Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Paul-pp on October 15, 2010, 05:42:51 pm
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Hi - a mate has offered to build me a website for a reasonable price? £135 inc domain for the year - maybe with the option to accept payments from custys - is it worth having? do you get many new custys from the site?
I have viewed several that are very good & at present i am looking to increase my custy base - is this a good advertising tool?
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Most of my new work comes from my websites,.. defo worth the money IMO.
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Nat can you mail me with your rates please ? wpclean@yahoo.com
Thanks
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Nat can you mail me with your rates please ? wpclean@yahoo.com
Thanks
Sorry,.. I'm all booked up at present! I'll be doing a few websites in the quiet spell after Xmas,.. but up till then unless the weather is very bad I'm swamped already.
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nat i have a website and would be interested in optimization if you could?
ronnie@rcwcleaningservicesltd.co.uk
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form an orderly queue,.... :D
Seriously,.. I would love to help, but between window cleaning & helping my wife get her new business off the ground I don't have a spare minute at the moment. The Guild keeps me very busy in November/December too with all the pre-registrations etc, so it will be Jan before I have time unfortunately.
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web sites are worth it best money i spent, get some that pay with paypal get work from it as well
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i find ALL of my work comes from referals, now. no overheads running websites, worrying about traffic, how high up the listings you are etc etc. conscentrate on cleaning window properly and you will attract so many customers you will not have time for anything else ;)
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form an orderly queue,.... :D
Seriously,.. I would love to help, but between window cleaning & helping my wife get her new business off the ground I don't have a spare minute at the moment. The Guild keeps me very busy in November/December too with all the pre-registrations etc, so it will be Jan before I have time unfortunately.
january u can do mine nat as we av already
sorted it lad jus remind me wiv my guild renewal m8 ;D ;D ;D
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Hi - a mate has offered to build me a website for a reasonable price? £135 inc domain for the year - maybe with the option to accept payments from custys - is it worth having? do you get many new custys from the site?
I have viewed several that are very good & at present i am looking to increase my custy base - is this a good advertising tool?
it is a good tool only if designed to work correctly, a web site is far more than just what you look at, you need SEO (search engine optimisation)within the design. if this is done and look nice then the price is cheap. Can be a great tool, I get loads of work from website.
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i find ALL of my work comes from referals, now. no overheads running websites, worrying about traffic, how high up the listings you are etc etc. conscentrate on cleaning window properly and you will attract so many customers you will not have time for anything else ;)
i agree with that. if you are a grass-roots type of cleaner, you get easy referrals on the street,no real need for a website (in my opinion) .
however,if you are the type with a hi-priced service, work is not going to fall in your lap so easily and Thats when a website might be a good idea,to hook a juicy fish, not just a cod
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To be honest, although you say referrals etc. But without having a site it would be hard to judge what extra business you would get from it. Times we are in the internet is the way to go. I worked in publishing for years, and although Im sure newspapers maybe round for a while, print is going online.
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i personally dont think i website would make much difference to my business.
i can see if your a mainly commercial window cleaning company that it would look like your more professional with a website but for a sole trader( mainly domestic window cleaner) i dont see the point really esp if your well established!
i dont think online is the way forward at all not for window cleaning anyway!we need more face to face contact with customers not less IMO!
cash on the day/collecting/sae/online banking can be done without a website!
if you ve got good business cards/leaflets/flyers and are uniformed/signed van/good wfp/trad equipment and conduct yourself with integrity/honesty and do a good reliable job at a fair price then thats all you need! ;D ;D
christ!there are guys out there that are still driving old battered cars using old scrim,10 ladders on the roof rack who are making a lot of money!(a lot more than me !).who dont care about uniforms/sign written vans/wfp etc who would laugh if they ever came on here!some of these have been going over 20 years with 900+ customers!
the custies care even less!in fact i would say as long as theyve got clean windows on a regular basis and the window cleaner is not a rip off merchant they will stay with them for years and years!
in fact if you look too pro you will put potential custies off!!IMO!
maybe its different here up north but for the majority of customers( esp middle age)customers which make up a fair size of my round there just not interested in websites/online payment for window cleaning!
i think there is actually a rebellion AGAINST the internet with the recent people who been caught hacking into peoples passwords etc for online banking etc.they simply dont trust it!
dazmond
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no websites don't work, i spent nearly 1g on my site re-design and i'm now spending a further lump a month ongoing on my SEO.
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i personally dont think i website would make much difference to my business.
i can see if your a mainly commercial window cleaning company that it would look like your more professional with a website but for a sole trader( mainly domestic window cleaner) i dont see the point really esp if your well established!
i dont think online is the way forward at all not for window cleaning anyway!we need more face to face contact with customers not less IMO!
cash on the day/collecting/sae/online banking can be done without a website!
if you ve got good business cards/leaflets/flyers and are uniformed/signed van/good wfp/trad equipment and conduct yourself with integrity/honesty and do a good reliable job at a fair price then thats all you need! ;D ;D
christ!there are guys out there that are still driving old battered cars using old scrim,10 ladders on the roof rack who are making a lot of money!(a lot more than me !).who dont care about uniforms/sign written vans/wfp etc who would laugh if they ever came on here!some of these have been going over 20 years with 900+ customers!
the custies care even less!in fact i would say as long as theyve got clean windows on a regular basis and the window cleaner is not a rip off merchant they will stay with them for years and years!
in fact if you look too pro you will put potential custies off!!IMO!
maybe its different here up north but for the majority of customers( esp middle age)customers which make up a fair size of my round there just not interested in websites/online payment for window cleaning!
i think there is actually a rebellion AGAINST the internet with the recent people who been caught hacking into peoples passwords etc for online banking etc.they simply dont trust it!
dazmond
At first reading that I thought you was having a laugh, but I think your serious, Daz, what you think is wrong ..way wrong..
I get loads of domestic work from online, I am guessing a year ago maybe 2 you slated wfp but now you do it (hope you get the point im trying to make). A website will bring you in more work not having one will give your compitition an open door to take them.
People that dont use online banking are making there life harder as this will be the future and the banks are every changing ways to make it safer, imbrace it or your business will lose out long term.
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i honestly believe more and more people will turn their back on the internet banking etc as its just not very safe and /or they dont trust it.
dazmond
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I cant see that happening, with the government trying to roll out broadband etc for people. More and more shop online. With cheques also going out in I believe 2012.... Of course you will still have people wanting to do things as they always have, but technology will always progress. You might be pleasantly surprised having a website, and seeing if it does increase your business, maybe you could do some research with your customers, and see what their response would be if you offered online payment service, think that would be a good way of finding out. You can pay most bills online now. You never know, they may be pleased to have that available
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the internet is the future.
Forget leaflets, magazines, or any other print. The only media to deal with in time will be ther internet.
Its getting more accesible not going backwards,
I can get it on my phone, on my computer, on my skybox etc.
The net will be the only way people search for things in time. its the next generation. Its all kids know nowadays
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look at yellow pages how thin it has gone, most people google when they want something, i know i do, i just throw the yellow pages in the bin,
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Im afraid Im guilty of that, dont even take it out of its wrapper. Things will have its day soon. When Ive been selling space the biggest objection I get is "Im spending money on improving and optimising my site"
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i am getting more phone calls of people offering search engine positioning than to advertise in paper/books i agree with kate think yellow pages is dead, i also think yell.com is dying as most people look for a website rather than a listing in a directory
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Yes I can understand that Blue, lots of ads about for salespeople to sell these services
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kate i think youll find that they are THINKING about phasing out cheques in 2018!8 YEARS AWAY!! ;) ;D ;D
you can set up online banking without a website anyway just give custy your bank details if they want to pay that way!!
obviously the custies that currently pay by cheque will have to pay by online banking or cash but spending money on a website and optimisation is not necessary.
all my services are on my business cards/leaflets and WINDOWS CLEANED TODAY cards.most add on work is repeat work 12 months/24 months.
do not underestimate word of mouth and recommendation and talking to customers.
dazmond
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My apologies, maybe it is 2018, cant think where I got that from.
Each to their own Dazmond.
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I get two or three jobs a week from the website.
I do find it hard to understand the view that references alone will do the job. Why not get all those new jobs from references AND the ones from a website? It's not either/or, is it? You can do both.
Depending on your rates and how much you pay for a site, you could easily pay it back in a month or two of leads. That will be in addition to all your other ways of getting business.
Vin
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Why do people complicate there lives so much in the window cleaning world???
Websites to check, online payments to keep track of. should i be using hot water, wfp, mondeo estate, old fiesta van, van system, trolley, doing the odd driveway clean, working in the rain or not, leaflets or knocking? THE LIST GOES ON and really does get a real pain. Everyone has there own way of doing things.
Why do people say thing like'YOUR WRONG ON THIS ONE'
Who can judge who is wrong or right?
Why doesnt eveyone tell us how they do things and there results, then anyone looking for advice on here can make there own minds up.
Heres mine....
I have started and ran many businesses and my experience has taught me one thing in any business is control your overheads.
I started window cleaning again because of this one fact!!!! If you keep your window cleaning business simple you will maximise your PROFIT..
Do a top class job for the right price and you will keep your customers. In keeping your customers happy you should not need to keep replacing them.So once you have the amount of customers you need for a comfortable living it will be end of story, UNLESS you want to build a huge business with more staff, more vans etc and then your back to why I personally wanted to start window cleaning again. For none of this. So i have my customers and am very happy. When the weather is good i can work 3 days a week if i like and spend the rest of my time with the kids.
I collect on a friday t time. If they are not in they run over to the next 4 weekly clean. I offer 4 weekly only!! End of story. KISS. KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID!
Never knocked just used LEAFLETS delivered by myself!!!!!!!! Dog bite to prove it! :-[
Turning down work from referrals. Or passing the odd one on to (SUDS, I know only the odd one mate)
Happy days :)
Lost JUST 1 customer since starting. (genuine house repo)
start a 8.30 finish at 5.
Never work weekends.
When i owned a shop and worked 6am till 10pm 7 days a week i vowed never to work weekends again. so i dont.
4 customers pay by cheque when they dont have the cash.
NO council estate work. (nothing against it tho)
NEVER work in the rain.
WFP all customers.
99% domestic
Clean all frames doors and garage doors as standard.
no calling the night before.
Van mount system
Sign wrote van
hybrid xtel and brodex
superlites brodex and vikan brushes.
And all this since January this year! :)
If you work hard you cant fail!
Never give up (W churchill)
I LOVE WINDOW CLEANING. ITS THE BEST BUSINESS OUT> BAR NONE
STRESS,WHAT STRESS, Complicated? NOT A CHANCE. HOURS TO SUIT. ITS GREAT
;D ;D ;D
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Ok.
But what are your thoughts on Traffic from websites mate? ???
;D
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I want a website to help me keep at it and not jack it in.
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have you read my previous post on my web traffic view?