[Londoner]

Had a good customer phone up yesterday and cancel. She says her husband is going to do them. They run a business doing interior design. It  looks like the recession is starting to bite.

[simon knight]

Out of interest if say in a years time she phoned up and said can you start doing them again would you take her back on?

[AuRavelling79]

Out of interest if say in a years time she phoned up and said can you start doing them again would you take her back on?

If she was a good custy and I believed her, then I would ... at my new rates of course!

[simon knight]

Out of interest if say in a years time she phoned up and said can you start doing them again would you take her back on?

If she was a good custy and I believed her, then I would ... at my new rates of course!

I personally wouldn't because whilst I feel for people who through no fault of their own have hit hard times I'd know that if ever money gets tight for them sometime in the future I'm top of the redundancy list.

[Moderator David@stives]

Recession ?

In the last 2 days we have picked up 3 hotels/guest houses , 2 nursing homes and 2 houses and 2 gutter jobs and builders clean on a shop

But  lost a £6.00 bungalow, not a bad swap really.

The key to beating the recession if there is one, is to pick up more work than you lose

[WCE]

It's a funny thing. I have found the opposite happening lately instead of losing customers due to the "recession" I have had work pouring in. In this case I wouldn't go back to them for the same reasons as Simon. If money got tight for them again you would be top of the list to get the chop. If you start to lose to many customers in this way then canvass a couple of nights a week as Dave says  the key is to pick up more work than you lose. It may be you have to work harder to replace them but you will. If you think about it a £10 house thats cleaned monthly will only cost the owner £2.50 per week. Not a lot of money for them what would they get for that. The other option would be to offer them cleans bi monthly. Charge 50% more than the monthly clean. That way they will still save money over the year and you will get more per clean. If you then find another bi monthly customer to balance out the cleans you will actually be better off. Everyones happy!   

[davids3511]

I had a blip a few weeks ago when my leafletter was last out. I picked up loads of work but quite a few wanted 2 monthly which I put down to recession and money worries.

However, he was out again last week, again picked up quite a few new customers but this time that were all ok with monthly. I also had jacked my minimum price up from £10.00 to £11.00 and still had only one out of 15 say bugger off.

[Helen]

Lost one today because she had lost her job, and in her words (which some on here will take issue with) Window cleaning is a luxery and I could do it myself. She did say she would restart again when she gets a job but just take this as a warning.

[john tomkins]

Lost one today because she had lost her job, and in her words (which some on here will take issue with) Window cleaning is a luxery and I could do it myself. She did say she would restart again when she gets a job but just take this as a warning.

You dont have to lose your job to be able to do them yourself :
Of course anyone can do them, the good thing for us is that they don't want to, or can't be bothered to.

[M & C Window Cleaning]

I've got customers on benefits that are good customers and I've got customers with good jobs who mess me about.

[simon knight]

I've got customers on benefits that are good customers and I've got customers with good jobs who mess me about.

Of course the customers who are on benefits are good customers because it's not them who are bloody paying

[kris martin]

I had a blip a few weeks ago when my leafletter was last out. I picked up loads of work but quite a few wanted 2 monthly which I put down to recession and money worries.

However, he was out again last week, again picked up quite a few new customers but this time that were all ok with monthly. I also had jacked my minimum price up from £10.00 to £11.00 and still had only one out of 15 say bugger off.

does everybody else have a minimum price of £10/£11 or am i the only one who has houses that are a fiver and will still quote a house at £5 if it makes me a decent wage..

[WCE]

I try not to bother with em now. I target houses on the basis of the bigger the better! One £20 house = Four £5 ones but four £5 ones will take up more time than the one £20 one.

[davids3511]

Hi Kris

I didn't explain it very well. Most of my houses are very similar, out of 240 customers about 215 are basically different variations of the same house. I meant the £10/£11 as a minimum for them. I have a few houses at £5/£6 and would quote £5/£6 again it it made a decent hourly rate. Moneys money in my book.

[kris martin]

sorry mate,
                  wernt having a dig at your prices, just seems people on here seem to charge more than me and just wondering if i was doing something wrong...

      kris

[simon knight]

I had a blip a few weeks ago when my leafletter was last out. I picked up loads of work but quite a few wanted 2 monthly which I put down to recession and money worries.

However, he was out again last week, again picked up quite a few new customers but this time that were all ok with monthly. I also had jacked my minimum price up from £10.00 to £11.00 and still had only one out of 15 say bugger off.

does everybody else have a minimum price of £10/£11 or am i the only one who has houses that are a fiver and will still quote a house at £5 if it makes me a decent wage..

Nope, I do houses for a fiver.  Nice little terrace of 7 houses...2 up 2 down...fronts only...takes 40 mins (trad) if I'm feeling lazy....£35...luvvly jubbly...and because it's only a fiver none of the "not today thanks" nonsense.

Would love all my round to be like this!

[steve a]

I try not to bother with em now. I target houses on the basis of the bigger the better! One £20 house = Four £5 ones but four £5 ones will take up more time than the one £20 one.

Hi WCE true 4 houses at a fiver will take more time than one at twenty, but the flip side to this is if you lose one house thats a fiver or two then thats a tenner, wheras(is that a word) if you lose one thats twenty squid and two be forty quid.

Steve

[WCE]

I try not to bother with em now. I target houses on the basis of the bigger the better! One £20 house = Four £5 ones but four £5 ones will take up more time than the one £20 one.

Hi WCE true 4 houses at a fiver will take more time than one at twenty, but the flip side to this is if you lose one house thats a fiver or two then thats a tenner, wheras(is that a word) if you lose one thats twenty squid and two be forty quid.

Steve

True but do you know what the answer is? Don't lose em!!! Being serious, I am in the position where if I lose 1 or 2 then it is no real problem. I have reached the stage where I am able to look for better paid work. I understand I am lucky to be in such a position but I am after the quality work. Yes there is a bigger risk that you will lose a bigger amount of income if you lose just one customer but IMO the hourly rates are better and it's worth the risk. Of course the commercial work I do is better paid but thats a different story........

[paul hughes31]

im in the same boat i can afford to loose customers and was wondering how you  (WCE) go about getting the higher priced jobs..

[prestigeclean]

got work pouring in as well , try being positive it really does work