[G Griffin]

I think it's down to each window cleaner and each customer and there is no common perception of window cleaners in general.

Correct.

[C o z y]

Mr Ross I do think there is a general image our industry has inadvertently created. Which does we do not deserve. As I have observed  on this forum most are good fellas. Try to do the best job they can for there customers.  But just knock on a stranger door and say you are a window clean look for more custom and see how they will talk to you with mistrust. I guess I am just not used to thinking I am at the bottom of society, this hole class system is  something I do not understand and don`t really want to.
   What customers need to be encouraged to think is we are businesses and pay tax and all expenses and we don`t just put all we are payed into our pocket and spent on booze and drugs etc.
This is were I agree with Daz invoicing customers and mimic business practices that will change our image in the public eye. We need to tell our customer by our acts we are not a renegade gang of chances
        With advent of WFP and not been able to carry your tools and your shoulder and having  vans with thousands of pound worth of equipment,surly we need to get a return on our investment.I do not want to start a trad verses WfP argument, but WFP chaps have make a very large investment and need to project a image of business that has all the trapping of a business. Customer need to know it will cost more than a ladder and a few bar towel. The future of window cleaning will be more costly for us and for our customers. Its progression.      

Bar towels eh? Don't want to start a WFP v Trad argument eh? Wise up mate. You're customer wants their windows cleaned and doesn't really care if Matt Damon rocks up in a shiney van with wistles and bells on it or if that mong on Corrie does the bloody things. As has been pointed out, it's YOU as a service provider that gives an impression to the customer, not some poxy vehicle. Or do your custies come out to look inside your van before deciding whether to take you on or not??
We had some prat on here awhile back, who was convinced if he rocked up at a custy with a Brodex pole, they'd laugh at him  
Another thing to consider, when people come on here, whether trad or WFP, asking how to clean insides, they're the ones who may drop the general conception of the public's view of us. Imige isn't just you telling an un-inerested customer about the whistles and bells you've invested in, it's about your ability to clean their windows, and if you act like a professional business owner.
I find it hard to respect a plumber that can only work in straight pipes and window cleaners that can only clean outsides.


Image eh? Bollix. HTH  

[James Bulton]

And thats the words  from our happy chappy from  the bowels of Germany.

[jonboywalton75]

We take 10 mins to clean a property.
We expect customers to be grateful even when we do a poor quality clean.
We use wfp and actually believe it cleans to perfection every time.
We expect customers to jump through hoops when it comes to locked gates and so on.
We expect customers to put up with having their windows cleaned in all weather conditions.
We show very little flexibility when it comes to the customers needs.( Its my way or no way)
We offer clean guarantees but throw a hissy fit when a customer dares to complain.
We come on here and brag about how quick we are and how much we can earn for doing a low skilled job.
We wonder why the public has such a poor opinion of window cleaners.

Yeah, you need to sort your working practises out there mate, most properties should only take 5.

You've  changed Dave.
You used to be so thorough 

[Dave Willis]

you've got to laugh at some of the guys on here. We are just cleaners that's all. Shiny van, uniform, carbon poles? - still just a cleaner nothing more. 

When I was a printer I thought I was something special (I wasn't of course) a cleaner was a retard who couldn't get a proper job. We actually employed simple folk to clean the toilets. Most factories do. It's normal - no one wants to be a cleaner.
We are no different as human beings of course but most peoples perception of a cleaner doesn't rate very highly on the desirability scale.

What's even funnier are the guys who think they are business men and yet on the side of their van they have the word cleaner .

[Johnny B]

Yup, I reckon it's you (or I) who project a certain image as required by our target clientele, not a shiny van with all whistles and bells.

For instance, when I was in England I ran a tatty Mk2 Fiesta Van. It was half white and half yellow (where the rust hadn't eaten it), and looked chavvy.
 
It didn't make a jot of difference to my customers with regard to me doing my job, other than the fact that everyone recognized it.

I now run a another Fiesta Van (1999 Mk4) in plain white. It's clean and tidy (I look after it), and is a rarity in my locality.

If I were to change it for something new(er), I guarantee that I won't pick up new work because of it.

No, I pick up and retain my customers by being straightforward, honest, reliable and  conscientious, not by what I drive or what equipment I use.

John

[rosskesava]

Mr Ross I do think there is a general image our industry has inadvertently created. Which does we do not deserve. As I have observed  on this forum most are good fellas. Try to do the best job they can for there customers.  But just knock on a stranger door and say you are a window clean look for more custom and see how they will talk to you with mistrust. I guess I am just not used to thinking I am at the bottom of society, this hole class system is  something I do not understand and don`t really want to.
   What customers need to be encouraged to think is we are businesses and pay tax and all expenses and we don`t just put all we are payed into our pocket and spent on booze and drugs etc.
This is were I agree with Daz invoicing customers and mimic business practices that will change our image in the public eye. We need to tell our customer by our acts we are not a renegade gang of chances
        With advent of WFP and not been able to carry your tools and your shoulder and having  vans with thousands of pound worth of equipment,surly we need to get a return on our investment.I do not want to start a trad verses WfP argument, but WFP chaps have make a very large investment and need to project a image of business that has all the trapping of a business. Customer need to know it will cost more than a ladder and a few bar towel. The future of window cleaning will be more costly for us and for our customers. Its progression.      

Good evening Mr Shammy.

Apart from the obvious, good manners, doing a good job, etc, business always comes down to what you think of yourself and your relationship with the customer from first meeting them to them becoming a regular customer.

What's going on in the rest of the industry doesn't matter one bit. There are always people who want good window cleaners and are prepared to pay for the service whether trad or wfp or both.

The investment of using wfp is very low compared to most business start up costs.