[Shane sharples]

Went to quote a gutter clean today and noticed her window sills/ frames filthy full of spiderwebs etc , agreed on gutter clean and she asked how much I'd clean her windows for...as she's got a trad window cleaner and the bedroom windows above conny haven't been cleaned for 3 years!!!
She then said iv had a few windys round but they won't do them as its someone else's 'patch' 
.....I quoted a higher price and she said she'd probably go with that .....
It's a cul de sac and apparently he does all the rest 

[Smudger]

So what's your question ?

Is it....   Should I canvass this road to get more customers for my biz.....??

Or......   Should I canvass this road telling the residents what a cr@p windy they currently have..??

Maybe canvass road promoting gutter clearing service ??

Darran

[Shane sharples]

Sorry I forgot to ask the question!!   
The question is, would you do the windows from now on or be a scaredy cat and not do them coz it's on someone's 'patch' ?

[sunshine windows]

Do them! Customer's choice. Not like you've undercut anyone, or deliberately set out to take work from anyone else.

[Tom White]

Sorry I forgot to ask the question!!   
The question is, would you do the windows from now on or be a scaredy cat and not do them coz it's on someone's 'patch' ?

If someone wants me to clean a property and we agree a frequency and price, I'll clean it.


A patch is something you cover a hole with.

[Smudger]

No such thing as a "patch" in window cleaning - just run a professional, honest business - you have invested in equipment that the other guy has not.

Darran

[Walter Mitty]

I would take her on as a regular.  I don't go around intentionally touting other shiners' work, but if someone hasn't invested in the tools for the job, that's hardly my fault.

[Shane sharples]

Cheers guys, I was hoping you'd say that 👍

[Ian Lancaster]

Also ask her to cancel the other one before you're due round again

[paulben]

+1 No such thin as patch's around here only time I heard about it was from another part timer's girl friend who asked me to do her windows as it was not his patch .

[Plankton]

People pay a lot of money for houses only to be met by some crowd of poop telling them that its only us Neanderthals that clean this street. If it's big enough I would take it on.

[duncan h]

I dropped a load of flyers on a private estate. I got a few customers who cancelled him and he told them that it was his round, he bought it and no one else could do them. LMFAO how wrong he was. He phoned me asking what my intensions was. I asked him if it was a trick question Told him I wasn't going to go in cheap and under cut him. Quite the opposite. Charge high and get the desperate ones Worked a treat

[Susan Dean (1stclean)]

just clean them , i don't care who charges what , if a customer asks me for a price i just price the job as it stands , if were cheaper then there window cleaner and go with us that's up to them , i don't even ask if they have a window cleaner any more none of my business if they want to change

[Plankton]

just clean them , i don't care who charges what , if a customer asks me for a price i just price the job as it stands , if were cheaper then there window cleaner and go with us that's up to them , i don't even ask if they have a window cleaner any more none of my business if they want to change

I'm the same, its pointless asking if they have a window cleaner. Your not going to get Richard Branson chaping your door saying this is my patch we've put cables in the street you can't use BT or Sky.

[Johnny B]

I had a guy warn me off his 'patch' a few months ago.  He accused me of canvassing his customers, and told me he didn't want to see me working on the estate again.
 
I just told him that no one telIs me where I can or can't work, and also that if I were to be approached by any more of his customers, I would take them on.  On the flip side I told him that if he picked up my customers, that's fair enough too!

Since then, I've picked up 7 of his in one terrace! He lost them because a) he's got a bully boy attitude towards his customers (he warned them not to go elsewhere), and b) he's unreliable.

John

[Shane sharples]

I'm glad this industry is like this, more business like, more professional and it seems the majority of window cleaners (on ciu at least!) think the same way . And hopefully, the 'my patch' generation will die out ..eventually 

[slap bash]

A patch is something a pirate wears over his eye. Its not window cleaning just the mention of it show this fella is stuck in the dark ages. Do them and don't worry, if he threatens you go to the police.

[G Griffin]

+1 No such thin as patch's around here only time I heard about it was from another part timer's girl friend who asked me to do her windows as it was not his patch .

Did you cover her hole?

[dave the rave]

if it worth doing i would clean the windows ,as for the other guy  he would not register on my radar.