Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: KarlJones on February 14, 2007, 12:33:38 pm

Title: Why do we travel
Post by: KarlJones on February 14, 2007, 12:33:38 pm
I know it sounds silly.  But at first I did not feel confident cleaning windows on my doorstep.  So off I went all over the place getting new orders and quoting up.  I seem to be pretty good at giving quotes ect.  I do not have too much problem getting orders.

So why do we do it?  Why do we work in what seems to be a 10 mile radius on average when around where we live we drive past customers each and every day to get to a job the other side of town?

Meanwhile, someone else is doing the exact same thing and driving towards where we live.

I swear we are mad.  Especially those of us that work traditionally as I am sure a van is over doing it and a bicycle would suffice.  Not only that your a lot more likely to build a compact round on your doorstep.

We are crazy fooooools!!


Title: Re: Why do we travel
Post by: steve5000 on February 14, 2007, 01:28:08 pm
Your right karl,i travel 35 minuites to work,mainly because my area has to many window cleaners working here,i also feel a bit uncomfortable working to close to where i live.
Maybe its because we dont want local people knocking our doors,or maybe its just we dont like our neighbours knowing our business,but your right we are all mad  ;D
Title: Re: Why do we travel
Post by: steve k on February 14, 2007, 02:11:21 pm
I travel away from my home area to the areas where the occupants are more inclined to pay better for the service.
I also don`t want people stopping me every day to talk about window cleaning.

Riding round with a bicycle and a bucket...get real mate...that is the dark ages ;D

Title: Re: Why do we travel
Post by: Paul Coleman on February 14, 2007, 02:19:38 pm
I know it sounds silly.  But at first I did not feel confident cleaning windows on my doorstep.  So off I went all over the place getting new orders and quoting up.  I seem to be pretty good at giving quotes ect.  I do not have too much problem getting orders.

So why do we do it?  Why do we work in what seems to be a 10 mile radius on average when around where we live we drive past customers each and every day to get to a job the other side of town?

Meanwhile, someone else is doing the exact same thing and driving towards where we live.

I swear we are mad.  Especially those of us that work traditionally as I am sure a van is over doing it and a bicycle would suffice.  Not only that your a lot more likely to build a compact round on your doorstep.

We are crazy fooooools!!




I have found the old saying about "familiarity breeds contempt" can be true more often than I would like.  I used to work close to home at the very start but the not today thank you brigade were always out in force - many of them being people I know/knew.
Another reason is that where I live there are miles and miles of sprawling housing estates.  Plenty of room for a very compact round except that most of these houses were built with no  way to the back of the house except through the house.  I soon discovered that this was not a good idea so had to travel out a bit.  It's Ok on the private estates around my way as there is usually access but on the council estates around here, access is poor or non-existent.  I have seen window cleaners around my way but, in all honesty, they never stick around long.  They just use it to get started (like I did) and then either quit or move on to better pastures.
Title: Re: Why do we travel
Post by: Clive McDonald on February 14, 2007, 03:03:05 pm
You can get electric powered bikes now(get real bucket and bike this aint dark ages), and you can also get those little trolleys that tow along behind.
Ironicaly WFP and trolley system would probably be easier to manage than trad bucket and ladder. What a great system if you have to work within the congestion charge area, or as a fall back  if you lose your licence. And for all those people that want to put another van on the road but can't quite afford it, what a cheap route to expansion!
Title: Re: Why do we travel
Post by: Russell Macdonald on February 14, 2007, 04:59:59 pm
You can get electric powered bikes now(get real bucket and bike this aint dark ages), and you can also get those little trolleys that tow along behind.
Ironicaly WFP and trolley system would probably be easier to manage than trad bucket and ladder. What a great system if you have to work within the congestion charge area, or as a fall back  if you lose your licence. And for all those people that want to put another van on the road but can't quite afford it, what a cheap route to expansion!


That i would like to see, a bike & trailer with 300ltr & all the kit  :o.

I think i'll stick with my Transporter thanks  ;D
Title: Re: Why do we travel
Post by: Tosh on February 14, 2007, 05:07:03 pm
I've probably got around 150 accounts within a three-mile radius of where I live (I've about four days work in the area where Squeaky lives) and the bulk of the rest in an area fifteen minutes away.

I do travel longer for some jobs; but no more than thirty-minutes; tops.

It suits me, since I work with Wor Lass who only works from 9.30 am till 2.00 pm (four days a week), so I can drop her back home and head back out to work; usually.

I won't clean houses in the imediate vicinity of where I live as I prefer neighbors to be neighbors; not customers.
Title: Re: Why do we travel
Post by: pylofm on February 14, 2007, 05:14:35 pm
I am building my round in 4 distinct different area's....which means that I do not have to have to worry about getting loads in just one place....plus I do not want a round in my town as I like the idea of working somewhere different to where I live...home is home..
Title: Re: Why do we travel
Post by: steve k on February 14, 2007, 05:17:12 pm
curious...you cannot be serious...riding around on a bike, electric or otherwise, towing your gear in a trolley behind you... ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Why do we travel
Post by: KarlJones on February 14, 2007, 05:26:19 pm
Quote
Your right karl,i travel 35 minuites to work,mainly because my area has to many window cleaners working here

See this is what made me ask.  Where I live I see about 6 or 7 window cleaners.  It is not a very big area.  So I stated up and just drove to somewhere I thought would be ok.  Sure enough I got work.  I thought I had been clever, as I dodged the competition.  In reality this isn't so.  I am sure I must be one of many in the areas I work.  But yeturday I spotted an ad in a shop asking for a reliable window cleaner to clean their windows.

So it set me thinking.  We are mad.
Title: Re: Why do we travel
Post by: pjulk on February 14, 2007, 05:29:58 pm
Virtually all of my work is within 2-3 miles of my house.

i do have some work about 5 miles away also but only 2 days worth and all well priced.

Most of my work i can get to in 5 minutes.

Paul
Title: Re: Why do we travel
Post by: crystal.clear on February 14, 2007, 05:32:57 pm
all my work is in my own town. longest i have to drive for a job is about 5 min. the nearest is next door.
Title: Re: Why do we travel
Post by: KarlJones on February 14, 2007, 05:36:21 pm
There is some stories about guys with trollys and no vehicle.  I reckon they have got it right.  We all go on about how much we are on per hour, then totally throw a big spanner in the works by actually losing money for some time.   

Time for a bit of maths for those that can not see it...

If you spend 30 mins a day driving to work, and 30 driving back then the chances are for that hour you have worked you lose £5 in fuel costs (maybe more!)  Yet if you spent that hour earning at a rate of £20 per hour you would be £25 up on the day. You could do that four days a week and be £100 up each and every week.

This isn't the sort of money to be scoffed at. 
Title: Re: Why do we travel
Post by: supernova77 on February 14, 2007, 06:05:41 pm
I have about 2 days worth of work in the village where I live...

The rest of my work is between 3 - 25 miles away. I like to have work away from where I live because it helps seperate work from home.

Andy
Title: Re: Why do we travel
Post by: cottonbud10 on February 14, 2007, 06:19:12 pm
i must admit,,,i don,t have a great deal of work,,only about  £1700 per month,but i don,t travel to far from where i live,because it,s a pain in the bottom when i have to go round picking money up
Title: Re: Why do we travel
Post by: JM123 on February 14, 2007, 06:27:49 pm
I clean a few of my neighburs but would rather they moved away!! ;D
Title: Re: Why do we travel
Post by: dai on February 14, 2007, 06:40:43 pm
I travel 25 miles to get to my round. I used to live near where my round is now and moved.
I do have work on my own estate, they are the worst payers on my whole round.
I swear some of them think I'm a charity, many think because they have known me for years, they are entitled to some kind of discount. Some are 2 or 3 months in arrears and pass my house every day to take the kids to school. I have dumped 4 of them and now they don't speak. These are neighbors.
I would never have taken them on in the first place, but they begged me to do them. I thought at the time it would be handy if I retired, just to have a few round here to earn a bit extra. It was a mistake.
The O,A,P's are great, it's the young ones that are the pain.
There is a big cull coming, and soon. It may work for some of you guys, but for me it doesn't.
GOD HELP ANY OTHER W/C THAT TAKES THEM ON. Dai
Title: Re: Why do we travel
Post by: AuRavelling79 on February 14, 2007, 06:57:13 pm

I do travel longer for some jobs; but no more than thirty-minutes; tops.



30 minutes? You could reach my house in that time!
Title: Re: Why do we travel
Post by: Clive McDonald on February 14, 2007, 07:33:12 pm
Quote from Tosh"Most of us work to a four-weekly shedule for domestic customers, but from reading posts on this forum, I believe this has evolved from a two-weekly-schedule; believe it or not.

Thirty-or-so-years ago, before everyone had cars, window cleaners were limited in the areas they worked as to how far they could travel pushing a cart and their ladders.  Therefore they cleaned once-every-two-weeks.  It still happens in some areas; so I believe; for routine domestic work.

Now we've got motorised transport, we do four-weekly cleans, but I think over time, we'll evolve to longer cleaning frequencies.  I already do quite a few 'every-other-month' cleans at a higher price than my monthlys"
The reason I'm quoting this if it's not too off topic, is I think it's a little 'window' on the future, our future. Taken together with the point that Karl is making I think it's the basis for part of a future strategy.
Title: Re: Why do we travel
Post by: Tosh on February 14, 2007, 07:36:32 pm

I do travel longer for some jobs; but no more than thirty-minutes; tops.



30 minutes? You could reach my house in that time!

Do you want a quote?  I'd be looking at seventy quid at least; to get me over the 'bridge' plus the cost of the toll!

I'd do a good(ish) job though.  ;D

Title: Re: Why do we travel
Post by: EasyClean on February 14, 2007, 07:46:26 pm
I have about 2 days worth of work in the village where I live...

The rest of my work is between 3 - 25 miles away. I like to have work away from where I live because it helps seperate work from home.

Andy

I'm the same as Andy. My nearest jobs are just around the corner from where I live but I won't clean in my street either because I too like to keep my neighbours as neighbours not customers otherwise I'm taking my work home with me so to speak.
Title: Re: Why do we travel
Post by: ronaldo on February 14, 2007, 08:04:33 pm
Furthest job 10 minutes and thats to far/
Title: Re: Why do we travel
Post by: steve k on February 15, 2007, 07:13:32 am
my work is all within 3/4 miles of where I live but I include travelling into my hourly rate. That is not to say I charge the customer but at the end of a day...say 5 hours..I will have earnt 5 x my hourly rate.

WFP will be used by most in the future but no way could anyone transport the trolley and barrels of water required in anything other than a van or car.

The only way to be walking around with a cart is if you are just using ladder and trad tools and as curious says that was being done 30 years ago.
There is an old guy around here who does it and his charges are in the region of £3 a semi...he is out in the area at 7-8am and still trundling around at 5pm...
he cannot have many years left in him and his customer base must be huge...are those people in for a shock when he retires and they have to get someone else in to quote ;D