Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Mark stephen on February 27, 2011, 02:18:37 pm
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ive been tryin to build mywindocleaning business by leafeting in my area with a fair amount of success.a woman rang me up the other day sayin my window cleaner hasnt been for 4 months.so i cleaned them with a along with 2 others.a couple weeks ago a local window cleaner rang me up sayin i was stealing his customers and wants them back.i tried to reason with him i didnt know that he cleaned them.he said he covers these areas.wud u still leaflet
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Yup, not your problem mate, how are you to know!
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yea ok.thing is ive picked more work up through leafting locally,think its this window cleaners cutomers
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Well if he aint getting round customers thats his prob
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If his customers are leaving its his problem not yours, as long as you are not cheaper then the only reason they would leave him is they are not happy with his service.
This is called a service industry for a reason, if you cant provide a quality service then expect to lose customers. its as simple as that.
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Thanks wud never undercut another window cleaner as its wrong. only as i dont know which houses are taken?
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Dont worry about it Mark, just keep getting them leaflets out if your getting a good hit rate
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dont worry about him,like been said if custy was happy with him then you wouldnt get the job,theres a few other windys round "my patch", i thought i would have had a call off 1 or 2 telling me stop leafleting there "patch" but i seems they just moan at the custys for dropping them, i leafleted the whole area where 80% of my work is a year ago and will be doing it again when im rained off this year to compact my round even more than it is already,
4 months is a long time for domestics,he obviously isnt running his round properly,if i pick any custys up and it looks like there windows are clean or they say they have a windy already i always ask what he charges so i dont undercut,but up 2 now iv always charged the same or higher price anyway
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if he was doing his job properly you wouldn,t have his work !! carry on mate
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i know this window cleaner locally.he hasnt been ill.the problem is he thinks hes the lord of the manner.this is my area patch etc .................
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I wouldnt expect to have any work left if i'd left it 4 months!
Why have you done owt wrong? you canvassed and because he hadnt provided a service for so long they looked elsewhere.
How the hell can anyone expect to still have any work after leaving them that long?? Its a joke,customers will just find someone who will turn up every 4 weeks on time.
They arent interested if your ill/drunk/in jail etc,they just want their windows cleaned!!
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And if you cant contact them, if theyre happy with you and have YOUR details, they WILL get in touch, i had one the other day that i havent been up to for a while and she emailed to see if i was still coming.
Not the original posters problem if the bloke might be ill, he hasnt let them know...they havent got in touch with him. Maybe they havent got his contact details...if so, why not?
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"Patches" are a load of rubbish.NOBODY owns the rights to every other house they dont clean down a particular street or area.
Example,if i have 8 out the 10 houses down a small cul de sac,is that my patch? is it f***,if another WC gets the other 2 remaining houses before me then fair play to him,thats window cleaning!!
Theres enough work out there for everyone.....
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The bottom line is: The customer has the right to choose who they want to provide a service, be it window cleaning, bin cleaning, grocery deliveries, gardening or whatever.
No tradesman can claim exclusive right to the delivery of a service in any area - that would be illegal.
As a tradesman, you have the legal right to offer your services to whoever you like, it is up to them whether they accept your offer or not.
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"Patches" are a load of rubbish.NOBODY owns the rights to every other house they dont clean down a particular street or area.
Example,if i have 8 out the 10 houses down a small cul de sac,is that my patch? is it f***,if another WC gets the other 2 remaining houses before me then fair play to him,thats window cleaning!!
Theres enough work out there for everyone.....
funny i never mentioned patches in my post earlier ,seems to me the people against them are the ones who dont want to slash the cash and are happy with work all over the place as long as its free,whats the point of unloading for 1 house ,give it to the man doing the rest
I didnt say you had mentioned patches and it wasnt aimed at you mate,it was aimed at anyone who thinks Wc'ing is operated like turf wars.......
The people who are against them are the people who want to go and earn money,and earn a good reputation providing a good service-wherever that may be...not going round saying "this is my patch-stay away" trying to get a "reputation" so that other WC stay away....
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better than living in make believe like Walter Mitty
Stan, you know NOTHING about me.
I know lots about you from reading a few of your back posts when you last made a "patch" comment. You're the one who persistently makes themselves look like a fool. You're a dinosaur who treats your customers with contempt by running patches rather than daring to face competition who may offer a better service. You use the vague threat of how violent it is in your manor to make us believe you're tough. You're a relic from the past and your time will come.
Dont worry, I dont expect you to understand.
god the wife is more interesting than you zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
QED
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which one Dave
QED may refer to:
Q.E.D., from the Latin quod erat demonstrandum, used at the end of a definitive proof
Quantum electrodynamics, a field of physics
QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter, a book adapting lectures by Richard Feynman on quantum electrodynamics
QED (text editor), named from "quick editor"
Q.E.D. (US TV series), short-lived adventure series named after its title character Quentin Everett Deverill
Q.E.D. (BBC TV series), a British science series
Q.E.D. (manga)
QED (play), a play by Peter Parnell about Richard Feynman
QED project, a database of mathematical knowledge
Quantum Effect Devices, a microprocessor design company
Quantum Explosion Dynamo, an object in the computer game Commander Keen
QED (band), a 1980's rock band including Jenny Morris
Quantum Entanglement Device, a prop used in the television show FlashForward
Queen's Economics Department, at Queen's University
Gosh, a dinosaur who knows how to use Google. You ARE clever.
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I would not tread on toes purposely but...
If you leaflet, get a call and some asks you to quote and your cheaper than their last/current cleaner...so be it. He doesn't own the area...if he did he wouldn't be cleaning...tell him to shove it!
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why do you have it in for stan?im quite sure his customers are happy with his service!nothing wrong with having areas of very compact work where there is no other window cleaner in sight!(apart from one guy who cleans 2 houses near you while you clean 80! ;D ;D).
i have 5 different rounds.2 of them are very compact,cheap and good "bread and butter" work.no other window cleaners get a look in due to them having to charge double to make it worthwhile cleaning just one house sandwiched in the middle of my customers!
some parts of bolton,salford and manchester you would get your head kicked in trying to canvass customers!there is some areas where you just would not dream of canvassing if you value your kneecaps!!! ;) ;D ;D
by the way any new window cleaners i see i just smile and wave at them.i have noticed a few more lately near me.most wont stick it or become unreliable and do a crap job.im not worried!why should i be?one of my rounds has been canvassed 4 times already this year!not lost a single customer!
im well established and do a good job.im not overpriced and im tried and trusted.i use both wfp and trad so im the full complete window cleaner! ;) ;D ;D ;D
sporadic good priced work is good!
ultra compact cheaper work is good!!
best wishes to everyone
dazmond
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I have no worries about competion. if a w/c wants to canvas my area he is quite welcome to. This could tell me 2 things.
1: The custy is not happy with my service, so I have to improve.
2: I charge to much for a good service.
These are 2 reasons why most custy's will leave you.
But I could name a more reasons why they stay with me as well.
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Heres an interesting one,what if a relative moves into an area on someone elses "patch" and ask you to carry on cleaning??
Said house is £30 for example
"Im sorry,i know your family but theres already a wc round there.I cant/darent"
Of course you would do it and then canvas the rest of the area and try and get more to make it wothwile going round there.
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I will canvass areas that I want to. Not what people tell me to canvass. ;)
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i know this window cleaner locally.he hasnt been ill.the problem is he thinks hes the lord of the manner.this is my area patch etc .................
In cases like this you have to set yourself a standard. We live in a free trade market and have a right to ply our trade without fear of reprisal from competition.
I have a self proclaimed king of the area in one of the towns where I have chosen to work. I have set myself a goal. In the event that I get one more dirty look or discouraing word from this fella, I will systematically and repeatedly canvass the entire area.
Never ive in and never surrender to intimidation, it is just not British.
Good luck
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The thing with Stan is, he paid money to buy his round. Where he lives, that's the way the WC's operate there. From what Daz says, it's a hard area with enough WC's ready to knock people about to protect their "Patches". We work upto 40 miles away for our Brit custies because that's how far away they are from us. Some are closer but our German domestics are all within about 5 miles.
As far as I know, we are the only full time WC's in Germany doing M.O.D. work. The Brits do have a choice of a few part timers. Some of these are good. Some are wasters. We haven't lost a single custy in the last few years through other WC's canvassing.
We don't have a patch, but if I'd paid alot of money like Stan did, I would be angry if I did lose some to chancers or any other WC really. So there are different ways of looking at the "Patch" thingy.
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I agree with some things you say cozy,but lets not forget that residential Wc is only based on a gentlemans agreement,no contracts or anything.
When you buy a round,yeah i agree with wanting to protect that investment,but does it really matter if an up and coming WC has 4 houses in a street where you have 20?? and is it worth threatening him etc??
Aslong as you do a good job,on time every time then other competition shouldnt need to faze you.
Round here theres a couple of chancers going round trying to undercut alot of us theyre swearing on doorsteps infront of customers saying"well f*** em off,were £2 cheaper etc"
Our customers should know better to even entertain the thought of gutter snakes like that doing their windows.
I trust mine to,and if they dont and you lose a couple then theyre better off with the muppets who will do it once,get stoned off the money then never return!!