Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: gordonswindows on March 29, 2011, 05:09:40 pm
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At 6pm tonight we go live with click2clean the first true online window cleaning service
It will change window cleaning forever
Houses pre priced
Book online
Pay online
even add your gutter cleaning at a click of a button
and your conservatory
and this is just the begining
www.click2clean.co.uk
Gordon
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Sounds interesting Gordon
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Thanks Kate
I can't tell you how hard it has been and how much we have learnt but i am very proud of it
It still has further to go with the services we offer and of course spreading it across the country
With having done it this far we can now quite easily roll it out nearly everywhere
But today's launch feels special as it seems such a long time ago I first dreamt up the idea and sometimes I wished I hadn't lol
Quite nervous but hey that's why we do this isn't it
Gordon
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I will look at 6, well done Gordon, you kept that quiet.
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nothing personal but i hope it goes tits up and fails
dont like the idea of a tesco style window cleaner service it will only end up driving prices down
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Thanks for that I knew i could rely on your support
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How do you sort the work out?
Monday you might get 300 clicks all over your area then Tuesday only five?
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By the very title of your post,I have to agree with the "tesco" post. Whilst part of me wishes you every success,the thought of customers choosing to opt out of regular cleaning to just clicking the mouse every time the windows are starting to look a bit minging isn't doing anyone but yourself and the customer any favours at all. So the other part of me hopes it goes belly up too. Nonetheless,I bow to your inventiveness.
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I love the idea purely because they pay before you clean :D
love to hear how it all works. And how the postcode determines a price? good luck Gordon.
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How can you quote a price on a postcode alone? What's stopping the customer clicking on every month,then cancelling after you've broken your back after a first clean? Personally,I won't be too worried until I start seeing ads for it on tv :)
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i think it might be good for the add ons(gutters/fascias/conservatories)and one off cleans.not sure whether itll lead to regular work but fair play to you gordon for trying something different.
i prefer the regular maintenance 4/6/8 weekly window cleaning with just the odd "add on" here and there.also i go collecting mixed with SAE and BACS transfer.works well for me.
best wishes
dazmond
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pole to pole he could go on google street view and if you look closely you ll be able to get the exact property and price it up from there!thats what i do when i get a potential new customers address! ;) ;D ;D
you ll probably will get messers though gordon!letting customers dictate?itll be stressful letting the customer decide all the time when you turn up!!
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Whatever next..............cricky
i wont be losing any shut eye i can tell you that
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i think it might be good for the add ons(gutters/fascias/conservatories)and one off cleans.not sure whether itll lead to regular work but fair play to you gordon for trying something different.
i prefer the regular maintenance 4/6/8 weekly window cleaning with just the odd "add on" here and there.also i go collecting mixed with SAE and BACS transfer.works well for me.
best wishes
dazmond
I think that is the point, it isn't for a newbie to build a round and have to rely on hits. It is for an established cleaner commercial or domestic. We all hate the one off cleans because you have to take time out to go quote and then get a yes or no, this way they see a price and if it is yes they pay and you slot it into your day and I would imagine it would be at a decent price as well and you aren't chasing money because if they don't click and pay you don't clean. Sounds good to me, but maybe I reading it wrong and that isn't the intended purpose but that is how I see it.
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A mixed reaction and some good points.
We didn't price by postcode we actually went put and priced all 19,367 houses in our first area in Perth
We then spent even longer inputting every address and postcode to build the basic data base and then we input the data one price at a time and yes it has taken us a very long time.
The lessons we learnt are invaluable and have allowed us to test other areas more quickly and as accurately.
The question of how do we cope with 300 in one area and only a few in another is the lads already have their weekly rotas and we will simply add in extra work as we need it
We have licensed a further six window cleaners who at present are backing up the present team learning and gaining experience with the aim of them soaking up the additional workload
The gutter cleaning we have already subbed out to a local young firm
The fact that they pay upfront (16 already signed up for pay for ten get twelve since six o'clock) gives the support of cash-flow also the clients who we tested before launch and the local surveys we completed showed the most annoying thing for a customer is having money collected from their house.
The second biggest complaint was how hard it is to find a window cleaner then when you do get one the customer has to arrange for the w/c to visit and quote and then the third why do I have to take the service every month
The best part of our service was that they buy a window clean anytime they like , at work late at night whenever it suits them and of course being able to have your mum dads friends or whoever's windows cleaned without having to involve them ... They love it
Gordon
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Stu you are spot on
The windows will make money but the add ons and there are more to come, will make a lot of money
Once they get used to us they will buy the next thing we offer them, after all everybody moans at Tesco but we all use them because they are there, they are always open and the price is there to see
Gordon
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You've obviously given this alot of time and thought and sweat and tears. I retract the tesco comment dude. Sorry. You've just upgraded to Waitrose :-)
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like anything, pros & cons....
my view you get back what you put in ...
so work hard, do a good job and you will be rewarded...
its not for me, but i should work well.
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Gordon,
If you ever decide to add Pressure Washing to the site, give me a buzz and we can sort something out. Im based in Glasgow but would be willing to travel. Good luck mate.
Cheers,
Matt
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Fair play to you mate its not the way I personally want to do things but you seem to have put allot of effort in so you deserve for it to do well
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Does it expose you to being undercut?
Competition advertising to beat your price?
Go to www.such&such, get a quote & we'll beat it by 20% GUARANTEED!
If I was your competition & needed the work that's what I'd be setting up right now! ;D
You put the leg work in & I could ride along like a hawk! :o
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Good spot Win
That did concern me but without having to carry the additional burden of meeting the new client and quoting and then having to collect as well we have managed to keep the prices very lean.
The idea is based upon volume as well as the actual cost and of course as said earlier the money is in the add-ons
Power washing yes Matt it is one of the extras to follow, driveways and decking being the main aim, I have a hydraulic oil spill on a tarmac driveway waiting to be done already and also a Portakabin facia, email me if interested
Our main line is commercial but we have always wanted to get in to domestic, after all it is how I started so we have priced ,any business that fall within our present area too. Now they love irregular cleaning and are happy to pay a premium for it too
Gordon
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As Crystal Clear has unfortunately found out today on another post, the client in these difficult times wants to choose who when and how often and the day of the w/c telling the customer "I only do monthly" or whatever seems to be changing
They will buy what they want when they want and as often as suits them not us
On the subject of first cleans I have never ever charged extra for a first clean, I do not agree with it. T clean a window is too clean a window I have never been charged extra for a particularly dirty car at the car wash or from the dry cleaners for my new suits so why would I charge extra for dirty windows. Plus I have never heard of a w/c reducing the cost each month as the windows become easier and then quicker sombrely it is just an "add on" and then you all get mad when the customer catches on
Gordon
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an idea maybe ??
you could have diff pics of all the various windows...the customer clicks which ones & how many=get quote/price
you could go nationwide then, subbing the work out as your sunning it up in barbados
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I think this will get a few window cleaners backs up, but there is no need, you are simply tapping into a market that many window cleaners don't want for whatever reason they may have. James 44 suggested dial a clean on here and was slated page after page, but all he was doing was offering that option for the customer that did not want it every month and there is lots out there like that. But there is plenty that do want it done monthly even fortnightly so there is nothing to worry about for the average window cleaner, there is IMO a market for both. Indeed it could be copied on a smaller scale by all easily enough. I often take on one off cleans even though the customer has phoned every company in 20 miles, I just make sure I do it when it suits me as it is all money in the bank.
Although I am guilty of ignoring the messages sometimes as well when I should not. as I think lots of us have when we are busy.
But then again I keep trying to get away from domestic ::)
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So you offer customers the chance to have them cleaned when they feel like it ::) ::)
Bang goes your regular work in the winter
Sounds about right for you
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Not quite sure what you mean James
Our business has been ten years in the making and I have worked the early years through all weathers including the sleet the snow and the ice
Our commercial clients want us each and every time no matter the weather conditions and I am proud to say that throughout the last winter we missed two days yes 2single days because of the weather and I am so proud of the team who struggled through the difficult days. You see as an employer these people rely upon me for their income, their families rely upon me having work ALL year.
Yet I come home and yet again some people are on here moaning "it's too cold" my van is frozen" "oh poor me" "it's not fair" so too suggest I won't be busy in the hard months (yeah right) is a bit unfair. Have you invented a way of heating the hoses off of a copper coil wrapped around the van' s exhaust system oh o ats right no it wasn't you IT WAS ME
Thank u
Gordon
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you sound like a switched on guy gordon and probably well above the "average joe bloggs"window cleaner on here!
your more of the businessman!a few of us could learn a lot off you if we tried! ;) ;D ;D ;D
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I like the idea, but how have you priced over 19,000 homes? If it has been done from the road/street by foot or google streetview how would you know what is on the rear of a property, i.e extensions?
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Email sent gordon ;D
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Fair play to you Gordon for being innovative and standing out from the crowd. Alot of W/Cs moan about how their customers percieve them and they don't get the respect they deserve. Its a clever idea hope it works for you.
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Have you invented a way of heating the hoses off of a copper coil wrapped around the van' s exhaust system oh o ats right no it wasn't you IT WAS ME
Gordon
Hello Gordon, when did you come up with the above idea?
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First tried it four years ago, itmwas a bit of hit and miss at first then got carried away with valves, air plates and all sorts
It works really well the trick is the thickness of the copper pipe how long the pipe is and of course how tight you wind it in the coil
Circulating the water as I drove took me a while to figure but you track the feed pipe and outlet pipe through a split a bit like the points on a railway and use our old friend gravity to keep it moving
Gordon
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love it
well done, ching ching i think
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At 6pm tonight we go live with click2clean the first true online window cleaning service
It will change window cleaning forever
Houses pre priced
Book online
Pay online
even add your gutter cleaning at a click of a button
and your conservatory
and this is just the begining
www.click2clean.co.uk
Gordon
Interesting
how much would you charge someone who requested a 3 bedroom semi no con to be cleaned at say 8pm (its 24h right)
one off clean does not want regular i guess it would be quite a bit more expensive otherwise regular customers might not stick?
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Interesting
how much would you charge someone who requested a 3 bedroom semi no con to be cleaned at say 8pm (its 24h right)
one off clean does not want regular i guess it would be quite a bit more expensive otherwise regular customers might not stick?
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I don't think that is how it works. the customer accepts the quote and pays and then it is scheduled in for the next day or as soon as possible then cleaned, then the customer receives an email saying the job is completed. At least that is how I read it on the website.
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the local surveys we completed showed the most annoying thing for a customer is having money collected from their house.
;D ;D
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cool idea, but i dont think it will work very well, i just tested it and asked for a gutter clean, and you have quoted £50 but you cant get to my top front gutter as there is a roof in the way. you would need roof ladders making the job a nightmare and adding hours on to the job. as well as that how do you know how many windows are around the back?
also not charging more for 1st cleans? are you mad or what? i think your being a mug doing that.
also £50 for a con roof clean! it could be massive and black with dirt and algae, you could be there 2 hrs!
its too hit and miss sorry, and you will be underpricing yourself loads.
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sorry heres a link to my house
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&complete=0&q=1+Selkirk+Place+Perth,+PH1+1SH&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=1+Selkirk+Pl,+Perth+PH1+1SH,+UK&ei=UqGTTdCSL4aAhQfEzOH8CA&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBQQ8gEwAA
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Prestige thank you for your comments
I think you have had trouble understanding how it works
The core solutions are that we have already priced every house that we have on the system so ,your "massive" conservatory will come as no surprise to us, although to suggest "your"house has a massive conservatory is stretching things a little
As for access to difficult roofs your is not difficult in fact it is one of the easier in the scheme especially as we use the safe and efficient gutter vac from Omnipole
You are entitled to charge a high first clean price if that is the way you wish to run your business and as it must make you a lot of extra cash maybe advertising with sign writing on your van will bring in many more
I have checked with the license officer for the council and there seems to be some irregularities with your w/c license at that address so he has offered to visit you to clear up any problems
Gordon
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As Crystal Clear has unfortunately found out today on another post, the client in these difficult times wants to choose who when and how often and the day of the w/c telling the customer "I only do monthly" or whatever seems to be changing
They will buy what they want when they want and as often as suits them not us
On the subject of first cleans I have never ever charged extra for a first clean, I do not agree with it. T clean a window is too clean a window I have never been charged extra for a particularly dirty car at the car wash or from the dry cleaners for my new suits so why would I charge extra for dirty windows. Plus I have never heard of a w/c reducing the cost each month as the windows become easier and then quicker sombrely it is just an "add on" and then you all get mad when the customer catches on
Gordon
I see where you're coming from but I don't think the comparison with car washing works. This is because, in spite of what you are trying to do, it is generally more accepted that car washing is an "as and when" service already. If what you're trying to do catches on, this may end up with being the case with window cleaning too. Although you say that you don't charge more for first cleans, I think you will need to charge a bit more anyway if you are providing an ad hoc service.
I offered an ad hoc service to some customers several years ago. Only one ever phoned me for a second clean and that was 8 months later. So I never offered it again.
I believe that your business model could work but it needs to be a big business to carry any slacker periods.
My hunch is that window cleaning + add-ons might not be enough though. It would probably need to be a larger, general services business that could carry you through Winters. Maybe even general household cleaning, ironing, small building works etc. Maybe add on gardening too. Perhaps that would get too complex to run though?
I am concerned that this sort of thing might catch on because I'm not in a position currently to offer additional services.
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I have checked with the license officer for the council and there seems to be some irregularities with your w/c license at that address so he has offered to visit you to clear up any problems
Now that has made me smile.
Vin
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The core solutions are that we have already priced every house that we have on the system so ,your "massive" conservatory will come as no surprise to us
Gordon
I like your idea/website etc Gordon, but how do you pre price the houses? ???
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Do you really think I would give my real address? After that snide comment, I really do hope it fails, which I'm sure it will.
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At 6pm tonight we go live with click2clean the first true online window cleaning service
It will change window cleaning forever
Houses pre priced
Book online
Pay online
even add your gutter cleaning at a click of a button
and your conservatory
Gordon
Good luck Matey - I'm sure it'll bring in good business, as people like simplicity; you deserve success after so much effort and thought.
Ignore the neanderthals. They are the ones who told me I could never grow at the prices I charge...
Vin
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Nice Verry nice.
dont know how it works up north gordon but here in the middle if we take payments up front for a service we need a credit licence, is it the same up north.
thats long term pre payment not one off pay now do next week!
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Im not sure I really get this.
Dont get me wrong I respect the amount of work you have put in so far.
It seems that the one thing that makes our jobs so much better than other trades is repeat cleans not one offs. Maybe im missing something but this idea seems to kill that.
If all my customers started doing this then it would be a nightmare to co-ordinate and the regularity would be gone.
I would like to know how this will be marketed and how 19,000 houses have been priced up. Also what does it cost for the window cleaners involved.
As many of you know I also have been working very hard on my online project www.iwantawindowcleaner.com which goes live on heart fm tomorrow! my projects goal is to sell well priced regular customers to the 30 companies on board accross the southeast. These customers will be sold at low prices with no membership fees.
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Im not sure I really get this.
Dont get me wrong I respect the amount of work you have put in so far.
It seems that the one thing that makes our jobs so much better than other trades is repeat cleans not one offs. Maybe im missing something but this idea seems to kill that.
If all my customers started doing this then it would be a nightmare to co-ordinate and the regularity would be gone.
I would like to know how this will be marketed and how 19,000 houses have been priced up. Also what does it cost for the window cleaners involved.
As many of you know I also have been working very hard on my online project www.iwantawindowcleaner.com which goes live on heart fm tomorrow! my projects goal is to sell well priced regular customers to the 30 companies on board accross the southeast. These customers will be sold at low prices with no membership fees.
I have to agree with much of Lee's comments.
The money is in the stability, reliability & organisation of a given customer base IMO. UNLESS you are charging VERY good money, once you break that combination up you're chasing your tail, running around for less money!
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Im not sure I really get this.
Dont get me wrong I respect the amount of work you have put in so far.
It seems that the one thing that makes our jobs so much better than other trades is repeat cleans not one offs. Maybe im missing something but this idea seems to kill that.
If all my customers started doing this then it would be a nightmare to co-ordinate and the regularity would be gone.
I would like to know how this will be marketed and how 19,000 houses have been priced up. Also what does it cost for the window cleaners involved.
As many of you know I also have been working very hard on my online project www.iwantawindowcleaner.com which goes live on heart fm tomorrow! my projects goal is to sell well priced regular customers to the 30 companies on board accross the southeast. These customers will be sold at low prices with no membership fees.
I have to agree with much of Lee's comments.
The money is in the stability, reliability & organisation of a given customer base IMO. UNLESS you are charging VERY good money, once you break that combination up you're chasing your tail, running around for less money!
Agreed!!
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once you been payed upfront i wornt like getting out mi pit to go and clean the houses,never pay upfront People wornt do the job.
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Thanks guys I hear you
Traditionally yes the money is in regular cleans but as many have posted previously there are more and more "not this time thanks" as money belts are tightened
However the good money is not in the window cleaning it will come later as clients get used to going to click2clean for all their cleaning needs. As i mentioned in earlier replies people including myself bemoan the loss of the fruit and veg shop, the local buthers and even a local bank but I too shop in Tesco (there are other supermarkets) because a. i know they are open 24 hours (so are we) b. I know they have what I want (so do we) and c. I know it will have a price right there in front of me (as we do) also I have bought electrical goods at Tesco and not Dixons, toys for my granddaughter and even our office supplies it is just so easy to get what you want when you want and how often you want it.
Click2clean is our areas "cleaning store" ready for you when you want us
Also the customer will buy while at work or at home as they do not need to wait in for a visit from a local window cleaner to price and definately they will love not waiting in for the window cleaner to collect when it suits him (or her)
Some of you guys need to understand what customer service means but more so what customer choice means, the days of them being told how often how much and when to be in to pay are gone. How many window cleaners on here brag about "dumping" customers or not going back because they don't need them?
To the supportive posters like Vin thank you I really do appreciate your comments and support
Gordon
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Oh no Prestige!
You mean that wasn't a real post? No way, surely someone with such great knowlegde of the business we all enjoy would not post false information......i mean why?..... do you feel better for misleading a fellow business person, did you laugh when you typed by torch light from under your bed covers ?
There are many many good solid posters on sites such as CIU and those genuine people give their time their hard earned experience and their clever little tips to others free, they go out of their way to be helpful and decent and i am not sure your little games put you in the same good light, even if it is torch light
However although I do not encourage your right to ridicule other people I will defend it
Gordon
Gordon
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Groundhog
We have priced the houses the same way as we always have the same way that you do the same way that most people do.
We drove, walked and even cycled around all 19,000 address' and put the price next to the address and then upon return each morning we input the data to the data base which was then added to the site.
Yes we looked over gates looked behind properties but we did already have a solid understanding of the area as we have worked it for over ten years now. An unexpected benefit was we could avoid pricing any of the "impossible" houses due to limited access, houses bordered by adjoining garages or local knowledge of other difficulties. Some areas where local window cleaners don't go for fear of not getting paid have been added to our list as payment is made at time of booking and one area in particular has already shown a huge percentage uptake over the already early average amount.
We already have many large homes homes where we already charge £200 + and we just added them at the same cost. We also targeted some business that we have priced previously but never won and we have invited them to try the site too
Gordon
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Bumper sorry I missed your post.
Yes I agree I hated being paid up front when I first began because it is always tempting to add another house ahead of the one that already paid but most of the plus points of click2clean is being able to pay upfront especially with the ease of a debit card a credit card or paypal.
The window cleaners doing the work already work on hourly rates for Gordons and we have also added in a little bit of incentive too, plus they do not have to collect. It seems to me and many others not all but a lot on this forum dislike the collecting side of the job and I know the majority of clients hate it too
Gordon
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May have missed it when I looked at your site, but do you allow people to book every other visit? It'd be a nice halfway house. The problem it might solve would be the people who want that frequency are otherwise forced to book it as a separate job every other month. They'll forget, you'll lose the revenue.
Vin
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Good point Vin
Surpisingly a lot of the "Get two months free" have been bought which we are delighted with and I think that is the same as your point, the client doesnt want to have to bother each and every time, the opinion seems to be right thats that done now forget about it and of course we will email them a new offer in twelve months time
It also seems to be more men than women that are buying do you think this is the " i will do them myself"brigade or just to keep the women happy
Gordon
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Bumper sorry I missed your post.
Yes I agree I hated being paid up front when I first began because it is always tempting to add another house ahead of the one that already paid but most of the plus points of click2clean is being able to pay upfront especially with the ease of a debit card a credit card or paypal.
The window cleaners doing the work already work on hourly rates for Gordons and we have also added in a little bit of incentive too, plus they do not have to collect. It seems to me and many others not all but a lot on this forum dislike the collecting side of the job and I know the majority of clients hate it too
Gordon
Good luck with this mate. As for custies hating collecting, that's not true for all of us. Most of our 300+ custies pay cash on a set collection day. It gives me contact with them and can save any debt issues as they deal with a person and not a paypal account or such. About 5% of our custies pay online.
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Well Im not one to put down peoples ideas and hard work on here as I have been on the wrong end of that many times so forgive me for saying.
I hope this idea never comes to my area, I really see that killing the best thing in the job! regular repeat work! I dont think this is going to do window cleaners any favours at all. I have not experienced the problems you are talking about and my business grows and grows month by month.
My plan, shows the customer a price, gives them a choice of frequency, currently 6 and 12 but will be 4,6,8,12 soon. then they are availiable to purchase by the window cleaner at a rate that is currently 1-1.5x a clean value. Additional services like gutter clearing ect are being sold for just £5! putting the cleaner well in the money on the first clean. Then they are a regular customer for that company and there is no member fee. The only cost is if they decide to buy a customer. My campaign starts tomorrow, I have no idea what to expect but I can say that 200,000 listenters will hear my add on heart fm next week. If sucessfull I plan to scale the business up to a national level within 18 months and become the place for the public to find top window cleaners and the place for window cleaners to grow their REGULAR businesses.
Im really very sorry to put your plan down especially after what must have been alot of hard work but I simply cannot wish something luck that threatens the best aspect of our businesses. My plan makes everyone a winner, not just the customer and the owner of the website.
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Surpisingly a lot of the "Get two months free" have been bought which we are delighted with and I think that is the same as your point, the client doesnt want to have to bother each and every time, the opinion seems to be right thats that done now forget about it and of course we will email them a new offer in twelve months time
I think this is the core point. Everyone's getting wound up over the potential for abuse over one-off cleans, but I suspect you'll gain plenty of repeats, particularly with the 12 for 10 offer - they are just bona-fide regular cleans, plus you have their cash up front. Your prices do look to be higher than the numbers we sometimes see bandied about for Scotland, so I really don't see the panic.
Vin
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Greed has two sides to it. Tesco style window cleaning will kill regular repeat window cleaning just like the milk marketing selling to the shops and remainder going franchise.
Good luck with your venture. Hope it never reaches this area as it will kill off a lot of dole fAg and beer brigade trying to make a dishonest living ;D
The best thing about this job is repeat business,....let the customers dictate terms and it opens up a huge can of worms putting many window cleaners off the idea of starting up with all the hassle of time consuming time management and hassle from customers.
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First tried it four years ago, itmwas a bit of hit and miss at first then got carried away with valves, air plates and all sorts
It works really well the trick is the thickness of the copper pipe how long the pipe is and of course how tight you wind it in the coil
Circulating the water as I drove took me a while to figure but you track the feed pipe and outlet pipe through a split a bit like the points on a railway and use our old friend gravity to keep it moving
Gordon
I came up with the idea of circulating water for wfp through a calorifier tank using the vehicles radiator pipes 9 years ago along with a few other ideas :)
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Im not sure I really get this.
Dont get me wrong I respect the amount of work you have put in so far.
It seems that the one thing that makes our jobs so much better than other trades is repeat cleans not one offs. Maybe im missing something but this idea seems to kill that.
If all my customers started doing this then it would be a nightmare to co-ordinate and the regularity would be gone.
It doesnt work
I have a Street with 40 houses, I clean 30 of them on the 3rd week of the month, it takes me 2 days, they then take up this offer and phone me when they want them done, 6 decide on every 3 weeks, 1 wants them done on the 12th, 1 on the 18th, 6 decide on every 5 weeks and so on
I now have to call back to this street many times per month ::)
just daft
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James I can't decide if you are trying to find problems are genuinely interested or just playing hard to please
If you looked at the site we work the town in areas in a weekly cycle which means the client never has to wait longer than a week for a clean and we know where and when to fit them in
It is not a single person cleaning the windows it is a team backed by a well thought through plan.
Let me believe that you are interested and try to explain. I used Tesco as an example earlier but to show how this works let me try a budget airline. They tell you where they are flying when they are flying and what it will cost then you the client choose what doesn't happen is they pay for a flight and tell you when to fly and where to fly too just as we do
We show you where we will be when we will be there and how much it will cost your example doesn't work due to you already having customers in a present schedule. We don't do domestic window cleaning at present apart from the odd large home so it was a blank canvas for us to work from
Windowwashed well done for coming up with your idea, has it worked well for you? I feel like you are trying to "protect" your idea by showing how much earlier you were than I was but really you have no need to worry on my account. I am very pleased to find a similar thinking person and I wouldmlove you to share your other ideas too.
My copper wrapped around an exhaust gave a bloke an idea for ambulances that need hot water so I wrote to a charity that works with the red cross and they use the basic system helping others in the third world, to think that I may have helped even in the tiniest way to help others is very rewarding
I also thought up the use of tin foil placed under the insoles of work boots,it works by reflecting the cold back out of the boot while retaining the heat generated from the foot. I cam up with this after discovering that the rubber s
Les of boots freeze which means you end up standing on a piece of frozen rubber. I sent a pair to Doc Martins who wrote a kind letter in reply along with a pair of their new style of work boots
Gordon
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Where I am based we dont have the same tradition of regular scheduled window cleaning that you do across the pond so generally the number of one - off cleans is much greater. This caused me a lot of frustration building my business, searching for the discerning client that would not only commit to a regular clean but also not turn me away on a whim.
So I gave up looking for them and decided to take all one-offs, I put set prices on houses based on a very general phone converstaion, no visiting to quote and I took my chances. Built up a database of 4500 customers. Nearly all of them ad hoc, some once a year some 12 times a year, I didnt care, the price was the price.
Did I cock up some prices?
Sure I did but I cocked lots in my favour as well, swings and roundabouts. After the first clean I would charge what I had quoted and give an ongoing quotation.
It worked fine for me and I didnt put anything like the effort that Gordon has into it.
After year 1 it got pretty easy because the majority of calls were for repeat business and I had the accurate details in the database, hardest thing was saying I cant do it this week cos Im too busy.
Anytime I hit a slow patch I would send a text or flyer a particular area with a seasonal special offer.
I am certain that it will work for Gordon, I am also certain that it wont take over the existing tradition of window cleaning in the UK but it will corner a great big slice of the market where Gordon works.
Last point, nothing wrong with operating as a " cab office" generating the window cleaning clients and spreading them out to decent window cleaners in the area. Its not what most of us do but then its business, so whatever makes a crust.
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I also thought up the use of tin foil placed under the insoles of work boots,it works by reflecting the cold back out of the boot while retaining the heat generated from the foot. I cam up with this after discovering that the rubber s
Les of boots freeze which means you end up standing on a piece of frozen rubber. I sent a pair to Doc Martins who wrote a kind letter in reply along with a pair of their new style of work boots
Gordon
Gordon, This was done on building sites in the 1970's
You are either taking us for Fools or just trying to look smart.
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i think the people who already have WCs who they're happy with wont look for this type of service.
people who dont have WCs dont really look online for one at the moment. so canvassing and leaflet drops are the best way to get them.
you will pick up work, but theyll be people who want one off cleans, and irregular cleans. it wont really tap the same market as the regular WCs.
for me, i think these ireg clients are the worst. most hard work. least loyal, most price focussed, so we dont want them.
i like the innovation, and applaud the hard work, but think that the basic premise is flawed. you will get work, but not the type you want.
:(
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I also thought up the use of tin foil placed under the insoles of work boots,it works by reflecting the cold back out of the boot while retaining the heat generated from the foot. I cam up with this after discovering that the rubber s
Les of boots freeze which means you end up standing on a piece of frozen rubber. I sent a pair to Doc Martins who wrote a kind letter in reply along with a pair of their new style of work boots
Gordon
Gordon, This was done on building sites in the 1970's
You are either taking us for Fools or just trying to look smart.
Oh for heaven's sake, leave it. Does it matter?
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Anyone running a book on how long its gonna last or take to become a 'success'?
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Don't you think that people still have a perception (and maybe justified judging by some recent press reports) that window cleaners are burglars in disguise, and cleaning someone's property is quite a personal thing; so they like to meet their window cleaner and know the same one turns up each clean?
Isn't that what the customer purchases - the tradesman - and not just the labour of getting their windows cleaned?
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i love the fact that ive got a good solid customer base of regular repeat window cleaning on 4 weekly/6 weekly/8weekly frequencies.ive also got a good paying account on a 6 monthly.
i also pick up fascia/soffit and conservatory roof cleaning add on jobs usually from existing customers throughout the year esp in spring/summer when i can fit more in.
the best thing is my customers understand the way i work and ill normally give them 2 frequencies(4 or 8 weekly).
i never get the 8 weekly customers saying "is it that time already?"
as for collecting it keeps me in contact with my customers and puts a "face" to my business.quite a lot of my customers pay on the day of clean,some by SAE and BACS transfer.
it works well with good cash flow most of the time.
the absolute best thing is the low stress and simplicity of it all.
your idea gordon will probably give you one long headache!! ;D ;D ;D
its not for me.im perfectly happy with the way my business is run as it is! ;D ;D ;D
regards
dazmond
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Thanks to everyone who read this thread and a special thanks to those who took the time to post, it doesn't matter if you are for or against it only matters than everyone's opinion can be heard.
The way that business is being done has changed and change is always worrying really change is what has brought us all to here
The Internet allowed the majority to discover wfp, the forums allowed many myself included to share and learn from each other but most of all the Internet is now a trusted place to shop.
The credit crunch no matter who was to blame has changed the way we borrow the way we work and most of all the way we spend. The traditional ways of doing business whether it be our own special trade are dying out the new ways of recent years are now the traditional way and after the chaos the country went through there are new new ways and our site click2clean is only a natural progression of our business.
The people who believe window cleaning will always be in demand are the same people that believe we will always need window cleaners. But ask yourself who would have thought a few short years ago that a lot of ashtray manufacturers would be out of business video rental stores would lose their popularity and the one that still shocks and saddens me every time I walk down the High St, Woolworths who would ever have believed a few short years ago that Woolies could close.
And yes I know they still trade but where do they trade? yep online and where are the staff that said "oh they can't do without us" ?
We might not have the right answer to change we might even as some posters hope crash and fail but at least we are trying
Over 900 times this thread has been read so there just might be something in our idea
best regards
Gordon
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i agree wholeheartedly tosh.gordon doesnt understand the domestic market! ;D ;D ;D
customers will often be "won over" by my easy going nature and after years of cleaning for them trust and familarity! ;D ;D
im sure i pick up work because im not as ugly or rude as some window cleaners in my areas.also one trusted reliable(easy going!)tradesmen is more attractive than 3 lads clambering all over your house eyeing up their daughters and the MAC PC/flatscreen TV in the living room!!! ;D ;D ;D
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Gordon, honestly. You have been dealing in commercial too much to understand residential. It is the trust factor in residential that is important to all too many. I feel your hard labour, although very well thought out and technically well implemented, will however be wasted on the cream of residential work, most of which will already have been taken.
You say the best money will not be in window cleaning but in the add on work. You know that is simply not true and I suspect you already have missgivings about posting your new venture on this forum, which is full of your competitors and I believe you are now trying to subtly play it down just in case someone somewhere copies this idea.
The idea is unique from your point of view and does take some thought to implement and credit to you for at least trying something new.
I wish you all the best Gordon..
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I get the feeling some are worried about this idea, but to be honest, I can't see a problem with it. initially the market that no one else wants will like this way and maybe in the future this could have a knock on effect but people are strange and some will love this method and others will still prefer the guy they trust and know.
But yes the market is changing all be it slowly and we all may have to adapt in the future.
anyway good luck Gordon, hope it goes well, You certainly have covered all the basics, and yes there will be few headaches as domestic customers are a pernickity bunch at the best of times
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Honestly think this is a good idea in the long term,just as we find new work by word of mouth so will this imo
people like to know prices before they commit, i know i have given quotes for cleaning gutters etc,the customer has agreed but i got the feeling at the time they were embarassed to say no thanks.....this way at least you know where you stand
good luck anyways
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the local surveys we completed showed the most annoying thing for a customer is having money collected from their house.
;D ;D
local surveys of window cleaners say they hate collecting from houses. :P
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Over 900 times this thread has been read so there just might be something in our idea
best regards
Gordon
that's not evidence that it's a good idea! it's because of the title you gave it! ;D
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the local surveys we completed showed the most annoying thing for a customer is having money collected from their house.
;D ;D
local surveys of window cleaners say they hate collecting from houses. :P
I've been full time window cleaning for 10 years and never collected once! I'm like most on here, I leave an addressed envelope with an invoice.. and a stamp if its a larger customer ie £25+, some also like to pay direct debit or internet transfer. :)
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One of the items you mentioned Gordon was about people waiting in for the window cleaner - either to make payment or for them to clean. I believe this is less of an issue these days. I do mostly domestic window cleaning and I haven't collected for quite a few years. Cheques in the post or bank transfers are the ways I accept payment when a customer is not at home. Same thing if they are at home - though some prefer to settle with cash. As for waiting in for the window cleaner to do the clean, if a customer insists on being home when I clean in order to give me access, this is a customer who I don't work for. I will text/phone the night before for a few but I won't usually do appointment times.
I'm sure you will get work the way that you propose. I'm not so sure that you will get enough to keep the guys fully occupied. However, if they are all subbies, you won't have to pay them for the slack periods anyway. I feel it is more likely that it would work as just a fairly small percentage of your overall work - but my guess is that you would need the usual regulars in order to keep it going.
I've been asked quite a few times over the years for one off cleans. Whether or not I'm able to do them depends on whether I'm working the area in the next few days or not and/or how busy I am, (I won't deplete the service I give my regulars in order to supply a one off). However, the biggest obstacle to me doing one off is that the potential customer tends to give very little notice of it. They generally want the job done for a particular occasion and clean windows seems to be their very last afterthought. I was recently asked to do a clean before a particular date. Their house was 10 miles in one direction from my base. I was working 10 miles in the other direction for those few days. With a team, you would be able to cover that. As a sole trader, I had to decline.
What you propose probably will work but only if most of your customers are regulars. Be prepared to price them a lot higher than the regulars though.
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I also thought up the use of tin foil placed under the insoles of work boots,it works by reflecting the cold back out of the boot while retaining the heat generated from the foot. I cam up with this after discovering that the rubber s
Les of boots freeze which means you end up standing on a piece of frozen rubber. I sent a pair to Doc Martins who wrote a kind letter in reply along with a pair of their new style of work boots
Gordon
Gordon, This was done on building sites in the 1970's
You are either taking us for Fools or just trying to look smart.
Oh for heaven's sake, leave it. Does it matter?
Yes it does
He is claiming to have thought up the idea
What is next ? we thank him for inventing the wheel, cause he said he did
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I also thought up the use of tin foil placed under the insoles of work boots,it works by reflecting the cold back out of the boot while retaining the heat generated from the foot. I cam up with this after discovering that the rubber s
Les of boots freeze which means you end up standing on a piece of frozen rubber. I sent a pair to Doc Martins who wrote a kind letter in reply along with a pair of their new style of work boots
Gordon
Gordon, This was done on building sites in the 1970's
You are either taking us for Fools or just trying to look smart.
Oh for heaven's sake, leave it. Does it matter?
Yes it does
He is claiming to have thought up the idea
What is next ? we thank him for inventing the wheel, cause he said he did
Crikey, James, ten posts so far, almost exclusively negative in character. You really should try to calm down a little.
Vin
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James you do seem overly concerned about what others have and havn't done.
Who invented the telephne was it Alexander Graham Bell, Grafton, Manzetti, Bourseul, Philipp Reis or Meucci ? Each of them thought they were the one to have thought of the idea.
And that is what seems such a waste of your venom, I didn't mean I was the only or even the first all I said was i had thought these things up by myself and the chances of no other person on the planet having had the same or similar thoughts is ridiculous of course they had. I did not know about the builders and neither did Doc Martens so come on chill a bit will you, at least I opnely shared the info (and have previously) to keep a helpful idea in the dark does no one any good least of all the person who "invented the idea"
If you would post your contact details, website or even e-mail people might find your angst easier to understand but to hide behind a wall and throw stones doesn't lend itself to people understanding you
Gordon
Ps thank you though for without your angry posts this thread may not have run so far