[mlscontractcleaner]

Having just read a post on here I can't help but feel a little confused by some of the comments made. These comments were made by a traditional cleaner and went along the lines of a  window cleaner using wfp should charge less than he was charging using a mop and squeegie due to it not taking so long.

Sorry to sound greedy fella but this is how I see it.

Before I took the plunge and invested rather heavily in a WFP set up, a move carried out to improve my business and progress, I did a very good job and had lots of very satisfied customers.

I now use WFP almost exclusively, and still do a very good job and still have lots of very saisfied customers. Not one of them has questioned the amount of time it takes to clean their windows, indeed they usually end up with a better job being done as I run the brush over the whole of their front door, etc, making them even more happy than the were before.

So, my question is, why the hell would I charge any less tha before??

Why would I invest heavily to charge less??

Why bother changing at all??

Now, I'm not a new window cleaner, having got into this job in 1991, so I've been around long enough to have a clue as to what I'm doing, and I can only assume tat this fella was having a bad day, a blonde moment, call it what you will, but I really do think that he should take a good look at his business and ask why he goes to work each day.

There, rant over, I feel better already!!

[R.V.A Window Cleaning Services]

A lot of firms invest substantial amounts of money to provide a more affordable service or product, your thinking is if I invest I expect the customer to pay more.

You don’t have to charge less. It’s your business you can charge what you want!

Have you not heard of competition?

Can you think of the most obvious way you might get the custom?

I clean trad and wfp for example a job will have to different prices because of the two different methods, trad may take two hours wfp one hour, yet according to you charge the customer more because you invested money in your business.

Are you blonde?


 

 You invest in the product to save you time, (& a better job) when cleaning windows most of us charge per window so the price is the same trad/wfp,  your statement about 2hrs/1hr doesn't really come into it.

[cameron]

I dont see big companies like the AA, for example chaging  their customers less because they are now able to get to  a broken down vehicle quicker! If anything they charge more. They are only able to do this because they have invested in technology  (sat nav etc) and anything else to speed up their job.
Specsavers are not the cheepest place to buy glasses. They dont charge less because they can sort you out "in about an hour"
why should those who have invested in their cleaning business not see the benefits?

[jefftemperley]

we provide a service to people so they dont have to clean windows the end result is what they pay for not how long it took.
if i ever get comments from customers for being quick i always ask them how long would it take them if they done it themselves?

[windowwashers]

A lot of firms invest substantial amounts of money to provide a more affordable service or product, your thinking is if I invest I expect the customer to pay more.

You don’t have to charge less. It’s your business you can charge what you want!

Have you not heard of competition?

Can you think of the most obvious way you might get the custom?

I clean trad and wfp for example a job will have to different prices because of the two different methods, trad may take two hours wfp one hour, yet according to you charge the customer more because you invested money in your business.

Are you blonde?


 

I'm Blonde, it tends to be the people that dye their hair blonde that have this problem, but I do agree with what you say on the other things in regards to price, charge less thanb trad from doing more work and costing more I think not.

Ian

[NWH]

I`m getting the feeling there`s a few thick people on here from time to time,WFP clean em quicker and get more money.Prices are already being driven down by some WFPoler`s especially on commercial,it takes less time WFP therefore you can earn more, give me strength soon it won`t have been worth going WFP.

[windowwashers]

I`m getting the feeling there`s a few thick people on here from time to time,WFP clean em quicker and get more money.Prices are already being driven down by some WFPoler`s especially on commercial,it takes less time WFP therefore you can earn more, give me strength soon it won`t have been worth going WFP.

NWH, there will always be window cleaners and people that own a window cleaning business, if the latter understood business this would not happen, but thats competition for you

[NWH]

When a lot of people went WFP there was never ever any talk about being able to do the job cheaper than the next WC,it`s only now because you can do a lot more work with it people are running out of work or getting through it quicker and need more.Saying it`s competition is rubbish all your doing is driving prices down,we`ll be back to prices we were charging ten years ago soon only we`ll be doing them quicker.

[mark dew]

i have quite a few customers who comment on how little time i have spent cleaning their windows. It's all good as long as the windows come up fine though.
What is the point in being quick if you lose the benefit by cutting prices?

[NWH]

i have quite a few customers who comment on how little time i have spent cleaning their windows. It's all good as long as the windows come up fine though.
What is the point in being quick if you lose the benefit by cutting prices?

No point at all,i`m glad i`m not soley commercial as it`s getting cut throat to say the least there`s 3-£400 jobs being done for almost half that amount.

[NWH]

Ewan looking at 1 of your above posts you`ve come to the conclusion that if it takes you half the time you charge half the money.So what benefit has WFP been to you not including the obvious safty aspect please,by the sound of it your out doing the same amount of work still these days for the same money and don`t say your not cos that`s what your saying above if you read it.

[NWH]

No it dosen`t at all,i don`t need to work cheap or worry about losing work by the sounds of it you do.

[mlscontractcleaner]

Ewan, you may have come up with a way of driving all traditional window cleaners out of business, we simply half our prices and nick all of their work!!

Come on, it's brilliant. There's no way they could compete and it's all your idea; you're a genius man!

I charge a fair price for a quality job. If I wasn't I'd loose customers to a traditional guy working at a more "realistic" rate of knots. I'm not. My customers are happy, I'm picking up more and more work and that is a fair indication that I'm doing something right.

You're a business my friend, not a charity!!

[Wayne Thomas]

WFP cost more than trad because of:
* investment
* consumables (resin, cheap poles,etc)
* equipment (tank, heaters, expensive poles, RO's, etc)
* extra wear & tear on vans because of extra weight
* extra fuel to carry the extra water
* extra time to fill up evenings, check the water quality, repair equipment if necessary, change resin,etc

Ideally a wfp w/c needs to earn a third more than a trad guy just to break even financially in comparison.

Why would anyone wfp charge less, that's just stupidity. Even if you don't charge more the only profit you'll make is the time saved minus the running costs of wfp and that's not taking into account all the extra time required with wfp. The majority of trad w/c's don't clean frames so wfp has a unique selling point apart from safety which should be reflected in the price of a full clean when quoting to new customers.

[mlscontractcleaner]

Ewan, this is my understanding of the two words you're confused with.

Quality: The standard of my work is such that I receive no complaints; indeed I tend to receive recommendations on a very regular basis, which I feel reflects the QUALITY of my work.

Fair: This is an easy one. I charge a price that I'm happy to work for. It has to cover my overheads and still leave me with a profit margin worth getting out of bed at 4am for. If the customer is happy with that price too, it must be a fair one.

Now Ewan, is there anything else I can help you out with my old mucker??

It was a bloody good idea you had though mate!!

[mlscontractcleaner]

And to you too my friend  !!

[Oakley Windows]

I`m getting the feeling there`s a few thick people on here from time to time

 

[Oakley Windows]

Having just read a post on here I can't help but feel a little confused by some of the comments made. These comments were made by a traditional cleaner and went along the lines of a  window cleaner using wfp should charge less than he was charging using a mop and squeegie due to it not taking so long.

Sorry to sound greedy fella but this is how I see it.

Before I took the plunge and invested rather heavily in a WFP set up, a move carried out to improve my business and progress, I did a very good job and had lots of very satisfied customers.

I now use WFP almost exclusively, and still do a very good job and still have lots of very saisfied customers. Not one of them has questioned the amount of time it takes to clean their windows, indeed they usually end up with a better job being done as I run the brush over the whole of their front door, etc, making them even more happy than the were before.

So, my question is, why the hell would I charge any less tha before??

Why would I invest heavily to charge less??

Why bother changing at all??

Now, I'm not a new window cleaner, having got into this job in 1991, so I've been around long enough to have a clue as to what I'm doing, and I can only assume tat this fella was having a bad day, a blonde moment, call it what you will, but I really do think that he should take a good look at his business and ask why he goes to work each day.

There, rant over, I feel better already!!

Thing is if WFPers changed their pricing structure after going over to WFP from trad all the trad cleaners still cleaning that way would be priced out the market as the WFPers would be able to charge less than them as they could do the same work but quicker, then the trad cleaners would be moaning about that too   

[Jewel Cleaning]

EXAMPLE:

I have a customer that I charged £25.00 to do trad. it took me an hour. £25 p/h


WFP is twice as fast. So I still charge £25 for the job, but earn £50p/h.


I don't put my prices up because I've invested in WFP, but I make more money because it's quicker.