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Ian101

  • Posts: 7889
Refining ?
« on: June 27, 2013, 05:16:45 pm »
What does this mean to you ?

Not really seen much on here specifically regarding refining

Guessing it will prob mean different things to different people on here ?

Ive been going 3 years now and got just on 300 customers so pretty full for just me and no wasters left as binned as I went so does that class as refining ?

or

i have for example an old dear with a bungerlow who is about 10 minutes away from any other work so say 10 minutes to clean it trad then 10 mins to get back on track thats 30 minutes for £10  :( .... ok I do this on way home but now at stage where full so time spend on this I could be doing 2 houses for £24.

got a few like this which sap time from day so bin em and never go back or put price up to £24 to cover time which little steep for a 2 bed bungalow  ::)roll ...

dropped a set of 3 houses last month as had to drag house thru all 3 and amount of organising with calls night before to see if they were all in at same time just not worth hassle IMHO

I guess the only way to get EVERYTHING compact is to be ruthless with your round ?

Guess not the 1st to be at this stage ? ......... anyone care to share their refining stories / tips

and do u ever stop refining I wonder

davids3511

  • Posts: 2506
Re: Refining ?
« Reply #1 on: June 27, 2013, 05:39:24 pm »
I am with you on the refining idea but always struggle with dropping a decent custy. Hate to do it but it can be very time consuming if you have a lot of them.

Scrimble

  • Posts: 2052
Re: Refining ?
« Reply #2 on: June 27, 2013, 05:44:01 pm »
have you thought about employing someone to go out in your van on a saturday to do all the jobs you dont want to do? instead of dropping them

Ian101

  • Posts: 7889
Re: Refining ?
« Reply #3 on: June 27, 2013, 05:53:13 pm »
I am with you on the refining idea but always struggle with dropping a decent custy. Hate to do it but it can be very time consuming if you have a lot of them.

yup thats where I coming from ... feel guilty a little as only nice people remaining on rounds

Ian101

  • Posts: 7889
Re: Refining ?
« Reply #4 on: June 27, 2013, 05:55:41 pm »
have you thought about employing someone to go out in your van on a saturday to do all the jobs you dont want to do? instead of dropping them

Saturdays van is used for pressure washing / conny roofs / 1st cleans / solar panels etc etc ..... in fact anything except window cleaning ... oh and sofitts and fascias as dont do them anymore cos i hate em but having said that got my last 1 to do this Saturday inc cladding  :P

Ste M

  • Posts: 1826
Re: Refining ?
« Reply #5 on: June 27, 2013, 06:13:42 pm »
You still got the lad part time ian?

Simon@Pristine Pathways

  • Posts: 397
Re: Refining ?
« Reply #6 on: June 27, 2013, 07:38:48 pm »
have you thought about employing someone to go out in your van on a saturday to do all the jobs you dont want to do? instead of dropping them

Saturdays van is used for pressure washing / conny roofs / 1st cleans / solar panels etc etc ..... in fact anything except window cleaning ... oh and sofitts and fascias as dont do them anymore cos i hate em but having said that got my last 1 to do this Saturday inc cladding  :P

Not your last one cause ive just priced you in to do one for me!

Ian101

  • Posts: 7889
Re: Refining ?
« Reply #7 on: June 27, 2013, 07:48:55 pm »
have you thought about employing someone to go out in your van on a saturday to do all the jobs you dont want to do? instead of dropping them

Saturdays van is used for pressure washing / conny roofs / 1st cleans / solar panels etc etc ..... in fact anything except window cleaning ... oh and sofitts and fascias as dont do them anymore cos i hate em but having said that got my last 1 to do this Saturday inc cladding  :P

Not your last one cause ive just priced you in to do one for me!

Oh yeah that one as well lol

AuRavelling79

  • Posts: 26577
Re: Refining ?
« Reply #8 on: June 28, 2013, 09:13:16 am »
I hope we get more contributions to this thread - because I "know" I should be more organised/ruthless.

Areas I "know" I should but cannot bring myself to do.

The pleasant but distant/slightly demanding customers

A couple of miles away from the rest or the sick old lady who has a "fort knox" back gate but takes ages to totter out and pull the bolts back and/or pay. The old boy who gets on his stairlift to get his wallet to pay but won't do it until you've finished. The top paying custy who once every two years goes abroad for three months and wants their window cleaning stopped.

Those sort of things.

I like the idea of sending "the van" out on Saturday to cover them. But then you need an employee keen to do this who is insured to drive it and whom you can trust.
It's a game of three halves!

dazmond

  • Posts: 24445
Re: Refining ?
« Reply #9 on: June 28, 2013, 01:04:49 pm »
you just never stop refining!!our rounds are like "shifting sand"!!customers cancel,die,move,get dropped for various reasons etc.we all get new better paying jobs throughout the year.

im like you ian.i have around 350 customers and hardly any are late payers/bad payers.but that can change!if customers become persistently late with payment even though i send text reminders,SAE etc they get dumped.

every january i have a good thorough look at my round.earmark ones for price rises,dumping list.then i tell customers either face to face or by a short letter that price rise will come into affect in april.ones i dump dont usually get any notice from me if they have been messing me about.i just drop and never go back! ;D ;D

as long as i hit my target of £3,000 extra in earnings year on year im happy without working  harder than i already do.

the example of the stand alone bungalow you clean is a valid one.unless you can pick up 3 or 4 others around it i would dump it.this then allows you to fit in better paying work for time taken in other areas of your round.


best wishes to you all


dazmond
price higher/work harder!

Ian101

  • Posts: 7889
Re: Refining ?
« Reply #10 on: June 28, 2013, 07:10:15 pm »
You still got the lad part time ian?

no gone back to me on my own

Ian101

  • Posts: 7889
Re: Refining ?
« Reply #11 on: June 28, 2013, 07:11:09 pm »
I hope we get more contributions to this thread - because I "know" I should be more organised/ruthless.

Areas I "know" I should but cannot bring myself to do.

The pleasant but distant/slightly demanding customers

A couple of miles away from the rest or the sick old lady who has a "fort knox" back gate but takes ages to totter out and pull the bolts back and/or pay. The old boy who gets on his stairlift to get his wallet to pay but won't do it until you've finished. The top paying custy who once every two years goes abroad for three months and wants their window cleaning stopped.



maybe we all got a few of these ?

Ian101

  • Posts: 7889
Re: Refining ?
« Reply #12 on: June 28, 2013, 07:12:34 pm »
every january i have a good thorough look at my round.earmark ones for price rises,dumping list.then i tell customers either face to face or by a short letter that price rise will come into affect in april.ones i dump dont usually get any notice from me if they have been messing me about.i just drop and never go back! ;D ;D


dazmond

aha the old canvass, clean, cull ......................... where is the BFG these days ..... under a different name maybe ?

MNWC

  • Posts: 1549
Re: Refining ?
« Reply #13 on: June 28, 2013, 07:54:53 pm »
Ive been going for ten years, still refining. Its a business we are running not a hobby. Im in this game to make money and if that means i have to drop a few custys for better paid ones then so be it.
im full at the moment but will take on a new better priced custy and drop a lesser priced one.

Ive refined my round so much so that i only spend £10 on diesel a week because im based very local to where i live, probably a 2.5 mile radius of my house.