Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: amayze on May 02, 2014, 01:03:24 am

Title: Increased Frequency / Lower Costs
Post by: amayze on May 02, 2014, 01:03:24 am
Guys,
I'm currently in discussions with a company who are just opening a new site. The buying dept want 4 cleans per year, but the local manager wants every 3 days for the first 3 months.

The buyer said yesterday, that they feel the price for the windows should go down as they are buying in bulk, but I've tried telling her that's not the case - how can I get my message across that it's £30 for the windows regardless of the frequency ?
Title: Re: Increased Frequency / Lower Costs
Post by: dazmond on May 02, 2014, 07:09:23 am
been late night drinking have we? ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Increased Frequency / Lower Costs
Post by: Small but perfectley formed on May 02, 2014, 07:18:44 am
Just offer a discount to secure the job ,if you are cleaning every 3days they will only require spot cleaning in most areas.
Title: Re: Increased Frequency / Lower Costs
Post by: dazmond on May 02, 2014, 07:19:42 am
just tell them thats your price.take it or leave it.
Title: Re: Increased Frequency / Lower Costs
Post by: richard groves on May 02, 2014, 07:26:54 am
Guys,
I'm currently in discussions with a company who are just opening a new site. The buying dept want 4 cleans per year, but the local manager wants every 3 days for the first 3 months.

The buyer said yesterday, that they feel the price for the windows should go down as they are buying in bulk, but I've tried telling her that's not the case - how can I get my message across that it's £30 for the windows regardless of the frequency ?
So if you had a job of £30 per month and they asked to go 3 monthly, would you still charge them £30 ? I very much doubt it.
Title: Re: Increased Frequency / Lower Costs
Post by: JackieW on May 02, 2014, 07:47:57 am
''how can I get my message across that it's £30 for the windows regardless of the frequency ?''

I'm not sure I'm with you.

Are you saying that if someone wanted their windows cleaned every day as opposed to once every 5 years you would still charge the same amount per visit?
Title: Re: Increased Frequency / Lower Costs
Post by: Marc Stock on May 02, 2014, 08:21:18 am
It depends how much you want the work.

For over a grands worth of work in three months they do have a point. Say your willing to go down to £28 but that's your bottom line.

If you can't do that, and or your not willing to budge on your price why are you still thinking about it? You either want the work or not.

If you do go for the 28 quid option sign up a contract and get them to pay 50% upfront with the balance due on delivery at the end of each week.

Title: Re: Increased Frequency / Lower Costs
Post by: MWC on May 02, 2014, 08:33:19 am
Great advice as usual!

£30 x 4 per year - £120

£15 x 30 in 3months £450

3 years income in 3 months off the same job and you should retain the job, back to £30 per clean

Or dump it and replace with 28 new commercial custys as they say!
Title: Re: Increased Frequency / Lower Costs
Post by: SeanK on May 02, 2014, 09:12:01 am
Great advice as usual!

£30 x 4 per year - £120

£15 x 30 in 3months £450

3 years income in 3 months off the same job and you should retain the job, back to £30 per clean

Or dump it and replace with 28 new commercial custys as they say!


3 years income in 3 months is the wrong way to look at.
Its 30 cleans for x amount of money.
30 cleans over a longer period would make £900.
So the question is how much less of an effort and time would it take to do this amount of cleans in a shorter
time frame.
Second point is there's no guarantee that you will keep this work.
My advice is to do the initial cleans at full price and offer x amount of free cleans when it then goes to 3 monthly.
The amount of freebies is up to you.



Title: Re: Increased Frequency / Lower Costs
Post by: SeanK on May 02, 2014, 09:17:43 am
Another point to remember if you do take on this work is that you will run up a large bill in a short
space of time and risk getting stung so protect yourself with a contract or up front payments.
Title: Re: Increased Frequency / Lower Costs
Post by: Paul Coleman on May 02, 2014, 11:38:32 am
Depends how much you want it I suppose.  I've only ever had situations that are vaguely similar.  I have found it better to stick with the price but instead offer periodic free cleans while doing the more frequent cleaning.  That way, your price rather than the discounted price is ingrained into their minds and there is less likely to be hassle when you start cleaning at the more normal, ongoing, correctly priced frequency. i.e. when you start the less frequent cleaning, if you've been charging your correct rate, it won't look like an increase.  Maybe every 6th clean fre, for example (you may have a different number in mind).  The other upside to this is that if you skimp a bit when cleaning so frequently, it probably won't be noticed.  You could probably get away with doing one sixth less work making the discount nonsensical anyway.
You just have to know how to play these people at their own games while letting them believe that they've won.
Title: Re: Increased Frequency / Lower Costs
Post by: AuRavelling79 on May 03, 2014, 07:20:41 am
Guys,
I'm currently in discussions with a company who are just opening a new site. The buying dept want 4 cleans per year, but the local manager wants every 3 days for the first 3 months.

The buyer said yesterday, that they feel the price for the windows should go down as they are buying in bulk, but I've tried telling her that's not the case - how can I get my message across that it's £30 for the windows regardless of the frequency ?

This sounds crazy - I've heard of local site wanting monthly and head office quarterly, but every 3 days vs every 3 months is just nuts.


My standard offer is every 4/8 weeks - let's say my prices were £100/£120.

If someone wants quarterly it would be £150 if they wanted fortnightly maybe £80. But every 3 days? There has to be a point where it bottoms out - say £75. Or it tops out, at say annually at £200.

Of course if it is a £20 job plus or minus then travelling and fitting in becomes much more relevant.
Title: Re: Increased Frequency / Lower Costs
Post by: Paul Coleman on May 03, 2014, 07:49:28 am
If they wanted it done every minute I suppose that £1 would be OK :) .
Title: Re: Increased Frequency / Lower Costs
Post by: PoleKing on May 03, 2014, 06:16:14 pm
Guys,
I'm currently in discussions with a company who are just opening a new site. The buying dept want 4 cleans per year, but the local manager wants every 3 days for the first 3 months.

The buyer said yesterday, that they feel the price for the windows should go down as they are buying in bulk, but I've tried telling her that's not the case - how can I get my message across that it's £30 for the windows regardless of the frequency ?

This sounds crazy - I've heard of local site wanting monthly and head office quarterly, but every 3 days vs every 3 months is just nuts.


My standard offer is every 4/8 weeks - let's say my prices were £100/£120.

If someone wants quarterly it would be £150 if they wanted fortnightly maybe £80. But every 3 days? There has to be a point where it bottoms out - say £75. Or it tops out, at say annually at £200.

Of course if it is a £20 job plus or minus then travelling and fitting in becomes much more relevant.

I was thinking that.
Is the OP WFP? The windows would only be dry for one day!