Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Skyglide on January 21, 2009, 08:12:30 pm

Title: How they going to make money?
Post by: Skyglide on January 21, 2009, 08:12:30 pm
Went to my printer today and noticed a big pile of flyers he had waiting for a customer. £5 for all your frames, windows and doors. Plus 10% discount on first orders. Ring xxxx on a mobile. Sign of the times or deluded?
Chris
Title: Re: How they going to make money?
Post by: scud on January 21, 2009, 09:37:33 pm
  People who are new to the business and have only earned minimum wage will think they are on a winner doing 2 an hour and earning a tenner an hour.
 
  It wont take them long to realise that you cant work every day and that your expenses soon eat into that hourly rate, but by then the damage will have been done and the next window cleaner will have to fend off the "my last window cleaner only charged a fiver" and "I hope you will last longer than 2 months".
 
  They never stop to think why he only lasted 2 months.
Title: Re: How they going to make money?
Post by: mci services on January 21, 2009, 10:01:39 pm
or maybe they are targetting small council houses and can do 4 to 6 an hour like i do20 to 30 an hour, ive loads at a fiver
Title: Re: How they going to make money?
Post by: Oakley Windows on January 21, 2009, 10:05:15 pm
or maybe they are targetting small council houses and can do 4 to 6 an hour like i do20 to 30 an hour, ive loads at a fiver

30 houses an hour?
Title: Re: How they going to make money?
Post by: Mike 108 on January 21, 2009, 10:07:35 pm
I don't think so!
Title: Re: How they going to make money?
Post by: Oakley Windows on January 21, 2009, 10:09:01 pm
Just re-read it, its squids  ;D
Title: Re: How they going to make money?
Post by: mci services on January 21, 2009, 10:09:21 pm
no 4 to 6 an hour so £20 to £30 per hour sorry should have made that clear
Title: Re: How they going to make money?
Post by: matt on January 22, 2009, 09:25:28 am
no 4 to 6 an hour so £20 to £30 per hour sorry should have made that clear

though we have had some1 who said they did that amount between 2 of them, i think we worked it out at 3 mins per house  ;) then we decided the starship enterprise beamed them between houses
Title: Re: How they going to make money?
Post by: AuRavelling79 on January 22, 2009, 10:45:39 am
If you have a compact round on ex-council semi's at a fiver a time I reckon you could do 4 an hour over eight hours wfp in ideal conditions. (no gates, good parking, no custy chatting, few van moves)

Now if you can get £7 each and do three an hour over seven hours then that's more realistic. But this is why all new ones I try to get a tenner each for.

These guys claiming 5 or 6 an hour at a fiver are (IMO) quoting their top speed on their most compact work over their best few hours. A bit like a steam train can get over 100 mph but it's average at best will be 60!
Title: Re: How they going to make money?
Post by: trike on January 22, 2009, 05:23:50 pm
my 3bed semis are 5quid i make a good living,picking up jobs all the time another two yeaterday ;D
Title: Re: How they going to make money?
Post by: JSMC on January 23, 2009, 06:02:04 pm
mayeb they just want to earn wage and not make loads of money.

money doesn't motivate me. money aint everything BTW. I rather be happy and healthy. As long as my bills are paid each month and i have something for myself then i am ok.

Too many people chase the £££. Personally i took this job on to have more time to myself and make my own money instead of working for someone else.

i had a good salary and final salry pension in my last job with 5% rises most years, paid sick leave etc etc. All in all i had a very good career.

money aint everything troops ;)

Title: Re: How they going to make money?
Post by: AuRavelling79 on January 23, 2009, 06:48:36 pm
What did you do JSMC? - if you don't mind me asking.
Title: Re: How they going to make money?
Post by: JSMC on January 23, 2009, 07:33:01 pm
i was a teamleader for a company and in my last 2 year si worked in the in-house lab / testhouse doing testing of products  and auditing of iSO system and studied for my health and safety IOSH and NEBOSh certificates.

i really liked my job but decided to give WC a go as gf's dad gave me work to get started.


i felt bad leaving my job considering everything my work had done for me peronally and also for my job.

Title: Re: How they going to make money?
Post by: wizclean on January 23, 2009, 08:16:09 pm
i find these kind of people only help because likes been said you cant run a business and support a family on £5 a house. so they dont last and the custy really aprreciates a regular and reliable window cleaner. ive also picked up work off companies because they also like to see the same face every month, especially the way the world is now , who can you trust
Title: Re: How they going to make money?
Post by: Tosh on January 23, 2009, 08:22:21 pm
by then the damage will have been done and the next window cleaner will have to fend off the "my last window cleaner only charged a fiver"

I do four terraced houses that Squeaky used to do for £6 each; all next door to each other; all Edwardian jobs (not your 1960s terraced houses).  I charge each one of them £12 and have done so for at least two years.

Three of the customers dislike me (from the vibes I get; maybe they do like me?) but I think it's purely because of my cost; but it's a fair price for some awkward work.

I dislike taking on work from cheap window cleaners.
Title: Re: How they going to make money?
Post by: Peter Fogwill on January 23, 2009, 11:18:53 pm


These guys claiming 5 or 6 an hour at a fiver are (IMO) quoting their top speed on their most compact work over their best few hours. A bit like a steam train can get over 100 mph but it's average at best will be 60!

Malc 6 houses an hour is easy if the houses are close together.   And why wouldn't they be if you have a well established round. with reasonable prices and good results.

Peter
Title: Re: How they going to make money?
Post by: Tosh on January 23, 2009, 11:21:12 pm
why did squeey lose the work  :o

When he went van mounted WFP he knew parking would be a major problem in this street; which it is; so he dropped them.
Title: Re: How they going to make money?
Post by: Tosh on January 23, 2009, 11:27:34 pm
i see ,but since he complains about being short of work why didnt he trad them

Squeaks, which I respect him for; doesn't use ladders at all; not one bit; he's used them for years prior to going WFP; so it's not like he's a big softy or anything.

I think he's picked up more work too.

Don't think I'm going soft on him though; he's still a ginger baldy git.