Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: mlscontractcleaner on July 16, 2011, 06:31:29 pm
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I know most on here will say yes of course I can; someone could offer to clean all my customers for a quid a throw and not one would leave me cause I'm the dog's watsits at window cleaning and my customers are the best customers since sliced bread ......... but ........... If one of these " a fiver a house " lads came a knocking would your customers consider swapping over to them, especially if you charge upwards of a tenner to clean their windows.
We all know that you can't run a profitable business charging stupidly low fees but all our customers would see is window cleaning for less than half of what they're paying now, so I ask again, are you 100% sure that your customers would stick with you or might their loyalty be tested by the offer of much cheaper window cleaning ??? ??? ???
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a big fat no you can not :-\
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Oh dear, twenty one viewers and only one can answer with any confidence lol!!!!
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nope
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This aint what I was expecting to hear; I honestly thought you'd all come on and tell me that your customers are the most loyal in the world.
Must just be mine then I guess ;)
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My average customer price is 12.50, and have around 260 customers, but I know that if some muppet wants to clean my customer for a fiver then off they'll go I'm afraid
I think that there are those that are very loyal, but you only find out once your business has been threatened and they tell you- but how often does that happen?
I would hope that I'm not going to lose a chunk in 1 go, and that's thje beaitu of this job- you lose 50 quid a month to a newbie cheapskate-so you go canvassing for a couple of hours and replace them.
So back to you original question, loyalty in most cases, but some custys see it as a way to cut another household bill-same as you and I do with our electric or gas
Steve
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Nothing in life is 100% sure. Of course some MAY go. I think the point is however, how much does it matter to you if you loose 10%.
Personally, It doesn't worry me in the slightest.
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after 20 yrs ,one of the lessons i keep being taught is that customers are only loyal while it suits them.
so never forget its a buisness and thats all there is to it.
some are loyal but mostly we are just the window cleaner.
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after 20 yrs ,one of the lessons i keep being taught is that customers are only loyal while it suits them.
so never forget its a buisness and thats all there is to it.
some are loyal but mostly we are just the window cleaner.
ditto
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95% of my custys yes the other 5% really not sure , but with most i get on really well with and when they are in i try and chat for 10 mins or so and get know them, and ensure they know about me and my family which i think makes a big difference i am not just the window cleaner , they know me by my first name their kids know me when its snowing typically i will have snowball fight with the kids in the street or have kick about with the football ;D ;D ;D
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If you've given good service and your customer has been bitten once by terrible windys, you won't lose them to a lower priced knocker. More than one of my £20 customers has told me they've turned down fiver a time cleaners because they are long enough in the tooth to know that they won't see the cleaner twice.
People are wising up to the fact that you can't get your windows done reliably for much less than the going rate in your area; if it's that cheap, they won't be coming back.
So, in short, I believe there's more to loyalty than just price.
Vin
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would like to say yes 100%.Some will never change their window cleaner.I would say two 3rds of my customers are loyal and would stick with me due to the fact they trust me, some pay 3 months up front.The other 3rd i think could easily be swayed by a much lower price.Always a bad sign if customer tries to haggle over price from the off.
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If you've given good service and your customer has been bitten once by terrible windys, you won't lose them to a lower priced knocker. More than one of my £20 customers has told me they've turned down fiver a time cleaners because they are long enough in the tooth to know that they won't see the cleaner twice.
People are wising up to the fact that you can't get your windows done reliably for much less than the going rate in your area; if it's that cheap, they won't be coming back.
So, in short, I believe there's more to loyalty than just price.
Vin
I agree. a lot of custies have said things like "If it aint broke don't fix it", also, most can work out what will happen if they change and the new guy is cr@p. They aren't being loyal, just careful ;D
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I`ve got lots of customers (probably because I`m so cheap :D) and they are different people, so I couldn`t really say- who, how many, what % would stay loyal or not.
Another thing is, they can -and will- often surprise you, without predicting what they are going to do.
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I`ve got lots of customers (probably because I`m so cheap :D) and they are different people, so I couldn`t really say- who, how many, what % would stay loyal or not.
Another thing is, they can -and will- often surprise you, without predicting what they are going to do.
roughly how low are you griff? im about 2 quid below average the places i work. i would say the loyalty side comes from creating an image of just becoming "a part of the family" to a customer, by small talk
last week a customer told me a windie had showed up pretending to be one of my lot- he cleaned away but then he got the price wrong,was a fiver too high.(this alerted the customer ) he was a chancer by all accounts,with a clipboard and big silver van- i admired his bottle but doubt he can get a foothold with his technique
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If the price differential was not too great then yes.
We have one hotel we charge £400 for, they were quoted less than 50% of this and still sdais no thanks. This was because they had been done over by a windy in the past.
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I`ve got lots of customers (probably because I`m so cheap :D) and they are different people, so I couldn`t really say- who, how many, what % would stay loyal or not.
Another thing is, they can -and will- often surprise you, without predicting what they are going to do.
roughly how low are you griff? im about 2 quid below average the places i work. i would say the loyalty side comes from creating an image of just becoming "a part of the family" to a customer, by small talk
last week a customer told me a windie had showed up pretending to be one of my lot- he cleaned away but then he got the price wrong,was a fiver too high.(this alerted the customer ) he was a chancer by all accounts,with a clipboard and big silver van- i admired his bottle but doubt he can get a foothold with his technique
How sad is that? They drive around and clean your custies and try and collect? How desperate can you get? Is competition up your way that bad Bobby? I can't imagine some plonker doing that. :o
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either hes desperate or Mad ! he tried to bamboozle the old bird customer with his clipboard pricelist but then confessed to her that he wasnt me- ended up getting a fiver off the customer out of pity and told not to come again
he might have been more successful if he had come in low priced ,luckily for me,im already bottom drawer priced . i have probably had my loyalty reinforced by this man, in a way i owe him a favour ;)
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some people shop at aldi others m&s.
Some will have a cheaper windie others will use KentKleen ;D
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I know most on here will say yes of course I can; someone could offer to clean all my customers for a quid a throw and not one would leave me cause I'm the dog's watsits at window cleaning and my customers are the best customers since sliced bread ......... but ........... If one of these " a fiver a house " lads came a knocking would your customers consider swapping over to them, especially if you charge upwards of a tenner to clean their windows.
We all know that you can't run a profitable business charging stupidly low fees but all our customers would see is window cleaning for less than half of what they're paying now, so I ask again, are you 100% sure that your customers would stick with you or might their loyalty be tested by the offer of much cheaper window cleaning ??? ??? ???
The simple answer is "no". Until about 8 years ago I might have said "yes" though. What I went through around that time made me a bit more hard nosed.
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I`ve got lots of customers (probably because I`m so cheap :D) and they are different people, so I couldn`t really say- who, how many, what % would stay loyal or not.
Another thing is, they can -and will- often surprise you, without predicting what they are going to do.
roughly how low are you griff? im about 2 quid below average the places i work. i would say the loyalty side comes from creating an image of just becoming "a part of the family" to a customer, by small talk
last week a customer told me a windie had showed up pretending to be one of my lot- he cleaned away but then he got the price wrong,was a fiver too high.(this alerted the customer ) he was a chancer by all accounts,with a clipboard and big silver van- i admired his bottle but doubt he can get a foothold with his technique
I mean, I`m up North. Generally, lower prices than the South.........but we don`t do `um properly.
Well, that applies to me and Stan, anyway.
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I actually lost a customer just yesterday to this very scenario. The customer was quite an old man that I have been doing for about 3 years or so and for the most part he has always been very reliable. His house is priced at £9. Yesterday though he informed me that he wouldn't want his windows cleaned by myself again as he had found someone to do it for just £5.
At the minute I still have a neighbour of his on my books a few houses down so I'm hoping that this new window cleaner is some cowboy who will do a poor job or perhaps one of those summer boys who will pack it in come winter. If either of these happens and he sees me working on the neighbours house in a few months perhaps he will want to take me back on.
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over time iv done every one fr a
poor guy to a multi millionaire
most custys will stay loyal to you
as they begin to trust you
on their major asset their home
iv found the scallys dont really
get my work as im uniformed n at the very least majority ov
my custys will tell me if im being undercut
but iv not raised my prices in over 2yrs
not really bothered if i lose any
might give me the insentive to replace em
my custys go on my reliabilty n credibilty
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or for instance iv i gain a new custy
i always ask where they av ad my number fr etc
as lots of windys in my areas sum on ere
but for instance ian 101 cleans nxt door
i say ask him first etc thats just an example
;D ;D
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Sue got a phone call from a pub we have been doing it since August 2006 at the same price (£60.00), it's lots of leaded windows, inside and out plus a few normal panes on a very steep roof, we pole the lot and do the insides by hand.
I am on good first name terms with the landlord and even go there for the odd meal.
Call was simply to say can he cancel the windows, no problem with the service but someone else had offered to do them for £20! Can I compete???
Thanks but no thanks, if things change then give me a call.
Another last week, commercial £300 a clean every 2 months, wants to move it to 3 monthly due to budget constraints.
However on the other side we have a commercial that we have just started doing, currently a 3 monthly clean for £150, now wants us in monthly.
Never know whether to ;D or :'(
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There's not a great deal in life you can rely on. Taxes and death apparently.
Customer reliability wold be lovely but it isn't going to happen. There may be the odd customer who is prepared to stick with you through thick and thin but to base your round on that fact you're only setting yourself up to be disappointed.
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If you've given good service and your customer has been bitten once by terrible windys, you won't lose them to a lower priced knocker. More than one of my £20 customers has told me they've turned down fiver a time cleaners because they are long enough in the tooth to know that they won't see the cleaner twice.
People are wising up to the fact that you can't get your windows done reliably for much less than the going rate in your area; if it's that cheap, they won't be coming back.
So, in short, I believe there's more to loyalty than just price.
Vin
true.
i a mean think about it, when your out canvassing how many jobs do you get? not that many right! most doors i knock on say no thanks ive got a windy! without me even maning a price!
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I`ve got lots of customers (probably because I`m so cheap :D) and they are different people, so I couldn`t really say- who, how many, what % would stay loyal or not.
Another thing is, they can -and will- often surprise you, without predicting what they are going to do.
roughly how low are you griff? im about 2 quid below average the places i work. i would say the loyalty side comes from creating an image of just becoming "a part of the family" to a customer, by small talk
last week a customer told me a windie had showed up pretending to be one of my lot- he cleaned away but then he got the price wrong,was a fiver too high.(this alerted the customer ) he was a chancer by all accounts,with a clipboard and big silver van- i admired his bottle but doubt he can get a foothold with his technique
How sad is that? They drive around and clean your custies and try and collect? How desperate can you get? Is competition up your way that bad Bobby? I can't imagine some plonker doing that. :o
thats what i thought! how desperate! ;D its laughable
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some people shop at aldi others m&s.
Some will have a cheaper windie others will use KentKleen ;D
im not sure if i nicked this saying off you in the first place but this is EXACLY what i say to my custys!!! ;)
great minds hey 8)
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I actually lost a customer just yesterday to this very scenario. The customer was quite an old man that I have been doing for about 3 years or so and for the most part he has always been very reliable. His house is priced at £9. Yesterday though he informed me that he wouldn't want his windows cleaned by myself again as he had found someone to do it for just £5.
At the minute I still have a neighbour of his on my books a few houses down so I'm hoping that this new window cleaner is some cowboy who will do a poor job or perhaps one of those summer boys who will pack it in come winter. If either of these happens and he sees me working on the neighbours house in a few months perhaps he will want to take me back on.
would you want to go back?
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My customers get canvassed all the time but what it does do is create uncertainty in their mind. If all these people keep knocking on their door offering to do them for a lot less. Eventually, they are going to start thinking less is the right price.
I tell my customers they are "Raggers" all they do is wipe the windows with a wet rag, grab the fiver and are gone before the sun comes out revealing all the streaks.
I lost two established front onlys in the same street last week. One sent through a note saying he had made other arrangements, the other caught me before I cleaned and said she didn't want them done any more. When I asked why she said "Oh its just money"
I took that at the time to mean she was skint but who knows?
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I tell my customers they are "Raggers" all they do is wipe the windows with a wet rag, grab the fiver and are gone before the sun comes out revealing all the streaks.
Is that true, though?
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I actually lost a customer just yesterday to this very scenario. The customer was quite an old man that I have been doing for about 3 years or so and for the most part he has always been very reliable. His house is priced at £9. Yesterday though he informed me that he wouldn't want his windows cleaned by myself again as he had found someone to do it for just £5.
At the minute I still have a neighbour of his on my books a few houses down so I'm hoping that this new window cleaner is some cowboy who will do a poor job or perhaps one of those summer boys who will pack it in come winter. If either of these happens and he sees me working on the neighbours house in a few months perhaps he will want to take me back on.
would you want to go back?
I would have to think it over but I most likely would take him back yes. Need the work in all honesty.
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I tell my customers they are "Raggers" all they do is wipe the windows with a wet rag, grab the fiver and are gone before the sun comes out revealing all the streaks.
Is that true, though?
In many cases it is, but what do you expect me to do? Say try them? they might be brilliant. Many of these £5 blaggers are just that, blaggers.
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Loyal ... absolutely no but neither am I to them...
Nice to be nice but at the end of the day...this is just work, they are just customers.
We become regular fixtures but we'll replaced by some for the smallest reason.
We are just window cleaners nothing more.
Cheers
Dave.
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ive been window cleaning for 18 years and i have been cleaning around half of my current customer base for that length of time.some others 10 years,5 years,2 years etc,etc.
in my experience yes you can rely on customer loyalty if your very well established,provide good service and you price fairly.ive never had any problems with other canvassers taking any of my work.of course i have lost jobs over the years here and there but not directly as a result of canvassing my work to my knowledge.
domestic customers are loyal in the main as long as you are providing a good service for a fair price.i have heard of a window cleaner losing streets of work to undercutters but to be honest the guy in question wasnt providing a good service(sills and frames and doors not cleaned)and charging £3 or £4 more than other window cleaners in the area.
in all honesty over the last couple of years ive picked up a fair whack of this window cleaners work as well as another old guys work and im charging at least double,sometimes 3 times as much money as they was charging.they cant get it into their heads that if you provide a better service you can charge a lot more!!
the reason a lot of the time is they dont have enough confidence to charge a better price and dont invest in good equipment and have not got the same passion for the service they provide like i do.
i also have other long established work thats cheap but its very compact 3 bed semis very close together so i still earn pretty well out of them especially with wfp and van mount.
referrals and recommendations come in at a steady trickle all year round for me.having a sign written van,uniform,business cards,wfp and the best equipment i can afford coupled with a professional approach to my working day is paying dividends.
i have noticed more commercial window cleaners moving into the domestic market in my area but im not worried as im tried and tested and they KNOW i always provide a good service!
regards
dazmond
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I tell my customers they are "Raggers" all they do is wipe the windows with a wet rag, grab the fiver and are gone before the sun comes out revealing all the streaks.
Is that true, though?
In many cases it is, but what do you expect me to do? Say try them? they might be brilliant. Many of these £5 blaggers are just that, blaggers.
But saying nothing and lying are different things. Saying that, there`s nothing wrong with giving your honest opinion on someone.
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I have what I consider to be an excellent clientele, very loyal, and always pleased to see me.
My work has been canvassed by others more times than I can remember, but in 14 years have only lost work for the following reasons:
a) customers moving house;
b) customers dying;
c) my own reliability when I took on too much and couldn't keep up with the workload;
d) poor quality (1 known instance in 14 years!;
e) 1 instance of undercutting, which I was undercharging anyway!
So my personal experience is, that in the main, customers are very loyal, if you build a good reputation for quality and reliability, coupled to being reasonably priced and having the kind of personality which makes them comfortable in your presence. I have also learned to deal with any reliability and quality issues promptly, so that any possible damage to reputation is limited and repaired with consciencious effort and vigilance.
Realistically, it is never going to be a 100% racing certainty that people will remain loyal, as there may be changes of circumstances which force the customer to dispense with our services, which are beyond their control. But I believe if we do a high quality job, for a fair price, are honest, friendly and reliable, our customers will be as loyal as their circumstances allow them to be.
John