Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: ftp on April 23, 2009, 06:28:46 pm
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Got stopped today by a lady from the next town. Wanted a card and a quote for her gutters. Started chatting and it turned out she had a windowcleaner but he stopped turning up. This cleaner is desperate to fill his books to the max so I wanted to know more.
"well I told him when my car's on the drive he must clean all the windows and when my car's not on the drive he can clean the front only". i said why is that is your gate padlocked? "no - i don't want anyone round the back of my house when i'm not there!"
I would have dropped her too. ::)
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Why would you drop her? All she seems to be saying is: If I'm there do the lot and if I'm not just do the front.
So basically he can turn up knowing that worst case scenario he'll just do the front...and if she's in he'll earn front plus ??? pounds for the back as well.
Blimey I wish all my customers were like that!
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because to me it means you are untrustworthy
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because to me it means you are untrustworthy
Oh come on! Most of my long time customers will leave me in the house and tell me to lock up and put the keys through the letter box when I'm finished. But I've also got long time customers who although perfectly happy to let me roam around their house unattended wouldn't (for some bizarre reason) actually leave the house while I'm there. It has nothing to do with you or me being untrustworthy, it's just that some people don't feel comfortable with strangers (and we're not exactly family are we?) on their property and they're not there.
Perhaps the good lady in question has had a "nasty" experience at some point that has made her cynical about tradesmen!
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Id feel inclined to bin her too, it does imply she thinks you're not trustworthy, if all my customers thought like that Id struggle to make a living.
The vast majority of my customers work and theyre out when I turn up, can't be piecing a living together with customers like that.
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There`s no way i`d clean that i`d say give me a call when you think i`m worthy of your trust and then when she calls say no thank`s.
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Id feel inclined to bin her too, it does imply she thinks you're not trustworthy, if all my customers thought like that Id struggle to make a living.
The vast majority of my customers work and theyre out when I turn up, can't be piecing a living together with customers like that.
Matt: Here's a scenario.
Large mansion. Owner says " Do the front and I'll pay you £200. Now I have priceless statues in the back garden so I don't allow any strangers there when I'm not around...it's not that I'm implying you're untrustworthy Matt it's just that I wouldn't feel comfortable, sorry but that's the way I am".
Now here's the question: Would you work for this man?
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You are in a service industry, if a customer has certain conditions on what you can and cannot do, so long as its not illegal or unsafe, then why not.
I have loads of customers who have diiferent requirements, I don't see why I cannot work with them.
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She's not my customer, but if she was and she felt i couldn't be trusted then i wouldn't want the job. Obviously the last cleaner didn't either.
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So what do you do if a commercial client wants you and your staff (if any) police checked?
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Once you have been checked then you are trusted. For residential customers I have a sign written van, land line number, address etc. If i still can't be trusted then let them find someone else for a ten quid house.
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Id feel inclined to bin her too, it does imply she thinks you're not trustworthy, if all my customers thought like that Id struggle to make a living.
The vast majority of my customers work and theyre out when I turn up, can't be piecing a living together with customers like that.
Matt: Here's a scenario.
Large mansion. Owner says " Do the front and I'll pay you £200. Now I have priceless statues in the back garden so I don't allow any strangers there when I'm not around...it's not that I'm implying you're untrustworthy Matt it's just that I wouldn't feel comfortable, sorry but that's the way I am".
Now here's the question: Would you work for this man?
Thats not a comparison.
A £200 job is a days work.
This woman is poncing ftp about over what I assume is a 10 squid job. Shes not worth parking up for if she doesnt trust him.
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FWIW I rejected the opportunity for a £30.00 about a month ago, her terms were she wanted to be there when I did them as her back gate was locked.
I suggested she give me a key, I live in the village she lives in, I advertise locally, EVERYONE knows me as the local window cleaner, she knows EXACTLY where I live (shes been to my house) but she didnt trust me to have a key to her back gate.
I understand she doesnt have to have ANYONE on her property she doesnt want, but if she wants a regular/trustworthy/conscientious local window cleaner shes going to have to move her goal posts too.
Its all about compromise.
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i guess its all down to how people perceive you
now me, i look at times a little scruffy, i dont shave every day ( shock horror, cue the " you give us a bad name posts "
BUT
people trust me, i often get asked to clean the insides and they go out and tell me to just shut the door, this can be little cottages to bigger country houses
i must look trustworthy, i guess by people knowing me ( back to the " i chat too much to my customers, they know where i go on holiday, they know my childrens names etc etc "
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Matt, i think a lot of your customers have forgotten what you look like ;D
Your kids will have left school by the time you go back to work. :o
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Id feel inclined to bin her too, it does imply she thinks you're not trustworthy, if all my customers thought like that Id struggle to make a living.
The vast majority of my customers work and theyre out when I turn up, can't be piecing a living together with customers like that.
Matt: Here's a scenario.
Large mansion. Owner says " Do the front and I'll pay you £200. Now I have priceless statues in the back garden so I don't allow any strangers there when I'm not around...it's not that I'm implying you're untrustworthy Matt it's just that I wouldn't feel comfortable, sorry but that's the way I am".
Now here's the question: Would you work for this man?
No cuz he's obviously a nutter leaving priceless statues in his back garden.
And no because he doesn't trust me.
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Matt, i think a lot of your customers have forgotten what you look like ;D
Your kids will have left school by the time you go back to work. :o
you have me worried now
i think i will do a newsletter and picture of me on it
that'll remind them ;)
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Trust is something that can at times take time to earn, also you do not know what if anything has happened to this customer, they might have been robbed, attacked, raped or many other horrible things could have happened to them.
In Scotland there is a licence scheme, this is required by the Police and Councils, the whole point of the scheme is they are saying that no window cleaner is trustworthy unless thay have one, yet before they were indroduced window cleaners carried out their trade for years without robbing anyone.
You also have to bear in mind the insurance companies, if they give access or keys to their property and they are robbed the insurance company will not pay out.
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Id feel inclined to bin her too, it does imply she thinks you're not trustworthy, if all my customers thought like that Id struggle to make a living.
The vast majority of my customers work and theyre out when I turn up, can't be piecing a living together with customers like that.
Matt: Here's a scenario.
Large mansion. Owner says " Do the front and I'll pay you £200. Now I have priceless statues in the back garden so I don't allow any strangers there when I'm not around...it's not that I'm implying you're untrustworthy Matt it's just that I wouldn't feel comfortable, sorry but that's the way I am".
Now here's the question: Would you work for this man?
No cuz he's obviously a nutter leaving priceless statues in his back garden.
And no because he doesn't trust me.
Perhaps the £200 mansion bit wasn't a good comparison. But even so while it's obviously better to be trusted I accept that some people are naturally distrusting (perhaps they'd had a bad experience in the past) and as long as I can earn from them I'm not overly-bothered whether they trust me or not.
I clean their windows...I don't especially want to be their best mate.
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Also what would happen if after you have cleaned the house and a housebreaker has watched you go though the unlocked back gate which is still unlocked.
They then rob the place, who do you think the first person will be named as the possible suspect.
and if the neighbours hear about the break in and the only one who was around at the time was the window cleaner, do you think they will still have trust in you.
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I had a customer get me to do the insides of his house and his daughters. Have been cleaning their windows for 5 years.
On the day they got me to do the insides when I turned there was a mobile phone just lying on the floor by the car, which I naturally took in and gave to him.
Afterwards I wondered if it was some kind of test.
Some people take a long time to trust someone, you have to get over it, just charge a premium price for the front.
It's nothing personal so you shouldn't take it personally. :)
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I have customers that I phone to see when they are in, we make a date and call. They like to be in, no problem, they pay a premium for it but they are happy, so am I.
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if its front only every month ( and occaissionally the whole house ) , and i was already doing work in the road , then no problem !!
if you have to go out of your way , only to this customer , then probably wouldnt bother !
however the car scenario wouldnt bother me in the slightest !
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Trust, in a lot of people's view needs to be earned. It's all very well hearing other's talk about how good someone is, but sometimes people want personal contact themselves first. Perhaps, in time the lady would have been happy to leave it unlocked or give keys but perhaps it's a little much to expect automatic trust when someone doesn't know you (even if there have been referrals etc).
Just my opinion!
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Trust, in a lot of people's view needs to be earned. It's all very well hearing other's talk about how good someone is, but sometimes people want personal contact themselves first. Perhaps, in time the lady would have been happy to leave it unlocked or give keys but perhaps it's a little much to expect automatic trust when someone doesn't know you (even if there have been referrals etc).
Just my opinion!
Mine too.
I expect to have to earn it.
I would apply a minimum charge to this particular job though. Something that makes getting the whole house cleaned value for money, compared to just the front that is expensive for what it is.
Same for those that have asked for just the tops cleaned.
Trouble is i don't always ask these questions before giving a quote. ???
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Easy answer: Assuming it's a £20 job.
Price for full clean: £20.
Price for front only: £20.
I've had a different part clean situation before where they wanted tops only. I just told them that by the time I've set my equipment up, tops only is the same price as a full clean. I didn't get it but I didn't care. I do realise it wasn't personal as they probably just wanted to save money by doing part of the work themselves but it did feel like they were taking the pee a bit so I merely reciprocated.
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now me, i look at times a little scruffy, i dont shave every day
It's a shame you're not a supplier, windowwashers would love to do business with you! ;D
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Supplier of what? could explain Matts laid back attitude man. :o The high life and the posh cars.
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now me, i look at times a little scruffy, i dont shave every day
It's a shame you're not a supplier, windowwashers would love to do business with you! ;D
???
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now me, i look at times a little scruffy, i dont shave every day
It's a shame you're not a supplier, windowwashers would love to do business with you! ;D
???
You don't buy from men in suites, remember? ::)
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They have to trust decorators though don't they? A decorator maybe there working for days, are they going to stay there and watch him all the time.
I trust that they will pay me when I have done the job, how often have I been let down?
I have never deliberately missed a single window, even if I know the owners are away for 3 months.
Trust me, or find someone else.
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now me, i look at times a little scruffy, i dont shave every day
It's a shame you're not a supplier, windowwashers would love to do business with you! ;D
???
You don't buy from men in suites, remember? ::)
I do sometimes, I think I was having time of the month that day ;D
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If her neighbours were customers too then fair enough, just do the front seeing that you are already set up but if you had to set up just for her fronts I probably wouldn't bother (unless it was a minimum of £10 for the fronts)
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Over the years, when I have been training lads up to clean windows, I have explained to them, that running a window cleaning round, can at times be like gardening.
Awkward customers are like weeds, if you don't deal with the situation, then just like weeds, this attitude will spread.
I had noticed when trad. if you allowed one customer in a street to just have their upstairs done, then soon after one or two others would try it on as well. As we normally worked as 2 man teams, one doing the upstairs and the other downstairs, this would mean that one of us would not be working, so I came to the conclusion, that we would refuse to do just upstairs.
Funnily enough, once I explained my reasons, most people agreed to have all round done. So I soon eradicated any upstairs only work from my round.
Once you are booked up, it is easy to explain that you only take on full houses, then it is their choice.
It may be that you feel a bit embarasssed to start with, but you have to learn to run your round, otherwise your round will run you.
The whole idea is that you clean houses on a round, that you clean everyone at the same time, and therefore are able to charge a certain price.
Therefore I also refuse to take anyone on, at a different interval, they either have their windows done each time we come around, or they don't get on my books.
I have taken over rounds where the window cleaner was all over the place because some people wanted their windows cleaned on a wednesday afternoon, others when they felt like it, others wouldn't want them done because it looked like it was going to rain, and the window cleaner wondered why it was he couldn't make a decent living.
Yes we are in a service industry, but it is your business, it is not a hobby. To maximise your income, you have to work in the most efficient way, and no-one pays you for driving here, there and everywhere.
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great post pureandclean.
i try to do things the same way,
it can seem to the customer that your dictating, but if you take the time to explain calmly and politely, and they take offence or won't understand then tough.
with the odd customer that xmas tips makes tea then i will go out of my way abit for.
i.e custy weds was having carpet fitted and guys had stuff laid out in garden, asked if i'd come back next week, no problem :)
FTP: regarding lady she shot herself in the foot their if she just said front all the time backs occasionally, that wouldn't be a problem for me.
i am now full up and think i will now make a £10 min charge so 3 bed semi£13 all £10 front they can forget to open the gates all they like ;D
had a custy thursday £20 allround detached house; 4 bed i think.
i always do front £10 and back when asked i've done back 3 times now but last time she allround today please, and gave me £15. :o
sorry but it's £20 i said
no it's not i have always paid you £15, there's less glass at the back!
no there's not there's more windows down both sides and back. she finally paid me £20 but insisted still she had always paid £15 and said she was not prepared to pay another price increase again.
once i finished i put a polite note through the door saying that was her last clean and i couldn't belive what alow opinion she had of me and why would i charge 50% less than front to do sides and back that would be dirtier than the front, as only cleaned now and then.
my mrs laughs at me when i write my little notes, and prehaps i am wasting time and ink?
but i just had to get it off my chest without knocking again, as she wasn't listening, feel better for having last word ;D
some people all i ever do is a good job be polite never more than a few days late and there still not happy;
my dad reckons i should have given her a quote in writing for custy; maybe he's right
but i'm sure the custy would have convenantly misplaced it.
i use to think that every problem when dealing with the custy could be overcome :D
but i have given up beliving that you can't please all the people all the time;
and if you try you will make yourself despretately unhappy and eaen less money.
I suffered alot of "MESSERS" when building up my business and thankfully them days are now behind me.
intresting post everyone ;)
thanks lee
out to price 3 new ones today :)
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Over the years, when I have been training lads up to clean windows, I have explained to them, that running a window cleaning round, can at times be like gardening.
Awkward customers are like weeds, if you don't deal with the situation, then just like weeds, this attitude will spread.
I had noticed when trad. if you allowed one customer in a street to just have their upstairs done, then soon after one or two others would try it on as well. As we normally worked as 2 man teams, one doing the upstairs and the other downstairs, this would mean that one of us would not be working, so I came to the conclusion, that we would refuse to do just upstairs.
Funnily enough, once I explained my reasons, most people agreed to have all round done. So I soon eradicated any upstairs only work from my round.
Once you are booked up, it is easy to explain that you only take on full houses, then it is their choice.
It may be that you feel a bit embarasssed to start with, but you have to learn to run your round, otherwise your round will run you.
The whole idea is that you clean houses on a round, that you clean everyone at the same time, and therefore are able to charge a certain price.
Therefore I also refuse to take anyone on, at a different interval, they either have their windows done each time we come around, or they don't get on my books.
I have taken over rounds where the window cleaner was all over the place because some people wanted their windows cleaned on a wednesday afternoon, others when they felt like it, others wouldn't want them done because it looked like it was going to rain, and the window cleaner wondered why it was he couldn't make a decent living.
Yes we are in a service industry, but it is your business, it is not a hobby. To maximise your income, you have to work in the most efficient way, and no-one pays you for driving here, there and everywhere.
Pretty much the way I do things. I learned early on that many customers assume they are your only customer and that you should be grateful to them for letting you clean their windows.
If a customer wants a special service then they can get that service elsewhere or pay a very special proce for it.