[geefree]

Hi, its taken me longer than most to build up a decent round,

but from the outset , i decided i would target large detached, and large semis...... and insist on posting of cheques ,if not at home.

but i have been reading some of the leafletting posts on here, and it seems people pick up better numbers than me....

are you targeting anything..?. as i dont ...

i try to be selective when canvassing/leafletting...

i wont go near dodgy areas, where i think  i may be taken for a ride..

but sometimes i think i am over cautious....

i dont want big council estates..... i dont want a debate about this..... i just dont want them.... my choice...


i was brought up on one ( so i aint a snob) 



but am i being too selective...?

i thought eventually my round would be full of large decent properties.... and it is nearly....

but obviously its a slow build.

[chrisyg]

Exactly the same here, but you dont want to over commit yourself.

Take your time, look upwards, not sideways or down, unless you really need the money.

Concentrate on building your business the way you want it to grow.

[R W C]

I think your doing the right thing Gazzasp8, I could have a full round now but i only go for certain areas and propertys, when i 1st leaflet dropped every house in that road got one now id say 75% do, i look at access, parking, windows, frames etc.

[Davo]

Council prop aside, what does it matter what type of prop you clean (apart from access issues etc)

If the job gives you your minimum hourly rate it shouldnt matter, maybe you prejudge certain prop unfairly.

Mark

[sparklebright]

When I set up 6 years ago I filled up my time with anything, and then as I got new work I dropped the lowest or most inconvenient off the list. Full list almost straight away but left enough time to hunt out new work of course.

[s.w.c]

stick to your guns gazza. i only take on recomendation dont go knocking or what ever, im like you gazza, i would rather take longer getting it right, i do it my way and dont care what others say, i get told a lot by others that i should be grab in what ever work i can, i did that a long time ago when i started and got the crap jobs two it took me about 3 - 5 years later to correct my mistakes and start to get it where i want it,

[ftp]

Council prop aside, what does it matter what type of prop you clean (apart from access issues etc)

If the job gives you your minimum hourly rate it shouldnt matter, maybe you prejudge certain prop unfairly.

Mark

It matters to me - i might have to clean that dog poo infested hole for another ten years so i select the properties i want to clean and dump the ones i hate cleaning. Same goes for customers if i don't like their attitude then i don't have to work for them.

[Davo]

Council prop aside, what does it matter what type of prop you clean (apart from access issues etc)

If the job gives you your minimum hourly rate it shouldnt matter, maybe you prejudge certain prop unfairly.

Mark

It matters to me - i might have to clean that dog poo infested hole for another ten years so i select the properties i want to clean and dump the ones i hate cleaning. Same goes for customers if i don't like their attitude then i don't have to work for them.

FTP your 100% right, so long as you have your health and  your wife and kids love you, then what else matters eh!

Are you suggesting that the type of prop gazzasp8 cleans now doesnt have rude customers, slow payers or any dog s*ite??

[geefree]

Thanks for the input.

i do pre-judge properties... but not unfairly... i judge them mainly for me!...for the growth of a decent round,... for my benefit not the people in the houses.

i was once asked to clean a property by a neighbour,

the house was nice.... i knocked on the door, the girl was nice and respectable looking.....within 5 seconds i had told her sorry, but i had a full round and could not take anymore on.... i lied.

i quickly had a bad feeling about her... i dont know what it was,

anyway , the next month , i cleaned the neighbour, (my existing customer )....she asked me if i had called on the new house, if i was cleaning hers?

i said no,.... she said i dont blame you her last window cleaner was owed about 6 months money !!!!! but stressed she had promised her she would ask me to call.....

so i am cautious, i like to look at the people, as well as the properties.

[ftp]

Council prop aside, what does it matter what type of prop you clean (apart from access issues etc)

If the job gives you your minimum hourly rate it shouldnt matter, maybe you prejudge certain prop unfairly.

Mark

It matters to me - i might have to clean that dog poo infested hole for another ten years so i select the properties i want to clean and dump the ones i hate cleaning. Same goes for customers if i don't like their attitude then i don't have to work for them.

FTP your 100% right, so long as you have your health and  your wife and kids love you, then what else matters eh!

Are you suggesting that the type of prop gazzasp8 cleans now doesnt have rude customers, slow payers or any dog s*ite??

I don't know what Gazza cleans but that's the advantage of this job - you can be selective if you want to be and target the areas or houses you want to clean. No point in taking on work in crappy areas when you don't need to. If i can i much prefer the larger properties in the country with beautiful gardens to a dog crap infested council house full of chavs.
Cleaned any windows yet Mark?

[geefree]

i was thinking more on the lines of decent sized properties, better neighbourhoods, and in general better quality of work, payers...

but especially, less houses for more money, and a better working day.

[sageorgeta]

Gazza...go for building your round how you see fit.
I agree that selective properties is the way to go.....l
Why would you want to clean a council house with dog crap everywhere,two cars out the front with no panels on,a big fat lardy bird with skin tight lycra bottoms and two rolls of fat wobblying around her waste coming out and saying "scuse me mate,jew wan a cuppa"....

No thanks....stick to your guns.

[Davo]

Gazzasp8 whatever works for you, but there are customers who meet your criteria who live in smaller / different properties to the ones you currently target.


Ftp/Djw who mentioned council estates?, once again you demonstrate your difficulty in understanding what is actually being said.

As to the " cleaned any windows " I drive a car but i didnt build it, does that mean i cant drive? You need to deal with your issues and move on with your life. Maybe buy a copy of Country Life and look at pictures of the houses you could one day be cleaning.
( expecting your reply to be ..."my favourite colour is blue")

Mark

[pingu]

Gazza with both started around the same time and guess what...am in the same boat as you...but I think allowing time and space to be selected is not such a bad thing...rather than clogging up your round so full that you noether have time or capacity to enlarge your business as you want it...

Sounds like you are on the right path...as for me...I think that I will take another 2 years to be where I want....so 5 years sounds about right to me...

Cheers
Dave.

[ftp]

Gazzasp8 whatever works for you, but there are customers who meet your criteria who live in smaller / different properties to the ones you currently target.


Ftp/Djw who mentioned council estates?, once again you demonstrate your difficulty in understanding what is actually being said.

As to the " cleaned any windows " I drive a car but i didnt build it, does that mean i cant drive? You need to deal with your issues and move on with your life. Maybe buy a copy of Country Life and look at pictures of the houses you could one day be cleaning.
( expecting your reply to be ..."my favourite colour is blue")

Mark

Do you have eyesight problems? Gazza mentioned council houses, you mentioned council houses and i mentioned council houses.  :
The whole post was about being selective i believe.

[geefree]

I 

[Davo]

Gazzasp8 whatever works for you, but there are customers who meet your criteria who live in smaller / different properties to the ones you currently target.


Ftp/Djw who mentioned council estates?, once again you demonstrate your difficulty in understanding what is actually being said.

As to the " cleaned any windows " I drive a car but i didnt build it, does that mean i cant drive? You need to deal with your issues and move on with your life. Maybe buy a copy of Country Life and look at pictures of the houses you could one day be cleaning.
( expecting your reply to be ..."my favourite colour is blue")

Mark

Do you have eyesight problems? Gazza mentioned council houses, you mentioned council houses and i mentioned council houses.  :
The whole post was about being selective i believe.

Yes it was about being selective, including the bit that said DONT INCLUDE COUNCIL HOUSES...sheesh!!

Mark

[ftp]

Oh got it, selective reading seems to be your problem then.  :

[johns window kleen]

Theres nothing wrong with council houses, apart from the people in em.
 

[ftp]

Steady, we had one almighty debate before over these. I did say i didn't want to clean a council house full of chavs and dog poo everywhere. Everyone knows there are decent people about too (just not many round my way).