Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: JSMC on August 07, 2008, 05:17:59 pm
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i have a full system and van but haven't got round to installing it all yet and with all the bad press i keep hearing round my way and on here about it i am giving it 2nd thoughts.
it has a real bad name round my way. In fact unbelievable it is.
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If YOU dont change YOUR attitude towards it it'll have an even WORSE name round where you live
;D
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i have a full system and van but haven't got round to installing it all yet and with all the bad press i keep hearing round my way and on here about it i am giving it 2nd thoughts.
it has a real bad name round my way. In fact unbelievable it is.
I would have left it a while then to be honest.
Better to carry on trad for a while than lose half your customers.
I had the same problems in a few places, but not disasterously so.
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Go out and prove them wrong.
Its not the system its the operators who are not doing the job properly. It's not perfect on all the jobs but 99.9% its fine. On the 0.1% it's a question of finding a work around.
May also be worth traveling a couple of mile and find some new business. Where are you based?
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WFP is not for everyone. Not everyone can WFP very well. Some cannot WFP at all. Some would be better off not WFP'ing.
Your choice.........
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lanarkshire in scotland. I will use it once set up but i do loads of commercial work shops and pubs etc and have heard people tlak about it to me loads of times. Tra dis mor esuited to these jobs i do but WFP would be suited to some other jobs i'd reckon.
I'd like to use it on houses but don't fancy getting myself a right bad name
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Are these window cleaners telling you
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nope customers who have it done on their houses. few of them right f***in ped off big time. windows a mess etc. will never allow it to be done again this way. Know of a full street who ditched the WC but took a year to happen. One by one they dropped him now they all get them done trad
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you can't get a bad name by producing good work.
Explain to customers about the way the system works, sound confident and positive and spend enough time doing the windows to prove to them that it really does work.
Point out + points, no ladder marks in the lawn, frames cleaned aswel, no stepping on their beautiful floral displays, vitually silent and very, very safe!
if they're not totally happy after the second clean you will go back to trad. can't say fairer than that.
Watch how the word spreads about this brilliant new fangled window cleaning system. (and what a nice man he is too)
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You may get the odd run now and then , same with trad.
Let's rephrase this one, window cleaners in your area have not been taught incorrectly how to use wfp or they are very bad at their job.
WFP works, a few guys up here had problems but with help form the pro's ;D, they are now pro's themselves.
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Cant agree more with what AJ said.
Chris
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AJ all those little things wont make a blind bit of difference if the windows are dirty. Your paid to clean them and most custys don't care how they are done.
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full streets ditching them wow ...i would have cleaned them wfp FREE just to show them it can be done.
Dont listen to all the negatives ive been water fed pole operating since 2003 its now 5 years later and i haven't lost one customer because of it. If you believe in it yourself then you will make sure you do the best job for your customer that you can simple.
I had a young lady call last week and this was out conversation
" hi i would like a window cleaner please"
" ok where do you live and what would like cleaning"
"well before i ask how do you clean them?"
"99% OF MY WORK IS WITH WATER FED POLES"
"oh ok well the last person done them with them pole things and they didn't do the fames and didn't clean the corners"
"ok well not a problem but ill come and clean one free and if i do it better with my wfp then hey presto if not then ill clean them by hand"
"Ok then i live on a caravan park in a self build home
So i went round passed all the mobile homes and there they were 2 BIG static/self build homes.
So i cleaned one window and she was very pleased.
I booked her in the next week and went and cleaned all the windows with water fed pole and all the fascias and guttering and also got all the other statics and im going back to clean all the carpets in the house for her and her neighbors.
So what started off as a no go because of the bad operator before i am now going back with £100 in my pocket for the fascias and windows and going back for £400 of carpet cleaning
So WATER FED POLES DO WORK ALLWAYS HAVE ALLWAYS WILL AS LONG AS THE OPERATOR NOWS WHAT THEYR'E DOING
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I started wfp about 6-7 years ago. I was the second window cleaner in Torbay as far as I am aware and had to explain to every single customer the benefits of wfp as no-one had even heard of it. It was very hard starting back then. Now it's very easy because the majority of the public are aware of it nowadays.
Certain areas get a bad reputation for wfp work because the window cleaners are much more interested in making a quick, easy buck than taking the time to use wfp correctly to retain their customers for the long term. If wfp has a bad reputation in your area, that is a perfect opportunity to sell yourself to the masses if you have the confidence and experience to promote yourself and the benefits of wfp where others have been unsuccessful.
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DO listen to what the customers want/say. Many people do not like WFP, and it will be harder to acquire business.
Thats the truth of the matter, like it or not.
I run a successful WFP business, but it creates obstacles, have no doubt about that. Many people are more comfortable with trad cleaners. You will win them over with good service....if you get the chance...
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If they don't care how they're done, pole them.
At the end of the day, its for your own safety and you will get more work done in a day.
Instead of targeting the houses that have gone back to trad, target the ones that actually need a window cleaner. Surely not everyone has tried it and not liked it.
Just by cleaning the frames at the same time, for the same price you are offering more than trad man.
Town houses, house with dormers, houses with conservatory roofs, 3rd floor+ blocks, commercials, are all jobs where you can offer more than trad man.
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I didn't have any problems, only one lady, she used to have a rubbish wfp'er. And I proved her wrong, she couldn't believe how good they looked. Sending people an introduction letter helped absolutely loads. Every new customer I give a short letter to them about the new system. You need to train your customers.
Oh yea, I lost one lady, but that was purely my own fault. Did the front door, and a little bit of water came through the letter box. Nothing much really. Thought I would just quickly do it, because she wasn't at home, I knew that she was gonna be trouble if she saw it, she came home lol. She was way to fussy really. First time didn't go right, didn't notice they frames were badly oxidised until it was too late, came back immediately the next day and re did them, they were perfect. I'm glad I don't have her anymore, all my custies are brilliant.
I just don't understand it, wfp isn't rocket science seriously. If you read plenty on this forum on how to do it, your gonna get close to a good or perfect clean. There are pitfalls, but you just need to know them. Most of all, you need to keep your eyes open, see what the water is doing.
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You may get the odd run now and then , same with trad.
Oooooooo watch it, they will all be onto you calling you negative :P
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Point out + points, no ladder marks in the lawn, frames cleaned aswel, no stepping on their beautiful floral displays, vitually silent and very, very safe!
Virtually silent? ;D
Now you're clutching at straws!
The water cascading down onto the sill and the sill below makes far more noise than squeegeeing will ever make!
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Point out + points, no ladder marks in the lawn, frames cleaned aswel, no stepping on their beautiful floral displays, vitually silent and very, very safe!
Virtually silent? ;D
Now you're clutching at straws!
The water cascading down onto the sill and the sill below makes far more noise than squeegeeing will ever make!
Hahaha, yup lol
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Point out + points, no ladder marks in the lawn, frames cleaned aswel, no stepping on their beautiful floral displays, vitually silent and very, very safe!
Virtually silent? ;D
Now you're clutching at straws!
The water cascading down onto the sill and the sill below makes far more noise than squeegeeing will ever make!
Virtually silent :) what about the brush rubbing up against the glass, now that miust make some noise
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nope customers who have it done on their houses. few of them right f***in ped off big time. windows a mess etc. will never allow it to be done again this way. Know of a full street who ditched the WC but took a year to happen. One by one they dropped him now they all get them done trad
I have pointed out to a few customers now that if the job was bad but done the traditiuonal way, they would blame the window cleaner. However, if it's bad and done WFP, they blame the tools. I actually had customers who were grumbling after the first clean. A few months later they asked me not to go back to traditional cleaning.
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when i first went wfp i had one customer cancel with out having them done no way did she ever want them done that way ! 3 months later she came upto me saying how fantastic the others in the street looked and could she come back onto the books
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I had an enquiry a few days ago for a large house. She was adamant that she did not want WFP (even though my ad in YP clearly states my methods). A customer like that smells like trouble so I politely suggested she phone elsewhere. I was going to try to explain about WFP to her on the phone but I sensed that this would not be the sort of customer I would want anyway. I did ask if WFP had been used on her house previously but it hadn't - so I assume she was pre-judging.
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The biggest negative is when you get the hang of it you get big tax bills lol. ;D ;D ;D ;D
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i had some1 tell me not to bother is it would make the grass wet
i also had some1 snot want them done by me, as the guy who cleaned her last house used a brush on a stick,
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i had some1 tell me not to bother is it would make the grass wet
i also had some1 snot want them done by me, as the guy who cleaned her last house used a brush on a stick,
Amazing isn't it. These people seem to think that we lay out thousands of pounds for tools (well, maybe not you Matt :) )just to annoy them.
I perfectly capable of annoying them without it costing me a penny.
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I went to one today, set my gear up, started wfp and the owner comes out and says could he leave it as he cleaned the windows 2 days ago knowing full well I was due yesterday but I was behind by one day. I said he could but I would charge him a cancellation fee as stated in my T&C. He didn't like it, tough.... he paid, Time wasters do my head in. No doubt he'll find that trad cleaner who keeps dropping leaflets in his door. The trad guy is welcome to him as I don't need time wasting custies. Works both ways with wfp.
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AY, PARDON! You'll have to speak up a bit. ;D