[james peters]

Firstly this isn't me asking for advice . Its  just a topic for conversation , and nice to hear others input.
No willy waving please . I have 3 decades experience , but am humble enough to still have times where  i say " I wish I had done this or that "

As times move forward and our round evolves,  many of us  start charging more and more for our services. we feel our worth and as we are already busy we realise that we can demand a better price .
often what happens is we can have a round that is not balanced  . we may have great customers for many years . by "great " I mean they pay on the day by cash or transfer very quickly. however their price may need adjusting by quite a bit to bring them into line  with the newer customers . sometimes we let it ride because of their loyalty etc.

sometimes even when I increase the price it still falls behind what I would charge if they were a new customer.
however the round continues to evolve , my goals are reached and it moves forward for the better.
when I was driving home this afternoon I was thinking about the difference if I had adjusted some properties . whilst the difference was a small daily amount . the yearly amount was staggering

[dazmond]

my work is so compact (over 300 jobs in a 3 mile area) the odd cheaper job mixed in with my higher paid work doesnt bother me at all.......they are usually older folk who are on their last legs who havent got long left...when they eventually die then the new owners (if they become customers)the price gets adjusted......

[james peters]

my work is so compact (over 300 jobs in a 3 mile area) the odd cheaper job mixed in with my higher paid work doesnt bother me at all.......they are usually older folk who are on their last legs who havent got long left...when they eventually die then the new owners (if they become customers)the price gets adjusted......

same here . thats what I am on about in my thread . 

[dazmond]

if your that bothered mate put a big price rise in then if you dont mind risking losing the jobs.....personally im happy with my round and prices at the moment....£50k a year for part time hours is enough for me,no need for me to be greedy.....

[AuRavelling79]

My round is as you describe James. Good and interesting post.

[PHILIP HARDY]

Dazmond (as usual), clearly hasn't read he first  four words of the second line.
Our work is an exact mix of yours I have one of my first ever customers paying 50% less than one of his nieghbours, he's a real nice guy, generous at Xmas,cash payer,never moaned in his life, I recognise that when I was getting going he gave me a start and seeing the van got me several more on his street, Most of the clearly underpriced jobs are long standing ,generally elderly customers who have done you a favour of sorts,( recomendations,intro to family members,nieghbours,etc) through a sence of loyalty these custies get a good deal,  Thats how things work in a face to face working enviroment and you should see it that you are a kind,generous hard working guy with some empathy for people.

[dazmond]

the other thing ive noticed esp in the last 5 years of servicing my round is just how quick i can clean some work as i compact it even more,raise prices and take on new work at slightly higher prices....some hours the hourly rate is ridiculous.....i dont work any longer or harder though as i keep my hours down for my own sanity and overall health....

when was the last time you raised prices for your long standing customers?a quid or two should be added at least every 2 or 3 years......

use an inflation calculator and just see how much for example £15 is worth today compared to 2018....you might be surprised.....

[dazmond]

Dazmond (as usual), clearly hasn't read he first  four words of the second line.
Our work is an exact mix of yours I have one of my first ever customers paying 50% less than one of his nieghbours, he's a real nice guy, generous at Xmas,cash payer,never moaned in his life, I recognise that when I was getting going he gave me a start and seeing the van got me several more on his street, Most of the clearly underpriced jobs are long standing ,generally elderly customers who have done you a favour of sorts,( recomendations,intro to family members,nieghbours,etc) through a sence of loyalty these custies get a good deal,  Thats how things work in a face to face working enviroment and you should see it that you are a kind,generous hard working guy with some empathy for people.

i agree to a point but even these customers need a price rise occasionally.....the great thing is ive found is even the cheaper jobs still pull in a good hourly rate due to the sheer compact nature of the jobs esp the more years your in this game

[Smudger]

if your that bothered mate put a big price rise in then if you dont mind risking losing the jobs.....personally im happy with my round and prices at the moment....£50k a year for part time hours is enough for me,no need for me to be greedy.....

hmmm, so anyone earning better than you is just greedy ?


anyway - good thread, and yes we need to bear in mind how grateful we were to our early customers - I have some that would defo be more would more if I quoted today.

Generally though as I don't now clean any properties its easier to price rise across the board as I no longer have that regular face to face contact

Darran

[james peters]

the other thing ive noticed esp in the last 5 years of servicing my round is just how quick i can clean some work as i compact it even more,raise prices and take on new work at slightly higher prices....some hours the hourly rate is ridiculous.....i dont work any longer or harder though as i keep my hours down for my own sanity and overall health....

when was the last time you raised prices for your long standing customers?a quid or two should be added at least every 2 or 3 years......

use an inflation calculator and just see how much for example £15 is worth today compared to 2018....you might be surprised.....

I put  a lot of my prices up last year and some this year, some will be going up next year.
you are missing the point of the thread. I am not complaining. I too am happy with my lot in life
it is a thread about  how rounds evolve .

[Smudger]

totally agree James,

just looking back, even looking and cringing at some early posts I have on here - how we learn and (hopefully) improve our skills and equipment and try to keep improving and learning.

from the family car, with bucket and sponge 11 years ago to where I am now has been a huge (and great) learning curve, 98% of the time its business - but there is still room for some original customers to get a little freebie here and there

Darran

[james peters]

totally agree James,

just looking back, even looking and cringing at some early posts I have on here - how we learn and (hopefully) improve our skills and equipment and try to keep improving and learning.

from the family car, with bucket and sponge 11 years ago to where I am now has been a huge (and great) learning curve, 98% of the time its business - but there is still room for some original customers to get a little freebie here and there

Darran

I have a couple of customers next door to each other.   I have been going there since 1995 so 26 years 
they are small 3 bed semis ...... I am still charging £8
I can only get away with it, because i do the 2 together, and they are very easy and monthly.
I also have some good jobs nearby.
one of them sometimes reminds me I was her first 
when I started she got me lots of neighbours  as customers . they have all since died

[NBwcs]

I guess most established windys  are in the same boat. In the early days when you needed the work, you  wouldn't mind going down a road where you you had no other work in the hope you would pick up others, as such some of the early work can be a bit spread out whilst these days you can pick and choose where you want to be growing at a price that suits you. I sometimes begrudge going to certain properties because I know I'm not earning the same hourly rate as I can on say newer estates but then you go through patches where you lose a couple and  start thinking, we'll these original ones are my bread and butter, they've got me to where I am today,and loyalty is worth it's weight in gold. I wouldnt want to be starting out again these days, loyalty takes a while to build up, I'll take the rough with the smooth.

[dazmond]

theres a fine line between  cleaning cheap jobs for long standing customers and being taken for a mug.....some customers would have you cleaning their house for the same price forever.....they have no idea about running a business,expenses,tax and insurances,etc (if they ve never had their own business)......or dont care either way....

i know because ive spent 28 years window cleaning but the vast majority of that time i didnt earn as much as i should of done because i didnt have the confidence to charge more and didnt put my prices up for many years ( i was trad for 17 years).....its only when i joined this forum in 2009 and switched to wfp that i started on the gradual journey to turn my round into a good profitable number.....

[Mike Burd]

if your that bothered mate put a big price rise in then if you dont mind risking losing the jobs.....personally im happy with my round and prices at the moment....£50k a year for part time hours is enough for me,no need for me to be greedy.....

hmmm, so anyone earning better than you is just greedy ?


anyway - good thread, and yes we need to bear in mind how grateful we were to our early customers - I have some that would defo be more would more if I quoted today.

Generally though as I don't now clean any properties its easier to price rise across the board as I no longer have that regular face to face contact

Darran

How do you manage the price rise? We did it last year to perhaps 1,000 customers and it was very complicated.

Had to decide on the increase, write a note to be left with the customer, had to increase the price for the customer and then individually edit the price of each one for the clean on the day we dropped the note so that their old price was still showing.  Absolute ball ache.

[dazmond]

if your that bothered mate put a big price rise in then if you dont mind risking losing the jobs.....personally im happy with my round and prices at the moment....£50k a year for part time hours is enough for me,no need for me to be greedy.....

hmmm, so anyone earning better than you is just greedy ?


anyway - good thread, and yes we need to bear in mind how grateful we were to our early customers - I have some that would defo be more would more if I quoted today.

Generally though as I don't now clean any properties its easier to price rise across the board as I no longer have that regular face to face contact

Darran

How do you manage the price rise? We did it last year to perhaps 1,000 customers and it was very complicated.

Had to decide on the increase, write a note to be left with the customer, had to increase the price for the customer and then individually edit the price of each one for the clean on the day we dropped the note so that their old price was still showing.  Absolute ball ache.

post new price (from next clean) slip through their door along with their usual windows cleaned today ticket and manually change the price in the evening for that days work...i only have between 7-28 jobs a day to change so no biggie for me

[Mike Burd]

if your that bothered mate put a big price rise in then if you dont mind risking losing the jobs.....personally im happy with my round and prices at the moment....£50k a year for part time hours is enough for me,no need for me to be greedy.....

hmmm, so anyone earning better than you is just greedy ?


anyway - good thread, and yes we need to bear in mind how grateful we were to our early customers - I have some that would defo be more would more if I quoted today.

Generally though as I don't now clean any properties its easier to price rise across the board as I no longer have that regular face to face contact

Darran

How do you manage the price rise? We did it last year to perhaps 1,000 customers and it was very complicated.

Had to decide on the increase, write a note to be left with the customer, had to increase the price for the customer and then individually edit the price of each one for the clean on the day we dropped the note so that their old price was still showing.  Absolute ball ache.

post new price (from next clean) slip through their door along with their usual windows cleaned today ticket and manually change the price in the evening for that days work...i only have between 7-28 jobs a day to change so no biggie for me

Very complicated across numerous rounds. And ofcourse it goes on for 8 weeks.

[TomCrowther]

My very first window cleaning customer is still with us. It's under priced but very valuable at the same time. We now have maybe 20 customers on her road ranging from £25 to £50. No 1 is £15.
Sadly she is on the way out. Liver cancer. I called round last Friday and dropped her a lovely bunch off flowers and a card. We had a nice chat for about fifteen minutes. I told her how much we appreciated her business over the past 11 years and she was delighted that my business had thrived.
I won't see her again as she is my Franchisee's customer these days but a lovely lady.
We should be raising our prices regularly but rarely do.  Always seems to be a "bad time". Recession, Brexit, Covid. Need to factor it into the business plan or like a lot of things, it just slips.

[Smudger]

yes 8 wky - thats about the size of it - fortunately the wife does that side of the biz 

Darran

[Mike Burd]

yes 8 wky - thats about the size of it - fortunately the wife does that side of the biz 

Darran

I might next time just put them up and advise with the night before texts to watch for “small price increases this time”. A lot less hassle.