[windows_chepstow]

I'm just printing off a whole load of 'Your Window Cleaner has been' chits.

Mines A5 sized and looks pretty good; so I think.

Anyway, one part of it says:

EVERY OTHER MONTH

We also offer an every other month cleaning service.  This will cost you 50% more than your current cleaning price, but will save you money since you will receive six, rather than twelve cleans per year.

But I've had very few takers on this service over the past year or so I've advertised this.

Am I charging too much or using the wrong wording?

[www.crawleycarpetc]

I think people are thinking you are trying to rip them off!?
sorry but thats what i would think.

Regards Rob

[jon adams]

 Hi Tosh, to the customer they could see it that you will benefit most from this deal how about trying for 25% more and i reckon you will still be quids in. Most of my round is prob 8-9 cleans a year anyway now im converting to wfp this will give them a chance to get dirty.
                                           Jon

[windows_chepstow]

I think people are thinking you are trying to rip them off!?
sorry but thats what i would think.

Regards Rob

Rob, you may have hit the nail on the head.

Thanks mate.

But I still want to offer this service.

It's fair enough; don't you think?

It does save them money, and still guarantees them a regular window cleaning service.

The price of a window cleaner does depend on the amount of work involved and frequency of service.

Should I explain it better?

I've just cancelled my print job.

[windows_chepstow]

how about trying for 25% more and i reckon you will still be quids in.

 Jon

Jon,

I probably would be happy with 25% extra, but I've advertised for 50% more for over a year now, and it would seem a bit 'desperate' to my customers if I took a step backwards now.

Not only that, I have a handfull of customers who've asked for this service and it would be unfair on them too.

I'd need a different, 'your window cleaner has been' chit for them to hide the fact I've went 'cheaper'.

I think my only option is to explain myself better.

[Jeff Brimble]

I always try to keep customers, if they want a 2 month then I do it, or a 3/6 month. Better to keep a customer for "life" than lose one. Most go with "whatever everyone else is doing". Sometimes they fall on bad times, are embaressed and stop you. Far better to try to keep them by offering an alternative. By all means then tell them that you have to charge a bit extra for the time involved because its cutting their cost by %. You offer a service catered to what they want, they are happy, you are happy.
But you will still lose a customer if they are hard up or unhappy.

[www.crawleycarpetc]

Its a difficult one really and depends on the quality of the work you are doing? I have one house that has 45 windows and doors in total ( nearly all Georgian!). The 1st clean i did i did for £60 but when the house holder told me she only wanted a clean as and when i quoted £90 and she said thats fine! The problem with what you are doing for me is Joe bloggs in general wouldn't stomach it as they will feel its a scam. Again just my opinion.

Regards Rob

[jon adams]

 Sorry to say this Tosh but straight away i thought it smacked of a scam just wanted someone else to say it first, suspicious lot us wcs as we have all been had at some stage.


                              Jon

[windows_chepstow]

 Sorry to say this Tosh but straight away i thought it smacked of a scam just wanted someone else to say it first, suspicious lot us wcs as we have all been had at some stage.


                              Jon

A Scam is a dishonest scheme.

What I propose is honest and upfront!

If you pay £10 per month for a clean; you pay £120 per year.

If you pay £15 for a bi-monthly clean you pay £90 per year.

That's a £30 saving to the customer who still gets a regular, insured window cleaner to clean their windows.

Where's the dishonest scheme?

If you gave someone a quote for cleaning their windows on a monthly basis, then every other month they said 'Not this month mate', would you keep them on your books?

I wouldn't.

Remember, we run businesses.

I've several customers who've taken me up on this offer, but I want more.

[www.crawleycarpetc]

P S my brother lives in Chepstow ill tell him to watch out for you!

[windows_chepstow]

P S my brother lives in Chepstow ill tell him ti watch out for you!

I'm the only Japanese looking window cleaner in Chepstow with a Geordie accent.

I'm not hard to spot. 

Tell him to shout, 'Whey-Aye-Banzai' if he ever sees me.

But what about this 50% extra scheme?

What would be the best way to explain it?

[gaza]

TOSH:WERE  ARE YOU GOING WITH THIS?get the money off them by charging more
for your work at 4 weekly cleans,why create more work for yourself?more spaced out collecting cus  youve got to have a bigger bank of customers,yes I can see your side ,working for a higher price,but make your customers you have now pay extra.
REPLACE THE CRAP WITH HIGHER PAYERS

 GAZA

[www.crawleycarpetc]

Thats ok we originally come from Boro! (uefa champions!!}

"A Scam is a dishonest scheme.


What I propose is honest and upfront!

If you pay £10 per month for a clean; you pay £120 per year.

If you pay £15 for a bi-monthly clean you pay £90 per year.

That's a £30 saving to the customer who still gets a regular, insured window cleaner to clean their windows."

I think the way i read it is you are offering a 50% clean per year at 75% of the anual price! i do agree with what your saying and trying to achieve but need to think about how to word it better.

[rosskesava]

Gaza - you always have that certain way of putting things that is erm.... quite precise and cuts the cr*p.

Tosh

We basically stopped doing monthly cleans a few months back as we had a lot of underpriced jobs and others that we not worth the amount of time it took getting to the job. Also, every evening I was phoning 20 to 30 customers which was like a chinese water torture after a heavy days work.

One of the other reasons was that our commercial work was on the increase and had gone from 1 day a week for 2 people to 2 days a week for 6 people in about a year so something had to give.

The customers we kept for monthly cleans were those that I would call 5 star jobs. Those that are the very good earners or either very quick to do.

To everyone else, I sent a properly worded letter explaining that we had changed the service we were offering to one of either a call out service which would be double the existing price, or a 2 monthly clean at 50% increase.

That may sound brutal but business is business and while I don't mind doing Mrs Grannies bungalow for £6, it doesn't pay my bills. Added to which we have commercial contracts to honour and some of them specify times of the day for the work to be done. Some, and this may sound really horrible, we just dumped for one reason or another.

Believe it or not, I did try to find other window cleaners who wanted work but around here they all seem to have full books.

To date we haven't heard from roughly 60% of our pre existing customers which is not a problem. I had quite a few irate phone calls but what did suprise me at how many customers were happy with accepting the 2 monthly clean for a 50% increase. I was also more suprised at how many were happy for the call out service at twice the price which was more than accepted the 50% increase.

On reflection, it would have been better just to offer a call out service only for those customers who were not 'prefered' ones.

So I think the 50% increase for a 2 monthly clean, if you are not short of customers - stick with it. Better still, maybe offer a call out service at twice the price. Now, in the main, the customer phones us. How easy is that?

Also, and very important, we decreased an over burdoned work load and increased our profits by about 50% in a few months and it felt good to clean out all that dead wood. It was like a breath of fresh air.

[windows_chepstow]

Thats ok we originally come from Boro! (uefa champions!!}

If your brother lives in Chepstow and you both come from 'Boro, then he's probably a Green Howard in Beachley Barracks.

They're my worst paying customers.  I've alread dropped a wadge of them, won't take on anymore there, and only keep on my trusted customers.

[windows_chepstow]

Ross/Gazza,

You've both given me some food for thought.

Wor Lass is telling me it's bath time.

Night all.

[www.crawleycarpetc]

Spot on mate and he is tight as well!

[gaza]

ROSS:HOW MANY 1ST CLEANS HAVE YOU DONE FOR THE CALL OUT CUSTOMERS?how many have rung?
Wouldnt like the idea of sitting waiting for the phone to ring
Thought you were wfp you carnnt bang em out as quick as a reg clean
its change from scrim and scarper to rinse and scarper

does your idea really work in your favour?
good luck if it does.

 gaza

[brett walker]

I wouldnt advertise a 2 monthly clean but you do get some customers that are adamant that they want it done that way, so yes and i would charge them 50% extra.

I had 1 customer that was 10 pound per month but wanted to change to every other month so to be fair to her i told her it would be 12 pound but i could tell with the look on her face that she wasnt happy.  She agreed but later emailed me and cancelled, instead of paying 120 per year she wanted to pay the 60 have clean windows frames, i dont think so.  If she approaches me again the price will go up after all this is not fair on other customers if they start talking to their neighbours they could all want it doing 2 monthly for the same price then youve got to start finding twice as much work.
So yes definately 50% extra

Brett

[gaza]

BRETT: WELL PUT BUDDY,would rather have 2 squid extra but clean every month
just for her cheek,we ave dicussed this before over coffee but still not sure about the logestics of two month cleans ,maybe 6 weekly cleans at 25% extra,would be about manageable with wfp,but not on these new building sites we keep getting on
because they carnt be cleaned trad.

n.b. squeeky


  gaza

[chris@c.m.s]

Tosh do the 2 monthly cleans take you any longer than the monthly cleans they dont with me unless its a bird bombing area, The way I see it is customers without knowledge see it that first cleans, 2 monthly cleans or even 6 monthly cleans take the same time to deal with so in there opinion why should they pay more, Cant see any problem with offering that service though, Ross I think I'll be expanding into your area soon I've had people asking from Hangleton and it does seem that theres  more of a shortage that way than over here.      

[chris@c.m.s]

6 weekly cleans who started that one keep it 4 or 8 weekly please 6 weekly just doesnt fit.
 

[gaza]

CHRIS WITH DUE RESPECT 6wkly cleans x25%
would you like to wfp every 8 weeks?
you would be working at a higher rate per house for 1
you could easily justify it wfping for 2

Eg= £10 house now =£2.50p =£12.50p

12monthly = £120
52 divided by 6 weekly cleans = 8.66666666666 or 9 cleans =9 x £12.50p =£112.50
cheaper for customer by £7.50p
3xhouses £10.00p  per hr =£30 now
3xhouses £12.50p  per hr=£37.50p

get more work you are £7.00p per hr better off                copywrite gaza

[JohnL]

Tosh

If you want to go ahead with this scheme why dont you explain on the leaflet the monetory gain for them

ie   
  ''We also offer an every other month cleaning service.  This will cost you 50% more than your current cleaning price, but will save you money since you will receive six, rather than twelve cleans per year. If your existing price is £10 per month the alternative arrangement would cost you £15 every other month ie £90 per year thus saving £30''

The only problem I have is what is in it for you? You lose £30 per customer a year which you then have to replace. If 10 customers take up the offer you lose £300! I presume you are hoping to replace it with more profitable work.

JohnL

[chris@c.m.s]

Yep good point gaza cant argue with you on that, its when you work mostly 4 or 8 weekly it goes to pot, if your 6 weekly from the outset then its ok i guess.

[Londoner]

Look at it from the customers point of view. It feels to them like they are paying more for less.
In their eyes if it costs ten pounds to have you clean their windows then thats the price.
It doesn't really matter how often you turn up in the course of a year, but when you do its a tenner.

Trying to charge more just puts you on the wrong foot and be honest. Does it take you 50% longer?

[Moderator David@stives]

I think you are all going mad.

If you can get 50% more for a clean that means you are too cheap in the first place.

I have pushed all my prices to the limit and my customers wont stand much more , no matter how often they have them done.

And unless you are in a situation like Ross then you will have to find one extra customer for every one who takes you up on your offer.

Dave

[Londoner]

The trouble is that with WFPs the windows stay clean longer. This issue is going to come up more often.

We have to find a way of making it sound like the customers are getting a better deal by paying more. I can't see many of mine responding favourably to the idea as it stands at the moment.

[brett walker]

Im sure most will agree with me on this one, most customers are always complaining that when you have been to clean the windows it always rains after.
So if you can make them think wfp makes them stay cleaner til the windows are due again they should be happier as they seem to think they get dirty straight after it rains.
But as we have said we dont want them changing to 2 monthly, i have also explained to my customers its not the rain that makes them dirty its the dirt in the air.

We all know what customers are like we give them an explanation letter and most of them dont read it

Brett

[sunshine windows]

I tend to agree with the ones that are suggesting any clean is better than no clean. Unless of course you've been at it for years and your books are chocka block already.

I personally clean customers either monthly, 2 monthly, 3 monthly or 4 monthly. If a job would normally cost £10 it becomes £11-£12. For £13 jobs =£15. £20 jobs =£25


It's obviously very nice to be able to get 50% more for a 2 monthly clean but i do feel this is a bit on the steep side. I would imagine that the customers wanting this service are the ones that can't afford the monthly clean in the first place. If these customers are the sort of people that don't put money aside for things like the window cleaning then to be hit with a 50% increased bill every 2 months is going to put a serious dent in the household budget. Now i know that's not our problem, the fact that they are incapable of putting money aside but i'm a soft touch.

With a lot of these jobs you need to use your discretion. Some customers can clearly afford the increase and some can't. Like i said from the top, as i'm just beginning to build a decent round up i don't want to go turning customers down and losing money and business to the opposition.

I would however like to point out that it's always the price that i quote them and never get haggled down a quid or 2.

Sunshine

[dai]

Tosh, I have recently put another of my estates on bi-monthly cleans, that's 3 estates now. It's the only way I can get my under priced jobs to pay the right price.
I explained to all of them face to face that it was no longer economically viable for me to continue at the old price. They pay 50% more and I am happy with that.
The vast majority of domestic customers want a regular service, and they would prefer a bi-monthly one than none at all.
How many times a day do you hear,"God is it four weeks gone already".
I find this really easy to sell, as you said they save on their annual cleaning costs, and you get the right price for the job.
 It's a win win situation. I make a point of telling them that even with the increased price I am still cheaper than some of my competitors, I couldn't afford a holiday last year, and any other sympathy inducing comments you can come up with.
I also tell them that I appreciate many of my customers are feeling the pinch too. What with increased fuel and energy costs, especially those on fixed incomes.
The bi-monthly route is the only route you can go down, that is fair to both parties.
THIS IS REALLY WORKING FOR ME. Dai

[Jago]

For me i do the majority of my houses 4 weekly but if a customer asks for 8 weeks then I just say no prob and tell them that it will be a few quid more.

Never had a problem yet but I will never start splitting them into 6 weeks just for my own convenience.

If they want you to clean there windows then they do it on my terms.

Just the other day I have had customers find me more customers in the same area as themselves. But they are having to wait the 3 weeks for me to return to that road as i will not split.

If they were in a new area I will put them on a day when i am closest to that area and canvas like Bugg3ry to get more in that area. I also leave cards with the new customers so they can recomend me to others.

Seems to work for me.
Just have to price right to not upset anyone.

[windows_chepstow]

After reading the above posts, coupled with my own views, I still wish to go down the 50% extra, for every other month cleans.

I clean calandar monthly (which is awkward I know; since months have differing amounts of days in them), but this works for how I administrate my accounts.

I also have around 30 to 40 accounts too many. 

Each month I've been missing out less-lucrative areas to keep on top of the bulk of my work and so I can clean my customers who pay by standing order.

So I/we have too many customers.  I'm still taking new ones on - especially this time of year - at a good rate of knots.

I've spent a couple of hours today pushing letters through letter boxes, putting my prices up.

But I still think 50% extra every other month is a good thing; I just have to 'sell' it better.

It also puts the 'not this month' brigade off from asking.

[dai]

The bi-monthly cleaning is the way to go for those of us with full to bursting rounds.
Once you have as much work as you can do in 4 fine weeks, that's all you can do.
We don't stop taking new customers on though do we? Before long we find that it's taking 22 working days instead of 20. Once you get to this stage, you are losing money every time you service your under priced jobs.
 Looking at it from a business prospective you either put the price up, dump them, or go down the bi-monthly route.
The obvious one at first site is bump the price up by 50%. If you go down this road you will inevitably lose some. So what? You have plenty of work, Yeah but your losing some from a compact round. You don't want to be replacing them for higher paid work if you have to travel a mile down the road to your next job.
 But, dumping them doesn't make sense either, without first giving them the chance to pay what you want for the job. This is where the bi-monthly scheme works.
I have now put two full  days work on a bi-monthly basis. When I do them now I'm on top rate.
The problem that's yet to be solved are the estates where I have more than a days work. I have one that takes 6 days to complete. Doing them bi-monthly would leave a big hole in the round every other month.
Ah well, I'm due for my pension next year anyway. Dai

[gaza]

DAI: IM GOING TO DOUBLE MINE: get someone to clean them and then retire with you and take that long holiday Ive promised myself since becoming a w/c
Self employed work 12hrs per day but they didnt say which 12 hrs

Never seem to be away from it,but will miss it when I retire,will you miss it DAI?

 GAZA

[dai]

Gaz, With a 28 year old wife and two little Indonesian girls to support, I will
be working untill I drop. Got to go to an immigration appeal tribunal on weds to try and get visas for the kids. fingers crossed. Dai