[Wayne Thomas]

I bet he won't be declaring his earnings to the taxman.

[Sir Squeaky]

Why isn't he a threat?

If someone came to my house offering it for £3 and all the others were 7 or 8 quid, then I know who I'd choose.

If he did a crap job, then I'd sack him, but I'd certainly try them first.
If he does a decent job then I'm going to stick with him.
I'm sure that's how most customers would react too.

You can't just assume he's useless.

[Sir Squeaky]

Let’s assume then he’s the world’s fastest window cleaner and always does a perfect job!

If he stuck to those prices how big he is going to get? I bet he would hate doing large house or even medium size!

Fact is though if your business is threatened by this type of competition your business is weak; there is better run window cleaning businesses in every town. These should be the ones to keep an eye on.

Doesn't matter how well run they are, that just impresses people on Clean-it-up.

The customer would rather pay less. Fact.

[Wayne Thomas]

If some window cleaner is targeting your customers at £3 a house, it doesn't matter how well you run a reputable w/c round you would/will be affected by these cheaper window cleaners. Some of your customers may/will try this new, cheaper window cleaner to see if he's any good. If he/she isn't any good, your ex-customers would be wanting to come back asap.
If I lose/lost a fishing customer to someone cheaper and they wished to come back, I would only allow it at a much higher mark up because the 'loyalty factor' has disappeared and what's to stop them doing it again. If I was/am too busy to take them back on again then I would refuse point blank as I would prefer reliable work.

[jouk45]

am sure d&p is a member on this forum,

[gordonswindows]

i started eight years ago and cleaned all sizes and shapes any house for £3.50

I do contract cleaning and window cleaning.....eight years, thirty staff 

NEVER LAST ??

Bigger and better than most and desoite what you all say guess what?

I AM STILL HERE

[gordonswindows]

not just a low paid job but some of us were at the top of the corporate ladder for Britains largest department store

[Wayne Thomas]

I can understand why some new w/c's charge £3 a house when they first start up (needs must), but to continue is pointless. No one wants to become the busy fool running around flat out for peanuts.

[paulscotney]

.......I can understand why some new w/c's charge £3 a house when they first start up (needs must), but to continue is pointless. No one wants to become the busy fool running around flat out for peanuts.....................
....................................................

I can't understand it all, 15 years ago all the w/cleaners around me,including me, were charging £4 for a small house and £5 up to £7 for a normal type 4 or 5 bed house and everything in the shops was at least half the price.

There is no need to be so cheap. I would have thought £6 or £7 would have have been low enough myself.

[paulscotney]

and then it is pathetically low. Why not build a business properly at proper prices.

[gordonswindows]

Hi Ewan

thank you for your response

It is at present 30 staff and my biggest house is £470.00 we only do it twice a year but have had it for the last four years and the gutters once per year at £350.00

Biggest job was the new concert hall that we got £12500.00

so no we don't t do £3.50 per house now ,in fact i don't get out at all as i am office based now

but what i meant was don't mock the £3.50 brigade as they may just be the next national outfit

[birdymiller]

Ive still got the odd house for £2.50, quite a few at £3 and id say that my average price is £4. I pick up work all the time and i keep my customers. I earn a grand a week for a 25 hour week all above board with the taxman. These £3 houses are doing me alright. As has been said a million times before the area you work in dictates the price you charge. Over the years(10) i have increased prices and have some great roundsand some great custys.

[cleanandshine]

Ive still got the odd house for £2.50, quite a few at £3 and id say that my average price is £4. I pick up work all the time and i keep my customers. I earn a grand a week for a 25 hour week all above board with the taxman. These £3 houses are doing me alright. As has been said a million times before the area you work in dictates the price you charge. Over the years(10) i have increased prices and have some great roundsand some great custys

Thats a lot of houses how many a week,thats about 40 to 50 houses a day ,,25 hours aweek ,,, i dont belive that i been a window cleaner for 12 years and i use wfp and that is not poss ,,,sorry

[gordonswindows]

Ewan you flatter me

size really isn't everything and as for the amount of learning i have done via trial and error i would not put myself forward as any kind of expert or authority

That said my advice would be to seek opinions from others who have experience consider what they suggest then listen to people you respect and trust whether they know window cleaning or not and then the most important point is   DO WHAT YOU THINK.

If you take others advice and you don't get to where you want to be it is so easy to excuse your lack of success as their fault.

Look at the people who give you advice, consider where they are with their business and if you judge them successful  fine follow their advice, but if you really want to get there trust in the same drive enthusiasm and belief that you have in yourself, that allowed you to take that big step to becoming a window cleaner and make your own mistakes and make your own success.

Nobody ever became famous or successful by following, you become successful by being YOU.

You will win customers by doing a decent job for a fair price and turning up regularly every four months. There is no shortcut, any of us on here that have being doing this for a while know what it takes. Ask Karldaze how hard it was making his mark in Spain, he may make light of it but i know he put in the hard hard graft and thats what we all need to do.

It is not easy, you will lose customers,you will have days when you want to pack it in and this is when YOU and what drives you comes to the fore. Successful people work work and work again even now while i dont do much window cleaning i still start first and finish last at my desk, at the bank the accountant etc etc.I also re-invest the money this week we paid £5k for our radio jingle, this has taken many many meetings over four weeks to get just right, will it work? who knows we will have to wait and see but if it doesn't it is my money spent and i spent it i made the decision . If it works all our staff will benefit if it doesn't it is me who loses out.

That is "success" believing in what you think is right and stepping up and making decisions based on your vision.

Scarey? yes. Lonely? yes. Hard? yes. Would i have it any other way never.

Good Luck to all

Thank you Ewan for giving me an excuse to mount my soapbox

Gordon

[kris martin]

why gordon? that in this post.. then the other... the other diddnt come across like that.

[gordonswindows]

Hi Kris

see my reply to missy

but you are not getting a hug

[kris martin]

please

[paulscotney]

Clean and Shine I agree unless he is cleaning shoe boxes. Min price for a house is at least £10 by me and they don't get done in five minutes.

[paulscotney]

Gordonswindows you have made a very interesting input. Thanks, Paul

[MJH]

Ive still got the odd house for £2.50, quite a few at £3 and id say that my average price is £4. I pick up work all the time and i keep my customers. I earn a grand a week for a 25 hour week all above board with the taxman. These £3 houses are doing me alright. As has been said a million times before the area you work in dictates the price you charge. Over the years(10) i have increased prices and have some great roundsand some great custys.

This is what irritates me about this forum, if we didn't talk about finances as much we probably wouldn't have as many cowboys on the streets!!!
As far as your averages go- the weekly takings don't add up!!!