Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: danny mckim on April 28, 2005, 07:23:09 pm
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I am 34 now and have been cleaning since i was about 15. My dad (also a windowcleaner) used 2 get me 2 help him collect and it was murder. Now my own son is 14 and a great help with collecting but 2 nights isnt enough. Therefore most nights in our house its an argument. I know how he feels cos ive been there but at the same time he halves my collecting. He gets plenty of tips and gets on well with the customers but this is not fair on any of us.His mate comes out as well and they do a brill job (im always there).To cut down we manged to get some bigger estates to pay every 3rd time(this has been going on for 13 monthe and we have only lost one customer) But we still need ideas to cut down more collecting.Mon Wed n Fri night til 9 is like having a second job. Dont say DD its people wont do it for a fiver.P.S this is my first post
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what is paypal or nochex mate
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I am 34 now and have been cleaning since i was about 15. My dad (also a windowcleaner) used 2 get me 2 help him collect and it was murder. Now my own son is 14 and a great help with collecting but 2 nights isnt enough. Therefore most nights in our house its an argument. I know how he feels cos ive been there but at the same time he halves my collecting. He gets plenty of tips and gets on well with the customers but this is not fair on any of us.His mate comes out as well and they do a brill job (im always there).To cut down we manged to get some bigger estates to pay every 3rd time(this has been going on for 13 monthe and we have only lost one customer) But we still need ideas to cut down more collecting.Mon Wed n Fri night til 9 is like having a second job. Dont say DD its people wont do it for a fiver.P.S this is my first post
1) Do you actually collect when your cleaning?
2) How many customers do you have per week ?
3) How many do you have to collect per week?
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I use to supply the customers with a s- a- e envelpoe and stamp for those who i could never catch in so there was no exuse,it did work but i sold the round as i do mostly commercial work now,give it a go,yes the stamps and envelpoes do cost extra,but atleast it saves collecting and your money is more likley to be there. ;D and you can always add abit extra on your price! :o
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Hi Danny
For customers who are out, I put a letter through their door saying how much and who to make the cheque payable to and paperclip that to an SAE plus 1st class stamp.
In 3 years (or is it 4?) we've only dumped 2 customers who would not pay unless I called back when they were in for the cash.
A few times we havn't recieved a cheque and on each occasion it was simply they 'forgot' and havn't been a problem since.
Or, maybe put the prices up with a letter saying that you have to pay your son £1.50 or whatever per house to collect the money unless they wish to pay by sending a cheque in which case the price remains the same etc etc.
Cheers
Ross
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We do about 60 custumers a day. If they come out and pay fine, but if u chap the door by the time they go n get the money other 2 guys r on the next house nearly finished. We only work Mon til Fri and dont collect weekends.
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Or, maybe put the prices up with a letter saying that you have to pay your son £1.50 or whatever per house to collect the money unless they wish to pay by sending a cheque in which case the price remains the same etc etc.
Ross,
I think I have an idea brewing from that post! It's going along the lines of 'I'm going to put your price up by £X if you don't sign up for a Standing Order! Or something along those lines.
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I don't collect - they either pay me on the spot, drop the cash to me, send a cheque, or by standing order. If they forget they get a reminder next time I clean. Anymore than that and I drop them. Lay the ground rules at the start.
As you've got loads that expect you to call it takes time to change them over - resolve that any new customer gets the money to you, not the other way round. Then bit by bit encourage your existing customers to get the funds to you.
If in a years time half of them are doing it your way then that's a huge saving in time spent of an evening.
Go on. You know you want to. ;D
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In the eststes that i do i have at least 80% of the houses that because im good at canvassing and also i built up my run b4 a few of the new guys clicked on that windowcleaning was a good earner. These guys come into an estate for about 8 or 10 houses which realy annoys me as i wouldnt go where someone already cleans. My point is if i was to stop collecting and it mounted up to about 25 quid i wouldnt blame the customer for canceling and this is whre the other guys would take the chance to grab some of my hard earned work.
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we just tell our customers to leave it under the mat for tomorrow,and 99%all do. you just have to train them
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Welcome to the window cleaning profession!
It is the best profession in the world!
It seems wrong to me that you have to collect any money. Doctors get paid at the time the service is rendered.
Mechanics collect when they have fixed your car. You pay the dentist. When you buy food you pay. I think it is an image or a habit thing.
I always collect at the time the service is rendered, but our markets are different.
Think about the cost of fuel, the time, the wear and tear on your vehicle, THE TIME AWAY FROM YOUR FAMILY.
I would recommend that advice from the "oldies" may come in handy with this topic.
I do no (or very little) collecting here; but again; our markets are different.
You will figure out what works.
Good luck,
Hugs,
Texas Girl :-*
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I'd go for a bank standing order, or Paypal. Remember though that Paypal charge you a fee, so remember to build that into your price!
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My advice would be to collect on the spot, if you cant afford the time while you are cleaning then put your prices up.
For those who are not in, I leave a bill and ask them to send a cheque.
It may take them 6 months to get the hang of it but they will send one if they know you dont collect.
The benefit is, if you have time off, you still get regular money in the post.
I now offer them to pay by BACS or Standing Order.
You have to educate your customers to pay you how you want them to.
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Due to similar problems and time contrstraints we have stopped doing door to door collections, now put this leaflet though door, had 15 cheques though the door today and 8 online payments:
LIONHEART WINDOW CLEANING
Your windows have been cleaned today. Please note that due to time constraints, door to door collections have now ceased
Amount Owing: £______:_______
If amount owing is £10.00 or over, please send cheques to
“LIONHEART CLEANING”, XXX, XXXX, Northumberland, NEXX XXX
BACS payment to: Sort Code: XX-XX-XX Account No:XXXXXXXXX
Please quote first line of your address as reference, any problems call Ian on 01665 XXXXXXX
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this has been a really interesting &useful thread for me--thanks chaps! i flaming hate collcting >:( :'( ;D--i actually work out my round, into the definate payers on one side and the 'call back merchants' on the other. well chufffed i found this site
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I use to supply the customers with a s- a- e envelpoe and stamp for those who i could never catch in so there was no exuse,it did work but i sold the round as i do mostly commercial work now,give it a go,yes the stamps and envelpoes do cost extra,but atleast it saves collecting and your money is more likley to be there. ;D and you can always add abit extra on your price! :o
I do the same as this , if they not in I do a invoice and stick it in the top of the envelope - on the invoice i have ' PAYMENT TERMS - 14 days from invoice date '
I find i get all the money in , in a month this way , you get the odd one lose it but then they get a INVOICE REMINDER the next month - Ive been doing it like this for 8 years, the customer's like it - they think I'm some great big company ;D
I now never go out at night at all .
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Hi all
I may buck the trend here, becuase i enjoy collecting but i do the following
1.Take payment on the day whenever possible
2. Collect on Thursday evenings if they are not in i leave a payment slip with s.a. envelope.
I collect because i enjoy the interaction with the customers it helps build customer loyalty and i pick up additional work through recommendation alot.
I also think that if you have a price conscious customer they are less likely to drop you for guy who turns up in spring offering to do the windows for half your price. The 1st thing you sell in any business is yourself. Once the customer has bought into your brand ( sorry for marketing speak ) its nigh on impossible to lose the custom.
Cheers Mark.
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Mark,
As your business grows, which it will if you are good, you will find that time doesn't allow you the luxury of going out collecting and having a family like, we have 2 vans out every day, covering different areas and by the end of the day there are probably 30-40 unpaid accounts, by the end of the week this total can be close to 200.
To travel each week collecting all that is impossible, plus in the winter nights it is not enjoyable. All I do now is get home, check the mail and check the online account for payments, then mark them off as paid, max 20 minutes work....unless I get on this forum then the wife doesn't see me for a couple of hours "Problems balancing dear!!"
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I collect because i enjoy the interaction with the customers it helps build customer loyalty and i pick up additional work through recommendation alot.
That is such a good point.
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Hi Lion ,
i appreciate your point re impact on family life , but i only collect on 1 night which suits me, secondly my rounds is large enough to support 3 full time staff plus 1 part time i get at least 90% payment on the day which leaves collection minimal . Also and i know this is sad but winter really doesn't bother me i like the cold weather personally i struggle with weather in the summer due to the fact i'm fair skinned and suffer alot of headaches due to the heat. Still it would be a boring world if we all took the same approach.
Enjoy your bank holiday all
Cheers Mark
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Hi Lion ,
i appreciate your point re impact on family life , but i only collect on 1 night which suits me, secondly my rounds is large enough to support 3 full time staff plus 1 part time i get at least 90% payment on the day which leaves collection minimal . Also and i know this is sad but winter really doesn't bother me i like the cold weather personally i struggle with weather in the summer due to the fact i'm fair skinned and suffer alot of headaches due to the heat. Still it would be a boring world if we all took the same approach.
Enjoy your bank holiday all
Cheers Mark
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unless they are in.....all of mine pay by cheque and SAE. If they dont, they get a reminder note or call....if still no pay.....they gradually get dirtier until they do...or in the worst case...I dump them. 99% are brilliant and a cheque arrives in a few days. I will not go back to work twice in one day ! ...(and anyway, it's a 25 mile round trip...waste of diesel...and they STILL might not be in..sod that)
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Thanks 2 all that have answered my problem i think i will try the sae and wait 2 see if the cheques are posted, only problem is young Jamie is claiming any tips that are sent.
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Although I am still all for getting people to post out their payments or pay it on line, I have been sitting here tonight trying to work out how much cash we have received this week from windows, how much back money has been paid in cheques through the post and how much has been paid through BACS, how much from carpet cleaning and what invoices need to be raised, it has totally puggled my brain!!
I convinced myself I had lost close on £150 in cash!! In the end got my better half to sit down and work it out, turns out I've got enough left over for a pint or two tonight!!
We normally bank twice a week, but with this week being only 4 days I didn't bother, however once a day or two has past it is easy to lose track. Never again, I need to come up with a better system.
Have a good weekend, we're out cleaning gutters all day tomorrow and they are blocked solid!
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This evening was my collection night. I left at 5.00 pm and returned at 7.30 pm.
I then go out for an hour on Saturday morning. I don't have to mind; I've got what I want; but I alway leave a 'Will be back tomorrow morning' chit.
I've resigned myself to it being part of the job. Maybe, when my earnings increase, I'll see if I can employ someone to collect for me. I've heard of this being done before.
Does anyone here employ someone to collect for them?
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Since day 1, I have left at all customers that where I cant
collect the money straight away an envelope SA and
a note saying please pay me per cheque.
Have never had a problem, money comes in usually
within a week, bad payers NONE.
Luck, no ! do a good job on time and you will get
your cheque quick.
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same here, ...I suppose I get the odd one who swings the lead...but mostly it seems to be a good system, at the end of the day, if they havn't paid by the next due date...they don't get done and have a note or phone call....might lose a tenner or something...so what....
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do a good job on time and you will get
your cheque quick.
I do a good job; and on time; but I tried cheques and it just didn't work. I got perhaps 70% of them within a couple of weeks, but at the time I really needed it quicker and the other 30% I had to wait for. Sometimes two or three cleans.
I'll probably re-try cheques in the future, but at the moment it's a Friday evening and a Saturday morning collection. If I don't get the cash on the second call, I do leave a note saying 'send a cheque to me, blah etc', and give some of them credit; I do receive the majority of these. But they know I've already called twice before.
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blimey Tosh, seems like you are working too hard to get your dosh.
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Does anyone here employ someone to collect for them?
I Do
The Missus, I pay 20% of what she collects, well worth it
for that 20% she puts her own petrol in her own car has money in her pocket (no need to dip into mine)
I have peace and quite for a couple of hours three nights a week,
When one of the kids askes for cash she takes them with her to help and gives them a cut.(again save the strain on my pocket)
works really well,
But since being on this forum have started the leave envelopes for payment,
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blimey Tosh, seems like you are working too hard to get your dosh.
Brute strength here, mate; rather than intelligence!
I've said it before but I think my original problem with cheques was that I hadn't enough slack between covering my bills and the money I was making. Remember, I started my business from scratch two and a half years ago, and I used the cheque method after only about eight months into window cleaning.
In the end, I just needed the cash, so I abandoned the cheque system and got out there and collected.
Today I made just under £180. Two years ago I was struggling to make £80.00.
I think before you go to the cheque system, you need enough business to take a restricted cash-flow; abiet if it's only for three weeks or so till the cheques arrive and clear in your bank. At the time I didn't. So it left a bitter taste in my mouth.
I'm considering trying again, but I've got a brilliant cash flow with my method, and it's only one evening per week. And I don't mind the Saturday morning thing either.
So, I'll stick with it for the time being. Maybe I'll just call round on a Saturday morning in future and if they're not in leave a note saying 'post a cheque'. I'll have a think.
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Yeah, know what you're saying. it's hard at first...but once it's rolling, the cheque's come in every other day or so...and it's miles less in petrol/diesel...and your quality time...
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We have eventually got it running like a dream now, everyone seems to have taken to it well, cheques come through the post every day (12 today) and I check the bank account each evening for any payments into there, no problem now.
The main benefit is that I now have every evening free to do other things non work related.
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I am 34 now and have been cleaning since i was about 15. My dad (also a windowcleaner) used 2 get me 2 help him collect and it was murder. Now my own son is 14 and a great help with collecting but 2 nights isnt enough. Therefore most nights in our house its an argument. I know how he feels cos ive been there but at the same time he halves my collecting. He gets plenty of tips and gets on well with the customers but this is not fair on any of us.His mate comes out as well and they do a brill job (im always there).To cut down we manged to get some bigger estates to pay every 3rd time(this has been going on for 13 monthe and we have only lost one customer) But we still need ideas to cut down more collecting.Mon Wed n Fri night til 9 is like having a second job. Dont say DD its people wont do it for a fiver.P.S this is my first post
Ok this thread is a bit old now and I'm new here.
Basically, if they are out when I clean, I leave a bill requesting a cheque in the post within 14 days (Ok so they may be away on holiday or a bit skint till they get paid but as long as I'm paid before my next (6-weekly) visit, I'm OK with that). I send a payment reminder after 30 days if I am owed more than £15.00. If the job is less than £15.00 per clean, I send a payment reminder 30 days after the second unpaid clean in the hope that I will be paid before the third visit. If I am still unpaid when I'm in the area for the third clean, I leave a reminder for them to pay. I don't clean in those circumstances. If I'm still not paid, I let it go as the hassle of small claims court is not economical for such an amount. I might leave a reminder each time I'm in the area for a while after but that's more to p them off rather than a genuine expectation of being paid.
I have found that the honesty of customers has been very good and it's rare for me to have to dump a customer for non-payment. A large chunk of my income does come through the post but I'm OK with that.
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i do no collecting at all. i have a rubber stamp with my address on to stamp envelopes. a rubber stamp to inform the customer to send the cheque, including my name to adress the cheque to, which i stamp on a postit. and buy 100 2nd class stamps at a time (tax deductable) it will cost u no more than 15 - 20 quid a month tops, and no more collecting. and if u can get your lass to do all the stamping etc.. wot cud be easier.
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I agree totally....except the bit about second class stamps.....no way, always use first class...(using second class sais a lot...don't devalue the importance of prompt payment by doing that) My envelopes and invoices are pre-printed...so no rubber stamping...but the principle is sound.
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I agree totally....except the bit about second class stamps.....no way, always use first class...(using second class sais a lot...don't devalue the importance of prompt payment by doing that) My envelopes and invoices are pre-printed...so no rubber stamping...but the principle is sound.
I must have trained my customers pretty well. I let them supply their *own* stamps and envelopes :-)
My reasoning is that if *I* have to pay a bill to someone, *I* have to pay postage myself. If they don't cough up, I can always send the boys round :-)
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Ok, fair point...on my part it's probably just a 'nice touch'.....but believe me...it's all included in their overall cost....(It really doesn't cost me anything...and they seem to like it)
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Ok, fair point...on my part it's probably just a 'nice touch'.....but believe me...it's all included in their overall cost....(It really doesn't cost me anything...and they seem to like it)
I did supply the stamped envelopes for a while during the first year. I found that many people didn't use them anyway so I started doorstep collections. Once I had a cashflow going, I did the "payment within 14 days please" bit and stopped the doorstep collections. Once I had built up my workload, if somebody was a persistent non-payer, I would cancel the job or pass it on to someone else (I would warn the new cleaner of course).
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We've never had a problem from day one with the SAE thing apart from one customer.
All we lost was £10 and 20 minutes work plus about 10 minutes driving time .
If they don't pay then good bye.
Cheers
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We've never had a problem from day one with the SAE thing apart from one customer.
All we lost was £10 and 20 minutes work plus about 10 minutes driving time .
If they don't pay then good bye.
Cheers
Absolutely. If I actually get to see them I tend to point out that they would soon be squeaking if their employer short changed their wages.
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We've never had a problem from day one with the SAE thing apart from one customer.
All we lost was £10 and 20 minutes work plus about 10 minutes driving time .
If they don't pay then good bye.
Cheers
I fully agree; however I remember reading stuff like this when I first started, money was extremely tight and EVERY account was precious to me.
It's nice now to be in a 'position of power' where you can drop the customers that aren't worth having.
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Just to let u all know the best way 2 collect and keep in touch with your customers is to employ young lads of 15 or 16. If they are trustworthy they will be eager. i now employ 4(remember milkboys are collecting at this age) for 2 nights and feel as long as i am there to be seen everything will go smoothly.It took 35 mins to collect an estate which on my own would be about 2 hours.1 final question for which has been a great 1st post is, what is the latest time you could expect to knock someones door while collectin?
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Just to let u all know the best way 2 collect and keep in touch with your customers is to employ young lads of 15 or 16. If they are trustworthy they will be eager. i now employ 4(remember milkboys are collecting at this age) for 2 nights and feel as long as i am there to be seen everything will go smoothly.It took 35 mins to collect an estate which on my own would be about 2 hours.1 final question for which has been a great 1st post is, what is the latest time you could expect to knock someones door while collectin?
When I used to go out collecting, I set a cut-off point of 9PM. Occasionally I would call a little later to save returning for two or three houses.