[Neil Grainger]

I find this industry frustrating at times.

July and August booking two weeks out, hit September and the phones stop ringing. Same happened last year for me.

Anyone else hit problems for September.

Think that I have finaly hit the good times and it suddenly drops off again. Sometime makes me want to go back to the bad old days of sitting in the office earning someone else loads of money.

Neil

[HolmansUKLTD]

Nope im booked for another 2weeks solid

Wicked

[*paul_moss]

Neil
I had great July and mega Aug ( double last year).
I am still booked about a week in front ( never get ahead more than 2 weeks).
The phone has quietened down over the last week.
And speaking to a few other guys they say the same thing.

Should start to kick in at the end of this month with xmas bookings.

[Neil Grainger]

I am probably worrying about nothing as I am booked untill next week but have only taken one job this week and had about 5 phone calls.

When it goes quiet on the phones it just makes all the old worries come out again.

Think I need a kick up the arse to go out and get more commercial work, been relying on domestic to much i think.

[rs_cleancare]

I,ve found the same had a very good May, June, July and was fully booked for August at the end of June. Now It has gone a little quite was hoping with the kids back up school nows the time for mums to get the house cleaned.
O well only need to fill 2 days next week and you know how it can be you can all of a sudden get a surge of calls.

Rob.

[craigp]

ive gone slow this week.

[clive]

whole summer has just gone mad for me. Fully booked until 1st week in October and still getting 10-20 calls a day. Help!!!

Clive

[the red carpet]

Got a job booked in for every working day in September Have done since the 4th, cant belive it myself

At this rate i should have the whole of october booked up before it even starts.

Done 10 quotes Monday and booked in  9 and booked 2 repeats

[*paul_moss]

Some real bO**cks put on here some times.

Im really booked up till Feb 2009 :

Get real guys especially those of you who have only been going 5 minutes

[Damian]

whole summer has just gone mad for me. Fully booked until 1st week in October and still getting 10-20 calls a day. Help!!!

Clive

Where do you think most of your work is coming from then Clive? Do you spend loads on advertising etc?

Regards

Damian.

[HolmansUKLTD]

Im booked up untill im 65 in2039 :

[the red carpet]

Paul_moss, iv devised a simple way of telling who on here talks out of there backside and who is genuine.

Its easy, call them and pose as a customer.

No ones stupid enough to miss out on a real job, just to act big on a internet forum.

If you were to ring me and ask for a morning appointment in September i wouldnt be able to do it, unless i put you in on a evening or weekend. (if you dont belive me test me)

How long you have been in buisness shouldnt allways mean a great deal to how many jobs you do a month, someone in buisness a few years will be making more profit as repeats and refferalls cost nothing in advertising.

But im sure anyone could come into the industry, and do 10,000 leaflets a week, get on google adwords, get half page y/p and thompsons and be fully booked from day 1.

Iv got loads of work on but i spend £800 a month on advertising, and im pushing that up by about another £400 to bring work for my new t/m.

[carpetclean]

Red as i have said before  well done you are doing it the right way by working very hard and investing as much as you can afford in the business

[mark_roberts]

What gets me is those who say Im booked until Oct but then they only work 3 days a week or only book jobs for the mornings of charge £20 for a suite.

Personally Id hate to be booked 4 weeks in advance as Id let too many repeat customers down who want it done within a week to 10 days and also emergency work.  I think if your booked 4 weeks  ahead then you need employees.

Mark

[*paul_moss]

But im sure anyone could come into the industry, and do 10,000 leaflets a week, get on google adwords, get half page y/p and thompsons and be fully booked from day 1.

Red
I wish it was that easy.
Many come into this business every year doing just that and thinking the same thing and 80% go out of business the next year.

It takes time building up a client base.
And there are very,very few cleaners out there that are booked up 4 weeks ahead with residential cleans.
Different if it is commercial though.

And yes Last year I did the same trick on 2 people on the forum who said they were booked up weeks ahead,and when I phoned wanting a job that week, guess what they had free slots.

[craigp]

thats crap, i book 2 jobs a day or maybe 3, even if im booked for 2 weeks i still sqeeze in my letting agents on there rush jobs, so only if you book work 9 til 5 could you not fit a job in.

if said people could fit you in sooner does not mean there lieing.

unless its just me finishs at 3.00 everyday

[the red carpet]

I try to work a 4 day week cleaning. tue, wed, thu, fri
1 day doing quotes mon
and 2 mornings leaflets, sat, sun

really wanna drop the weekends as this should be my family time
just got a new guy to do my leaflets who seems very reliable, hes only had 3500 but seems great, so hopefully my weekends will be my own again soon :

At the minute im squezing as much in these 4 cleaning days as possible often finishing at 6-7-8-9 at night , and doing the odd job on the monday morning or weekend.

But im just trying to build up enough work to justify my new t/m and i wanna take someone on as well, so iv gotta make sure the work is there for them both.

Paul, your bo**cks comment obviously reffered to me or clive as were the only ones who said we were doing ok

[Comfort Sector]

Hi Nick,

That makes you 32 

[Neil Grainger]

Red

My only thought about your business is if you are packed out working 4 days a week and turning over £4500 a month. Why dont you put your prices up.

3 jobs a day four days a week cleaning for 5 hours a day. You could be turning over £2000 a week, if you've got so much work. By putting your prices up I bet you wouldn't lose that much business but would make more money.

[the red carpet]

My thoughts exactly.

But why stop there?

Im putting prices up, and getting a t/m and a helper to speed things up

no reason why i shouldnt double turnover

Just waiting on the t/m before i increase price that way i can justify it to myself and my customers.

Ps, less of the £4500 its £4880