[james44]

Some of you guys just don`t get it, the window cleaning business model is stuck in a time worp.

Some of you have a window cleaning round, and some have a window cleaning business

For years anybody starting a window cleaning round are told build up a steady round of regular customers, this is all very well but how many on a yearly basis want you to do extras like gutters, facias,paths etc.

I was talking to a domestic cleaner yesterday who i know very well and was asking her how her business model was set up,

Well they have there regulars, one off`s and are always getting referals,

this person has in the past,has past on about 60 customers to me customers who only wanted them done now and again and i still do them now customers understand ther is a premium for one off`s it dont stop them calling you,

Now as i said talking to this cleaner made up my mind window cleaning can run in a simular way,

When she first started up her target was for regular customers she then got one off`s and referals it got to the stage she was getting to much work and turing it down,

not now because she has took on extra staff,

Thing is she used to pass the window cleaning side on to me but she now takes this on herself because it is becoming a big add on to her business,

I keep hearing window cleaners moaning about customers that look down on window cleaners,

Why is that! they don`t look down at any other cleaning service house cleaners etc do they so why window cleaners could it be the way our business model is run

I mean any other sevice customers require they phone for  they don`t with window cleaners because they have there regular cleaner some customers want this some don`t but keep them on incase they can`t get an other,

Well what if customers wanted a window cleaning service where they could just phone up like every other cleaning service and not be tied to service they don`t really want

Now i have about 240 customers of which about 50 want extras like gutters, facias etc

If i have customers phone me up for a one off clean and i can get gutter cleaning, facias as well its more work in what i would have had,

I see some window cleaners are saying you won`t get this and you won`t get that in my area, this is rubbish i work in an area with the £4/5 mob i have a few £10 houses

Thing is some run a window cleaning round and some run a window cleaning business,

What you have to realise window cleaning as we know it is changing its not just about wfp that is just a new way of cleaning a new tool,

Now i know a lot of people have new sign written vans company t-shirts the lot they only thing that has not changed is the business model this has to, some customers will always look down on window cleaners until we bring it into the 21st centuary

Customers should have the right to phone a window cleaner of ther choice and window cleaners should have the right to work where they want,

if a customer phones me to have a service done at there house i will do it, i as in the past have turned this work down because am told that a certain person owned that area, not now this is the only cleaning service that this applies to no other service runs this way,
Can you imagine if a customer phones a domestic cleaner  only to be told she can`t do her because someone owns her area get real we have to bring window cleaning into the 21st centuary or we will always be looked down on!   

[dazmond]

what a rant! .i suppose its up to u how u run ur business.i have 325 custys mostly monthly,a few small commercial. a lot of the domestic custys i do extras for annually/2 yearly like gutter clearing/fascia/soffit/conservatory roof cleaning.i monopolise certain areas as my work is very compact.if ive got time in spring and summer ill do the odd one off jobs but not very often!i prefer building up trust with regular custys that pay a half decent wage and i find they prefer me to do the extra jobs for them as im tried and tested!

sounds like u got a bit of a chip on ur shoulder pal.not got enough work yet?

[dazmond]

another thing window cleaning is NOT changing really.ok more wfp cleaning and maybe longer clean frequencies.but trad is still the main method of window cleaning on domestics and a lot of custys prefer trad AND itll always be around.stop trying to overcomplicate what is a simple business to run!

[james44]

(sounds like u got a bit of a chip on ur shoulder pal.not got enough work yet)

You could not be so wrong i have plenty thing is i move with the times, i was the first person to bring wfp into my area 2 years before everyone else (mike at cleantech will verify this)

people moaned about customers when wfp came saying they did not like change seems to me that it`s the window cleaners who don`t like change, and buy the way dazmond you are to cheap

[dazmond]

yeh ur probably right james.im upping all my prices every year in april and new work is priced higher.also i will be getting a van/wfp this year so that will need paying for!im learning to build a better business from the help off u guys!

best wishes

dazmond

[leapstallbuildings]

Some of you guys just don`t get it, the window cleaning business model is stuck in a time worp.

Some of you have a window cleaning round, and some have a window cleaning business

For years anybody starting a window cleaning round are told build up a steady round of regular customers, this is all very well but how many on a yearly basis want you to do extras like gutters, facias,paths etc.

I was talking to a domestic cleaner yesterday who i know very well and was asking her how her business model was set up,

Well they have there regulars, one off`s and are always getting referals,

this person has in the past,has past on about 60 customers to me customers who only wanted them done now and again and i still do them now customers understand ther is a premium for one off`s it dont stop them calling you,

Now as i said talking to this cleaner made up my mind window cleaning can run in a simular way,

When she first started up her target was for regular customers she then got one off`s and referals it got to the stage she was getting to much work and turing it down,

not now because she has took on extra staff,

Thing is she used to pass the window cleaning side on to me but she now takes this on herself because it is becoming a big add on to her business,

I keep hearing window cleaners moaning about customers that look down on window cleaners,

Why is that! they don`t look down at any other cleaning service house cleaners etc do they so why window cleaners could it be the way our business model is run

I mean any other sevice customers require they phone for  they don`t with window cleaners because they have there regular cleaner some customers want this some don`t but keep them on incase they can`t get an other,

Well what if customers wanted a window cleaning service where they could just phone up like every other cleaning service and not be tied to service they don`t really want

Now i have about 240 customers of which about 50 want extras like gutters, facias etc

If i have customers phone me up for a one off clean and i can get gutter cleaning, facias as well its more work in what i would have had,

I see some window cleaners are saying you won`t get this and you won`t get that in my area, this is rubbish i work in an area with the £4/5 mob i have a few £10 houses

Thing is some run a window cleaning round and some run a window cleaning business,

What you have to realise window cleaning as we know it is changing its not just about wfp that is just a new way of cleaning a new tool,

Now i know a lot of people have new sign written vans company t-shirts the lot they only thing that has not changed is the business model this has to, some customers will always look down on window cleaners until we bring it into the 21st centuary

Customers should have the right to phone a window cleaner of ther choice and window cleaners should have the right to work where they want,

if a customer phones me to have a service done at there house i will do it, i as in the past have turned this work down because am told that a certain person owned that area, not now this is the only cleaning service that this applies to no other service runs this way,
Can you imagine if a customer phones a domestic cleaner  only to be told she can`t do her because someone owns her area get real we have to bring window cleaning into the 21st centuary or we will always be looked down on!   

You are trying to tie in two things that are separate issues:
1) Whether or not to supply an ad hoc service (dial-a-clean).
2) Whether someone "owns" an area or not.

Totally separate issues.

What you propose re "dial-a-clean" would not be practical for most window cleaning businesses.  Indeed, most would not be able to afford to run a business that way - even with enhanced rates.  If this were the norm, IMO it would put dopmestic window cleaning back into the dark ages as the only people (for the most part) who could afford to run a business that way would be the people who already have another job that has reasonable income guarantees - such as the postman, fireman, the 4 x 12 hour (4 on 4 off) shift guys at airports etc.  I'm astonished that someone who relies on window cleaning for an income is proposing this as a viable business model.  Even in the USA etc where big cleans may be carried out once or twice a year, the cleaners still have their regulars - it's just that because the regulars are less frequent, they may need more customers to make it pay.  Possibly not though.  If you take a full clean (windows in and out, bug screens, facias, soffits downpipes, whitework) as being a one day job, you would need one customer per working day throughout the year - about 240 customers in all.  Charging them say, £200 average, for a day's hardish work would supply a turnover of about £48,000.  Let's be a bit conservative and say £40,000 to allow for down time, a bit of sickness, a bit of extra break time, vehicle problems.  So that sort of model is workable I suppose - though there could be hassle in arranging access sometimes and you would need to tie a customer in by contract as a "not home" customer equates to a days lost income as it's all pre-arranged.  Texas Girl would be the one to ask about that I guess.  However, the model I've written about is very different to what you are proposing and for anyone to attempt to compare them would be a misrepresentation (possibly an unintentional one though).
The only time I've ever heard anyone else enthuse about dial-a-clean was a guy who was on a BWCA marketing course about a year or so ago.  It's such an unusual hobby horse that I wondered if you were one and the same person? (his name escapes me).

[wezzy32]

i dont advertise a dial a clean but i do advertise a full valet service fac,guttering,window frames and windows on my flyers.
is this not  better than a dial a clean.?

[james44]

leapstallbuildings

(Whether or not to supply an ad hoc service (dial-a-clean).

So you are saying every other cleaning service runs a ad
hoc business yet! they are successful

no it was not me at the BWCA marketing course

[wezzy32]

at the end off the day its upto u if u think it would work well go for it.
as i say.... u dont know till u try

[leapstallbuildings]

leapstallbuildings

(Whether or not to supply an ad hoc service (dial-a-clean).

So you are saying every other cleaning service runs a ad
hoc business yet! they are successful

no it was not me at the BWCA marketing course

I'm trying to understand how you got from my post to what you have written above.  You seem to have written something that isn't related to what I wrote.

You say:  "So you are saying every other cleaning service runs a ad
hoc business yet! they are successful"

The term "every other cleaning service"can mean "one business in two" or it can mean "every business apart from my own".  Or you could mean "every type of cleaning service other than window cleaning".
You also seem to infer that I said that they were succesful.  Not sure where I wrote that.  I did make a reference to a theoretical USA model that would be based on "regular but infrequent" rather than "ad hoc".

Your meaning is totally unclear to me.  I'm not dense.  I just don't know how you understood my post to mean something very different from what I felt it meant.

Also, maybe bear in mind that it's also about providing a service with the least hassle to the business operator.  If I had given all my customers exactly what they wanted over the years, I wouldn't still be in business at all because some of the requests have been non-compatible with a viable business model.
One of the big plusses (IMO) with window cleaning, as opposed to other visiting services, is that there isn't this constant hassle of chasing after new work once you've built it up to a certain point.  The dial-a-clean model could cause this to change.
Don't get me wrong.  If you can live OK on a certain income which drops off massively in the winter and maybe have other strings to your bow, it might just work.  Indeed, if I were in a similar position to where I was 20 years ago it might have worked for me too.  If I tried it now with mortgage and other debts, I reckon it would cost me my home.

[james44]

no sorry if it came across that way,

what i am saying is domestic cleaners, carpet cleaners run there business this way some are very successful and they still have there regulars and they have quite periods, as i have said on an other forum tilers are now plumbing, plumbers are now tiling, domestic cleaners are now cleaning windows, do window cleaners just clean windows

[formb]

I have 10 staff. If one of them came home with £90 for a days wor I'd boot his ass. Stick to regular customers, There are plenty out there.

[james44]

Formb that was just an example what i am saying there is a lot of work out there to be had customers just don`t know who to phone, i am not saying walk the streets knocking doors for work this was to test if dial-a-clean could work the whole idea is they would be phoning you as they would any other service
every other cleaning service can and does operate in this way and some are very successful

[formb]

Any 1 off cleans that I get requested I try to put them off by charging travel at £1 per mile (there and back)+ £25 call out + price for windows. I find this will usually convince them to go regular. What you want is them and their next door neighbour and theirs and theirs and so on.

One off cleans tend to take up lots of time. Spend that time putting leaflets through all your customers next door neighbours. Time well spent.

[R W C™]

Theres a guy round here walking round with a bucket and ladder knocking on doors offering there windows to be cleaned there and then, as soon as he got enough money hes off to fill his syronge and get as high as a kite.

[daniel worgan]

Theres a guy round here walking round with a bucket and ladder knocking on doors offering there windows to be cleaned there and then, as soon as he got enough money hes off to fill his syronge and get as high as a kite.

Thats a bit unfair to compare the guy you know with the possibility of a new concept service for window cleaning.I doubt very very much that anyone trying to make a go of a dial-a-clean would walk around the streets with their equipement.
The idea,like any other business idea has potential but also has a lot of downsides to it.
I personally think that this could work if thought about correctly to be able to achieve a suitable turnover.
We all know that we are onto a winner with regular customers,after all that equates to a regular income,but can you tell me what other trade has a regualr customer base?
A carpet fitter may earn £25 plus an hour,same as a tiler,maybe a plumber would earn that or more...but they all have to find new customers.
By the way i dont know what they earn,but what i am trying to say is that they look for work it doesn't just land on their doorstep.
I think there is potential in this concept,and i know for certain that many customers would like their windows cleaned when they want them cleaned not  when we decide to clean them.
It just needs to be refined to make it viable.....

[prestigeclean]

james44 , you obviously like doing first cleans so i will repeat my earlier offer , please come and do all my first cleans my average price is £16.00 and i,m sure my canvasser can get you at £500.00 of new cleans a week , lol , your so called business idea really does stink , surely after all the negatives that have been posted about your dial a clean idea you must realise how foolish you sound , wake up son before you ruin what business you already have , regards alan

[JRDEasiReach]

geoff and dazmond please take a look at my 2nd posting on the matter and then you will see that i then realised what the initial poster was referring to.  I will say though that i have done a few cleans so far that the customer has said she would get in touch when needed again, that i dont mind as its all extra in my pocket, i am aiming for new regular customers, whether they be 4 or 8 weekly i dont mind at the minute.

[leapstallbuildings]

no sorry if it came across that way,

what i am saying is domestic cleaners, carpet cleaners run there business this way some are very successful and they still have there regulars and they have quite periods, as i have said on an other forum tilers are now plumbing, plumbers are now tiling, domestic cleaners are now cleaning windows, do window cleaners just clean windows

OK, I get your drift now 
Thank you for clarifying as I found the earlier response ambiguous and unclear.
Maybe dial a clean could work if I were to command a similar fee to a plumber  e.g. someone wants their windows cleaned urgently so that's £50 callout fee and £50 an hour on top or if someone has a leaky roof and wants a few tiles replaced urgently so a similar fee (plus some more due to scaffold towers).  The trouble is that people just won't pay that for window cleaning - very few anyway.  Even if they did, it would  probably lead to a very erratic income and I find it erratic enough already - especially when there are winter freeze ups.  I have too many financial responsibilities to trust to enough people phoning me as and when they want their windows cleaned.  Also, I have no wish to diversify.  I did try this years ago but found it more cost effective (and simpler for my head) to specialise in one thing.  OK, so I'm a one trick pony but I prefer to keep the diversification for my personal life rather than for my income.  I suppose it's a matter of preference and how much financial responsibility someone has taken on.

[james44]

Prestigeclean

It`s not all about one off cleans if you read an earlier post where i was passed on 60 customers out of them i turned 28 into 4 weekly cleans other 22 8 and 12 weekly the other 10 did not whant them done again as they said i was to dear, but you get that with regulars as well,

What i am saying is by attracting one off cleans can and does lead to regulars