Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: d.ward on October 30, 2009, 12:03:09 pm

Title: Fortnightly or Monthly?
Post by: d.ward on October 30, 2009, 12:03:09 pm
After last nights canvassing i was abit pees off but iv been out this morning and found a nice estate with no wc at all so im going round mnow posting tickets and then calling round later to door knock -

Problem is i dont know weather i should charge them £5/£6 a fortnight or £8/£10 a month

The way i see it is £5 every two weeks is £10 a month for two visits
Where £8 a month for 1 visit is more and i still have a day left next fortnight to get work on a monthly basis
I need work at the moment so i dont want to put off customers by being too dear but i dont want to lower my potential for profit by giving my services away

Any advice
Title: Re: Fortnightly or Monthly?
Post by: martinsadie on October 30, 2009, 01:19:53 pm
im the same price for 2 or 4 weekly no need to be greedy,then leave it to the customer weather its 2 or 4 ,on my fortnightly rounds they get a chioce on the monthlys i keep it that way as its not worth going back for the odd customer
Title: Re: Fortnightly or Monthly?
Post by: dazmond on October 30, 2009, 03:06:03 pm
i think fortnightly is too often for most custys.mine are either 4 wks or 8 wks.i used to do fortnightly about 10 yrs ago but not now.some of my custys still think its a fortnight when its 4or 5wks since i last did em! :o.a lot of new custys are opting for 8 weekly lately.probably because im 4 or 5 pound dearer than last WC.i do have about 150 3 bedders at 5 or 6quid a pop all compact that ive been doing for years.but new work 8 to 10pound if there not next door to others.i have 350 custys in all ranging from 2quid to 40quid. ;D ;D
Title: Re: Fortnightly or Monthly?
Post by: Niall McAllister on October 30, 2009, 03:16:04 pm
go £10 monthly, you want to work smart, why do twice the work for the same money? :)
what makes more sense,
10 houses £5 fortnight= £100 /month for 20 cleans
or
20 houses £10 monthly =£200 /month for 20 cleans
Title: Re: Fortnightly or Monthly?
Post by: cornelius jemmerso on October 30, 2009, 03:32:04 pm
charge the same , otherwise your prices will be all over the place , especially if you are late and turn up at 3 weeks instead of 2.  good luck
Title: Re: Fortnightly or Monthly?
Post by: cozy on October 30, 2009, 04:18:33 pm
I'm with BOO on this. Just a point I would like to mention. In 2 of the areas I work, there is a WC who does monthly, I do these areas 6 weekly. He is losing custies to us every time we go round these areas. Main reason is his poor standards,(According to the custies) the other reason is, the custies think 6 weekly is early enough.

This means I need more custies than him, but I'm not losing them, he is.
Title: Re: Fortnightly or Monthly?
Post by: mlscontractcleaner on October 30, 2009, 04:24:50 pm
We've been monthly for the past 20 years and have never lost a customer who thought it too often. The odd one moved to two monthly but 99% of our customers (domestic ones anyway) are monthly (4 weekly).
Title: Re: Fortnightly or Monthly?
Post by: cozy on October 30, 2009, 04:31:00 pm
Maybe I should have explained a bit more MLS, he was in those 2 areas at least a year before us, I think it's a combination of his poor standard and the fact the custies now have an alternative. Also, I'm better looking than him. ;D (Well maybe not. ;)
Title: Re: Fortnightly or Monthly?
Post by: kordun on October 30, 2009, 05:56:31 pm
I don’t know where you are guys but where i live(Berkshire) we charge £11-12 minimum and that's for static caravans or very small houses
Small 2-3 bed house is £13-15
4 bed around £20-25
Most of our houses are on 6 weeks
Title: Re: Fortnightly or Monthly?
Post by: dazmond on October 30, 2009, 06:01:44 pm
kordun im in north west.not a chance at ur prices!you d get undercut.too much competition!some are still charging 3 50 per 3 bed semi!!
Title: Re: Fortnightly or Monthly?
Post by: cozy on October 30, 2009, 06:03:23 pm
kordun im in north west.not a chance at ur prices!you d get undercut.too much competition!some are still charging 3 50 per 3 bed semi!!

Maybe being a driving instructer is not such a bad thing afterall ??? Think I would do something else if prices were that bad here.
Title: Re: Fortnightly or Monthly?
Post by: dazmond on October 30, 2009, 06:08:15 pm
why do u keep changing your name scouser boxhead?? ;Ddont understand.whats the point?
Title: Re: Fortnightly or Monthly?
Post by: cozy on October 30, 2009, 06:09:01 pm
I'm undercover mate, confuse the enemy ;) I've been dead for 12 months for tax reasons.
Title: Re: Fortnightly or Monthly?
Post by: Mike 108 on October 30, 2009, 08:33:58 pm
When I started up a lot of my work was underpriced so I changed all my jobs from fortnightly to monthly. I increased the price by 50% so that a £5 fortnightly clean became a £7.50 monthly clean (etc, pro rata). I didn't lose any customers, because they all realised that they were saving money. And as you are aware, going monthly gives you an extra fortnight to take on extra/better work.

Mike
Title: Re: Fortnightly or Monthly?
Post by: d.ward on October 31, 2009, 02:11:46 pm
great advice - Thinking of doing them monthly now for a discount - probably around £7-£8 -
Cheers anyway guys
Title: Re: Fortnightly or Monthly?
Post by: Niall McAllister on October 31, 2009, 02:38:52 pm
if you go monthly and just charge 50% more then you still workout better off ;)