Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: richywilts on January 20, 2013, 05:08:52 pm
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just following the shops thread i posted and the boom of wfp window cleaners and everyone moving to look more professional with uniforms and signwritten vans and explaining health and safety laws to customers etc window cleaners now using warning signs etc and using risk assessment and method statements etc etc
do the general public really give a damn??
4-5 years ago when i started i made a difference in my area i was the first from what i believe to offer a professional looking company who did things a bit different i.e cleaning frames and cills bk in them days the stamped addressed envelope was the in thing!!!
i found it quite easy picking up work just from my image but now more and more have followed suit and its the general norm now for window cleaner to be sign written and wearing uniforms
is wfp now considered the most used tool for window cleaning dometics??
when canvassing i find it hard even getting the chance to put the health and safety benefits even across and how much better wfp is than traditional methods.
should health and safety being doing more for our industry and maybe making adverts for tv explaining how ladders are restricted and wfp SHOULD be used
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No
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should health and safety being doing more for our industry and maybe making adverts for tv explaining how ladders are restricted and wfp SHOULD be used
no theres a lot still wanna use ladders, i dont much but i dont want to be told i cant, my mate fell off his ladder last month few scapes n bruises but he's no intention of going wfp, i know it could of been worse but it wasn't
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all they want to know if window is clean that is it , if you went to get your van fixed do you look at there tools and if they have a uniform i certanly dont all i look at is the price .
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Nope.
Neither are they bothered about insurance or city&guilds
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The more professional you look, the more expensive people perceive you to be imho.
I am trad, 99% are residential, and in my neck of the woods, people want clean windows, and would not care if I turned up on a horse and cart dressed like Ned Kelly.
John
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I think friendly and non-threatening is definitely required, but proper work wear and a clean image is helpful too.
I'm not exactly sure what you mean by 'professional'?
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People will be bothered how pro you are if something gets damaged. They wouldnt like to put trust into a shellsuit scally.
Customers want to be reassured that the company they get in for work and stuff are a proper outfit
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I think friendly and non-threatening is definitely required, but proper work wear and a clean image is helpful too.
I'm not exactly sure what you mean by 'professional'?
i percieve professional as fully insured,provide invoices,and reciepts etc run it like a business not a job etc
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IMO the customer doesnt give a stuff if you have insurance,sign written van etc.
what they do care about is if you do a good,thorough job and are trustworthy and reliable,dont come round too often and are reasonably priced.
of course i have a signed van and uniform and im always presentable in a nice clean van and workwear,but i do not have a flash van or appear to be flash.
its about your attitude to your business as well and how you come across to customers.if your friendly and approachable as well as all the things ive mentioned above you ll have a good solid base of loyal customers.
this is what ive found out over the years anyway!! ;) ;D ;D
best wishes to you all
dazmond
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im just wondering how the guys who used to be trad have changed there businesses since trying to look and act more professional i,e signwritten vans is a status thing for us cleaners to strokes our egos or has since changing your business to wfp etc has it really made a difference in terms of profits and number of customers etc has it made you more successful
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Some people perceive window cleaning has one step up from being a burglar :o
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richy i do think it makes a difference regarding printed invoices,professional calling cards/business cards and offering different ways to pay whether it is online bank transfer,SAE etc as well as cash especially in more affluent areas as i find people less trusting the more money they have! ;D ;D ;D
having my address on all invoices,business cards etc reassures the customer whether its domestic or commercial IMO.
REGARDS
DAZMOND
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you can still be professional and clean windows traditional, wfp is very much in the minority where i live
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I have had embroidered work wear from virtually day one 12 years ago, always had a van even when trad, always had sae and billing card made by local printer from day one. been wfp 7 years.
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you can still be professional and clean windows traditional, wfp is very much in the minority where i live
im not saying trad cleaners cant be professional but what im saying is a lot of people used to be trad etc but since going wfp and prob investing in vans and signwriting and other things they have began taking there business more serious logos and business names etc but has it all been worth it
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Richy have a look at this site, this one of the most recognisable firms in my town. im not sure how many vans he has as they are all the same ;D red escort vans all sign written..they are 100% trad i noticed that he only offers cheque or bacs payments..no cash.
http://www.hightop.co.uk/residential/
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quote from that website..
We have chosen to continue to clean windows using traditional methods from ladders to a height of 30 feet. The reason for this decision is based in our desire to leave a better finish without unsightly streaking and runs
;D
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RICHY my business has been totally transformed in the last 3 years mate.
im earning over £10,000 more a year than 3 years ago just working as a sole trader.less hours,can burn through work like i could never do when i was trad only.
ive picked up some good work and dropped a fair few customers in that time.most new work has come from recommendation and word of mouth.
i also get quite a lot of add on work like conny roof,fascia,soffit,outside gutter cleaning jobs from existing customers and now solar panel cleaning.
ive also upped a lot of customers prices in the last few years with only a few cancellations.
my overheads are higher thats for sure but im still quids in compared to ladders only. ;) ;D ;D ;D ;D
my attitude has changed a lot since going WFP as well.i work in lots of bad weather where when i was trad id be heading off home!! ;D ;D ;D
i feel more professional and i think it rubs off on my customers as well.i also have more confidence in charging higher prices for my work.
its been a really positive move for me in general and im so glad i found this site.
having round software has also helped enormously with book keeping,records,invoices,worksheets,etc,etc.
best wishes
dazmond
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i would imagine the vast majority of window cleaners are traditional
just not on this forum which accounts for a tiny minority where the majority are
wfp
as for looking and being professional,on domestic being professional
is whats required
i would imagine on commercial (i dont do any) both would be
required
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I think friendly and non-threatening is definitely required, but proper work wear and a clean image is helpful too.
I'm not exactly sure what you mean by 'professional'?
i percieve professional as fully insured,provide invoices,and reciepts etc run it like a business not a job etc
That sounds good, Richy, but regarding some of the posts here, does it really matter what others perceive us to be like? Really?
The only perception I really care about is my own perception of myself, all others shouldn't really matter if my intentions are honest.
There's an old saying that goes, "It doesn't matter what others do or don't do, it only matters what I do or don't do!" I think we could include 'think' instead of 'do' in that.
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just following the shops thread i posted and the boom of wfp window cleaners and everyone moving to look more professional with uniforms and signwritten vans and explaining health and safety laws to customers etc window cleaners now using warning signs etc and using risk assessment and method statements etc etc
do the general public really give a damn??
4-5 years ago when i started i made a difference in my area i was the first from what i believe to offer a professional looking company who did things a bit different i.e cleaning frames and cills bk in them days the stamped addressed envelope was the in thing!!!
i found it quite easy picking up work just from my image but now more and more have followed suit and its the general norm now for window cleaner to be sign written and wearing uniforms
is wfp now considered the most used tool for window cleaning dometics??
when canvassing i find it hard even getting the chance to put the health and safety benefits even across and how much better wfp is than traditional methods.
should health and safety being doing more for our industry and maybe making adverts for tv explaining how ladders are restricted and wfp SHOULD be used
I was doing all that before you started window cleaning, sign written van, uniforms, self addressed envlopes, cheques.. provinding a better service etc etc.
wen i started doing this in my area i think there was 2 commercial companies with sign written vans maybe 1 or 2 residential sigin written vans.. since then everyone has followed suit.. with websites/sign written vans/ sending payment in or backs/ etc .
thing is richy i remember u saying when u started .. u started because the wfp you wouldn.t like to climb ladders that stuck in my mind for some reason.. because i new this whats happening all over now anyone with less than a 1k now can get a wfp and away they go.. the more and more people who use it the easier it will be to start.. again when i first started 10 years ago there was 1 company widely known round here that used wfp..
the end result its getting harder to become different form others apart from saying ur reliable u do better job reality of it all is they want regular/but cheap as they can get that service for these days..alot of new ones i picking up lately want 8 weekly 90% all used to be monthly.. this trade is changing ALOT over the last year or two
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Heres another Toshism...
If you always do what you've always done, you will get what youve always got.
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I think the general public can be very fickle,.. when they see you in person they're not too bothered about the stubble & ripped jeans, so long as you clean their windows, nothing else matters.
In the unreal world of the interweb, ppl are as fussy as hell. I've been shopping for a product online today & found at least 20 websites that offer what I want - many I clicked off the site straight away simply because it looked a bit dated & their competition looked like they put more effort into their business!
So,.. marketing/advertising etc I try to be as pro as possible - - but in person I try to be the average Joe, one step above the the "dole scrounging, summer working, odd jobbing" type that many of my customers might have perceived window cleaners to be previously.
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also customers are paying for YOU!! ;D ;D
.....not just the service you provide!
lets face it window cleaners are everywhere!!if customers like you then you get the job!! ;D ;D ;D
i know im a hard working, honest,straightforward guy and i reckon it shows when im out and about cleaning.i never lose my temper with customers and im fair minded but firm.
if a customer is taking the pee i just drop them and move on.sometimes with a matter of fact frank conversation from me,sometimes not.
i make a living with very little stress/hassle.im happy with that!! :D :D
dazmond
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We cover North Ipswich, as well as East, South and West.
;D
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heres my 2 cents ;D
if you are targeting commercial....then image is important.....
if like me you prefer the domestic market, all the customer wants is trust, reliability, and a cleaner that is polite and does a good job....
ok...insurance is common sense... wfp is common sense as its much faster....
am I unprofesional because I dont have a uniform? well... only the customer can answer that...?
but seeing as I get good referals and feedback, I dont believe its an issue.
I have had window cleaners canvass my work and try to undercut....but it rarely works...my customers are loyal, as they know me.....the ones that I never see are happy because I am reliable, ....
if I was targeting commercial however, I would smarten myself up....
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We cover North Ipswich, as well as East, South and West.
;D
i noticed that lol
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just following the shops thread i posted and the boom of wfp window cleaners and everyone moving to look more professional with uniforms and signwritten vans and explaining health and safety laws to customers etc window cleaners now using warning signs etc and using risk assessment and method statements etc etc
do the general public really give a damn??
4-5 years ago when i started i made a difference in my area i was the first from what i believe to offer a professional looking company who did things a bit different i.e cleaning frames and cills bk in them days the stamped addressed envelope was the in thing!!!
i found it quite easy picking up work just from my image but now more and more have followed suit and its the general norm now for window cleaner to be sign written and wearing uniforms
is wfp now considered the most used tool for window cleaning dometics??
when canvassing i find it hard even getting the chance to put the health and safety benefits even across and how much better wfp is than traditional methods.
should health and safety being doing more for our industry and maybe making adverts for tv explaining how ladders are restricted and wfp SHOULD be used
I was doing all that before you started window cleaning, sign written van, uniforms, self addressed envlopes, cheques.. provinding a better service etc etc.
I MEANT IN ELLESMERE PORT DAVE!!!
wen i started doing this in my area i think there was 2 commercial companies with sign written vans maybe 1 or 2 residential sigin written vans.. since then everyone has followed suit.. with websites/sign written vans/ sending payment in or backs/ etc .
thing is richy i remember u saying when u started .. u started because the wfp you wouldn.t like to climb ladders that stuck in my mind for some reason.. because i new this whats happening all over now anyone with less than a 1k now can get a wfp and away they go.. the more and more people who use it the easier it will be to start.. again when i first started 10 years ago there was 1 company widely known round here that used wfp..
I CANT REMEMBER SAYING THAT BUT WHAT I PROB MEANT WAS I JIBBED OFF FITTING UPVC FASCIA AND SOFFIT AND GUTTERS DUE TO ALL THE LEGISLATION COMING IN REGARING WORKING AT HEIGHT ALSO I DIDNT FEEL SAFE CONSTANTLY WANGLING OLD WOODEN BOARDS OFF HOUSES AND WALKING ALONG WALKWAYS WITH NO HANDLES
the end result its getting harder to become different form others apart from saying ur reliable u do better job reality of it all is they want regular/but cheap as they can get that service for these days..alot of new ones i picking up lately want 8 weekly 90% all used to be monthly.. this trade is changing ALOT over the last year or two
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I agree fully with James Peters except with wfp being common sense
because its faster.
Its common sense because its safer nothing else.
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its common sense john because it IS FASTER overall and you can take bigger,awkward jobs on that would be too dangerous to clean on your own with ladders.
obviously its much safer but most of us change over to earn more money as the main reason.not because its safer!!
it just happens to be safer AS WELL AS MAKING MORE MONEY!! ;D ;D ;D ;D
dazmond
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Yes I find it quicker for me but then I am slow at trad cleaning.
Can I then boast that wfp is quicker NO.
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I think quite strongly that most people on council estates couldn't give a monkeys who you are what you or your van looks like, nor about your health and safety. Commercial care most about your price, then your h & s, then your image, then your van, in that order. If you have high end clients, they care about your image, your price, your van, then your h & s. residential clients as a whole do not realise there are any h & s implications for you or them. Businesses do.
I think the original question of do they give a dam, depends on who 'they' are. You must present yourself as your target market expects you to present yourself, IMHO of course... :D