Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: tom20001 on May 15, 2013, 04:15:49 pm
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Guys how do you deal with Timewasters?
What i mean is goin out to a job and client not answering door, not being there, or just texting you last minute to cancel??!!! or is it just one of the hazards of the job...
cheers in advance
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or is it just one of the hazards of the job...
You hit the nail on the head!
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Are you knocking before starting cleaning? Calling ahead to book in your clean?
I do neither of those as I think it encourages cancelations. Just turn up, clean and leave slip, it works for me! Definitely don't knock before starting cleaning. :o
Also you have to weed out the messers. Some say 3 strikes but I tend to give them 2. Works for me.
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thanks for input lads.
These are people who have booked over phone from flyers and then "take the p" by the ways outlined in original post
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Are you knocking before starting cleaning? Calling ahead to book in your clean?
I do neither of those as I think it encourages cancelations. Just turn up, clean and leave slip, it works for me! Definitely don't knock before starting cleaning. :o
Also you have to weed out the messers. Some say 3 strikes but I tend to give them 2. Works for me.
What he said.
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If you are new to window cleaning then you will be more prone to pick up other cleaners rejects. As very few messers change, they will tend to become your rejects as well.
In the early days you have to proactively build your business, which means collecting the debts as well. In time you will get to know your genuine customers and the time wasters. Although we now have a two clean rule, this doesn't extend to new customers. They also have to build their credability with us. Someone on here started the 3 c's - canvass, clean, cull. You will have to decide how much nonsense you will take from new customers whilst you are building your business.
In time you will be able to afford to 'let them go' when you replace them with another.
Your customer base will always be 'fluid' - rental customers move, die, sell up etc. most that you have little control of. Each time a customer messes around it costs you money - cancelled cleans, locked rear gates when they promised to leave them open, dogs muck, delayed payment, repeated collection calls - so don't hold onto them too long.
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Good advice from spruce there. Dont think i can add much to that really!
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ok lads Thanks for input!
by the sounds of things we are basically saying we can stop them wasting our time going forward but cant actually stop them wasting our time and expence in the 1st place
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Just my way but zero tolerance to messers and timewasters
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just go & clean them never mind this text & calls & door knocking before you start thats just wasting your on time.
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just go & clean them never mind this text & calls & door knocking before you start thats just wasting your on time.
Slight issue of them not paying then though and saying they changed their mind??!! trust me ive been there
Thanks for input
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just go & clean them never mind this text & calls & door knocking before you start thats just wasting your on time.
Slight issue of them not paying then though and saying they changed their mind??!! trust me ive been there
Thanks for input
are they regular customers.?
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just go & clean them never mind this text & calls & door knocking before you start thats just wasting your on time.
Slight issue of them not paying then though and saying they changed their mind??!! trust me ive been there
Thanks for input
are they regular customers.?
No these are new customers
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Ive been going for 12 months now and the amount of messers i have had and dumped is unreal ! I have actually dumped more work than i have kept although i still have a relatively new business and it is growing every day i am making good money for what im doing .
It just takes time as every other cleaner will tell you .
I just checked and since january i have dumped 39 customers .
Worth £743 every 4 weeks !
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I once had a customer asking me to prove that I had cleaned his gutters out. I'd done the job when there was no one at home.
I was taken aback for a moment, but told him I would get the ladders off the van for him to go up there and have a look. That taught me a lesson. I now take pictures of a dirty and clean gutter, but with other objects in the picture - driveway with pot plants etc that only belong to him.
We also leave all the rubbish in plastic Morrison bags next to their dustbin/wheelie bin. We also take pictures of any before and after situations that could cause us an issue - like salt/grit on pathways we put down in winter to prevent a slip hazard.
As most of us have smart phones (I did until it ended up in the washing machine), a couple of window pictures taken on each new clean could prove invaluable as evidence in this mistrusting world. But a customer like this isn't worth a second call once you have 'fought' for your money.
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Ive been going for 12 months now and the amount of messers i have had and dumped is unreal ! I have actually dumped more work than i have kept although i still have a relatively new business and it is growing every day i am making good money for what im doing .
It just takes time as every other cleaner will tell you .
I just checked and since january i have dumped 39 customers .
Worth £743 every 4 weeks !
That's the only way to weed them out. You are better off without those 39 customers. They were wasting your time and were only names and addresses on your books. Had you kept them you would have spent probably 20 to 30 hours a month wasting your time cleaning and trying to get paid when you could have better spent that time canvassing for new customers. Most of those would have dumped you at some point - they want clean windows but don't really want to pay for the service. Its better for morale to dump them first.
Once you have completed your round cycle, then use a few evening to canvass for new customers. This will make it easier to dump the wasters as you have already replaced them.
Try to spend a Saturday cleaning windows in a busy area during the summer. It works wonders for passerby /neighbour enquiries. I hate working Saturdays as I grew up in a different culture, but it worked wonders when I was trying to grow my business.
You may not accomplish much work wise, or I never did, as I spend a large portion of my time talking to potential customers.
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Yes spruce i totally agree with you .
I only work 1 saturday per 4 week cycle as my wife works 12 hr shifts sat / sun
So i can only get the sister in law to look after the kids 1 sat every 4 weeks
Otherwise id work every weekend tbh .
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thanks for advice spruce and gavin. great points much appreciated
ps ive only done flyer drops nd word of mouth so far
its slow to build up clients tho ive done ok considering
i know i have to go canvassing but its like jumping out of a plane to me for some reason im dreading it!!! lol any tips cos i know once i start canvassing il be fine but the " fear factor" of getting abuse is putting me off what is an obvious way to grow business
thanks again guys cant believe how helpful people are on this site :)
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I would say canvass areas and streets surrounding your current customers as this will hopefully build up a more compact round it does taake time to get a compact round you will find it will take a while to build up a compact round .
My round is nowhere near compact at the moment but on 2 or 3 sub rounds I have like 20 + jobs within a small area but if you want the work you will more or less work anywhere to start with you can then refine the workload .
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the " fear factor" of getting abuse is putting me off what is an obvious way to grow business
You shouldn't get any abuse as long as you're polite and as long as you don't cold call on doors that have a no canvassers sign up.
I must have knocked on 10,000 doors in the last year and not one person has give me any abuse.
Just be brave and go for it, you will definitely get more jobs than from leaflets alone.
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thanks for advice spruce and gavin. great points much appreciated
ps ive only done flyer drops nd word of mouth so far
its slow to build up clients tho ive done ok considering
i know i have to go canvassing but its like jumping out of a plane to me for some reason im dreading it!!! lol any tips cos i know once i start canvassing il be fine but the " fear factor" of getting abuse is putting me off what is an obvious way to grow business
thanks again guys cant believe how helpful people are on this site :)
We have never had any abuse either. Just a simple Hello, we (business term for me) are local window cleaners and are looking to grow our services in your area. Would you like a quote?
If they already have a cleaner they will tell you. If you are polite then there will be no issue. Don't canvass when the match is on though.
Your are selling a service to them that they want, but they don't know it yet. What stops most people is fear of rejection. People don't like 'no's'. But you love nos because the quicker you get them out of the way the better. Each no means you are getting closer to a yes.
We kept records of the streets we canvassed with house nos. We also managed to get some cleaner's names. We recorded all this. In time we averaged 11 or 12 nos before we got a request to quote. We didn't over price as we needed the work so we were happy to get 1 acceptance for 2 quotes.
A couple of weeks ago we heard of a cleaner thats given up, so we know which areas he worked. His customer's don't know yet so a bit early to canvass as they still think he is their window cleaner.
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Each no means you are getting closer to a yes.
Love this mentality, so true....... thanks guys for all posts. I take it anytime after 12/1pm is late enough to go canvassing as you dont want to be there too early either?
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thanks for advice spruce and gavin. great points much appreciated
ps ive only done flyer drops nd word of mouth so far
its slow to build up clients tho ive done ok considering
i know i have to go canvassing but its like jumping out of a plane to me for some reason im dreading it!!! lol any tips cos i know once i start canvassing il be fine but the " fear factor" of getting abuse is putting me off what is an obvious way to grow business
thanks again guys cant believe how helpful people are on this site :)
Do your doorknocking as a follow up to a leaflet drop. Have a clip board with one of your leaflets pasted on the front, knock on the door then hold it up so they can see it. Say: "Good eveing, my name is Tom ........... and I put one of these through your door the other day"
After that it's easy ;)
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thanks for advice spruce and gavin. great points much appreciated
ps ive only done flyer drops nd word of mouth so far
its slow to build up clients tho ive done ok considering
i know i have to go canvassing but its like jumping out of a plane to me for some reason im dreading it!!! lol any tips cos i know once i start canvassing il be fine but the " fear factor" of getting abuse is putting me off what is an obvious way to grow business
thanks again guys cant believe how helpful people are on this site :)
We have never had any abuse either. Just a simple Hello, we (business term for me) are local window cleaners and are looking to grow our services in your area. Would you like a quote?
If they already have a cleaner they will tell you. If you are polite then there will be no issue. Don't canvass when the match is on though.
Your are selling a service to them that they want, but they don't know it yet. What stops most people is fear of rejection. People don't like 'no's'. But you love nos because the quicker you get them out of the way the better. Each no means you are getting closer to a yes.
We kept records of the streets we canvassed with house nos. We also managed to get some cleaner's names. We recorded all this. In time we averaged 11 or 12 nos before we got a request to quote. We didn't over price as we needed the work so we were happy to get 1 acceptance for 2 quotes.
A couple of weeks ago we heard of a cleaner thats given up, so we know which areas he worked. His customer's don't know yet so a bit early to canvass as they still think he is their window cleaner.
One of the few members on this forum that makes good sense with nearly every post he makes.
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ok lads great advice going forward, thanks to all who contributed
cheers