Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Ian101 on July 26, 2010, 05:13:20 pm
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Annoyed me cos an hour later the sun was out.
Only done this customer the once and cheapest job on my round £5 upstairs only 4 windows she was nice enough but if she does it again I will drop her I think even though I'm only at 25% of a full round. Am I letting emotions rule over good business ?? Not a problem to call back next week but when I have a full round don't think I will be able to be as flexible
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why drop her? just educate her about how the system works. dont listen to the people on here who drop people cos of silly reasons like they dont like the colour of the curtains, just work how you feel happy to work, if you drop her and she gets upset then she will go round telling everyone your attitude stinks and then she may lose you more customers
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I dont bother when they do it to me now. (although it does not happen as often)
I just leave it till the next month and let them have dirty windows.
If they dont like it they wont do it again.
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Hi Ian,
at 25% full you may need to keep her while you get to the income you want or need to earn. But experience will teach you that people who dictate when you clean because of this and that, will always mess you about. You will never be able to rely on their business.
Good customers who value you time will generally allow you to work in what looks like rain ans even in the rain.
I am full and tend not to get messed about so much now, but I am £43. down today on two jobs because of the school holidays.
Lee
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why drop her? just educate her about how the system works. dont listen to the people on here who drop people cos of silly reasons like they dont like the colour of the curtains, just work how you feel happy to work, if you drop her and she gets upset then she will go round telling everyone your attitude stinks and then she may lose you more customers
never a truer word spoken it gets yr back up
but dont drop her have her on a too be dropped list
in yr first 12mths youl get a few messers etc jus bite ya lip n smile
knowing wen youve replaced her shes gone lol ;D ;D
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So long as it's not much out of your way, IMO it would not make good business sense to drop such a job at the moment - not unless she persuades others to do as she has done. It may be an idea to inform her of how you work (in anything up to moderate rain presumably?).
IMO always ask yourself how much business sense a decision makes (as you have done) - though it can sometimes be tempting to follow the heart.
Effectively, she hs intructed you to check weather forecasts before leaving home I feel.
Unless a job is very lucrative, I do lose such jobs. However, I have a pretty full workload and keeping such work on would be bad economics. In fact, the last two times a custie has done this, it has been at the very end of the day and therefore cost me money because there wasn't time to go elsewhere.
I didn't like their curtains anyway ;D
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just say ok no probs, then in the free time go knocking, i went out to day and had 3 say not this month, so went out knocking and picked up 5, so next month got an extra 5 and if the 3 say not this months so what i have already replaced them, he ones i drop are the ones who say can u knock every thime you are here so i can tell you if i need them doing, just say ok, and dump them
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the ones i drop are the ones who say can u knock every thime you are here so i can tell you if i need them doing, just say ok, and dump them
As I got braver, I started to ask them if they would run the business that kept the roof over their head in such a manner. Most saw my point.
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thats her 1ST strike ! (3strike rule )
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AsK HER IF WAS RAINING SAND AND DIRT? As the last time I saw it was raining water.Water under pressure and agitated with a brush cleans window.Not rain!on its own.Education to the nation.
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3 strikes and they are out - that's our rule - but we are full up currently. We also say that it's no problem if they don't want them cleaned if it's raining but we won't be in the area until next month (if that's true). It's then up to them to have dirty windows.
No one stopped us cleaning windows today and it did rain off and on all day.
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Annoyed me cos an hour later the sun was out.
Only done this customer the once and cheapest job on my round £5 upstairs only 4 windows she was nice enough but if she does it again I will drop her I think even though I'm only at 25% of a full round. Am I letting emotions rule over good business ?? Not a problem to call back next week but when I have a full round don't think I will be able to be as flexible
As you are only at 25% of a full round then why not educate her? If you are not "fleet of tongue" like jw trained Paul Coleman ;D then drop her a copy of your rain guarantee that you will no doubt be introducing if you have not done so all ready. If she won't be educated then drop her as soon as your round builds up with better custies. Which you will get from the excellent suggestion of darren clarke above of using such dead time to canvass.
These little things eventually sort out the £40K+ turnover one man band from the £20K one.
Also tell her that you want to see red curtains with pink spots in all the upstairs windows or you're not coming back ... ;)
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people think your mad cleaning in the rain :P
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I had one about three years ago, I said no problem and never went back she phoned up at around the 8 week point and I said oh I am sorry but every time I have set out towards your area its looked like rain. she said she gets the point and has never been a problem since.
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when you put your prices up she could be the first one to go up!
is she says no dump her!
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please dont do them its going to rain in a few weeks ;D
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upstairs only?i wouldnt of took her on!ALL the windows top and bottom frames/sills and doors as standard.
and also i would of told her i work in light to moderate rain if im behind with my work schedule.
alarm bells ringing loudly with "can you just do the tops?" not a good start!!
regards
dazmond
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i have a few upstairs only,just charge over half the price ,no problem ;)
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id charge the same as doing the full house!
i have a few upstairs only,just charge over half the price ,no problem ;)
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id charge the same as doing the full house!
i have a few upstairs only,just charge over half the price ,no problem ;)
thats cause your greedy ;)
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id charge the same as doing the full house!
i have a few upstairs only,just charge over half the price ,no problem ;)
thats cause your greedy ;)
no I would imagine all the risk of trad work is up a ladder. ;D
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id charge the same as doing the full house!
i have a few upstairs only,just charge over half the price ,no problem ;)
thats cause your greedy ;)
no I would imagine all the risk of trad work is up a ladder. ;D
sorry Lee you read the wrong bit,i charge just over half Clee wants to charge full price for upstairs
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Annoyed me cos an hour later the sun was out.
Only done this customer the once and cheapest job on my round £5 upstairs only 4 windows she was nice enough but if she does it again I will drop her I think even though I'm only at 25% of a full round. Am I letting emotions rule over good business ?? Not a problem to call back next week but when I have a full round don't think I will be able to be as flexible
As you are only at 25% of a full round then why not educate her? If you are not "fleet of tongue" like jw trained Paul Coleman ;D then drop her a copy of your rain guarantee that you will no doubt be introducing if you have not done so all ready. If she won't be educated then drop her as soon as your round builds up with better custies. Which you will get from the excellent suggestion of darren clarke above of using such dead time to canvass.
These little things eventually sort out the £40K+ turnover one man band from the £20K one.
Also tell her that you want to see red curtains with pink spots in all the upstairs windows or you're not coming back ... ;)
Yeah but you don't know the guys who trained me. ;D
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i have a few upstairs only,just charge over half the price ,no problem ;)
Bit different with WFP though Stan as you soak the lower windows anyway :)
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This is a new customer, she's had her windows cleaned once and now she's not so bothered. When you go canvassing a fairly high percentage of the new customers you pick up are going to be some other window cleaners reject.
The time will come when you will probably dump her but not now. Money is money even if it isn't every time. Do her when you can for the present.
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Annoyed me cos an hour later the sun was out.
Only done this customer the once and cheapest job on my round £5 upstairs only 4 windows she was nice enough but if she does it again I will drop her I think even though I'm only at 25% of a full round. Am I letting emotions rule over good business ?? Not a problem to call back next week but when I have a full round don't think I will be able to be as flexible
the problem you now have ian is that she is now dictating to you the clean frequencey/time
thats it in a nut shell
do you want that
is it financialy worth it
dont be concerned about wether you have a full round be more concerned about being proffessional and doing a good job and being rewarded correctley(think i have spelt that wrong)
£5.00 is nothing i think your mistake was charging £5.00 set a limit if your using wfp top of my head id say £8.00
if shes next to a another customer give her one more chance if not move on and canvass better customers
luv you man
bob
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Thanks guys for all the great advice ... esp like Darrans advice about canvassing - missed a trick there or I was just annoyed and not thinking proper.
The house is 1 of a street of 6 of brand new houses of which I do 3 inc her (will have the others soon so dont need her telling others negatives) so will keep her on for now as not really an inconvience to pop back next week ... was only a fiver as it takes minutes to do her when Im already on the street.
If it happens again though she will have to wait 4 weeks until Im back there and then when I put my prices up next year if she goes then she goes.
At this point @ 25% full I realise I still need her more than she needs me ... when my round is full to the point of not being able to get around then maybe that will be a different storey.
however also like the 3 strikes that someone suggested so will see how it goes.
Got a conny and 4 other first cleans today and looks like rain :( fingers crossed for a dry afternoon.
Hope it dont rain Sunday as doing my bit for charity www.rideforrotary.org
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Thanks guys for all the great advice ... esp like Darrans advice about canvassing - missed a trick there or I was just annoyed and not thinking proper.
The house is 1 of a street of 6 of brand new houses of which I do 3 inc her (will have the others soon so dont need her telling others negatives) so will keep her on for now as not really an inconvience to pop back next week ... was only a fiver as it takes minutes to do her when Im already on the street.
If it happens again though she will have to wait 4 weeks until Im back there and then when I put my prices up next year if she goes then she goes
I doubt she will be with you next year. Be sure to tell her and other 5 why you have stopped calling at hers.
Also try to nail the rest in the close cos she will get someone else to clean hers so make sure the rest are watertight.
Lee
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As your round gets bigger you will earn who will be out in the daytime, if your worried about people moaning about the rain (which the will always do) just do the ones which are out andthen explain, how the rain wnt make a difference afterwards on collection
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lol .... went back today cos the sun was shining (in between the showers) .... yes she says please clean my windows so I does them ... just upstairs only ... then tells me "oh sorry got no cash on me can I send you a cheque ?" :o :o so just said yes no problem .... thought about saying just write me a cheque now instead of posting it but was tired and a long day just wanted me dinner ::) ... out of a huge round of 70 customers Ive resigned myself to her being my permanent messer ... oh well onwards and upwards gotta laugh but she better post that cheque !!
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u will always get some who say to day, what a lot mean is i got no cash, this is one of the reason i collect on saturday and not on the day, that way i dont get a lot of aint go no cash leave it this month