Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Fast 1 * on November 16, 2006, 06:38:17 pm
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Ive had a hard days work,and im sitting here knowing ive got to go collecting.This involves sitting in traffic,knocking on doors,while people search for some change.REALLY doing my head in.I know that your gonna tell me to get them to send cheques,but half the time they forget,or cant be bothered.If i ever jack this job in,that will be the main reason behind it.
Today ive been doing some plastering,got there at eight,finished at four.Nice easy plod in the warm.Nice bit of cash at the end of the day.I am not putting window cleaning down,as i love certain aspects of it.You cant beat it sometimesIts just the getting your money bit that is jarring me.Plus the "not this month" brigade seem to be out in force.
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COLLECTING- HATE IT HATE IT HATE IT >:( did it for years so i concentrated more on commercial work and the money just keeps coming in ;D,i still do a bit of domestic work but only large propertys ;),Gaz
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I think you are just having a downer fast one...you will be ok tomorrow...
tell each one of them to make arrangements for payment next time.....
from day one i have stressed this at the door how important it is that you dont collect....
after my very first cleans.. i made out each and every person i collected on... that THEY were the only person i had to trail out for, they certainly did not like being the odd one out,... and it worked... i collect some who are at work when i clean.... at other houses.... but mostly all the cheques come in every day....
AND i dont leave a SAE.... i tell them to post cheques on time as soon as i have cleaned,,, as its my living... (with a smile of course) ;)
gary.
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Just try it for a while.
Let your customers know that due to people having there own lives to lead and things to do you will not be collecting as it was hard to catch people in.
Tell them that to keep your prices down your having to go down this road as i was starting to cost you in fuel and time having to go out just to find people not in.
Offer them payments like obviously cash if their in, cheques or postal orders through the post, direct debit, internet banking or even offering them a 10% discount if they pay 6 months in advance.
Sometimes it does seem a bit slow but it does work and i don't leave a SAE.
Craig
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Collecting is certainly a downer to the trade but it's just one of them things you've got to do!
:( :(
:)
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I felt and thought exactly the same.
When i met Dave@StIves last year he kept telling me to stop collecting and let them post it or pay up when ever you bump into them next.
I wasn't convinced , but now i wish i had listened to him then.
It does work and glad of the time i can spend at home with the kids instead of crawling around the streets trying to collect.
People even call round my house to pay me.
Craig
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lol @ collecting, I get my money through the post or via paypal ;)
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lol @ collecting, I get my money through the post or via paypal ;)
Dont you have to pay tho when you want to take your money from the paypal account Mate? I would do the same thing if not.
Dave
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You don't pay for that, you pay for money coming in, it's like 50p, so on my 'your windows have been cleaned' note it says 'under 15 pounds there is a 50p charge' :)
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i have a 99% domestic round and i collect about 3 houses, just because they are old and dont like cheques.
As long as you tell them you WILL NOT be around to collect the money they all send it to you. Sure, some of them will wait until they owe you twice, but it all comes in in the end.
I put on my slip in bold writing "Please send a cheque to:- ....".
Its great when you come home from work to find a pile of cheques waiting for you! ;D
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Very sore subject for me at the mo , had the worst night last night , a while ago , well trick or treat night i was on the ball and did not go out , last night i went out and picked up £60 out of £600 , could not understand why all the people were out , then it dawned on me , the christmas lights were being switched on in the town centre !
If that wasnt bad enough , on the way home i was the victim of a CHAV in his racing escort , he came right up my tail shot out at the last minute and then cut me up a goodun , only thing was he scrapped right up the side of the van as he passed me , and then he didnt stop !
What you can see in the pics plus he took ot my wing and bumper too :(
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i have a 99% domestic round and i collect about 3 houses, just because they are old and dont like cheques.
As long as you tell them you WILL NOT be around to collect the money they all send it to you. Sure, some of them will wait until they owe you twice, but it all comes in in the end.
I put on my slip in bold writing "Please send a cheque to:- ....".
Its great when you come home from work to find a pile of cheques waiting for you! ;D
I agree!!!
Here's a tip to get your customers to send you a cheque instead of collecting evenings:
Let your customers know that as soon as you get home from window cleaning you connect your water supply up to your van to start producing 'purified' water stored in your van mounted tank and that this 'very slow' process takes all evening, therefore it is impossible for you to go cash collecting anymore unless they (the customer) don't mind you ringing their doorbell late at night when they are all going to bed. They soon come around to the idea of posting you a cheque or paying you twice the next time around!!!
I also make a point of letting my customers know not to post cash in the post because some postmen/post office sorting centres may open the envelopes and take out the contents where I live if they know there is cash inside!!!
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Does anybody use nochex on the internet instead of collecting?
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riversidewindowcle,
Yes I use Nochex, its great - much better than PayPal.
People go to this link on my site >> http://www.scs.uk.com/payments which then links through to Nochex.
When I've cleaned a clients windows and they are out I leave the following the slip below... I have never ever been out collecting!
Andy
(http://www.scs.uk.com/windowscleaned.jpg)
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Cheers Andy, I think im goimg to look into this nochex!
Andy is there anything you think i should be aware of or is it pretty straightforward? Any pointers would be of great help! :)
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@ Andy.
How do you know if they pay by Bank transfer which name/address belongs to which account number?!
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Hi All,
Asked Tracy, my wife, "What is the main thing you think us Window Cleaners moan about?"
"Collecting!" she quickely replied
It's true we HATE IT! >:( :( >:( :(
A couple of years ago I stopped collecting. I gave 2 Options
1. send a cheque
2. pay in person to a local taxi office, customers of mine, who have a cash tin and a book and I collect the money each week when I do their windows.
Now this works but you have to wait longer for your money and some people seem to forget!!! and by the end of the month the Debt list is a bit high!!
So I did the Following
1 I altered my invoices I post after doing the work
I put the payment options on the front and added
PROMPT PAYMENT IS APPRECIATED
2 I Now have a round up of liggers at the beggining of the month
Seems to be working ;)
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Collecting !!! whats that ?
My money just ends up in my pocket eventually, I never do it, I have got no rules, but I always get it, The customers usually decide when and how to pay me , I just leave it to them.
I had a phone call one day to ask me to come round for my money , It will be under the doormat , My reply was " that will be an extra £20 then please"
Just dont stress over it unless you have poor customers , then i dont know what my advice would be,
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Re: knowing which money has been transfer from which person....
I have all my customers place their postcode and house number in the 'comments' section.
This helps a great deal....uptodate have not yet had any problems.
Cheers
Dave.
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Re: knowing which money has been transfer from which person....
I have all my customers place their postcode and house number in the 'comments' section.
This helps a great deal....uptodate have not yet had any problems.
Cheers
Dave.
Yes, but they can only do that with Internet banking....or not? If they just do a bank Giro Credit....?
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thats the one thing we never did was domestic :P thats one reason petty people,go for comercial work you will not have tp go door knocking again ;D and its much more money for you troubles ;D
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Cheers Andy, I think im goimg to look into this nochex!
Andy is there anything you think i should be aware of or is it pretty straightforward? Any pointers would be of great help!
It's very straight forward to setup a Nochex account... It takes you through it step by step when you sign up.
:)
Andy
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@ Andy.
How do you know if they pay by Bank transfer which name/address belongs to which account number?!
All of my customers that pay by bank transfer use the first line of their address as a reference on the payment.
Andy
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GQC....Yes I think that you may well be right there.... :) good point.
Cheers
Dave.
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@ Andy.
How do you know if they pay by Bank transfer which name/address belongs to which account number?!
All of my customers that pay by bank transfer use the first line of their address as a reference on the payment.
Andy
Aaah I see now, yes you can do that! Good one, I think I will put that on my cleaning chit. Is this what you mean btw? The 'reference' option? I thought it was only for paying bills!
How would people do this though with a Bank Giro Credit? Is there a similar option?
Thanks
(http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.b5cdb24471.png) (http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/image.php?b5cdb24471.png)
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Yep thats what they do, just enter the first line of there address into te customer reference field.
I've never had any problems with my customers paying this way.
Andy
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Yep thats what they do, just enter the first line of there address into te customer reference field.
I've never had any problems with my customers paying this way.
Andy
But you don't have that option with a Bank Giro Credit do you?
(just checking everything out in detail, because I'm not originally English (Dutch, but moved here a while a go), so everything is a bit different here.... :)
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But you don't have that option with a Bank Giro Credit do you?
I'm really not sure... None of my customers pay by bank giro credit - They just use Internet banking.
Andy
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Hm,...maybe someone could give a tip here? :)
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Yep thats what they do, just enter the first line of there address into te customer reference field.
I've never had any problems with my customers paying this way.
Andy
Oh and btw. How do you know they will do that since it doesn't say that on your cleaning note? Would it be wise for me to put a sentence on it like etc etc, 'please put name in customer reference field'?