bonding
• Deciding what services to provide
• Business Supplies
• Creating a website
• Contracts and forms
• Pricing your services
• Start-up checklist

The Concierge Manual

Written by industry expert Katharine Giovanni, this extraordinary guide provides all the tools you need to create a successful concierge, lifestyle management, errand service or personal assistant company. Do you want to create an on-site, lobby or corporate concierge service? Or are you looking to serve individuals? From small boutique concierge services to large corporations, this manual will help everyone!.

The information is all here, presented in a simple, step-by-step format! This books answers some of your biggest questions about the logistics of running a concierge business ...