[Ian101]

Had one of them days today  :

Got up late so 1st job didnt get started till 11am

Then cos of the rain yesterday had to drive 20 miles to do yesterdays work today what I didnt do yesterday

1 of my regular customers gone AWOL house up for rent and empty so scrubbed that customer

then had to drive another 20 miles to next area ... didnt mind as 3 easy jobs on a new estate and just around corner from home ... job1 not a problem ... job 2 "u back again already mmmm make it 8 weeks and leave it today" .... job3 new customer canvassed last week who said do it this week .... puts ladders against house and kid comes out and says "did my mum order this ?" ... smelling a non payment coming up I said tell her to ring me if she wants them doing - pretty sure she was in the house as youngish kid and her car on the drive so thought stuff it and came home for the day.

customer 2 is a fiver upstairs only already on strike 1 from a previous "looks like its going to rain so leave them today" ..... thought about cancelling her but do a few on the estate so not a problem as was there anyways but looking foward now to see how many more times she messes me about - bit of an experiment  ... when round is full will be dropping her no danger 

When I was loading van to go home a drunk bloke came up to me and said "gissa a job - I used to be a window cleaner"  :

one of them days so here to tomorrow     

[bobby p]

sounds as if uve got the 3strike rule- GOOD LAD -    inside my cap ive 3 stars drawn with a permanent marker pen, plus 3 star stickers on each side of  my bucket  as a constant reminder to not let em go  undropped .  i see those early days of  messers and wastrels as a part of the apprenticeship ,  it wouldnt be right if you had 100%lovely grateful customers at the beginning

[Ian101]

Too true Bobby P ... very much an apprenticeship and learning curve but not moaning really as its all part of the job 

[edward1]

 

nice one ian .keep going .

[bobby p]

although ive now almost got rid of every waster on my round , part of me  would have liked to have  seen just how far my patience would have gone ,my break point,  if i had kept on visiting the very worst messers .     ie HOW LOW CAN YOU GO? 


 howsabout a round chock full of messers,  not 1 decent person  in there

[the bfg]

hang on a min,  what time did you get up to make you sa late ?     

[clearlyclean]

started about 10 did about 5 houses and twice could'nt work out why water wasnt coming through and then realized i had'nt connected the water then middle section on pole broke managed to plod on till lunchtime when i planned to pick up more water.went home and had a drive out to Cheshire fishery to buy replacement.

[Ian101]

hang on a min,  what time did you get up to make you sa late ?     

made the big mistake of laying back on the bed with me cuppa so got up allright on time but then fell aslepp again 

[NJWindowCleaning]

With the sign of the times of today with threats of cuts in every section in which the government are tackling. So aren't customers allow to budget there finances, As they might of thought of stopping there window cleaning but they didn't and has asked to change to 8 weekly and it shouldn't cause you any problems of doing so.
 
They are not trying to tell you how to run your own business they are asking to change the frequency to 8 weekly so they don't loose a good window cleaner.

And when times start to pick up then they might change back to normally once  a month.

Can you see it from there point of view or are some in need of money and unable to do 8 weekly, but this in away gives you chance to expand your business.

[mlscontractcleaner]

I guarantee they wont go back to monthly; but you should keep them on anyway

[AuRavelling79]

With the sign of the times of today with threats of cuts in every section in which the government are tackling. So aren't customers allow to budget there finances, As they might of thought of stopping there window cleaning but they didn't and has asked to change to 8 weekly and it shouldn't cause you any problems of doing so.
 
They are not trying to tell you how to run your own business they are asking to change the frequency to 8 weekly so they don't loose a good window cleaner.

And when times start to pick up then they might change back to normally once  a month.

Can you see it from there point of view or are some in need of money and unable to do 8 weekly, but this in away gives you chance to expand your business.

It depends how it's done - you turn up in good faith and get flipped off then "told" you are doing 8 weekly is different from - you turn up do the job and custy lets you and asks for a word and says can I go 8 weekly please?

See - it's all about respect.

[the bfg]

hang on a min,  what time did you get up to make you sa late ?     

made the big mistake of laying back on the bed with me cuppa so got up allright on time but then fell aslepp again 

so come on chief,  what time did you actually get up at ?

[Ian101]

hang on a min,  what time did you get up to make you sa late ?     

made the big mistake of laying back on the bed with me cuppa so got up allright on time but then fell aslepp again 

first time 7 ish  then second time 10ish 
















so come on chief,  what time did you actually get up at ?

[Ian101]

Can you see it from there point of view or are some in need of money and unable to do 8 weekly, but this in away gives you chance to expand your business.

Yup that thought went thru my mind 8 weeks means chance to fit another one in

[Dave Anderson]

This 4 weekly v 8 weekly...to be honest there is not alot of difference between them cleaning/effort wise...perhaps a little on top say a 10 instead of 8 then both you and the customer will feel they have a deal this may be a way forward or a best compromise.

For ages now I have turned down 'fronts only' on a particular estate for fear that the other houses I do will ask for fronts only and I'll lose out...but the truth is that we clean windows and work is work it's the price thats makes or breaks it...so now I offer top's only, fronts, a single pain of glass..anything but I will ask a premium so if a house is normally 20 the fronts will be 12,50, tops only will be 15, backs only 15.

As for those who turn you away on the day with silly reasons....when it happens...get out in the same area and get 2 new customers once you have completed that then feel free to release them back into the wild.

Customers are just that...for too long I have formed attachments with customers and on occasions they dump me for whatever and I get all down about it as I actually liked them...so what...the issue was with me and not them.  Now I am trying to see them more as work only...ok if they are a nice chat great but that's it...nothing more.

Perhaps it is 'our' view of our service that is the problem and not so much the customers. Looking at the BBC yesterday it looks like many, many people will be looking at their budgets this week and looking at ways to cutback.

If I were waking up this morning as a window cleaner...well thinking of ways to maintain my PA income would be a priority....8 weekly is really not that bad.

Cheers
Dave.

[Gav Camm lammy 283]

just put it up a few quid ian yesterdays cuts
people WILL SOON BE STRUGGLING  ;

[G Griffin]

With the sign of the times of today with threats of cuts in every section in which the government are tackling. So aren't customers allow to budget there finances, As they might of thought of stopping there window cleaning but they didn't and has asked to change to 8 weekly and it shouldn't cause you any problems of doing so.
 
They are not trying to tell you how to run your own business they are asking to change the frequency to 8 weekly so they don't loose a good window cleaner.

And when times start to pick up then they might change back to normally once  a month.

Can you see it from there point of view or are some in need of money and unable to do 8 weekly, but this in away gives you chance to expand your business.

It depends how it's done - you turn up in good faith and get flipped off then "told" you are doing 8 weekly is different from - you turn up do the job and custy lets you and asks for a word and says can I go 8 weekly please?

See - it's all about respect.

True. You shudda made `er an offa she couldn`t refuse.

Seriously though, you could get a lot days like that with freshly canvassed work.
Stick with it though and one day, they open the books and bada bing- you`re a made guy. Fahgeddaboudit! 

[Ian101]

Need to get me canvassing head on next week  ... been out collecting tonight - good in dark nites cos u can tell they're at home - anyway another 1 moving house and another one asked nicely to go to 8 weeks ... the ones moving house have said they will take me with them (not litreally u understand  ) and will tell next owner how good I am  ... so may get 2 outta 1 but feel the need to replace just in case ... the 8 week customer happy to oblige as at least they didnt cancel me and as someone else said a job is a job at the end of the day so not moaning.