[davids3511]

Last week I had my leafletter drop about 300 leaflets. Out of that I had 15 people to see tonight, it is my first time since January to make a big effort to get new customers.

Normally about 80% agree to my price and of them 90% is monthly work. However tonight, about 80% still agreed but out of 13 new customers 5 want it every two months. I am quite happy with this as a £10.00 job becomes £12.00 for little or no extra effort but was just a little surprised at the sharp increase in two monthlies. Perhaps people are less confident in the economy and the credit crunch is biting in this neck of the woods.

[niceandclean]

I have had 2 existing customers today that now want it 2 monthly. Been doing them for nearly 2 years, they both said that they dont look dirty when i come every month, they stay cleaner for longer.

[Londoner]

IMO All business is good business. If they want 8 weeks then thats fine with me. It does seem to be a growing trend around here.

 Maybe they are getting more frugal, money is tight for a lot of people. Maybe as I suspect, customers are coming to realise the windows don't need cleaning so often.

As long as you provide the customer with  the service that they want you will have a good loyal customer.

[LWC]

IMO All business is good business. If they want 8 weeks then thats fine with me. It does seem to be a growing trend around here.

here here

ill do anything, monthly, every other, every 3, one offs (obviously charging accordingly)...and so on. business is business

[simon knight]

I'm definitely getting more customers saying "they're ok for the moment can we leave it this time round?"

A couple of years ago they would have been dumped....now it's "yes ok give me a call when you need me."

I think the days of: "I do them monthly or not at all" has come to an end for the time being.

[SonOfFormby]

Last week I had my leafletter drop about 300 leaflets. Out of that I had 15 people to see tonight, it is my first time since January to make a big effort to get new customers.

Normally about 80% agree to my price and of them 90% is monthly work. However tonight, about 80% still agreed but out of 13 new customers 5 want it every two months. I am quite happy with this as a £10.00 job becomes £12.00 for little or no extra effort but was just a little surprised at the sharp increase in two monthlies. Perhaps people are less confident in the economy and the credit crunch is biting in this neck of the woods.

Charge them £15 instead of £12 for 2 monthly, that should make you feel better.

Lee

[Sir Squeaky]

Last week I had my leafletter drop about 300 leaflets. Out of that I had 15 people to see tonight, it is my first time since January to make a big effort to get new customers.

Normally about 80% agree to my price and of them 90% is monthly work. However tonight, about 80% still agreed but out of 13 new customers 5 want it every two months. I am quite happy with this as a £10.00 job becomes £12.00 for little or no extra effort but was just a little surprised at the sharp increase in two monthlies. Perhaps people are less confident in the economy and the credit crunch is biting in this neck of the woods.

Charge them £15 instead of £12 for 2 monthly, that should make you feel better.

Lee

What happens then is they say "Never mind then, leave it"

[AuRavelling79]

Hello Eeyore - get out to work before the rain comes!

[Moderator David@stives]

Let one go 8 weekly, they tell there friends then it spreads like wildflower.

Agree to it begrudgingly and tell them to keep it quiet, usually stops it spreading a while.

[Tim82]

 It's funny actually, but ive just had a whole courtyard of houses all wanted their windows done more regularly- went from monthly to two weekers!

[johnny_h]

i had one exactly the same yesterday she wants to go from 4 to 8 weekly so she can pay for a gardener all i said was no problem but all new customers are now £10 monthly and £15 8 weekly as she is paying £8 a month now she would save herself £1 she did expect to be paying the same for a 8 week as a 4 week

[chrismroberts]

i had one exactly the same yesterday she wants to go from 4 to 8 weekly so she can pay for a gardener all i said was no problem but all new customers are now £10 monthly and £15 8 weekly as she is paying £8 a month now she would save herself £1 she did expect to be paying the same for a 8 week as a 4 week

Did she keep you on?

[jonah]

i had one exactly the same yesterday she wants to go from 4 to 8 weekly so she can pay for a gardener all i said was no problem but all new customers are now £10 monthly and £15 8 weekly as she is paying £8 a month now she would save herself £1 she did expect to be paying the same for a 8 week as a 4 week

charge £15 for bi monthly and and that includes trimming her bush 

[Tosh]

I spied a customer's letter from a mortgage company on the dining room table next to the window I was cleaning and being the nosy git I am, I couldn't help but read it (I can read upside down text; it comes from years of service in the army (reading stuff on important people's desks; when you're stood to attention in front of it)).

Anyway, this customer has just changed their mortgage from repayment to interest only; obviously 'cos things are getting tight.

I feel a sacking comming on! 

And on a personal note; I can't believe how much we're spending on food each month; and we're not fat gits either!

[Paul Coleman]

Well I lost one today that I didn't see coming.  They've been with me since my first year (1991/92).  I've been charging £31 for it since they added on a conservatory.  The job was actually underpriced - mainly because I've had it so long.
It isn't so much that the job is a big loss.  It isn't, because it's priced a bit low and it was the last of my jobs that had an H & S issue that I felt a bit uncomfortable with.  It's more that this is just not the sort of customer that I would expect to cancel.  They sold their business a year or so back and are fairly comfortably retired (or so I thought).  He is fit and does some external DIY (was repointing some brickwork a few months back) and they have definitely retired fairly early.  It is a bit of a wrench because they were probably my longest standing customers.
I don't usually ask for a reason why someone cancels.  I said to him that although it was not any of my business as to why he had cancelled, could he please say if it was anything to do with my workmanship etc because if it was anything to do with something I could change, then I would like the opportunity to do so.  He assured me that there was absolutely no problem with my service.  It can be a bit scarey asking such a question in case I hear something I don't want to hear but, for such a longstanding customer, I needed to do it.

[johnny_h]

i had one exactly the same yesterday she wants to go from 4 to 8 weekly so she can pay for a gardener all i said was no problem but all new customers are now £10 monthly and £15 8 weekly as she is paying £8 a month now she would save herself £1 she did expect to be paying the same for a 8 week as a 4 week

Did she keep you on?

yes she kept me at 4 weekly

[windowwashers]

Well I lost one today that I didn't see coming.  They've been with me since my first year (1991/92).  I've been charging £31 for it since they added on a conservatory.  The job was actually underpriced - mainly because I've had it so long.
It isn't so much that the job is a big loss.  It isn't, because it's priced a bit low and it was the last of my jobs that had an H & S issue that I felt a bit uncomfortable with.  It's more that this is just not the sort of customer that I would expect to cancel.  They sold their business a year or so back and are fairly comfortably retired (or so I thought).  He is fit and does some external DIY (was repointing some brickwork a few months back) and they have definitely retired fairly early.  It is a bit of a wrench because they were probably my longest standing customers.
I don't usually ask for a reason why someone cancels.  I said to him that although it was not any of my business as to why he had cancelled, could he please say if it was anything to do with my workmanship etc because if it was anything to do with something I could change, then I would like the opportunity to do so.  He assured me that there was absolutely no problem with my service.  It can be a bit scarey asking such a question in case I hear something I don't want to hear but, for such a longstanding customer, I needed to do it.

I always ask anyone that cancels the reason why, am shocked you said that Shiner, asking people helps to run the business better, some lie, some tell the truth over time you get to work out which is which, but this is valuable info you are missing out on there IMO

Ian

[matt]

i lost 1 yesterday ( the first in a while tbh )

it was 6 quid for the upstairs 6 windows, 3 of them over a rather steep porch, its a biggish house, 4 bed detached in a nice area

i did the front and he came out and said " ive just retired last month " oh aye i reply

so i have decided to clean our windows

i stop cleaning

well i wont do the back then

ok he said

he then asked me how much he owed

i said, forget it, its only 3 windows, he gave me 3 quid

he then proceded to get the ladders out and climb them at suck a steep angle, on the concreate drive  when i was on the ladder i would stick my heavy sand bag down and do up the ladder, he decided he didnt need to do that

gets to 65 and then decided to take what i would call a silly risk, all for 6 quid

[jonah]

i lost 1 yesterday ( the first in a while tbh )

it was 6 quid for the upstairs 6 windows, 3 of them over a rather steep porch, its a biggish house, 4 bed detached in a nice area

i did the front and he came out and said " ive just retired last month " oh aye i reply

so i have decided to clean our windows

i stop cleaning

well i wont do the back then

ok he said

he then asked me how much he owed

i said, forget it, its only 3 windows, he gave me 3 quid

he then proceded to get the ladders out and climb them at suck a steep angle, on the concreate drive  when i was on the ladder i would stick my heavy sand bag down and do up the ladder, he decided he didnt need to do that

gets to 65 and then decided to take what i would call a silly risk, all for 6 quid

Isnt that how rod hull died ?   Going up his own ladders on the roof to fix his arial !

[mark dew]

i haven't lost any yet but i had a customer asking me if i can reduce my charge. Or to be precise can i clean the main house and a new one they own for £40 instead of the £40 + £10 for the other 1.
I've never timed myself but he said i only take 25/30 minutes and they think it is a bit much.
I would normally say no. but i agreed to do them both for £45 as the main house has 8 extra windows that i can reach now i use wfp.
I work quick and am gone asap but i have noticed the last 2 months several mentioning how quick i am.
I just tell them i'm quick at my job and don't hang about.
Although i'm always on the look out for work i would quite happily be prepared to lose any customer who has issues with me doing a quick job, as long as the quality isn't sacrificed.