Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: mark mann on November 03, 2010, 11:03:33 pm
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:) hi guys
often have customers tell me about folk that will refer me too and seldom happens or cerainly not as frequent as i thought (neen going just a few months admittedley)
do you have any way of generating good referrals from your customers coz if you averaged 1 from each customer youve doubled your customer base so worth some thought.
any one got some good methods or strategies on this?
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i offer free cleans for every custy they get me,, try puting it on your flyers when u say there windows have been cleaned
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Offer a free clean for every new customer rccommended ;D
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do they give you a good refferal or a messer out for a bargain tho? lol - god im sounding sceptical - wonder why (oh yeah all the so called regulars that turned out tobe one offs cleaning all the poope green off thier frames - lol)
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they get the free clean once their referral has paid up ;)
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Im not so sure about free clean its something im thinking about, but for now i like to just say "oh by the way" etc etc
Maybe this free clean thing can work thou,
oh yea , my referrals Havant been great but Havant been bad again not as many as im hoping for.
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Hi
Just ask each of your customers when you see them if they have any friends who are looking for a good window cleaning service. If they say they will but don't, ask them politey again the next time. It's in their interests to help you expand your round, as if you can't make a living from window cleaning then they will have to look for a new window cleaner. You don't have to offer incentives, but a quality box of biscuits/chocolates is always a good way to say thanks.
I recon that 80% of the business we have acquired in the last 5 years WFP has been with referrals. Some customers are good at it, some won't give referrals.
But the thing is that your standards of work have to be good to earn recommendations. The only down side to this is that you must expect your customer base to be very fragmented as friends are not usually next to each other.
If you get a new customer in an area of town you haven't done before, canvass a few doors either side. Remember, it's your customer's windows but it's your advertising board.
It takes time.
I am always amased at the number of people who know who I am but who I have never seen before in my life. We have 2 vans, father and son business and neither of the vans are sign written. People talk.
Spruce.
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Hi
Just ask each of your customers when you see them if they have any friends who are looking for a good window cleaning service. If they say they will but don't, ask them politey again the next time. It's in their interests to help you expand your round, as if you can't make a living from window cleaning then they will have to look for a new window cleaner. You don't have to offer incentives, but a quality box of buscuits/chocolates is always a good way to say thanks.
I recon that 80% of the business we have acquired in the last 5 years WFP has been with referrals. Some customers are good at it, some won't give referrals.
But the thing is that your standards of work have to be good to earn recommendations. The only down side to this is that you must expect your customer base to be very fragmented as friends are not usually next to each other.
If you get a new customer in an area of town you haven't done before, canvass a few doors either side. Remember, it's your customer's windows but it's your advertising board.
It takes time.
I am always amased at the number of people who know who I am but who I have never seen before in my life. We have 2 vans, father and son business and neither of the vans are sign written. People talk.
Spruce.
thanks spruce and all for comments -taken on board and just grind it out - ona 2-3 hours stint canvassing door knocking - i get between 0 and 3 customers and may be the odd quote which mostly never go anywhere even tho i know my prices are fair and quite reasonable
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I never do a free clean! Just knock off a few quid if you want. My custy's are always over the moon when I do that. Very often they refuse the discount, but the thought is there!
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if ever tha does owt for nowt alluse do it for thisen ;D
wouldnt like too meny referrals owt goes belly up you lose out twice or more;
think about it when you fall out with one all the family follows
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what if the new customer only wants it done once?
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Offer a free bottle of wine for each referral - It will only cost you £5... Then add the £5 on to the initial first clean price - Everyones happy! :)
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good idea andy, free pressies or discount,
i just say thanks for the referral.
someone did ask for discount once, i just laughed and pretended he was joking.
you are risking custys getting you rubbish referrals for free cleans.
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its the vino for us too
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Funny you ask about this mark because this is my field and i read the reply's with interest.
Your theory side was good, doubling your customer base, and it's fairly easy to do. You just have to know how.If it were known on an open forum everyone would do it.So keep thinking and when the light bulb comes on in your head, that's it, you're pretty much king of the world.
Except of course if you ever spell it out on here.
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ona 2-3 hours stint canvassing door knocking - i get between 0 and 3 customers and may be the odd quote which mostly never go anywhere even tho i know my prices are fair and quite reasonable
Now there's a quandry. If you're getting quotes and they're going no where that should set an alarm bell ringing. Its ok you knowing your prices are reasonable and fair but if your potential customers don't, then your wasting your time and theirs. Try experimenting with your prices in different areas/streets /roads. You will find that if you can get a lot together its suprising how low you can go and still ahcieve a fantastic hourly rate. Try not to take to much notice of what guys tell you should be the price of a house on here, ask your potential customers what they would like to pay. If its lower than you thought maybe suggest you could do it for that price if they got a few neighbours together and they all had it done.
I know i'd sooner pull in a close and do four houses for £9 each, rather than do one at what i thought was the 'correct price' at £14. There are no rules, you just gotta get what you can get however you get it.
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its the vino for us too
have you had much success with this?
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Funny you ask about this mark because this is my field and i read the reply's with interest.
Your theory side was good, doubling your customer base, and it's fairly easy to do. You just have to know how.If it were known on an open forum everyone would do it.So keep thinking and when the light bulb comes on in your head, that's it, you're pretty much king of the world.
Except of course if you ever spell it out on here.
go on slumps tell me how to do it?
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If you saw it you'd know and you'd think it pretty obvious, but it took me huge effort.
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I do the free clean thing but i only do it if the new custy is equal or more in price than the existing custy and i only give the free clean furthur down the line when i know they will stay with me. I write it down to make sure i remember because i wouldnt want the existing custy to think i was lying
Danny
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its the vino for us too
have you had much success with this?
depends if you lke vino lol :o
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Funny you ask about this mark because this is my field and i read the reply's with interest.
Your theory side was good, doubling your customer base, and it's fairly easy to do. You just have to know how.If it were known on an open forum everyone would do it.So keep thinking and when the light bulb comes on in your head, that's it, you're pretty much king of the world.
Except of course if you ever spell it out on here.
im intrigued and enthised by the prospect there is a quicker way - guessing you wont reveal on forum but give us a clue has it been mentioned on any threads in this post ? ;D
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ona 2-3 hours stint canvassing door knocking - i get between 0 and 3 customers and may be the odd quote which mostly never go anywhere even tho i know my prices are fair and quite reasonable
Now there's a quandry. If you're getting quotes and they're going no where that should set an alarm bell ringing. Its ok you knowing your prices are reasonable and fair but if your potential customers don't, then your wasting your time and theirs. Try experimenting with your prices in different areas/streets /roads. You will find that if you can get a lot together its suprising how low you can go and still ahcieve a fantastic hourly rate. Try not to take to much notice of what guys tell you should be the price of a house on here, ask your potential customers what they would like to pay. If its lower than you thought maybe suggest you could do it for that price if they got a few neighbours together and they all had it done.
I know i'd sooner pull in a close and do four houses for £9 each, rather than do one at what i thought was the 'correct price' at £14. There are no rules, you just gotta get what you can get however you get it.
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i have thought about this for the very reason you say here - but now ive got my speed up i find on many houses i do i can spend a fair time feed hose round back of property and feeding it back up before i wind in - so if i were doing a a 14 pounder but charging 9 id perhaps have to get my speed up a bit more - also if i started doing that pricing a 14 at 9 for example the ones on at 14 already in the same road, what would you do about the original 14 pounders, drop thier price too?
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ona 2-3 hours stint canvassing door knocking - i get between 0 and 3 customers and may be the odd quote which mostly never go anywhere even tho i know my prices are fair and quite reasonable
Now there's a quandry. If you're getting quotes and they're going no where that should set an alarm bell ringing. Its ok you knowing your prices are reasonable and fair but if your potential customers don't, then your wasting your time and theirs. Try experimenting with your prices in different areas/streets /roads. You will find that if you can get a lot together its suprising how low you can go and still ahcieve a fantastic hourly rate. Try not to take to much notice of what guys tell you should be the price of a house on here, ask your potential customers what they would like to pay. If its lower than you thought maybe suggest you could do it for that price if they got a few neighbours together and they all had it done.
I know i'd sooner pull in a close and do four houses for £9 each, rather than do one at what i thought was the 'correct price' at £14. There are no rules, you just gotta get what you can get however you get it.
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i have thought about this for the very reason you say here - but now ive got my speed up i find on many houses i do i can spend a fair time feed hose round back of property and feeding it back up before i wind in - so if i were doing a a 14 pounder but charging 9 id perhaps have to get my speed up a bit more - also if i started doing that pricing a 14 at 9 for example the ones on at 14 already in the same road, what would you do about the original 14 pounders, drop thier price too?
No, i would imagine most of us have 'good' priced work and 'low' priced work. I wouldn't suggest lowering the existing prices, but if you're canvassing new work in new areas/streets and quoting and people are thinking its too high, then try to negotiate with them, ask them what price they where thinking of . Get to a price you can try. If they're thinking its to high and you need more work there has to be a compromise somewhere, something you can try?
Also if you're new to WFP your speed will drastically improve. Every time you pull that reel in and put it in the van its costs you, try to do it as little as possible.
Crude example.....we just recently canvassed a close and got about every other house. Quoted one guy £13 and he said no, he wanted to only pay a tenner. Told him no go. When we finished and we sorted that we got most of the houses we went back and agreed the tenner with him. Its money lost if we don't do it,just give him a tenners worth. Don't put obstacles in your way, just go clean get the money !!!
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Hi
Got me thinking as well.
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'What would happen if you got customer 'A' for £10.00 for example and then offered them a 'deal' at £9.00 providing your customer can get you 1 or 2 of his neighbours?
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Hi
Got me thinking as well.
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'What would happen if you got customer 'A' for £10.00 for example and then offered them a 'deal' at £9.00 providing your customer can get you 1 or 2 of his neighbours?
Just go straight in with a tenner quote, and say you can do it at that price if they get a few of the neighbours too. Saves you canvassing. You'll find out one way or the other.And no one can canvass as good as a neighbour. Just got to be open to any ways of getting business.
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You are remarkably similar to me mark, i post a question on here and then keep banging on.Usually i don't a get a very good answer but it kicks my own brain into gear.I'm also a bit of an obsessive compulsive.I won't stop and my brain whirrs.
The funny thing is that when you find the answer no one believes you.
There is often more than one answer, and there are some very clever guys on this forum.As well as info from this forum i also read business books and try to apply this where i can.There is no information i have that hasn't been mentioned as a possibility on this thread.It's easy for me because i know the answer, but the best analogy i can come up with is the famous logic question.You are in a land of liars (hard to imagine i know). and you need to get to a city that is either left or right at a crossroads and there is a citizen you can ask, let's call him something random like Ewan.Now what question(one question only) do you ask Ewan to find out for definte which way the city is?
If you can figure this out you are probably smart enough to suss what i have done and there is a certain similarity.I' m not going to tell you anyway- but i will answer the logic problem if no one can solve it.
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Tie him up.....take him with you,and tell him if he has lyed to you,you'll bust a cap in his arse ;D ;D
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ask him if he is a bummer tied to a tree
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As rumplestiltskin once said, i'm think i'm pretty certain my secrets safe on this one lads. ;D
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If its a land of liars, ask him if left is the way to the certain city and if he says yes go right, if he says no go left. Am i right?
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typical ashbourne wit ;)
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Yes you are right chopsie.
But it's thirty years since i did this and i just figured out i got the question wrong.There are in fact two types of people who live there, some tell the truth all of the time, and some lie all of the time.The citizen is still called Ewan.
What question do you ask him to be certain where the city is?
Sorry makes me look a bit thick now.
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is this an additional question to ask him or just one question i can ask?
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one question only.
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and its chopsie, not cozy ::) ;D
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typical ashbourne wit ;)
;D ;D
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Thats two you've got right. (amended)
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if his name is ewan, I would say, Hey ewan is it left to the city , If he is a liar he would say, my names not ewan, the city is left (so i would go right) if he says yes turn left, then i would go left as he tells the truth. But all this presumes I already know his name?
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Thats two you've got right. (amended)
was it placed as a subtle clue?
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Ewan was just a joke i slipped in, it has no bearing on the question.I haven't given you any subtle clues.Your answers are quite close, but not correct.
Knock yourself out ;D
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Bump.
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"In a moment, I'm going to ask you the way to the city. Which way will you say it is?"
The truth teller knows he will tell you the truth and is truthful about it, so he points to the city..
The liar knows that he will lie and point away from the city when you ask him in a moment, so he lies and thus also points to the city.
Vin
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I've never heard this answer before .I've thought it through and it does sound right.
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no it dont, It means you will have to ask another question, and u only get one question!!
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no it dont, It means you will have to ask another question, and u only get one question!!
Nope - you simply say the exact words I have posted above. You don't ask another question, you just go the way he points in answer to the question asked.
Vin
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But you do not know if the person you are asking is a liar or a truth teller, so you would have to ask the question again to confirm the answer ???
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I've never heard this answer before .I've thought it through and it does sound right.
See, I don't just think outside the box, I think outside the outside of the box. Or is that back inside?
Vin
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Here's another.
A window cleaner is stareing at a picture in fed news.He says to his mate, i haven't got any brothers or sisters but that mans father is my fathers son.
Who is he?
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But you do not know if the person you are asking is a liar or a truth teller, so you would have to ask the question again to confirm the answer ???
If you're speaking to the truth teller, then he knows that if you ask him in a moment where the city is, he'll point towards it. He's a truth teller, so he tells you the truth and points towards the city.
If he's the liar, then he knows that if you ask him in a moment which way was the way to the city, he'll point away from it. He's a liar, so he lies about lying next time and points towards it. (The thought process in his head is "OK, so if I was aked in a moment which is the way to the city, I'd point away from it. I have to lie about that, so I need to point towards the city")
Either way, the person ends up pointing towards the city in response to one question.
I think.
Vin
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ahhhhh I see said the blind man to his deaf dog :-[
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Here's another.
A window cleaner is stareing at a picture in fed news.He says to his mate, i haven't got any brothers or sisters but that mans father is my fathers son.
Who is he?
Is it a picture of himself?
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The theory side is a double negative- which in maths, logic, and english language becomes a positive.
plus times plus equals plus
negative times negative equals plus
Not himself no
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i just think of a price for the custy and then add 10% to it and when they agree i said if you get me more customers ill give u 10% off your bill each months for as long as they stay with me. so far i had 3 up takes lol
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That's good ant.
a bit complex and you have no method for delivering the message.
So, it's half an answer.
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I give up my head hurts. I have heard this one before too.
I think you do all of the above for your business slumps, I recon thats the answer to building up a business. i.e website, flyers, dicount for referrals etc etc
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nah because on the bottom of my fliers/leaflets wot eva u wanna call them i have 10% discount to all referals, we all know if ppl think there getting something for free or a discount they will dive on in without thinking. but i quite like that free bottle of wine, u can get a bottle of australian wine for 3 quid and you just add the 3 quid to the bill ;D. i have even added to the bottom of other flyers for diff areas free one off clean for refurals. lol mad i know but that word free is powerfull ;D