Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: A & J Owen Window Cleaning on July 14, 2012, 06:18:36 pm

Title: diversifying
Post by: A & J Owen Window Cleaning on July 14, 2012, 06:18:36 pm
been out on a gutter clear and clean today. went well as expected. its nice to diversify in  your business. but what do you all do especally in the winter and bad days. most of you do gutters and frames and all.  8)
Title: Re: diversifying
Post by: Mist A Bit on July 14, 2012, 06:21:05 pm
just window cleaning all the time but looking into gutter vac at min .
Title: Re: diversifying
Post by: A & J Owen Window Cleaning on July 14, 2012, 07:06:33 pm
you will do well with you existing customers.its just dropping the hint off to them. 
Title: Re: diversifying
Post by: johnny bravo on July 14, 2012, 07:34:44 pm
as easier with a heavy duty ladder,  and a couple of stand offs  around £25 each  ,  flat  or corner stand off  from b+q
Title: Re: diversifying
Post by: Mist A Bit on July 14, 2012, 08:12:17 pm
i did plenty of gutter work when i was trad, been wfp for 3 years now and never touched a pair of ladders so im sure i can re create all guter work when buying a vac.
Im very busy this time of year anyway as i clean windows on marquees at most large events
Title: Re: diversifying
Post by: supernova77 on July 14, 2012, 08:13:56 pm
I used to do gutter cleans etc... but I hate that kind of work, so now I only clean windows and conservatory roofs.

Andy
Title: Re: diversifying
Post by: Carl@Cwc on July 14, 2012, 08:27:21 pm
i absolutley love gutter cleans.
wether its fascias & gutters or just gutter emptying.
great earners and more importantly something different to keep me interested.
got 3 to do this week and cant wait  ;)
aswell as some big one off cleans.

thats all i do now manually wise ALL extra bits and first cleans and its ace ;D
Title: Re: diversifying
Post by: bobby p on July 14, 2012, 08:55:10 pm
gutters on ladders is quite a cushy job,a decent earner , but fascias never are in my opinion
Title: Re: diversifying
Post by: Carl@Cwc on July 14, 2012, 09:00:00 pm
gutters on ladders is quite a cushy job,a decent earner , but fascias never are in my opinion

GUTTERS WITH A VAC are even easier.
and fascias with WFP are not easy but worth it if you price them correctly.

i always prompt myself in my head that on quoting these that they are an extra not a necessity for my business, so always quote them at good rates as im the one doing em
Title: Re: diversifying
Post by: dmlservices on July 14, 2012, 09:10:22 pm
Gutter vac is useless on gutters with compacted soil in , the type that usually has grass growing out , with a mass of roots , and also on gutters with gutter guard fitted,
Better most times to clean of a ladder.

Daz
Title: Re: diversifying
Post by: bobplum on July 14, 2012, 10:09:03 pm
I used to do gutter cleans etc... but I hate that kind of work, so now I only clean windows and conservatory roofs.

Andy

thats the decision i have come to today
Title: Re: diversifying
Post by: GB Window Cleaning on July 15, 2012, 08:07:13 am
windows mostly but i like doing the odd conny roof. i dont push fasia, sofit and external gutters much anymore unless im asked to cos there a nightmare
Title: Re: diversifying
Post by: simon sturmey on July 15, 2012, 09:01:49 am
yhow do you price up for a gutter clean, clear and both???
  is it per meter???
Title: Re: diversifying
Post by: Ian101 on July 15, 2012, 09:32:15 am
Saving uo for set of conny ladders to do conny valeting - looked at a gutter vac but not convinced plus can still do gutters off ladders if I want to
Title: Re: diversifying
Post by: dazmond on July 15, 2012, 10:57:54 am
ive been offering conny roof/fascia and soffit cleaning for a few years now since i went WFP.They are also advertised on my van,leaflets and business cards.i also clean solar panels as more and more customers are getting them fixed to their roofs.

the truth is for my business i have plenty of maintenance window cleaning monthly/2 monthly which provides me with a good regular income.i also work in most rainy weather.these add on jobs are priced well so when i do get them they are worth doing.once you ve cleaned a few you know how long roughly they will take so can you price more accurately the hourly rate you want.if i dont get them at the price i want then thats fine as well as these are just "add ons" not the mainstay of my earnings.

the only extra equipment i use for these jobs is a stand off sometimes(for awkward access conny roofs) a few tubs of virosol,5L pressure sprayer and an extra 20m of microbore to hook up to customers outside taps if available.

i do not clear inside gutters anymore.i always hated doing them.i dont want to risk my neck up a ladder either these days.i certainly dont want to invest in a gutter vac so i dont bother.


regards


dazmond
Title: Re: diversifying
Post by: gavinb on July 15, 2012, 11:43:06 am
I done 1 fascia clean this week and 1 gutter empty and clean too if priced right you can get around £40
An hr . Well this is what it worked out to me earning on these 2 jobs this week .

Title: Re: diversifying
Post by: William McCafferty on July 15, 2012, 12:15:37 pm
Gutter vac is useless on gutters with compacted soil in , the type that usually has grass growing out , with a mass of roots , and also on gutters with gutter guard fitted,
Better most times to clean of a ladder.

Daz


Hi Daz

I will have to disagree with you on one point, I have cleaned many gutters that seemed to have Sherwood Forrest growing out of them, they are really hard work and I price accordingly, but they can be cleaned.

You are right about the gutter guards, these are a right pain in the arse and I don't clean these properties.
Title: Re: diversifying
Post by: William McCafferty on July 15, 2012, 12:29:38 pm
I am a fully trained carpet and window cleaner, so I offer both services, I now have also added solar panel and Gutter/Gulley cleaning.

I have also re-gigged how my company comes across to my customers, before I would have leaflets that promoted window cleaning and added on the other services.

This would work if your customers actually read the whole leaflet, but most don't, they see the words window cleaning and go blind when they read the other services I do.

The amount of times I have turned up at a customers house to see a carpet cleaner or to find that they have just had their gutters cleaned, when i point out that I do those services, they look really surprised as they thought I was a window cleaner.

I have now broken down my company into 4 cleaning divisions

window cleaning
carpet cleaning
gutter and gulley cleaning
solar panel cleaning

I am at the moment getting websites for all these divisions and when my next van hits the road it will have vechicle graphics to show all of these services.

In the meantime I have ordered 12500 folded business cards, because they are folded they have 4 sides to them, unlike a normal business card which has 2 (front and back)

Each of these 4 sides now promotes one division of my business, so when a potential customer reads the card they absorb all 4 messages, or hopefully they do.

From next week I will be handing these out to my excisting customers to see if I get a bigger uptake on my other services apart from window cleaning, than I normally do.