Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Nameless Drudge on October 20, 2010, 09:12:21 pm
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Its been bugging me all day so am posting to get it off my chest.
Canvassing today in a village where i expected to do well,actually the pressure is on i needed to do well,gave up after an hour without gaining a customer as the brain had shot through.Will be giving it another try tommorrow. What finished me off today was this,4-5 bed detached houses,not the large garden type but those shoehorned together in a recent development.all leaded windows and all seemingly got a cleaner and was chatting with the lady at the last one i knocked,so they are done wfp,every 5 weeks,so she says she is not 100% impressed with this and how much would i charge,19 windows,couple of large bays,french doors extended outwards with glass to sides(counted this as 1),half glass front door with glass at either side(counting this as 1) and all glass is leaded.So i thinks,well if i was faster then £15,underpricing in my eyes but maybe get a foothold. She sort of gulped in dissapointment,£9.50 she is paying. A splash and dash brigade and the frames were not so clever. I just left her a card,as i was going to do them wfp, i was lost for words.House value(not that it should matter but just to help you imagine the type) appx £450-550k, i am 100% sure she was telling the truth.Now i can imagine 2 if not 3 lads getting out of the van and speed cleaning this group of houses . I just could not and can not see how i can compete.Dont get me wrong i was not trying to rob their work i just cannot imagine doing a 19 leaded windowed detached house for £9.50 or do i need to be able to clean windows this quick to make a living.Looking closely the windows were not too bad(i think leaded are very forgiving to wfp),. Approaching the house i had £26 initial clean with all muck off frames and £18 every 6 weeks so that was my bonfire pi**ed on!
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There'll always be someone prepared to do it cheaper. Perhaps they are on the dole; perhaps they are firemen, etc. Perhaps they just have no idea how to run a business.
The good news is that they will stop at some point and your prospect will be stuck needing clean windows with your card in her drawers (oo-er!).
Vin
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those little new developements are where every tom dick and harry will canvass.folk there get leaflets all the time and can chop n change to get a low price
try look for sideroads, country lanes,houses up a track , anywhere that is not obvious at first glance
download a local street map and colour in every street on the map as you go
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could just be 2 lads working on the side, trust me u will come across really cheap wc, and really expensive wc, there is nothing you can do if someone is really cheap
i do a flat for a £5, the previous wc charge £12.50, i found out after i done it, the wc lasted 2 cleans before he was sacked, some times the really big houses are a waste of time as they prob get knocked at least 1 a month, same with bungys, that is why i avoid them
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Well i'm not suprised as I have recently learnt of a local guy to me was doing a 3 bed local authority type house with a garage conversion for £4.20 not sure why the extra 20p but there you have it , we have no chance of competing with the like
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the wc who does my street quote me 3.50 to do my house 4 windows 1 door at front 3 windows and 1 door at back
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There'll always be someone prepared to do it cheaper. Perhaps they are on the dole; perhaps they are firemen, etc. Perhaps they just have no idea how to run a business.
The good news is that they will stop at some point and your prospect will be stuck needing clean windows with your card in her drawers (oo-er!).
Vin
there are legitimate window cleaners that have been in business for donkey years that charge these prices, and not all of them do bad job either
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i went door knocking last night and had the same thing 3 bed detached 9 windows and 2 doors first 3 houses said ok how much so i said £10 they all said you r almost 2x what im getting charged.went to another house old dear says i do the bottoms how much for the tops i say £6 she says i was paying £5.50 for the lot.
me and my m8 couldnt belive how sum1 could make a living charging £5.50
so that was the end off that and its only 5mins from me .
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£5 a house x 20 house 100 a day cash in hand, a lot dont get that working in warehouses
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the wc who does my street quote me 3.50 to do my house 4 windows 1 door at front 3 windows and 1 door at back
i am not ashamed to admit i have these size houses and slightly bigger for 4 quid but also for 12. I make 25ph minimum on all work any thats less gets rise or dumped. The 4quid ones i have been doing then fortnightly for a few years on council estate its the only council work ive got and they were my first customers never had heart to sell it plus i now charge 7 and make great money they are low windows old frames easy to trad just one big pane for each window. Yet the more expensive houses are no where near as compact and are in nice area. I say all this just to show they might not be the cowboys you presume and may make good money by being quick and compact. But dont lower your pricing just move on to another area till you find weneedcleanershere ville
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i dont lower my prices, i just quote as i see them, depending on area, no windows etc, find i better results from council than private, as can be reasonable and get more compact work
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i went door knocking last night and had the same thing 3 bed detached 9 windows and 2 doors first 3 houses said ok how much so i said £10 they all said you r almost 2x what im getting charged.went to another house old dear says i do the bottoms how much for the tops i say £6 she says i was paying £5.50 for the lot.
me and my m8 couldnt belive how sum1 could make a living charging £5.50
so that was the end off that and its only 5mins from me .
sorry ment to say that these was leaded and they were dun off a ladder
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i cant believe how cheap the expensive wc'ers are on here. that house would have been £30 every 8 weeks for me.
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it makes no odds how many window there are, folk can't comment unless they see the job and work out in their head how long it will take to clean
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I.aim for 10 pound plus houses.try not to do anything for less than 8.
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i cant believe how cheap the expensive wc'ers are on here. that house would have been £30 every 8 weeks for me.
30 brick good jub you dont clean around here pal
as you certainly wudnt be very busy fact ;D ;D
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I work near Gav, he is sooo right.
i cant believe how cheap the expensive wc'ers are on here. that house would have been £30 every 8 weeks for me.
30 brick good jub you dont clean around here pal
as you certainly wudnt be very busy fact ;D ;D
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i cant believe how cheap the expensive wc'ers are on here. that house would have been £30 every 8 weeks for me.
30 brick good jub you dont clean around here pal
as you certainly wudnt be very busy fact ;D ;D
i feel your pain mate, will be like that around here one day no doubt! actually havent seen the 10 newbies a week for a while now? :)
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you should have tried to sell yourself when she said 9.50/...
she said she wasnt impressed, imo i would have pushed it a bit more , make out your doing her a deal (she doesnt know your not doing a deal...)
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Gav he's a dreamer.this is the same man that has a 50 quid karcher and makes 100 quid a hour.at Xmas he doubles up.as Santa.
i cant believe how cheap the expensive wc'ers are on here. that house would have been £30 every 8 weeks for me.
30 brick good jub you dont clean around here pal
as you certainly wudnt be very busy fact ;D ;D
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u can try and sell all you want to a custy, but the majority have a rough idea what they think there house should cost and if you come in to that, then u get the job, sure you get the odd one that says yea to 30 when last window cleaner charged 5, but how long do these last,
i would rather have decent priced work in a area, and hardle move all day, as it is all compact, than spaced out well priced work, as half the time it isnt worth the traveling