[ftp]

Every man and his dog seems to be trundling about in his flashy van these days so I wondered if compact rounds are a thing of the past? Patches seem to be going out of fashion which means any newbie will always get the scraps if not buying an established round.
I have sporadic bursts of compact work but mostly it's pretty spread out.

[GWCS]

I prefer travelling around so im not bothered. I charge per hour on each job, and i charge well, so i get the better paying customer, generally in the country.

But i have noticed that there are many guys fighting (not literally) for the same work in housing estates.

[pingu]

Have to admit I also prefer not to have a compact round...I do like to change the scenary.


Dave.

[wozzza007]

I have a bit of both and I much prefer to travel a little to break the day up. I charge by the hour and i feel it works better in my area, but that could be diff for sombody else.

The work I have that is cul-de-sacs or rows of houses gets worked all the time by canversers who are trying to gain work. So that tells me two things. My pricing is right and they like the job I do.

[seandyer2003]

Mine is mostly compact, but in the areas i work , although they are a higher demographic (loaded ) They are still pretty compact being in manchester / suburbs of, so no one would really consistently pay an hour for a 20 minute job etc, but i do have one or 2 that are like that, but 99% on top of each other, its boring sometimes but ipod keeps me plodding, and so does the $$$$$ or should it be £££

[NWH]

Most think that a compact round is the best my oipinion is it`s not always,i prefer to spread my net over a wider area as i find i pick up a different types of work ie commercial domestic.If you charge £5 for a house in 1 area you might go to another area for the same type of house for £10.

[bad trippy]

could customer swapping be the answer?

[leapstallbuildings]

My round has some very compact parts in it but I'm happy to spread it wide for several reasons.
1)  If someone comes around undercutting and succeeds (less likely if you have had the customers for quite a while), you will notice it but the damage is probably limited.
2)  I like a change of scenery.
3)  It gives the leisure battery a chance to charge.
4)  If you get a troublesome customer, getting rid can be trickier on compact work as they may be able to influence their neighbours.

[martinsadie]

all compact around here

[brighouse_wc_trad]

all compact on same streets. don't like driving around, like to get ipod going and battering off house after house.

[seandyer2003]

all compact around here

Id imagine yours is like mine stan 

I dont see why you guys want to drive around, if your houses were closer you could go home earlier and do same money ??

weird

[Clive McDonald]

Very interesting idea ftp, and i think you are right.

Compact rounds are finished, 6 to 8 weeks is increasingly the norm, and people want additional services more.


I know there are compact 4wk guys on here, but anyone looking for a strategy that involves what people want needs to think about this.

[EZclean]

6-8wks is becoming the norm... i dont think so, not on my work anyway.
yrs ago my dad and uncle used to do fortnightly cleans, my uncle still does a few areas like that round clitheroe, and Stan The Man does too.
then things seemed to change to 4weeks for alot of w/c's.
would need to increase half of your work again to cover for the changes in frequency of 6-8wks.

[Sapphire Window Cleaning]

I'm noticing that more people are opting for 6-8 weeks rather than 4, Its a pain in the rear as I need twice the amount of work, but on the upper hand I charge a little more for 6 or 8 weekly. 

[pingu]

Does anyone else just get bored with house after house in the same roads....I have around a days work where this is the case and it just drives me nuts...I prefer to do a couple of houses..pack up...move...do a couple more...

Cheers
Dave.

[cozy]

No Dave, alot of my stuff is rows of houses, but I think of the money as I am investing in new carpet cleaning mashines. I find if I have a target to aim at for a definate reason, then it pushes me on.

Having said that, if I had the same areas all the time with no change then I think I would get bored easier. Although as you know, we all have great, good and just plain crap days.

I can't really comment on compact rounds, as all the squaddies live in compact estates. Doing German custies is alot different as they take longer and are sometimes miles apart.

I suppose some like routine and some hate it. I like abit of both. I also do collecting and I know alot of you guys don't, but I enjoy contact with my custies, well most of them :

[martinsadie]

all compact around here

Id imagine yours is like mine stan 

I dont see why you guys want to drive around, if your houses were closer you could go home earlier and do same money ??

weird

park car at 8 and dont move it till going for dinner,why keep loading up

[matt]

most of my days i do not move the van once, its nice, as whilst i am sat in the van, i am not earning

[dai]

most of my days i do not move the van once, its nice, as whilst i am sat in the van, i am not earning

Same here Matt. The big plus with highly compact is you can ward off competitors. I can make good money at 5.50 or £6.00 per house when they are all next door, on open plan estates, it's really not worth someone else coming there for that price if they only have the odd one.

[seandyer2003]

I think the compact not compact thing is another north / south divide haha