Do you 'take the hit' with travel time?

[VitalityTherapies]

I live in a village which is in the middle to several large towns so appointments are very spread out mileage wise despite my best efforts.

I am losing out financially in travelling but then on the flip side I am getting work, so am I moaning unjustly. Should I just incorporate fuel etc into my expenses or anyone outside a certain vicinity should I add a travel charge?

Thanks

 

[hazelb]

I charge an extra £10 for a home visit, but I will only consider it with in a set distance.

If you are offering a visiting service, then costs associated with travelling should be built in to your business model and your prices should reflect this. ( not only petrol, wear and tear on the car, extra insurance costs, travel time, set up time etc ).
A maximum travelling distance will definitely be part of this.

 

[AcidPerm]

You need to start with your profit margin. How much do you want to earn and then price your services accordingly.

 

[sammi010]

I only offer mobile so built in travel to all my prices, that said I still need to stay competetive with what other techs are charging so it's minimal. I do have a discretionary travel charge if it's further out. A lot depends on treatments booked, I try to encourage booking of multiple treatments to make it more worthwhile for me and economical for clients.

 

[nailpod]

What you can try also do is what my one pal does in the uk, she works from one area or town per day, to max the clients per area. And when you gain enough clients that are loyal they usually will be able to fit into those days.
Just go through your diary and make a chart or log of the area and what days they come. You should be able to view a pattern.

I think a lot of times mobile is good but when you get to the stage where you are stressing about it even asking this question it's time to make a change before you start to resent the travel aspect.

We have a podiatrist who comes to my area once a week. And if you miss her you come the following week.

However if you only starting out and not busy I can see the view point you wanting to gain clients so will travel.

 

[JanVenus]

I have a map on my facebook page with areas colour marked. Within my immediate postcode there's no minimum treatment value and no call out charge - the green area there's a minimum £15 treatment value, orange it's a £20 minimum value, for red I add a £5 call out charge and beyond that they need to contact me for a quote. Obviously if someone in the red area wants £40 of treatments, I'll waive the call out charge. But I wanted to make it very clear that I won't do an hour and half round trip for a £7 file and polish.