Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Ian101 on August 30, 2015, 09:09:30 am
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After another influx of new customers this month and now being only 8 new customers short of my target for this year I have dropped all the add ons - upvc, gutters, connies etc as now only really have the time to do the windows. ..... if a customer asks for a connie roof / upvc clean then fair enough I wont say no but wont go looking for them anymore and have taken all the add ons from the website.
Commercial window cleaning is the new focus for me now (not subby).
If the momentum carries on then will be employing again from early next year but will take a guy on with a driving license this time.
So far this year took on 74 new customers - some from leaflets but mostly from website and referals - not a massive number but been nice and steady allowing me to grow the rounds in a steady fashion.
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What again ?
So you dropping all your pressure washing plans as well ??
Darran
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I understand what your saying there Ian, I am trying to expand into pressure washing but find all my time tied up with window cleaning, similar to your self, if customers ask I will do it but I am not looking for that type of work at the minute, I am currently in the market for new staff but they have to be right person, and not just anyone.
Ideally I would like a young lad who never done this type of work but is keen to get working full time, this way I can train them myself.
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What again ?
So you dropping all your pressure washing plans as well ??
Darran
nope plan to get employee to do boring c@ap windows and im setting a dedicated van up for the pressure washing before spring that I will do ............ like u Darran ;D
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I understand what your saying there Ian, I am trying to expand into pressure washing but find all my time tied up with window cleaning, similar to your self, if customers ask I will do it but I am not looking for that type of work at the minute, I am currently in the market for new staff but they have to be right person, and not just anyone.
Ideally I would like a young lad who never done this type of work but is keen to get working full time, this way I can train them myself.
yup same here :)
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I think you should keep an open mind, up selling the other services a great way to increase your daily income and brings in more revenue p/h than windows, tbh if your employee is doing windows only you'll find all the effort of van, man, wages, insurance not very worthwhile.
Darran
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I suppose the best way to look at it is to focus on whatever makes you the most profit as you can only physically work so many hours on your own. A lot of the jobs I do they already have a window cleaner... go figure so it's their loss not mine.
If you want to also offer profitable add-on work then you obviously need to allow the time do be able to offers those services. Having a large round to service regularly you will struggle as you have found out..
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I hate windows with a vengeance!
Doing really well at the moment with gutter and drive cleaning. Only reason we kept windows going is to keep us going over the winter months ;D
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I hate windows with a vengeance!
Doing really well at the moment with gutter and drive cleaning. Only reason we kept windows going is to keep us going over the winter months ;D
That is why I only have a small selective round too as if I had to do windows every day it would do my head in..
As they say variety is the spice of life and all that.
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I can make more money per hour doing pressure washing and other bits but a lot of the work is add ons from window cleaning contracts we have so ya can't really say al do that but am leaving ur windows ;D
I wouldn't be without my pressure washer in the van but if I don't use it from one week to the next that fine.
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I have now stopped the windows as i just haven't got time anymore due to p/w six days a week plus the money is alot better ;D
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Keep dropping all the window cleaning work guys... It's good for the rest of us ;)
Window cleaning might get a bit monotonous at times... But you can't beat it for regular repeat work - which means regular repeat £££
Andy
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I look at it this way would you rather do 1 job a day in less time than say 30 to make the same amount...
I know which I prefer how about you?
Many go on how much they can earn per hour which if that is the case window cleaning is probably the lowest paid out of all of the services that a cleaner could offer.
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I look at it this way would you rather do 1 job a day in less time than say 30 to make the same amount...
I know which I prefer how about you?
Many go on how much they can earn per hour which if that is the case window cleaning is probably the lowest paid out of all of the services that a cleaner could offer.
That's fair enough... But how much time (advertising, quoting etc..) do you have to put into getting a one-off pressure washing job? A window cleaning job is repeat work.
Looking at Aworka my average window cleaning job price is £32.34 (most are 8 weekly cleans)... So obviously I don't have to do 30 jobs a day.
If I was going to get into pressure washing I would do 2 days a week pressure washing / 3 days a week window cleaning so that I always had a good solid basis of repeat work per week plus any money from pressure washing...
Andy
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+1
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Regular windows is the bread and butter of the business - (thankfully I no longer have to do them.)
But it's good solid repeating money.
The cream is the conservatory, sfg, gutter clean and clears, pressure washing are really nice big hits, but could I survive on them alone, I doubt it, the more strings to your bow the better
Darran
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each to their own but yes regular repeat window cleaning is more than my "bread and butter" work.its my main income by a mile compared to s/f/g,conny roofs and solar panel cleaning.i can earn good money with minimal hassle just cleaning my regular round.
add on jobs are harder work and more hassle IME.yes i usually earn more money from them but i dont really push them as im happy with my current workload and see them as "bonus" jobs.
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Come on daz ...... Get in the spirit an take some more work on, am just at me last job ........
Not to bad only 15 mules from home as well ;D
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I hate windows with a vengeance!
Doing really well at the moment with gutter and drive cleaning. Only reason we kept windows going is to keep us going over the winter months ;D
How do you get your work Samson? And how many weeks in advance are you generally booked up for?
Tom
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I hate windows with a vengeance!
Doing really well at the moment with gutter and drive cleaning. Only reason we kept windows going is to keep us going over the winter months ;D
How do you get your work Samson? And how many weeks in advance are you generally booked up for?
Tom
To be honest we are behind with the window cleaning, been really busy with the gutter and driveway pressure washing. Hired a couple of leafleters and getting some good work from them.
Turning windows down at the moment, but only taking the bigger jobs on.
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We also have a front page free adds magazine add that goes out to 64k homes and businesses? So that gives a steady stream of work ;D
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Samson you say you got a couple of leafletters? how many leaflets are you getting out per week?
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Samson you say you got a couple of leafletters? how many leaflets are you getting out per week?
Varies really, average 3 - 4k.
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I was taking to a chap the other day whilst out on a gutter quote as he was across the road with a diy washer trying to do his driveway. He mentioned that an Irish chap and his 2 boys had cleaned 10 driveways in that street but he thought it cheaper after their quote to buy himself an eclectic karcher.
I asked if they where tinkers and he said he did not know but they had glossy leaflets and drove a brand new merc sign written van. Hmmmm...
Best bit he thought what they had done looked good too but when I looked at one driveway that they had done the moss and weeds were still visible between the block pavers not to mention the black spots everywhere....
Bless em as they charged a bloody fortune too. So my point is door knocking with glossy leaflets obviously works ;D ;D ;D
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I look at it this way would you rather do 1 job a day in less time than say 30 to make the same amount...
I know which I prefer how about you?
Many go on how much they can earn per hour which if that is the case window cleaning is probably the lowest paid out of all of the services that a cleaner could offer.
i TAKE IT YOU ARE JOKING?
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I look at it this way would you rather do 1 job a day in less time than say 30 to make the same amount...
I know which I prefer how about you?
Many go on how much they can earn per hour which if that is the case window cleaning is probably the lowest paid out of all of the services that a cleaner could offer.
i TAKE IT YOU ARE JOKING?
Nope but I'm sure you can figure out or know already what cleaning services are better paid than just cleaning window.
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tbh if your employee is doing windows only you'll find all the effort of van, man, wages, insurance not very worthwhile.
Care to elaborate, Darran?
Nick
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tbh if your employee is doing windows only you'll find all the effort of van, man, wages, insurance not very worthwhile.
Care to elaborate, Darran?
Nick
That does seem a strange thing to say. If you have enough customers that would be incorrect wouldn't it?
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There are so many variables here, what do you call a full round, what earning potential are you expecting from him every hour and how many hours per day ?
Say six hours a day - 30 hr week - and gives you a production rate of £30 per hour £180 per day
From that his hourly rate is £10.00 is £60 per day but then you have to cover 28 day paid holiday plus employers contributions and insurance this works out somewhere around £18ph (£108) then the cost of running and insuring a van, costs of making water etc, etc... £25 per day giving a total of around £133.00
Leaving you £47.00 to do the admin, customer service, finances and give you a living wage
(If I understood the employee is doing all the windows while he does pressure washing)
Of course if they can punch out £50 p/h every hour then the dynamics change. Same as if Ian was taking on a man and they did the round as 2 man until such time they did a round each your earning, then his bit is extra.
Hope this makes some sense
Darran
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There are so many variables here, what do you call a full round, what earning potential are you expecting from him every hour and how many hours per day ?
Say six hours a day - 30 hr week - and gives you a production rate of £30 per hour £180 per day
From that his hourly rate is £10.00 is £60 per day but then you have to cover 28 day paid holiday plus employers contributions and insurance this works out somewhere around £18ph (£108) then the cost of running and insuring a van, costs of making water etc, etc... £25 per day giving a total of around £133.00
Leaving you £47.00 to do the admin, customer service, finances and give you a living wage
(If I understood the employee is doing all the windows while he does pressure washing)
Of course if they can punch out £50 p/h every hour then the dynamics change. Same as if Ian was taking on a man and they did the round as 2 man until such time they did a round each your earning, then his bit is extra.
Hope this makes some sense
Darran
Ah, ok. I should have said full AND well priced. I see where you are coming from.
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No problem, but like I say, there are so many variables that a definitive answer is almost impossible, shorter winter days means missing out during the spring, summer and autumn if your windows only.
A full day for us is 8.30 to 3.00 ( residential ) so there is always room to fit in the better priced work in the longer daylight hours, our guys average between £39 and £45 p/h on regular round work
Darran