Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: A+CleaningService on September 08, 2009, 12:48:57 pm
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The amount of new windows cleaners their are about now. Their must be about 10 new ones in my town alone. Scary when building up a business. Will they all go away in the winter months? Or when the country gets back on its feet.
The up side, I reckon the roof rack, ladder manufactures must be doing a great trade.
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No! There will be more window cleaners in every city and it will continue to increase every year and for the next several years at least.
I belive this also.
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Then I guess it will be the same in all cleaning related firms.
The only realistic way, is to double advertising efforts.
I am looking for more work nice and clean, if u have any in Cambridge area.
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No sorry haven't got any going. Im always looking for more work myself, i have roundbuilders out for me when they can, but they are extremely busy at the moment! I have just bought 2 trad rounds, one out of my area just outside London but a large and very good priced round, and another small round on the cambs/norfolk boarder, which isnt too bad.
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ive noticed more people startin up but im not worried.i just concentrate on doin a good job and gettin round regular and my prices r cheap compared to some on here.im still pickin up work off 5 different WCs round cheshire way.thats where most of my work is.im smart,polite if not a bit cheeky and a good looking guy.always a bonus i think.im tendin to pick up work off the gangs of WCs who have 3 lads with them.sometimes standards slip or some people dont like them clambering all over their houses.only me who cleans and ive got a good reputation for bein reliable and trustworthy.i cant emphasize how important customer relations are with domestics.ive seen some of my customers kids grow up etc.a lot wont stick it during the winter.this job is hard physical work if u want to make it pay and most cant hack it.im always friendly with other WCs and dont see them as a threat.i just keep my business running as smoothly as i can and NEVER get complacent.im grateful for the round ive got.its took hard work and commitment and a lot of trial and error but im in a good place.not gona rest on my laurels tho.van and WFP next year :o
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At least, most of them have not discovered WFP yet. :o
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The amount of new windows cleaners their are about now. Their must be about 10 new ones in my town alone. Scary when building up a business. Will they all go away in the winter months? Or when the country gets back on its feet.
will you be going away ;D
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Winter has the same effect on WC`s as it does on wasps you very rarely see 1 in the winter,winter and just cold weather sorts out the hardcore.I`ve had people work for me in spring and summer and appear to be very good workers at these times of year only when there faced with cold mornings and pink fingers do you see the real person,i wouldn`t worry to much don`t forget they havn`t even had 1 winter yet most of them and the winters are a lot harsher than they were even just a couple of years ago.
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i still think there is a lot of work out there to get, more newbies the better, gets the custys used to having there windows cleaned. and when some of them move on to what they think is a better job, the custys come looking for someone more reliable ;D
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Thats a good way of looking at it.
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NWH winters are not as i remember when i woz a kid in the seventies or even 20 yrs ago when i worked on a plant nursery.i just think theres a lot of soft arses about who cant put up with hard work and cold weather ;Dour winters r defo milder these days
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must admit .this yr never seen so many window cleaners
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hmmm im one of those newbies, but so was every one of you! presure in my decorating job [all building trades are the same] made me look around id never even looked at window cleaning now i see windows every were i look, you know like when you buy a new car and suddenly you see loads of them, thay were there all the time but you never noticed them well now im thinking wow what a great business theres windows everywere = custies everywere spreads the risk, loseing a couple dont really hurt you like loseing 1 decorateing custie costs me hundreds thats the real appeal to me being honest tho would i have looked at window cleaning before the credit crunch no.
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hey mick, did u buy that round in the end from that guy? are you out there yet?
best of luck
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There are always extra window cleaners in the summer months, they vanish in the winter and we get all there customers,
Its good to have healthy competition, it keeps us on our toes,
and its also good to have fairweather brigades,
they canvass and pass them on to the established guys, when the cold comes and there little soft fingers turn blue.
:)
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Yes, I agree. But we have not had a recesson in a long time.
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Yes, I agree. But we have not had a recesson in a long time.
what recession ;D
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hi jonny not purchised the round yet but we,ve agreed a price and agreed he,s happy to continue antill im redundant [work load keeps changing it could be any time or could be a couple of months] anyhow iv picked up 5 custies of my own lol so im doing a bit and learning all i can and really enjoying it. thanks for asking good luck to you as well
mick
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I picked up more customers yesterday. So not has bad as it seems. What you put into it, your get out.
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No! There will be more window cleaners in every city and it will continue to increase every year and for the next several years at least.
Thats no surprise to anyone, when did the number of window cleaners ever decrease?
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Numerous times in the past
Oh really?
Like when?
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Your missing the point
Oh really?
I beg to differ.
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If you think you have competition now, you’re in for a shock.
Oh really?
;D ;D ;D
Ewan, you are a comedian, coming out with your 'better than though' opinions; spouting away like some reformed smoker. Theyre the worst you know.
Anyway, competition, IM the competition where I operate. And I KNOW that to be the case. But you dont.
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I think you might get a surge of redundant workers giving it a go but I don't think many will make a success out of it. Too many are suckered into parting with thousands of pounds thinking they will hoover up street after street of work. It doesn't happen.
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I put out 150 Leaflets yesterday, and have had 6 phone calls. With for comfirmed jobs. Which is above average for my leaflets. I normally get 2 calls from 100 leaflets.
Even with the extra window cleaners about now. I am still pulling a good rate of customers in.
Ewan, has a valid point. WFP, has changed the face of window cleaning. It is more appealing to new comers. Time will tell.
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Why only those who have been made redundant
exactly, I never ever thought of becoming a window cleaner
I just answered a job ad 6 years ago when i returned from travelling overseas because i was skint, worked for a firm for a couple of years and realised at the very least I could earn the same wage for half the hours setting up on my own. Never had so much free time and control over my life, i'm a happy bunny ;D
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Well, I just got my calculator out and it appears, that in 7.38 years, half the population of Britain will be WFP window cleaners. Scotland will achieve full independence from the w/c licensing fees alone.
People at parties will be embarrassed to be surgeons and doctors.
Look out boys, it's coming to a town near you soon ;D
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b aware windy cleaners are taking over
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I believe most newbies starting from scratch will disappear as we enter Nove/Dec/Jan period as it isn't as appealing getting out of a warm bed and going into the freezing cold evey morning when you a'int got much on. :-[
If they're trad i wonder if they've got over the aches and pains of humping that bloody ladder about all day....and then there's still winter and high winds :'(
Seen a lot of newbies round my way.....all's fair in love and war.....and if they jack it i'll hoover it up like a dyson ;D
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Yes, next year, yellow pages will be half full of window cleaners, well, where Ewan lives anyway. We're all doomed! Goverments will topple. War in the streets. Anarchy will follow. BEWARE!!
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Yes, terrified, all these newbies will find no more work in UK, and will rush to the ferries to get over to Germany. All my custies will want their windows cleaned from the outside only.All the trad guys will lose all their custies, and be forced to become doctors etc.
UK will be over run with pole carrying gangs, squirting water at people who don't have a WC.You will become the OVERLORD of all window cleaners, and expand your empire to new lands.
Get a grip Ewan, you will never be prime minister. Sorry, but that's just the way it is.
Reminds me again of "Mistic Meg". Your predictions are great.
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I'm someone else new to this popular career, and it's just like any other self employed career that is seen to require no or little skill. Car valeting is the same in the summer, as is gardening and the handyman trade, and probably a few other types of work too.
Plenty of people "having a go" at it, but as we know it takes persistence and determination to make any of the above a quality "proper" business bringing in a permanent full time wage. All you can do is try and make yours the best business around.
I for one won't be going away, and after adding the window cleaning to my handyman business name/website I already have cards/uniform/website that sets me above the unprofessional type of newbie. I'm finding I'm even doing ok canvassing in area's that already have cleaners (as most have) - after knocking you soon get a feeling with enough "we already have someone" that there's a cleaner in the street. I'd never deliberately underprice and turn away when I find out they have a cleaner. BUT I ask " sorry to disturb you, do you have a reliable window cleaner at the moment ? " A lot say actually we have someone that comes round but he's very irregular or hit and miss. In that instance I'll sell myself and try and take the customer. I'll also deliberately charge more usually (cleaning is VERY underpriced in my area) , as I value my work as very good and high quality, and more importantly want to build my reputation as someone who's not cheap but runs a quality business that's there when they're supposed to be and insured and to be relied upon.
I think you can still do well in a saturated market by aiming to be the best at what you do. And by no way is the current market saturated by cleaners at the minute. I'm doing well in my canvassing and will get anything from 2 to 10 customers from 2 hours maximum canvassing in the evening. I'm on my target to fund wfp set up in another month, (just filters and trolley first) and then launch the window cleaning as a completely new separate business from the handyman/building maintenance and start towards building commercial contracts.
There'll still be the rubbish cleaners out there that'll just aim to take domestic work by concentrating on being the cheapest - they can have the customers that want the cheapest, and if I see them around I'll happily pass on details of any potential custys that I think want this. They'll never grow as they're busy running around doing all their £3 a clean
houses to do anything else.
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i dont see the problem there are enough hoses buildings for gods sake even garden sheds with windows tha is not the problem the problem is only that some people are a lot cheaper than others work comes and goes its no big deal,and all is fair in love war and business
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Ewan, you are right. Window cleaning is changing. Soon we will all be able to charge 35 quid for scraping egg off a window like you do. That's a big change. Maybe if enough join this forum, you could give seminars on business acumen. Help them all become huge and successfull like you.
Perhaps we could have seminars and you could produce CD's on business sense and how to build really fast and charge people huge prices for small jobs. Or "When to employ" . Or, what about "Have 3 vans, when you can only drive 1 at a time".
I think the best advice you could give though, would be,"How to pretend you know what you're talking about by guesswork".
When all's said and done, you are always good for a laugh.