[Tom-01]

Personally I think that new entrants into this game has hit a peak. We are going to see a slow down of new window cleaners coming into the market now as Brexit bites and saturation wanes.

But at the moment yes, it's very competitive. I just priced up a job that should be in the £90 mark, very big new build house a mansion, and was up against silly quotes of £30 and £40. I won it at £65 as I was recommended by neighbouring houses and estates but the times of the cream jobs, or those golden nuggets where you used to get 200 quid for 2 hours work are well gone.  £65 for this job isn't in my opinion for the area I live particularly good. Even £90 is cheap in my opinion it should be around the £140 mark.

For anyone starting up its hard as you have no reputation to base your prices on, and the advent of canvassing companies means more and more areas are being canvassed over and over again driving prices down, saturating the market.

Totally agree with you Marc. There's lots of window cleaners now. Two of my mates have started up in the last couple of months, in areas where there's loads of window cleaners already.

I have a customer, live round the corner from me. Been cleaning this house for two years and their flat previously. It's a 4 bed terraced house worth £750k.  My price is £35, takes about 15-20 mins. They have some rear velux windows which takes my 35ft to the max.

Got an mail on Tuesday saying a son of their colleague has started up and will be doing it for £15 per clean including washing the exterior of gutters and fascias every time!

I haven't replied yet and not even sure if I will. The thing is the likes of those types won't be around for long, how can they be at those prices? And how can they afford a decent pole to reach the high windows?!?! The good thing is I got a £50 4 weekly and a £28 8 weekly round the corner to replace!

I have done a bit of canvassing recently and there is still good priced work to be had, it just takes longer to get them. And then there is the battle of 'our last window cleaner did all our windows and gutters and fascias for £15...'

I'm looking forward to he challenge of canvassing now, I will have a lot of time to do it. I'm interested to see how long it takes to get a decent wedge of well priced, quality work compared to when I started 6 years ago.

Marc what made you decide to get back into window cleaning as I thought you were doing something else?

[dazmond]

Personally I think that new entrants into this game has hit a peak. We are going to see a slow down of new window cleaners coming into the market now as Brexit bites and saturation wanes.

But at the moment yes, it's very competitive. I just priced up a job that should be in the £90 mark, very big new build house a mansion, and was up against silly quotes of £30 and £40. I won it at £65 as I was recommended by neighbouring houses and estates but the times of the cream jobs, or those golden nuggets where you used to get 200 quid for 2 hours work are well gone.  £65 for this job isn't in my opinion for the area I live particularly good. Even £90 is cheap in my opinion it should be around the £140 mark.

For anyone starting up its hard as you have no reputation to base your prices on, and the advent of canvassing companies means more and more areas are being canvassed over and over again driving prices down, saturating the market.

why should you get £200 for 2 hours work though marc just cos they live in a big house?£100 an hour for cleaning windows is a rip off in anyones book.

you keep harping on about how much money you could make years ago in this game.its greed.pure greed mate IMO.

you can still make a good living if you re consistent and hard working but more realistic and sensible with pricing.

whatever money you could make years ago has gone mate.you blew it! ......get over it!

[dazmond]

im the opposite marc.i struggled for many years to make a living in this game due to low prices and alcoholism and since the financial crash in 2008 my business has gone from strength to strength.prices have gone upwards and of course i went wfp in 2010 and not drank in years.

[Ian101]

just get out there and try your best and hardest.

be consistent every day and move forward every day

canvass x doors per day or leaflet drop x amount per day or both.

Im sure in 1932 similar conversations were going on about how many newbies are starting up with that new method of squeegee instead of chamois and scrim.

good luck !

[Marc Stock]

I agree Dasmond. The past is the past.

[Mick Kent]

Its easy to start again. Hit sold boards a soon as they are down by keeping an eye on a batch off 2/300, you will pick up over 50 percent of them if nicer bigger houses, noone moves into a £300k plus house and doesn't want clean windows to show off to there friends and family etc. Knock and tell them how you clean many of the locals and shall i put you on the books,  it really is that simple. Failing that you cant beat a nice canvass campaign, hit the doors 3 eves a week 5-8 for 3 months and you will end up picking up around 200 customers to have the base of the round setup. Be strict on yourself following an action plan and you will achieve it.  I have done it many times over and over.
Best of luck.

[Marc Stock]

Personally I think that new entrants into this game has hit a peak. We are going to see a slow down of new window cleaners coming into the market now as Brexit bites and saturation wanes.

But at the moment yes, it's very competitive. I just priced up a job that should be in the £90 mark, very big new build house a mansion, and was up against silly quotes of £30 and £40. I won it at £65 as I was recommended by neighbouring houses and estates but the times of the cream jobs, or those golden nuggets where you used to get 200 quid for 2 hours work are well gone.  £65 for this job isn't in my opinion for the area I live particularly good. Even £90 is cheap in my opinion it should be around the £140 mark.

For anyone starting up its hard as you have no reputation to base your prices on, and the advent of canvassing companies means more and more areas are being canvassed over and over again driving prices down, saturating the market.

Totally agree with you Marc. There's lots of window cleaners now. Two of my mates have started up in the last couple of months, in areas where there's loads of window cleaners already.

I have a customer, live round the corner from me. Been cleaning this house for two years and their flat previously. It's a 4 bed terraced house worth £750k.  My price is £35, takes about 15-20 mins. They have some rear velux windows which takes my 35ft to the max.

Got an mail on Tuesday saying a son of their colleague has started up and will be doing it for £15 per clean including washing the exterior of gutters and fascias every time!

I haven't replied yet and not even sure if I will. The thing is the likes of those types won't be around for long, how can they be at those prices? And how can they afford a decent pole to reach the high windows?!?! The good thing is I got a £50 4 weekly and a £28 8 weekly round the corner to replace!

I have done a bit of canvassing recently and there is still good priced work to be had, it just takes longer to get them. And then there is the battle of 'our last window cleaner did all our windows and gutters and fascias for £15...'

I'm looking forward to he challenge of canvassing now, I will have a lot of time to do it. I'm interested to see how long it takes to get a decent wedge of well priced, quality work compared to when I started 6 years ago.

Marc what made you decide to get back into window cleaning as I thought you were doing something else?

I am still moving forward with the other enterprise..it's one of the reasons why Bramar Ltd has been set up. But the window cleaning business is the one paying my bills, and is financing any further development.  I never intended to leave window cleaning, in fact I am actively looking to develop and grow it, in a more efficient and profitable way.

[Don Simon]

Its easy to start again. Hit sold boards a soon as they are down by keeping an eye on a batch off 2/300, you will pick up over 50 percent of them if nicer bigger houses, noone moves into a £300k plus house and doesn't want clean windows to show off to there friends and family etc. Knock and tell them how you clean many of the locals and shall i put you on the books,  it really is that simple. Failing that you cant beat a nice canvass campaign, hit the doors 3 eves a week 5-8 for 3 months and you will end up picking up around 200 customers to have the base of the round setup. Be strict on yourself following an action plan and you will achieve it.  I have done it many times over and over.
Best of luck.

Do you fancy a week up here in Sunny Huddersfield. will pay for your hotel and expenses (  and three cleans for all the work gained )  ?

[Don Simon]

Hard thing is I only take on well paid jobs, kept some of old work only cos it thay are like £50  + and they are lovelly people !

[NWH]

I'm the same I'll only take on the equivalent or better work,I've always said there's no point in taking on work for works sake. No doubt a lot of work is out there but most of it is stuff other established cleaners either don't want or they have had more window cleaners than hot dinners. My opinion is it takes years and years to build a business enough to have money coming in each day either being paid online everyday or very soon after the clean,no customer where I work could be collected the area is to vast to bother.

[Smurf]

If it was me I would focus more on exterior property surface cleaning rather than just cleaning glass.
You will be surprised that many already have a regular window cleaner but most will pay good money to get specialists in instead.

[NWH]

I'll also add that if you give someone a price and they accept it you are in no way ripping them off,it is there choice to accept your quote and allow you to do the work. If they later find out someone that values there services less or has less overheads and will do the job for pittance they can switch,it's there prerogative no ones holding a gun and all that. I've had quotes for building work on my house read some of the quotes and laughed as it looked like I'd be paying for the next holiday as well as the wages and materials for the job,my point is you pays your money you takes your chance but being a cheap window cleaner will turn you into a busy fool yeah you'll be busy but only earn enough to live from month to month if your lucky.

[Don Simon]

If it was me I would focus more on exterior property surface cleaning rather than just cleaning glass.
You will be surprised that many already have a regular window cleaner but most will pay good money to get specialists in instead.

I love pressure washing Smurf, if I could do it full time I would, but the work just isnt there !    Bit sad but I had to sell my pressure washer to pay the rent and council tax arrears.   Looking at hiring a machine maybe now.

[Dry Clean]

If it was me I would focus more on exterior property surface cleaning rather than just cleaning glass.
You will be surprised that many already have a regular window cleaner but most will pay good money to get specialists in instead.

I love pressure washing Smurf, if I could do it full time I would, but the work just isnt there !    Bit sad but I had to sell my pressure washer to pay the rent and council tax arrears.   Looking at hiring a machine maybe now.

You don't really want to be doing any one thing full time, in my opinion its hard to beat a bit of variety.

[Don Simon]

If it was me I would focus more on exterior property surface cleaning rather than just cleaning glass.
You will be surprised that many already have a regular window cleaner but most will pay good money to get specialists in instead.

I love pressure washing Smurf, if I could do it full time I would, but the work just isnt there !    Bit sad but I had to sell my pressure washer to pay the rent and council tax arrears.   Looking at hiring a machine maybe now.

You don't really want to be doing any one thing full time, in my opinion its hard to beat a bit of variety.

Beuty of pressure washing is you dont have to move the van around continually and the results of the clean drive really impresses customers and that is ace.

[Don Simon]

Been in touch with old customers and even after six months they still want me to restart cleaning . . . . . amazing really
 

[martin hulstone]

Personally I think that new entrants into this game has hit a peak. We are going to see a slow down of new window cleaners coming into the market now as Brexit bites and saturation wanes.

But at the moment yes, it's very competitive. I just priced up a job that should be in the £90 mark, very big new build house a mansion, and was up against silly quotes of £30 and £40. I won it at £65 as I was recommended by neighbouring houses and estates but the times of the cream jobs, or those golden nuggets where you used to get 200 quid for 2 hours work are well gone.  £65 for this job isn't in my opinion for the area I live particularly good. Even £90 is cheap in my opinion it should be around the £140 mark.

For anyone starting up its hard as you have no reputation to base your prices on, and the advent of canvassing companies means more and more areas are being canvassed over and over again driving prices down, saturating the market.

Brexit bites! how do you know that? you don.t. Maybe stick to facts you do know.

[*Hector*]

But all the problems of the world are the fault of Brexit!! 


 

[Dry Clean]

The effects off Brexit should not be dismissed when starting up again, I have a crash helmet and a radioactive fallout suit
sitting in my van just in case.

[*Hector*]

I hope your helmet has a tinfoil lining