[geefree]

Hi again.... you can tell its raining im on here again....

can anyone please tell me if there is something that may seperate me from the dole boys,... to my customers

i feel , when i am talking to them about the £2.50 brigade,

that it would be so much easier if i could produce some form of certificate or a member of window cleaners thingy jiggy 

is there such a thing ... if you know what i mean, somewhere i could apply ?

gary.

[marc al]

  Dont start mentioning the dole boys, they will think u have something to hide. Just be polite, quote your price and leave it at that - dont start putting others down, it will come back to bite you.

  Marc

[geefree]

its hard when they say, oh my last w/c charged me 2.50.... why are you so dear etc etc... i dont pull others down and i certainly dont try undercutting other w/c... nor do i try to sell my service to them if they have a w/c..

but when there are a few people out there topping the dole money up.... undercutting everyone , its hard to just smile and say thanks bye!... i dont pull them down but i do mention the reason they are so cheap is probably because they are not trying to make a living legit. whereas on the other hand we are!

and i suspect if a few more w/c spread the word to the customers, it may just make life a little bit easier.

and then the customer may just realise ,

thats why i asked if there was some form of certificate available.... and to obtain it would mean looking into background,, ie tax .. n. insurance etc....

that would stop it totally.

[macc]

Like Marc said, stay away from the subject. Be profeshional, polite & quote, mention your insured & leave it at that.

You wont change their mind if they just wont cheap. The majority of customers will wont reliable & a trusting wc.

Macc

[LSB]

You could wear personalised clothing , mention your insured , ask them to keep your number just incase they might need it in the future !

[james cairns]

gazz take out a scottish licence probably the district with the cheapest license

and tell your customers this badge around my neck says I am insured as you cant get a license without having insurance

comes as an id card with photo on, they wont get close enough to see the district it is from

you will probably pay around 50 quid, but dont quote me on that I dont know what i last paid

jinky
ps will also put the poop up the other window cleaners as you look official

[Mr. S]

TELL YOUR POTENTIAL CUSTOMER YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL AND ARE A REGULAR / RELIABLE W/C! JUST AS LONG AS THEY DONT WANT THEIR WINDOWS DONE ON A tUES AS YOU HAVE TO GET DOWN THE DOLE OFFICE TO SIGN ON!!!!

ONLY JOKING, IM HAVIN ONE OF THOSE DAYS.

SERIOUSLY IF YOU LOOK PROFESSIONAL AND DO A GOOD JOB PEOPLE WONT CARE THEIR LAST W/C ONLY CHARGED £2.50, THEY WANT A GOOD REGULAR SERVICE. OH YEAH BE POLITE AND SMILE, CUSTOMERS LIKE THAT.

I DO AGREE THOUGH THERE SHOULD B SOME WAY TO SEPARATE US PROFESSIONALS FROM THOSE DODGY W/CS

[mgba_78]

its hard when they say, oh my last w/c charged me 2.50.... why are you so dear etc etc...

When i get that i say you get what you pay for, where is the cleaner now??
I say yes i do charge a fair amount for cleaning windows but you get a proper job done,  and i'll be back next month, i run it as a business it pays my mortgage etc etc.

Most people are then like, well i suppose so, cause they then think back over the years and they've possibly had many many cleaners come and go, and its suprising that some actually put up with a real rubbish cleaner.

Thats why the pricing is key, if you price it well they will not be dropped by you(unless they are k n o b s)  thus your happy and the customer is happy, they dont have to worry if you gonna turn up next month and they will have clean windows, after all its all they want!!

Andy

[brett walker]

Gary

you seem to be a really nice bloke , polite honest concienous and willing to learn.
Do your job 100% perfect and that cant be beaten mate

If someone only wants to pay 2.50 for their windows forget about them and move on because they will need you before you need them.

Brett

[Moderator David@stives]

Gary

You mean like this

[Helen]

David, that's really good and if this were backed up with your "own" Business ID card, would surely put the customers mind at rest that they are getting someone reputable to clean their windows for them.
Just a hint for others, if the potential customer asks do you want payment in cash? Answer this with, "you can pay in cash, by cheque or on-line if you wish, as we declare all our earnings, we don't mind which method you choose"
We all experience the "my old WC only charged this much", but just remember they may just be "downing" the real price themselves, thinking that you are desparate for the work! Another way of dealing with it, is that if you get the "used to be £2.50" scenario, then just politely answer, "in all honesty Mrs Customer (or Mr) my price will be higher than that, would you still like me to provide you with a quotation?" Keep away from mentioning "dolers" or such like. Don't undervalue your own work! 

[pylofm]

I am very suprised at the response that I get from my new customer when I tell them they can pay via bank transfer/internet banking...it also goes down well and seems to give us credibility in their eyes.

I do intend to have 'cash' jobs but not yet

Cheers
Dave.

[pjulk]

If you have a van get it signwritten, Can't see many dole people doing this as it would bring them to much attention

Paul

[john tomkins]

Nice card dave but you'd think they could spell "cleaning" not "ceaning"  

[AuRavelling79]

Business card (spelled properly )
Photocopy of your insurance.
Pay by cheque/credit transfer facility.
Name on clothing.
Hi-vis waistcoat.

All show you are a genuine business.

[dai]

The greatest asset for any window cleaner is an honest face.
That will never change. Dai

[Moderator David@stives]

Well spotted, I hadn't noticed myself.   

I will use it to wind up Andrew, as he is in charge of printing them. 

I am pretty sure he wont make that mistake again.

[Londoner]

I am canvassing a new round and I start off by leafleting the roads first. Nothing flash but I got some nice leaflets printed. They do make a difference, one thing that works is putting your name and address on the leaflet.

Mine say "Vince Green your Local Window Cleaner" then my name and address and home phone number.

Leaflets that just have a mobile number don't inspire confidence.

Things like proper work clothes and high vis waistcoats create a good impression but best of all is a signwritten van with a flashing light on top!

The other thing which is a bit harder to do is charge top money. I know I would find that hard but the customer equates top money=top man=top job.

[24-7 S C Services]

Hi Everyone,

Now, Now Dave, I know you would love to wind me up over this.

But unfortunately, the mistake was yours!!!!! I only copied what you filled in on your application form, ‘David Morris Window Ceaning’.  PMSL

Andrew

[geefree]

Thank you for all the interesting replies,

i will use your advice , and not mention the dolers from now, as most of you said, it undervalues my own standards...

thanks for the compliment Bret.!

Dave where did you get the card from?


Gary.