Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: supernova77 on August 29, 2014, 06:46:30 pm
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Hi All,
I was cleaning the windows of a house (first clean) earlier this week... The price is £22.
There was a builder working next door and I was conscious that he was watching me clean the windows.
Anyway... I got to the last window (the job took about 30 mins) and he came over to talk to me. He was asking me about my WFP system etc... Then he said - "how much do you charge for this one, about a tenner?"... I said "yeah about that"... he said "f*** me , that's money for nothing that is, money for f*** nothing!"... I then started going on about my costs etc.. ;)
It got me thinking though about other trades perceptions of us... To a lot of them it must look like we don't do much compared to the work they do in a day.
Andy
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Let's face it , its good money for what is an easy number! Compared to some guy working his butt off on a building site or somebody doing a 12 hr shift in a factory , we window cleaners get it good!
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did you tell him how much resin would make you ::)roll ::)roll ::)roll ;D ;D ;D ;D
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We'll what he will think is... Easy money them window cleaners! Water costs nothing.
However when you tell them that poles range from £200-£1000
Resin, uniform, national ins, leaflets, tax, fuel, running costs etc!
Let them think its money for nothing ;D
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but a £70 bag of resin makes you £40,000 a year
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Correct Franky. We are a fortunate bunch......
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but a £70 bag of resin makes you £40,000 a year
I'm confused, so one bag of resin makes £40k?
Do you have to plant it, and the money grows on the resin tree?
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All of the above but what really will flummox him is how using your own initiative and determination you acquired 450 customers paying an average of £20. He might slog his guts out in a building site, but most likely he doesn't have the business or personal skills needed to get out of slogging his guts out on a building site.
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No money in it though :(
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What made me smile to myself at the time was that he thought the house was about £10 - when actually it was £22.
;)
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Hi All,
I was cleaning the windows of a house (first clean) earlier this week... The price is £22.
There was a builder working next door and I was conscious that he was watching me clean the windows.
Anyway... I got to the last window (the job took about 30 mins) and he came over to talk to me. He was asking me about my WFP system etc... Then he said - "how much do you charge for this one, about a tenner?"... I said "yeah about that"... he said "f*** me , that's money for nothing that is, money for f*** nothing!"... I then started going on about my costs etc.. ;)
It got me thinking though about other trades perceptions of us... To a lot of them it must look like we don't do much compared to the work they do in a day.
Andy
Andy, according to the guys who work for you, you don't actually do much... ;)
Its true though. I had the hump the other day for no reason whatsoever, and the hose kept getting caught on things which seemed impossible for it to do so to the point I thought someone was playing tricks on me.. And then I suddenly realised that its not such a bad way to make a living at all, the alternative is back to the office or back on the building site. Obviously the 3 years building up the business is difficult but once through that bit its a very stress free way to make a living. Except for hose snagging!
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I wouldn't have even mentioned costs to him, most builders where making a fortune for doing very little
a few years back.
Now that the bottom has fallen out of the building trade they think everybody else should be in the same boat.
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
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Builders are the worst. We clean the windows for one and he always complains how much he has to pay and 'we're only there 15 minutes'. As he opens his wallet with cash falling out of it. I said to him once that he owns his own business and he knows the costs associated with running such. He then went on about all his costs bla bla and all we did was spray water about. I said to him that he has a brand new BMW in his drive and a lovely house so he can't be doing that bad.
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Builders are the worst. We clean the windows for one and he always complains how much he has to pay and 'we're only there 15 minutes'. As he opens his wallet with cash falling out of it. I said to him once that he owns his own business and he knows the costs associated with running such. He then went on about all his costs bla bla and all we did was spray water about. I said to him that he has a brand new BMW in his drive and a lovely house so he can't be doing that bad.
No disrespect Tom, but I think you've taken the wrong tack there.
I'd've said-'don't worry, if you can't afford us, there's no contract'
Forever custy there.
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My step brother has a building firm. Has around 7/8 guys working for him. He spends the day organising materials and deliveries of stuff for the job. Pretty busy 10 hour days for him. His day rate is only around 200 quid. He earns from the labour of the crew and mark up on the materials etc, but windies generally earn better hour for hour.
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but a £70 bag of resin makes you £40,000 a year
I'm confused, so one bag of resin makes £40k?
Do you have to plant it, and the money grows on the resin tree?
Thats what i did my garden is also full of four leaf clovers and the end of the rainbow is also ends in my garden and i get a pot of gold which makes up my wage to 40k .
To be a window cleaner and run your own business its such a easy life been of Irish decent the 4 leaf clovers and the pot of Gold are a given . Mike O' Dowd
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I wouldn't have even mentioned costs to him, most builders where making a fortune for doing very little
a few years back.
Now that the bottom has fallen out of the building trade they think everybody else should be in the same boat.
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
The building trade is booming at the moment!! there are brickies out there taking 100 grand+ a year!!
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I wouldn't have even mentioned costs to him, most builders where making a fortune for doing very little
a few years back.
Now that the bottom has fallen out of the building trade they think everybody else should be in the same boat.
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
The building trade is booming at the moment!! there are brickies out there taking 100 grand+ a year!!
Im sure as in window cleaning there will always be the exception to the rule and as with window cleaning there will
always be the guys who likes to big up their wages.
Yes the building trade has improved but the wages haven't gone back to where they used to be before the crash.
Wages only go up when there is a shortage of skilled labour and in most parts of the country this isn't the case.
Most building sites near me are filled with foreign nationals and I can guarantee they are not earning 100k a year.
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Im sure as in window cleaning there will always be the exception to the rule and as with window cleaning there will
always be the guys who likes to big up their wages.
Yes the building trade has improved but the wages haven't gone back to where they used to be before the crash.
Wages only go up when there is a shortage of skilled labour and in most parts of the country this isn't the case.
Most building sites near me are filled with foreign nationals and I can guarantee they are not earning 100k a year.
I'm talking about the top guys who do quality brickwork and are capable of laying 1000+ bricks a day, I am good friends with a top brickie and he is earning some serious money right now working on some of the many multi million pound mansions which are being built in the Surrey area at the moment!! Mind you he is on site by 7.30 every morning and works solid through until 5.45 every day, so he earns it!!
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All of the above but what really will flummox him is how using your own initiative and determination you acquired 450 customers paying an average of £20. He might slog his guts out in a building site, but most likely he doesn't have the business or personal skills needed to get out of slogging his guts out on a building site.
He doesn't have the business or personal skills ? Get a grip mate, its window cleaning not brain surgery! I make great money at this lark but you do not need skill or expertise for heavens sake! Its child's play.... ::)roll
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He doesn't have the business or personal skills ? Get a grip mate, its window cleaning not brain surgery! I make great money at this lark but you do not need skill or expertise for heavens sake! Its child's play.... Roll Eyes
But you do need a good level of personal skills to build a good solid business full of reliable customers.
I've gained numerous customers over the years because they didn't like the attitude of the window cleaner they were using.
Customer services plays a big part in building a solid business.
Andy
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Im sure as in window cleaning there will always be the exception to the rule and as with window cleaning there will
always be the guys who likes to big up their wages.
Yes the building trade has improved but the wages haven't gone back to where they used to be before the crash.
Wages only go up when there is a shortage of skilled labour and in most parts of the country this isn't the case.
Most building sites near me are filled with foreign nationals and I can guarantee they are not earning 100k a year.
I'm talking about the top guys who do quality brickwork and are capable of laying 1000+ bricks a day, I am good friends with a top brickie and he is earning some serious money right now working on some of the many multi million pound mansions which are being built in the Surrey area at the moment!! Mind you he is on site by 7.30 every morning and works solid through until 5.45 every day, so he earns it!!
Yes but he's one of the fortunate ones in the right area, its the same with window cleaning some guys are going to be earning
a fortune because they work in the right area that hasn't been saturated with shiners who over the years have lowered the earning potential.
The vast majority of people in the UK aren't millionaires looking for million pound properties they are working to middle class
people trying to get by on less and less every year.
My mates a top quality brickie and he's making peanuts at the moment because there's just too many guys competing for the
same work.
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Andy! Cmon ....... :-[
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He doesn't have the business or personal skills ? Get a grip mate, its window cleaning not brain surgery! I make great money at this lark but you do not need skill or expertise for heavens sake! Its child's play.... Roll Eyes
But you do need a good level of personal skills to build a good solid business full of reliable customers.
I've gained numerous customers over the years because they didn't like the attitude of the window cleaner they were using.
Customer services plays a big part in building a solid business.
Andy
You do not need a good level of 'personal skills to be polite', and you do not need any 'business skills', whatever they are, to build a round. I am with JD on this, it is just window cleaning, i enjoy my work most of the time, and i enjoy the interaction with my customers, but i am under no illusion as to my own importance in the eyes my customers.
I remember having a discussion with my sister in law's father some years ago. At the time i was a bus driver, and he reckoned that being a bus driver was a pretty cushy number, and very well paid for what you have to do. I pointed out to him that depending on what bus i was driving, i could be responsible for the comfort and safety of up to 100 people, yet he, driving a bin lorry, got paid more than me, and did he think that was appropriate?. He shut up pretty sharpish after that!. But i can assure you, being a bus driver, is way, way more stressful and demanding than being a window cleaner, so i am just glad i have it so easy these days ;D
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All of the above but what really will flummox him is how using your own initiative and determination you acquired 450 customers paying an average of £20. He might slog his guts out in a building site, but most likely he doesn't have the business or personal skills needed to get out of slogging his guts out on a building site.
He doesn't have the business or personal skills ? Get a grip mate, its window cleaning not brain surgery! I make great money at this lark but you do not need skill or expertise for heavens sake! Its child's play.... ::)roll
The average person does not have the drive or the personal skills to build a round that pays well. Any mong can clean windows, and there are a few around here that merely scrape a living, but to earn really good money requires interpersonal skills and drive.
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like not sacking a customer even though every part of you tells you to lol :D
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I wouldn't have even mentioned costs to him, most builders where making a fortune for doing very little
a few years back.
Now that the bottom has fallen out of the building trade they think everybody else should be in the same boat.
Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
The building trade is booming at the moment!! there are brickies out there taking 100 grand+ a year!!
Im sure as in window cleaning there will always be the exception to the rule and as with window cleaning there will
always be the guys who likes to big up their wages.
Yes the building trade has improved but the wages haven't gone back to where they used to be before the crash.
Wages only go up when there is a shortage of skilled labour and in most parts of the country this isn't the case.
Most building sites near me are filled with foreign nationals and I can guarantee they are not earning 100k a year.
Chippies i know are on slightly more than they were before the 'crash'.
Around £220-£250 a day is probably the average.
Lowest is probably on £15p/h
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All of the above but what really will flummox him is how using your own initiative and determination you acquired 450 customers paying an average of £20. He might slog his guts out in a building site, but most likely he doesn't have the business or personal skills needed to get out of slogging his guts out on a building site.
He doesn't have the business or personal skills ? Get a grip mate, its window cleaning not brain surgery! I make great money at this lark but you do not need skill or expertise for heavens sake! Its child's play.... ::)roll
The average person does not have the drive or the personal skills to build a round that pays well. Any numpty can clean windows, and there are a few around here that merely scrape a living, but to earn really good money requires interpersonal skills and drive.
What he said ^^
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He doesn't have the business or personal skills ? Get a grip mate, its window cleaning not brain surgery! I make great money at this lark but you do not need skill or expertise for heavens sake! Its child's play.... Roll Eyes
But you do need a good level of personal skills to build a good solid business full of reliable customers.
I've gained numerous customers over the years because they didn't like the attitude of the window cleaner they were using.
Customer services plays a big part in building a solid business.
Andy
You do not need a good level of 'personal skills to be polite', and you do not need any 'business skills', whatever they are, to build a round. I am with JD on this, it is just window cleaning, i enjoy my work most of the time, and i enjoy the interaction with my customers, but i am under no illusion as to my own importance in the eyes my customers.
I remember having a discussion with my sister in law's father some years ago. At the time i was a bus driver, and he reckoned that being a bus driver was a pretty cushy number, and very well paid for what you have to do. I pointed out to him that depending on what bus i was driving, i could be responsible for the comfort and safety of up to 100 people, yet he, driving a bin lorry, got paid more than me, and did he think that was appropriate?. He shut up pretty sharpish after that!. But i can assure you, being a bus driver, is way, way more stressful and demanding than being a window cleaner, so i am just glad i have it so easy these days ;D
Agreed .......
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Im an ex brickie and keep in touch with friends who are still bricklaying in the midlands top wack is about 150 a day not bad but take in account bad weather waiting for compo waiting for scaffold waiting for chippies to put joists on etc you loose lot of time. I am not the most efficient window cleaner but im better off money wise. Took me a few years to get there though. Would not like to try and build a round now window cleaners every where still picking up work though through recommendation
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I've just got back from UK (funeral) and noticed a hell of a lot of vans and cars about with ladders etc. I past Ocean Clean on the A50 on Wednesday I think. ;) Sure that's a member on here.
Must be tough getting the prices you want compared to here. Your work is more complicated in UK too. Tend to have one or two piece windows here on domestic work.
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After he ranted you could have give em the "Phil Mitchell" stare and said wtf has it got to do with you ..... ;D