Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Captain Scarlet on January 03, 2008, 05:02:50 pm
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I started late at 10 o clock and it was abseloutley freezing, with a very low wind chill factor. Anyway even though the hose was stiff and the water was freezing on the pole and I had to put gritt down on all 14 jobs I had finished by 3:30!!!! And they werent little jobs either,all houses spread out between two towns 5 miles apart, Luke
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Same here! Not the most lucrative day ever... but probably the fastest! Had planned to work from 9-4, but couldnt start until 10.45.... but got all the work done that I'd planned, and was finished by 3.30! :D :D Loving this WFP stuff ;)
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I didn't hang around while I was actually working either. It's just that I didn't work all the time. Sitting in the van with the engine running, a nice long read of the paper, and a large cup of hot chocolate were the highlights of my day. Not my greatest days income ever by some way but happy to get finished in a particular area as the last couple of hours was worked in snow and sleet.
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I didn't hang around while I was actually working either. It's just that I didn't work all the time. Sitting in the van with the engine running, a nice long read of the paper, and a large cup of hot chocolate were the highlights of my day. Not my greatest days income ever by some way but happy to get finished in a particular area as the last couple of hours was worked in snow and sleet.
Now that sounds like a good day :D :D :D What fun is high income when you break your back and make yourself miserable to get it? :) :)
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I didnt earn the most ever but for speed I am really feeling how quick I can be on wfp! Luke
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i am not knocking you luke but you might want to slow down a bit if you want to charge good rates mate, just my opinion, when customers realise you are there half the time you used to be they expect you to lower your prices accordingly or moan how much you are earning as opposed to how you used to do it. i know this has been argued about before but its true
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I disagree aztec,
If your going to invest in the kit and the standard of the finish tends to go up when you know what your doing then thats just the way it is.
People are paying for the quality of work they are getting and the price should reflect that too.
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I don't see how you can be fast if you have a low flow rate.
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Maybe you need enough flow, not to much and not too little. The glass still takes time to scrub/agitate otherwise the water just flashes over the top of the built up dirt layer without flushing it.
Whilst doing this minimum "scrub time" per window, then if you have just enough flow, then thats the optimum time and water flow needed ?
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i am not knocking you luke but you might want to slow down a bit if you want to charge good rates mate, just my opinion, when customers realise you are there half the time you used to be they expect you to lower your prices accordingly or moan how much you are earning as opposed to how you used to do it. i know this has been argued about before but its true
I dont work by the hour and I've never lost a single job and i charge alot!!!Not bragging but its true! Nobody would ever moan, my customers are just not like that, I'm there friend not just a workman! They would tell me if I did a mistake because I encourage them to be open about my work but when it comes to the price they know the service there getting isnt cheap but the best, Luke
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Your right Jeff, the way to get quick is to be methodical and have the right flow, today I did both perfectly. I have a set way of cleaning each window that gives it a good scrub and rinse with a good flow, Luke
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I am with Luke,
I started Late did all my work and stopped when offered a coffe or chocs
All good my customers do not care how long as long as I do a top job.
I pay for the equipment travell costs upkeep of my equipment
Price of setting it all up
They all seem happy
as I say if you do a top job and charge accordingly they are happy you are profesional
Keep it up luke
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Not being funny but how do you know your results are perfect Luke, have you been back round to check? I still can't believe some of you on here who think they have perfect results every time - it just doesn't happen in my opinion.
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I am with Luke,
I started Late did all my work and stopped when offered a coffe or chocs
All good my customers do not care how long as long as I do a top job.
I pay for the equipment travell costs upkeep of my equipment
Price of setting it all up
They all seem happy
as I say if you do a top job and charge accordingly they are happy you are profesional
Keep it up luke
I agree and anybody that doesnt should read the "perception" thread. Even in that short space of time I had enough time to have a short chat with most of my customers and an old school friend, oh and my pole y piece broke!! Luke
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I disagree aztec,
If your going to invest in the kit and the standard of the finish tends to go up when you know what your doing then thats just the way it is.
People are paying for the quality of work they are getting and the price should reflect that too.
I know what you're saying, and that should be the case.
But it's not.
It's been angrily commented upon by many of my customers, especially as I've got a nice van too.
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Not being funny but how do you know your results are perfect Luke, have you been back round to check? I still can't believe some of you on here who think they have perfect results every time - it just doesn't happen in my opinion.
What I just said:
They would tell me if I did a mistake because I encourage them to be open about my work
I always without fail check my work and 6 jobs today I collected the money after the water had dried, so i could see the work done. I'm not in the habit of cutting corners, every inch of the window gets scrubbed and rinsed! Luke
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So perfect, such a business man, and such a tender age! Whatever happened to modesty? ::)
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I do the same as i go back and check when i collect money or put my Chitts but I have only ever had on customer show me a smeared window when i went back to collect. It was my first ever new clean with WFP so was green myself she said no problem i did not have to do it as they were really dirty
but no hassle in getting pole off for twom mins to do window again.
so I am confident i offer a top quality job.
I also still trad bottoms so I am pretty unbiased
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So perfect, such a business man, and such a tender age!
Actually I can thank my dad for most of my business and work skills, his ethic and attitude has rubbed off on me, as has the attitudes of people on here! Luke
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hi
mine could have been but;
got to a gated property at 12.10 (she told me she would be home at 11.30)
i rang her and she gave me the code to enter. now im in, gates shut, 20 mins work, £15. now can i get out. no.
the release button is in the house!
she arrives home at 1.20 thanks love.
next time i will enter the code and park the van in the beem of the gates so they can not shut
finished shortly after cold and pi55ed off!
tony
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So what now then Luke? You've mastered the noble art of water-fed-pole in ten minutes, you are a superb business man and so fast! You must be bored witless, what are you going to do for the next forty five years of your working life?
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I didnt earn the most ever but for speed I am really feeling how quick I can be on wfp! Luke
Does that sound like the words of a man fully acomplished in his trade...........? No, I'm at the bottom of a very big pole :) and have goals for the next year!! Luke
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Totally forgot to welcome you to the forum DJW, anyway, welcome to the forum, :) Luke
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I don`t think we can ever determine how quick we will all be unless we do all of our work WFP,i still do a couple of houses a day trad and looking back it surprises me how much it slows me down over the course of the day just by doing a couple trad.I do have times when i can go 3-4 days WFP only and the amount you can do is scary when working WFP only.
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Totally forgot to welcome you to the forum DJW, anyway, welcome to the forum, :) Luke
I've been here before ;)
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WFP only and the amount you can do is scary when working WFP only.
Yes it is suprising, I did 14 jobs in 5.5 hrs, and they werent little jobs either. i just couldnt believe i had done them so quick because I thought I might be behind because of the cold, starting time and light, Luke
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I've been here before
oh nice, what was you user name? Luke
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Down the bottom.
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Well, I struggled today, undoubtedly, being trad, the cold didnt help, also run down with a cold or something of my own, had a satisfactory day yesterday, well, today did what I wanted but it was a real grind and struggle.
WFP is to be adopted within my round hopefully in about a months time (crikey only a month now :o :o)
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So what now then Luke? You've mastered the noble art of water-fed-pole in ten minutes, you are a superb business man and so fast! You must be bored witless, what are you going to do for the next forty five years of your working life?
Hes going to build an empire.... ;) :)
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Where you removed Davew? Luke
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In the words of Johnny Cash
empire....of dirt
!!!!
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In the words of Johnny Cash
empire....of dirt
!!!!
LOL, dirt IS money ;):P
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I am suprised how quick it can be but I only think it is the not going up and down the ladders and the not having to detail
I was cleaning a house and had two window cleaners working the other side of the road
after saying he wanted to get wfp we started work and i did mine packed all my kit away did the bottoms trad and the other two had only just finished doing their house
I was paid up and offski he was charging 2 pounds more than me and had to split it
I would not have been able to work on my own without wfp so confidently and safely
Regards J
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Jago, can I ask why you favour trad for downstairs? Luke
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My Grandad used to say according to my dad,
"Where there's Muck, There's Brass"
I aint found no Brass lol but I recon the Queens crown on them notes look Brass'ish
;-)
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"Where there's Muck, There's Brass"
My dad always says that! Luke
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Of course you can,
Space really,
I have a volvo estate and can carry 10 containers, bucket, Pole, point ladder on roof
I do use wfp on all my leaded windows and on georgians that make a difference.
It means i can get about 3 houses per 25 ltrs on smaller houses nearly four.
I only seem to carry more on the days when i have the awkward houses
max i use in a day is 6 or seven but i chuck a couple of spares in.
so i carry say 8 at a time max
Bring on a van when i get enough houses
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There's some rubbish written by some on here and most of it by one person.
14 jobs in 5.5 hours with drives in between, waited for windows to dry to make sure the results were good in the middle of a cold spell whilst having a chat with customers and had to carry out repairs.
The beuti of internet forums eh Luke
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I disagree aztec,
If your going to invest in the kit and the standard of the finish tends to go up when you know what your doing then thats just the way it is.
People are paying for the quality of work they are getting and the price should reflect that too.
I agree with you. Repaying any loans for equipment has to be factored in when assessing an hourly rate. As for the time taken, although some will disagree, I don't think it's any of the customer's business. My hourly rate may be higher now but if I take less hours to do a job then it's not like they are paying any more for it.
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I disagree aztec,
If your going to invest in the kit and the standard of the finish tends to go up when you know what your doing then thats just the way it is.
People are paying for the quality of work they are getting and the price should reflect that too.
I know what you're saying, and that should be the case.
But it's not.
It's been angrily commented upon by many of my customers, especially as I've got a nice van too.
So they expect you to take the same time as you did when using a ladder even though it's unnecessary and your business outgoings are now higher. I had some customers like that too Rog. They were in the first wave of those who I lost (or dumped) after going to WFP. It sounds like you have (had?) a much higher percentage of them than I did.
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Customers are your business, not windows. Keeing your customers happy and on your side is how you suceed.
Its not about how quickly or slowly you do the windows although I can see how it might appear that way. Often its just about being bright and cheerful. Customers get turned off by grumpy treatment big time.
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There's some rubbish written by some on here and most of it by one person.
14 jobs in 5.5 hours with drives in between, waited for windows to dry to make sure the results were good in the middle of a cold spell whilst having a chat with customers and had to carry out repairs.
Yes, thats right. 2-3 jobs per hour, thats not quite unbelievable is it. The 6 jobs where I collected after the windows dried were in my home area after work. i didnt speak to every customer and I didnt carry out any repairs bacause I used my other 17ft xtel when the y piece broke. And it was the cold that made me go quicker, wanting to stay warm. I don't lie, it's against my principles and values and also my religion. And I don't feel i need or have to defend my character :) Luke
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The beuti of internet forums eh Luke
Yes the beauty of internet forums. To share facts and truthful and honest information. I would be willing to say anything on here face to face with another memeber. And if I could trust them, have them come along with me to see how I work. But it's not a beautiful thing to fall out or loose peace on the forum so thats all I'm going to say.
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[quote author=Luke Johnson
Yes, thats right. 2-3 jobs per hour, thats not quite unbelievable is it. The 6 jobs where I collected after the windows dried were in my home area after work. i didnt speak to every customer and I didnt carry out any repairs bacause I used my other 17ft xtel when the y piece broke. And it was the cold that made me go quicker, wanting to stay warm. I don't lie, it's against my principles and values and also my religion. And I don't feel i need or have to defend my character :) Luke
ps.
The beuti of internet forums eh Luke
Yes the beauty of internet forums. To share facts and truthful and honest information. I would be willing to say anything on here face to face with another memeber. And if I could trust them, have them come along with me to see how I work. But it's not a beautiful thing to fall out or loose peace on the forum so thats all I'm going to say.
Ah so the collections and checks were made after the 5.5 hours of actual work then!!! If so up goes your hours of work :)
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Not nit-picking really.....but you do leave yourself open quite often::)
Yes 2 -3 jobs per hour seems quite acceptable, but then you add.
"And they werent little jobs either,all houses spread out between two towns 5 miles apart" ::)
Yes it is possible to get a good job done most of the time....but 100% perfect...everytime......pull the other one ::)
You say
"I always without fail check my work and 6 jobs today I collected the money after the water had dried, so i could see the work done. I'm not in the habit of cutting corners, every inch of the window gets scrubbed and rinsed! "
You didn't finish work till 3.30pm then you went collecting and checked every window you cleaned?
Do you get the ladders out for the top windows?
It's getting dark by then so do you take a torch?
I do think you tell the truth Luke, but you do tend to add/omit relevant info that wouldn't have folks questioning you all the while.
Don't take it personal ;D
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Spot on there John, unfortunately because Luke is so young his enthusiasm gets the better of him sometimes. After a day away from the forum it's obvious to see that he is genuinely excited over his speed etc. Unfortunately i read the post and thought - not another bragger! If there is anything guaranteed to wind me up it would be people who have such high opinions of themselves who think they are perfect (and there's a couple on here) however i don't think Luke falls into this catergory yet but he could be heading that way. Keep up the work Luke but just pause for half a minute before you press that "submit" button. ;)
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Nothing wrong with enthusiasm.... it tends to turn into drive..... which is how millionaires are made ;) Keep it up Luke :D:D
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Customers are your business, not windows. Keeing your customers happy and on your side is how you suceed.
Its not about how quickly or slowly you do the windows although I can see how it might appear that way. Often its just about being bright and cheerful. Customers get turned off by grumpy treatment big time.
Absolutely. Be good to the customers. However a line has to be drawn with that one as well. I'm polite, usually cheerful and positive with the customers. However, I am also assertive (usually) when they want me to work in a way that could be detrimental to my business. It can be a fine balancing act at times. Don't get me wrong. If some little old lady wants me to stop work to change a lightbulb for her, I'm happy to oblige. I've no problem with stuff like that. However, if she wants me to go shopping for her then that's another ball game.
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Nothing wrong with enthusiasm.... it tends to turn into drive..... which is how millionaires are made ;) Keep it up Luke :D:D
I agree, but......
It's just when people come on here saying they very quickly run from house to house getting each one perfect, using minimal water, customers that love them, earning loads of money, and all this from someone who has been WFP for a few months ::)
Maybe you are just special ;)
Anyone new to this forum would think this game is easy :P
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Oh, leave him alone.
He's having more success with his customers than I'm having, so fair play to him if he's happy.
Keep it up Luke. ;)
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2-3 jobs per hour all i can say is that there either close by or there smallish,you can`t count terrace houses in that some terrace houses only have about 6 or 7 window`s.
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2-3 houses is not an unreasonable number after several cleans with wfp. On a monthly clean using 1 pole, properties side by side, having several cleans of experience on the properties in question, the figure quoted sounds good to me.
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What can I say, I was as shocked as some other people on here with my own speed. I thought it was going to be a bad day so when I came back and realised what I had accomplished I was proud of myself. I now realise the true potential of wfp more than ever and don't wish to be a bragger at all, just hoped this post would encourage some trad guys to consider the change over or even to encourage some wfp'ers who are having a hard time.
Before I began wfp I read hundreds of posts telling of all the associated problems with customers, equipments, quality of cleans and got a little worried. But since I have started wfp I have had no problems at all. Perhaps I'm just very fortuante to have the type of windows and customers I have, but anyway I'm enjoying every minute of it and also owe alot of people on here a "thank you" for their great advice and encouragement!! Squeaky, keep at it, things can be tough but you will get there and no matter what people think I like your van!!! Luke
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and as to the
earning loads of money
..........we will see, maybe in a years time, :) Luke
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All right Luke? I was worried i might have scared you off - raining your way today?
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starting from fresh and still building up my round means I can clump my work together for the best possible results
I do not know how long I can get away with doing this but when I reach my target of four days solid work That is the only time I will really know.
Luke stick at it man you do not have to bring your religion into it at all
Your word is good enough for me
If i choose to believe you then I will
If I do not I will not
As it happens I do believe you
I think there is a lot of bad attitude from some old school cleaners
My Uncle hates WFP but I love it
Even if i have a 1000 ltr tank in my van though I still will do bottoms trad as it is my personal view that you still can not beat doing the bottoms this way
That's thrown a spanner in the works lol even for me ;D
Regards all J
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What can I say, I was as shocked as some other people on here with my own speed. I thought it was going to be a bad day so when I came back and realised what I had accomplished I was proud of myself. I now realise the true potential of wfp more than ever and don't wish to be a bragger at all, just hoped this post would encourage some trad guys to consider the change over or even to encourage some wfp'ers who are having a hard time.
Before I began wfp I read hundreds of posts telling of all the associated problems with customers, equipments, quality of cleans and got a little worried. But since I have started wfp I have had no problems at all. Perhaps I'm just very fortuante to have the type of windows and customers I have, but anyway I'm enjoying every minute of it and also owe alot of people on here a "thank you" for their great advice and encouragement!! Squeaky, keep at it, things can be tough but you will get there and no matter what people think I like your van!!! Luke
as I said before Luke you will get a problem sometime, I aint knocking you at all, I enjoy reading your posts, and if you do well it helps me think more clearly about what I do, as do others posts (apart from the sad person that loves digging at me :P jealousy)
Ian
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What can I say, I was as shocked as some other people on here with my own speed. I thought it was going to be a bad day so when I came back and realised what I had accomplished I was proud of myself. I now realise the true potential of wfp more than ever and don't wish to be a bragger at all, just hoped this post would encourage some trad guys to consider the change over or even to encourage some wfp'ers who are having a hard time.
Before I began wfp I read hundreds of posts telling of all the associated problems with customers, equipments, quality of cleans and got a little worried. But since I have started wfp I have had no problems at all. Perhaps I'm just very fortuante to have the type of windows and customers I have, but anyway I'm enjoying every minute of it and also owe alot of people on here a "thank you" for their great advice and encouragement!! Squeaky, keep at it, things can be tough but you will get there and no matter what people think I like your van!!! Luke
Your post certainly encouraged me mate! Cheers :) Looks like were both at the same sort of point with our work. Not sure how long you've been WFP but I'm in my 5th month now and seeing fantastic improvements :)
Not sure why, but I still plan my days as if I'm doing trad.... and am ALWAYS surprised how quick I get through my planned work and start on tomorrows. It can be a right pain at times (had so much technical trouble before Christmas, nearly packed in) but when it goes well, it goes very, very well :) :)
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Thanks for the kind comments people! :) Luke
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Where you from Luke and how long you been window cleaning fella?
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I live in North Wales and have been wc for 1 year to this month. I left school and 6 months later started cleaning. I clean with my dad sometimes but now I drive we are working seperate more often except for big big jobs where health and safety is an issue, Luke
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Well fair play Luke
Crack on matey
Regards J