Londoner

Re: HIGH PRICES
« Reply #20 on: July 24, 2005, 08:18:56 am »
The old debate about prices and areas just goes round and round. Of course you are tied to what the area you work can stand in terms of prices.

There is no reason though why you can't find another area or another part of town. Start canvassing for one day a week in another part of town and deliberately wack up your prices. After all you've got nothing to lose.

Higher prices mean more customers will say no but not all of them will say no and gradually the round builds up.
The higher the price the longer it takes to get the customers obviously but the rewards are so much greater that its worth being patient.

Once you have set a price its very hard to put it up significantly so the only option is to go and canvass elsewhere.
If you have a "six pound " round already go and canvass up an "eight pound" round somewhere else. In the mean time keep working the old round and move over gradually.

Good luck

baldeagle

  • Posts: 251
Re: HIGH PRICES
« Reply #21 on: July 24, 2005, 09:13:39 am »
And loyalty to the customer?

Where does that fit in?

Baldeagle in Staffordshire.
"John the Window Cleaner."
A business founded during the Elizabethan age.

Londoner

Re: HIGH PRICES
« Reply #22 on: July 24, 2005, 09:46:45 am »
Whats loyalty?
In any given year a number of your customers will die, move house etc ( or just drop you for no obvious reason.)

Also there will be a number of customers that mess you around and you give them the elbow.

You can always keep your favourite customers but I'm afraid loyalty doesn't pay the bills.

baldeagle

  • Posts: 251
Re: HIGH PRICES
« Reply #23 on: July 24, 2005, 10:10:14 am »
I can understand that those customers who are inconsiderate enough to die are extremely dis-loyal, and those who move house without considering me deserve a good smacking for having the temerity to do so.

But I've never lost anyone for any other reason, nobody has "just dropped me", thats why I'm loyal to them.

I suppose it's all part of not being a "Cowboy" window cleaner, isn't it?

Baldeagle in Stafforshire
"John the Window Cleaner."
A business founded during the Elizabethan age.

Ray Pickering

  • Posts: 143
Re: HIGH PRICES
« Reply #24 on: July 24, 2005, 10:35:53 am »
Hiya mate.

Read between the lines on some comments & advise your getting
(not just this topic) the help & advise i've received this last few months has been brilliant.

As regards to pricing of jobs it's so easy to advise "Newbies"---stick a minimum price of £10--£15--£20 or whatever, but if you notice most of this advice is coming from cleaners who's been W/C
for (100) years & can dictate these prices.

When you're starting out you are desperate to get all the customers you can & like me tend to go with the flow & charge what your area allows.

So what i'm saying is when you've as many customers as you need & making a decent living & paying the bills you can (within)
reason charge what you like.


I really do envy the prices some of you are charging but i for one
can't get away with it.----YET!!!
Regards Ray.

Re: HIGH PRICES
« Reply #25 on: July 24, 2005, 12:51:42 pm »
hi philip yes it is a merlin and no tucker didnt supply .the reason i have it in the van is when im doing large blocks of flats they let me fill back up what i use as im usually there for 4-5 hours.great bit of kit best investment.my water bill has gone up by 200 per 6 months but my resin costs have gone down by 2,600 for the same period.It also allows for pure water on demand everyday without the hasssle of ordering and changing resin cylinders.