[Tom-01]

Also if you have two guys doing them if a ladder is needed then its not an issue.

Smudger what do you say if customers call you say in September or October? Do you say t
you do them at the beginning of the year?

And do you get people to agree to an annual gutter clean? What about GFS cleans - do you do them at the same time or do them in spring/summer?

Thanks
Tom

[Smudger]

Hi tom
We pitch it From end October and pitch it as mid jan to end of February we had less than 5% ask for it from oct to dec but those that ask we do it earlier , we sell it as an annual service discounted for three years once they say yes on the phone we then send them a confirmation letter stating was was said on the call and then clear as agreed. This year we did more tele canvassing and also sent letters out to all last years ones reminding them that we would be coming again in January feb we only had two cancel so it  works really well. We do not promote cleaning of sfg this is purely a clearing round. If they ask we price it but we try and keep it separate.

[Window Lickers]

im seriously doubting we're going to have anywhere like enough time or space to carry out much gutter cleaning this year coming. From mid-january on we normally get hit with lots of enquiries but the windows are full steam at the moment and I see no reason for them to be slowing down.

[gary999]

I don't push it as such but I do more of this work in Jan/Feb
love this work on freezing days its a doddle lifting whole lengths
of frozen muck out.

The rest of the year I try my best to avoid it

[CleanClear]

I don't push it as such but I do more of this work in Jan/Feb
love this work on freezing days its a doddle lifting whole lengths
of frozen muck out.

The rest of the year I try my best to avoid it

I'd imagine thats easy Gaz, as they're never frozen in May, June, July, August etc.. 

[gary999]

I don't push it as such but I do more of this work in Jan/Feb
love this work on freezing days its a doddle lifting whole lengths
of frozen muck out.

The rest of the year I try my best to avoid it

I'd imagine thats easy Gaz, as they're never frozen in May, June, July, August etc.. 

ERRR that's why I do my best avoid the rest of the year because its normally
horrible crappy job





 

[Tom-01]

im seriously doubting we're going to have anywhere like enough time or space to carry out much gutter cleaning this year coming. From mid-january on we normally get hit with lots of enquiries but the windows are full steam at the moment and I see no reason for them to be slowing down.

Take on someone else and do less on the tools? Maybe someone on a part time basis? We've grown a lot year on year over 3 years and purchased some new work earlier this year so I'm finding I'm doing a lot now what with quotes, scheduling etc. A good amount of regular windows but the extra jobs are getting to be a lot more now too, quite often we've had 3 of us out working so thinking that might be the way forward.

[Tom-01]

Hi tom
We pitch it From end October and pitch it as mid jan to end of February we had less than 5% ask for it from oct to dec but those that ask we do it earlier , we sell it as an annual service discounted for three years once they say yes on the phone we then send them a confirmation letter stating was was said on the call and then clear as agreed. This year we did more tele canvassing and also sent letters out to all last years ones reminding them that we would be coming again in January feb we only had two cancel so it  works really well. We do not promote cleaning of sfg this is purely a clearing round. If they ask we price it but we try and keep it separate.

I can see the benefit in keeping them all at the same time - especially if there is a van which can be dedicated to those jobs and just work through the list. But why Jan and Feb? Because the leaves are down? But most of them are down now? Or is it because people won't spend the extra money BEFORE Xmas?

Also Smudger how do you quote them? By memory of the house? What about new enquiries do you go and survey them and quote or just over the phone?

I'm at the point now where I need to go up another notch. Not wanting to sound like a Lord Sugar apprentice wannabe but I've always been good at sales and I get a lot of well priced work for us because of that - is it time to come up with a pricing structure to stop all the running about and scheduling times to look at jobs? Focus purely on the numbers and getting the jobs in? We've got a good marketing budget for the next year so maybe that's the way to go....

Thanks
Tom

[Mick Kent]

Tom dont waste your time with chasing small jobs like 1 off gutter cleans and extra work. Regular is better than 1 off! Think long term. If your good at sales then chase commercial  as an average sized hotel or nursing home that would take half a day to clean earning you £200 every month or 2months is much better than finding 20 £10 jobs that you have to run about like a blue ass fly to clean them all and then have the headache of chasing the money etc, i was the same i bought all the carpet cleaning gear thinking i could master that market but ended up losing money of what i could earn on the glass so its all now just sitting in my basement collecting dust.
You want enough glass work that you dont need any addons or infact have any time to do any addons.

[Tom-01]

Tom dont waste your time with chasing small jobs like 1 off gutter cleans and extra work. Regular is better than 1 off! Think long term. If your good at sales then chase commercial  as an average sized hotel or nursing home that would take half a day to clean earning you £200 every month or 2months is much better than finding 20 £10 jobs that you have to run about like a blue ass fly to clean them all and then have the headache of chasing the money etc, i was the same i bought all the carpet cleaning gear thinking i could master that market but ended up losing money of what i could earn on the glass so its all now just sitting in my basement collecting dust.
You want enough glass work that you dont need any addons or infact have any time to do any addons.

Hi Mick

I agree with what you're  saying to a certain extent - but the add on jobs bring in a lot of money throughout the year and they are all very well priced, we have a lot of large yearly or twice yearly cleans, and some good 6 weekly earners. And a lot of smaller customers use us for windows, gutters and pressure cleaning, which is great for cash flow as well.

I'm just thinking of the best way forward as I like being on the tools but also need time to run the business as well - I'm not keen on working evenings and weekends doing paperwork any more.

Thanks
Tom

[NWH]

I do gutter vac work but I find it still a dirty job even with the vac  it's good it allows you to work on very wet days but I can earn more doing windows WFP easy money just going round colouring in windows  lol

[Mick Kent]

Haha thats a brilliant way of putting what we do"colouring windows" love it!! ill use that 1 more often when people ask what i do for a job.

[Smudger]

Hi, Tom - these gutter clears are from existing customers ie.. Regular window cleans, so no chasing about, or silly things like that, they are done mid jan through to February because the last few years have been mild and the leaves have fallen very late, last year well past Christmas.  As these customers have the gutters cleared every year, there is no problem doing at this time of year.

All other gutter work, commercial and residential are done when they ring up, these are either quoted at set price ( estate or main road properties ) or I go and quote in person, larger houses and commercial - these 1 off works usually go for SFG washing as well

Darran

[Dave Willis]

Hate them - haven't got the time and normally pass them on. Got a three storey one to do Saturday too.

[Window Lickers]

im seriously doubting we're going to have anywhere like enough time or space to carry out much gutter cleaning this year coming. From mid-january on we normally get hit with lots of enquiries but the windows are full steam at the moment and I see no reason for them to be slowing down.

Take on someone else and do less on the tools? Maybe someone on a part time basis? We've grown a lot year on year over 3 years and purchased some new work earlier this year so I'm finding I'm doing a lot now what with quotes, scheduling etc. A good amount of regular windows but the extra jobs are getting to be a lot more now too, quite often we've had 3 of us out working so thinking that might be the way forward.

I'll take someone else on - but not because of gutter enquiries or to do gutters. I wouldnt be comfortable sending someone out in that manner, single operator with ladder. im sure there are plenty of guys on here who would and do but thats not me. It wouldnt be for their benefit but mine. I already plan to be putting another vehicle on the road this year, it'll be for windows though, not gutters.

[Avo]

It's a good idea, our bookings just passed £15,000 worth lined up for the new year. Been working on it with my mrs week day evenings since 1st nov.

sounds like your going to be busy mate well done..  Is that not to much work to pre bookin thou and surely some are gonna ring else where and get done before then especially if they have blocked downpipes?

[David Kent @ KentKleen]

Tom, can I suggest you clean your customers when YOU feel you should or can, not when someone else's business model suggests. We have a training/gutter/pressure washing van (my old work horse) this is used by myself when needed throughout the year. With the amount Lee is working through I can see the need to 'book' the jobs in at a specific time and grouping together makes a lot of sense. We clean gutters all year round.
 

[Smudger]

We clean gutters all year round too - on our existing annual gutter clear round our business model was to maximise business through customers that all ready use and trust us, so a very soft sell, it is also said on the phone should you need us before the jan/feb schedule just call and we will come before - its a win win for us.

We also always seek new customers for our other services, however sometimes it can be very cost effective to sit back and think how can I maximise the spend of the customers I already have - and this round works very well like this, a direct call to current customers with an offer has done brilliantly for us - this provides an additional income boost - we do only clear using a gutter vac - and a pair will go out and hit these "scheduled cleans" over the time span - very few have set dates (access only customers) the others are all done ad hocly over the period agreed.

We also do a similar campaign for our pressure washing services, be very aware, that even customers you see regualry may not be fully aware of your full range of services, we have it on all our cards, vans, and ads, and even when we have popped an offer on the next clean card or a letter or on our news letters (which go out 2/3 times a year) we of course get enquiries from it, BUT the biggest up take was a quick phone call offering directly. It is very cost effective (you can do it yourself or can sub it out)

As said for us we do try and look at as many ways as we can to continue growing as this is our goal - so for us, it really makes sense to not just look for "brand new customers only" but to look at ways that our current base could use more of our services.

Good Luck to all

Mrs Smudger.

[Lee Pryor]

Like all the services we do it is priced from a menu system. We already know what kind of property they have. It's easy to call them and tell them where they fall on the menu. They will be done with the first window clean visit of the new year. We fit them in buy working longer days and weekends, I also go out and do some. We do this every year but this year has been our biggest push so far. It means that for us jan and feb are our biggest monetary months of the year.

[Deangsi]

Iv booked in alot of gutters for January and Feb nothing like you tho lol I never used to really offer it but I'm pushing it forward for now on as there handy little extra earners I do my roand in 3 weeks so try and do as many as I can in the 4th week before starting windows again