[ronaldo]

 

[H h20]

O dear i recon you`ve started another topic for Squeeky Rog  :,Gaz

[paul mather]

Probably, but frankly who cares if you do as good a job & earn more money from it.

[drew86]

As a newbie, with a small amount of trad exsperience due to my uncle haveing a company in London for 20 pluss years and me doing occasional work for him in my younger days , and myself just starting out in the buisness useing mainly wfp, I feel I can perform window cleaning to a higher standard useing wfp and at a faster speed, but not sure if that makes trad more skilfull.
What I would say is there are elements to trad that do require more skill, EG:useing a squegee at high level with extension pole and cleaning leaded glass, both of which I have encountered recently and struggled with, but did achieve reasnable results by takeing my time.
Drew

[groundhog]

Trad is more skillful by far!   Anyone can use a stick with a brush on the end!!

And from my experiance is usually quicker on nearly all domestic properties!

[paul mather]

And from my experiance is usually quicker on nearly all domestic properties!

Just stick to the subject please, & not try & turn this into yet another debate with you & Squeaky on one side & everyone else on the other!!!

[drew86]

I wouldn't say trad is quicker alot depends on the property layout ect. on most jobs I do its far easier to pull my hose around the property than carry a ladder and climb up and down it, only an opinion mind.
Oh dear is this going to turn into another one of the posts again, should I be getting involved?
Something is telling me NO.
Drew.

[Alistair@AWC]

Im new to window cleaning and have never cleaned a window traditionally only WFP, but I would say yes there is more skill in traditional cleaning than washing windows with a brush.

I suppose there would have to be considering your cleaning windows with dirty water!

But im with Paul on this one, who cares we all clean windows.

WFP is not a crusade for me, just a method of making money!


Regards

Alistair

[paul mather]

Alistair, have you sorted out your pump probs yet?

[groundhog]

Paul, I will answer the question how I want   Sorry if you don't like the answer but sometimes the truth hurts!

[Alistair@AWC]

In a word Paul.................NO


Ive ordered a Varistream and in theory it should arrive tomorrow if it does I might be able to salvage something from this week.

But suppliers dont reply to emails so god knows when it'll turn up

I look forward to when I can do a weeks clean problem free.

Hows things with you is Lesa helping you yet?


Alistair

[drew86]

I am with you Alistair, I came into this industry due to redundency after 18 years in the same job and window cleaning is the easiest buisness to start up in, as i said in my previous post, elements of trad are harder to master than wfp, but haveing said that any one can reach a reasonable standard in either discipline in a relatively short time span, I went for wfp for the safety aspect.
I think the real skill is canvassing, thats the bit I find hardest anyway.
Drew.

[Alistair@AWC]

Drew,

Similiar situation with me really, I took redundancy after being a store manager with Kwiksave for a good few years.

I was looking for a business I could set up easily for little money that would give me the flexibility to spend time with my family.

To be blunt WCing traditional or WFP is monkey work the skill is in creating a successful business out of it.

Alistair

[drew86]

I think the key is to stick at it and be proffesional in your approach, look smart be polite ect.
I am haveing problems getting enough customers at the moment so may take a part time job to substitute my income for a while, but i am determined to build a profitable buisness over the next couple of years just like some of the guys on here have.
What surprised me was just how many window cleaners there are out there , well in my area anyway hopeing some are just summer, dole workers and when they go i can jump in there shoes.
Drew.

[Alistair@AWC]

Drew,

Yeah when I started out I was convinced there was a shortage of WC's in my area, but its not until you get out there that you realise how many there are so you've just got to do it a little differently ie Uniformed, Clean Frames and Sills etc.

Saying that there are not many WC's who go out looking for extra work they just wait for it to fall into their laps, I started on my 2nd cleans on MOnday and have managed to build a round of 70 customers from scratch with a lot of leaflet drops and doorknocking in the evenings.

But yeah im like you and hope a lot of these WCers are summer only and will disappear come October and I get their customers coming to me saying 'my window cleaner has just vanished'. Im sure that will cause a few arguments over whose customer they are come spring, but springs a long way off 

Alistair

[Alistair@AWC]

I am having problems getting enough customers at the moment so may take a part time job to substitute my income for a while.

Drew,

I dont know your situation but do yourself a favour and make doorknocking your part time job.


Regards

Alistair

[eddie d]

yes it is

[P®oPole™]

I toatally disagree with all of you, wfp is much more skillfull than trad theres so much to learn, all small things mind stuff like controlling hoses, moving extended poles, setting up and packin away in lighning speed are just a few, not to mention different types of windows.

I am about to take on a new lad, and im not looking foward to training him up. I expect it will take about 6months for him to learn everything and work at my standard and pace.

Trad is much less skillfull you can teach someone how to trad withing a day, and be semi pro withing a month max.

ProPole

[paul mather]

Groundhog,

I'm not going to waste my time getting into a pointless debate about how much quicker WFP is, with you.
I have three types of work, some that is loads & loads quicker, some that is loads quicker & some that is just quicker with a pole.
Even on my little bit of work that is least suitable for WFP I can earn £15 - £20 a day extra with no risk. Thats £100 extra a week.

Alistair,

Sorry to hear about your probs, hopefully they are just teathing problems & you will be up & away soon, couldn't do much today cos of the weather anyway.
You seem to be very unlucky with your pump going so soon. But these things happen, I went through 2 chargers that stopped working all of a sudden just days after buying them off Ebay so it does happen.
Lesa has now been out with me twice just to get used to it. She has just got a job at a school in Gorse Covert 5 mornings a week, so she's going to come out a couple of afternoons to top up her wages.
Wise words about canvassing. Knocked on a few doors on a little close that has just been built on Manchester Road this morning & picked up £32 of work straight away.

[james cairns]

guys I refer to the topic is trad more experienced than wfp, well it used to be
in the old days


transferring a 30ft ladder around a building with limpet bars and safety feet took great care and skill to move the ladder around the building in a safe manner keeping that ladder well balanced took skill
 
moving quickly on commercial property doing the double sweegee and applicator action of terry burrows took skill

using poles with sweegee at 25 feet and getting reasonnable results took skill

since wfp these skills have disappeared and new skills have came in like understanding
the surface you are working with, the theory behind wfp,

so basically we are talking about 2 different industries

it should have read old v new what category are you a master in

jinky