Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: krave on June 18, 2009, 06:46:15 pm
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Found out from one of my neighbours where I live that she saw one of my customers today speaking to another window cleaner I know (that also lives in my road) and she was asking how much it would cost, he quoted £7 apparently without even seeing her house.
She said she cant afford to pay me each time at £10 to him.
The house is a 3 bed semi BTW.
Im sitting here and feel a bit gutted, granted one customer Is not much, but I dont have the biggest round at all at the moment and am trying to grow and expand. So feels like a step backwards.
Cold calling tomo for hopefully 3 customers in the same area.
Does it personally bother any of you loosing a customer?
Sorry if im rambling.
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No unless its a big earner.
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If they are willing to drop you without speaking to YOU first to ask if you can drop your price, or come to some agreement is not worth losing sleep over - get back out and canvass!
Ive had it done to me, they dump me for a cheaper cleaner and then the new WC turns up consistently late and then disappear and they ask you back - they will just dump you when someone cheaper comes along - so i dont take anyone back anymore.
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It can be a bit of a kick in the teeth, losing the custys, whatever the circumstances.
Its ALWAYS amazed me though whenever I do something else is waiting round the corner, spookily its for at least the same price of the one I lost or more.
Chin up, tomorrow you might be laughing.
Matt
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When you are new to this game you tend to pick up theses sort of customers - the more experienced hands tend to avoid them by experience.
Never take it personally, it is just business, I also have a policy of not working within a mile of my home, stops business and personal relations getting mixed together.
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Dont worry these custys come and go, the strange thing is when you lose one you will probs replace it in a matter of days, I lost 2 yesterday one moved the other cut back as his business not going to well but today I picked up a shop front £10 2 weekly, 2x blocks of flats at £120 each, 2x£18 houses next door to each other and a £20 house that belongs to the shop owner, not had any other jobs this week.
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It happens. I've just lost one today because her husband prefers the old window cleaner. As in the one who hasn't been around for nine months... I was a bit gobsmacked! Customers are funny things and the sooner you learn not to take it personally the better.
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Yeah im not so much, as she said it was down to money. I have been there for 6 months now, she could have said something. I wonder if she still will when I turn up at hers next month (cleaned hers on tuesday).
Need more motivation to cold call. Being a bit too picky with work recently :-\
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Hi krave
Well just a little advice, dealing with public is very hard, every one is different and that’s why it make it challenging and exciting, I have had different business ever since I was 24 years of age, and believe me I have seen all types of customers In the years that have been in business, in fact I find that cleaning business is quiet easy in terms of dealing with public, so like the other member have said here, don’t worry about it and look forward to the future.
Regards,
Bosh
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one goes anotherone comes
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Chin up mate, you will get more customers and you will lose the odd one but as long as your gaining more than your losing you will do fine.
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Rethink your pricing policy and soon. Even at seven quid a pop mate, im sure you could still make a decent days wage wherever you happen to live and work. You like I are only a cleaner, you can build and have a really good income in time. Dont be deluded by some of the big talkers on these forums. Price your work at what you personally would be happy with over a day, not what your peers say what they think you should be charging. Proof.....you lost a client over cost, It will happen again and again. You appear to have worked hard to be where you are, dont f uck it up, come down a wee bit,you know you can afford to......so do it or lose it.
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Lost first customer last week, an "elderly lady", came out shouting "no, no no stop, who wants water running down the front of the house", as we had started using wfp. " My husband will do it", (who must be about 70-80). Didn't even give us time to explain what it was or why we were doing it.
"We'll pay you this time, but don't come back". Enuff said, didn't finish the house, didn't bother collecting the 8 quid, moved onto the three houses next door and all were fine with the wfp.
We have been providing letters to all our customers fully explaining why we have transferred to wfp, how it works, what effects you may get on the first cleans and to give us feedback. All, apart from that one, have been happy that we have informed them and have involved them in the changeover.............and most have been more concerned about our safety than the windows............which so far can only be good.............................but I bet we have a few bad ones now that I've said that ..lol ;D
Since then (Last Friday), we have picked up nearly £80 quids worth of work without canvassing, just people watching and asking.....so don't worry about it m8, I'm learning that it is going to happen, but always another around the corner ;)
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Rethink your pricing policy and soon. Even at seven quid a pop mate, im sure you could still make a decent days wage wherever you happen to live and work. You like I are only a cleaner, you can build and have a really good income in time. Dont be deluded by some of the big talkers on these forums. Price your work at what you personally would be happy with over a day, not what your peers say what they think you should be charging. Proof.....you lost a client over cost, It will happen again and again. You appear to have worked hard to be where you are, dont f uck it up, come down a wee bit,you know you can afford to......so do it or lose it.
I can't say I agree with Ronnie here, don't start re-thinking your pricing, especially as you have only lost a single account!
A tenner for a semi is a perfectly reasonable charge.
And even if a customer does turn around and tell you that they are unhappy with your price and that they have had a quote of someone for less than you are charging, don't bother renegotiating! Just move on and try not to let it bother you too much.
There is always a degree of ebb and flow, but if you are good at what you do there will be more flow than ebb!
A month or so ago I was asked to price a house up, gave my price as £12.00, customer said that his current one was only charging £8.00 but I still managed to close the deal, he was happy to have them done every 8 weeks instead of every 4 weeks.
Sometimes it isn't just about price, it is also about YOU and how you present yourself, how you come over to the potential customer.
I personally loathe cold calling and almost never do it, I find I pick up plenty of work without the need to do so.
Picked up a shop worth a fiver a week on Monday, and priced two houses up yesterday, one at £30.00 which I got and another at £35.00 which I don't think I will, which if fine by me, if you get every job you price up then you are pricing too cheap!
Ian
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Punters are funny like us...we can disklike something for the silliest of reasons...
It is hard sometimes when we loose a customer...and with some customers we hardly notice and thank the maker they dumped us...
Since Aug 06 I have lost around 54 customers ....ranging from me dumping them as they looked at me funny, they moved or that I looked at them in a funny way.
I personally like to think that each year I will have around 10% to 15% turnover of customers as this allows me to keep my 'herd' fresh and allows for prices changes or just a review every now and then...
See loosing customers as a opportunity to refresh your 'herd'....you see customers are like cows....each on is just part of a herd that has to produce it's yearly quota...they all have a 'natural life' and when they cannot produce or become to costly to service...it is only kind to do the right thing for them and the herd....cull them...and introduce new blood into your set-up.
It is easy to say..but try not to take it personally...customers come and customer go...for every odd reason you can think of...and reasons you will never get the real version of ....move on and concentrate on the bigger picture.
Just be the best you can and do the best job you can...
Good luck and have a great day.
Dave.
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Ronny is right,
you need to be looking at about £30 per hour whilst cleaning, that equates to a pretty reasonable wage.
Just because your gaining £30 per hour when cleaning your not actually on £30 per hour as you will spend loads of time canvassing and collecting etc, which eats into the amount of hours worked.
So £30 per hour will be more like £7-£9 per hour
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Found out from one of my neighbours where I live that she saw one of my customers today speaking to another window cleaner I know (that also lives in my road) and she was asking how much it would cost, he quoted £7 apparently without even seeing her house.
She said she cant afford to pay me each time at £10 to him.
The house is a 3 bed semi BTW.
Im sitting here and feel a bit gutted, granted one customer Is not much, but I dont have the biggest round at all at the moment and am trying to grow and expand. So feels like a step backwards.
Cold calling tomo for hopefully 3 customers in the same area.
Does it personally bother any of you loosing a customer?
Sorry if im rambling.
None of us like losing customers (accept the pains) it will happen alot so you have to get used to it, if your doing nothing wrong and doing a good job, forget about them and move forward, if you lose one replace it, I remember losing my first customer, I was gutted I added up how much I was losing a year lol.
couple of days latter I got a recommendation and was higher than the lost customer.
replace her with a better priced job and you will be up in money and time. Look it as a positive..... And today the sun is shining ;D
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Rethink your pricing policy and soon. Even at seven quid a pop mate, im sure you could still make a decent days wage wherever you happen to live and work. You like I are only a cleaner, you can build and have a really good income in time. Dont be deluded by some of the big talkers on these forums. Price your work at what you personally would be happy with over a day, not what your peers say what they think you should be charging. Proof.....you lost a client over cost, It will happen again and again. You appear to have worked hard to be where you are, dont f uck it up, come down a wee bit,you know you can afford to......so do it or lose it.
What ever you do DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS ADVICE!!!
Stick to your pricing plan. How can this joker tell you £7.00 is ok when he has never seen the house, unless he is the other cleaner.
New window cleaners will often get price shoppers or customers who go through a succession of window cleaners. These people are best avoided. A good price will help with this.
If someone cant afford it offer to do it every other time, but, repeat: STICK TO YOUR PRICE!
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Rethink your pricing policy and soon. Even at seven quid a pop mate, im sure you could still make a decent days wage wherever you happen to live and work. You like I are only a cleaner, you can build and have a really good income in time. Dont be deluded by some of the big talkers on these forums. Price your work at what you personally would be happy with over a day, not what your peers say what they think you should be charging. Proof.....you lost a client over cost, It will happen again and again. You appear to have worked hard to be where you are, dont f uck it up, come down a wee bit,you know you can afford to......so do it or lose it.
Ronnie B normaly says stuff that makes alot of sense, can't agree with you this time though. If every custy that you lost over price made you reset your prices you would be out there cleaning for 3 quid an hour before you knew where you were.
Everybody loses custies for loads of reasons, so if I lost more than 10% in a reasonably short time, I would find out where the problem is. I wouldn't think "OOPS, lost a custy, better look at my prices".
Funny old game this winow cleaning malarky. Custies can be a pain, don't let the odd one bother you mate.
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Rethink your pricing policy and soon. Even at seven quid a pop mate, im sure you could still make a decent days wage wherever you happen to live and work. You like I are only a cleaner, you can build and have a really good income in time. Dont be deluded by some of the big talkers on these forums. Price your work at what you personally would be happy with over a day, not what your peers say what they think you should be charging. Proof.....you lost a client over cost, It will happen again and again. You appear to have worked hard to be where you are, dont f uck it up, come down a wee bit,you know you can afford to......so do it or lose it.
Ronnie B normaly says stuff that makes alot of sense, can't agree with you this time though. If every custy that you lost over price made you reset your prices you would be out there cleaning for 3 quid an hour before you knew where you were.
Everybody loses custies for loads of reasons, so if I lost more than 10% in a reasonably short time, I would find out where the problem is. I wouldn't think "OOPS, lost a custy, better look at my prices".
Funny old game this winow cleaning malarky. Custies can be a pain, don't let the odd one bother you mate.
My minimum charge is a tenner for houses (less for small shops) and it's not often anyone has a problem with that. In fact, only the very smallewst places are a tenner now. Over time, my de facto minimum has become £12. While I while still do houses for a tenner, the size of my minimum priced house has shrunk.
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- so i dont take anyone back anymore.
Me neither. Once off the list off the list for ever.
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rethink your pricing if you want; but £3.00 a go can be as hard to get in as a £10.00
job the cheapest jobs are often the worst. in my experience quality is the key
dont end up a busy fool running around for£6 .00 an hour
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Get used to it as it happens not very often when you are well established.
Done adjust your prices to suit them stick to your prices and before you know it you will have a nice round.
Do a good job and people are always happy to pay the extra couple of quid