[davids3511]

Look if If I go out and quote on a job I quote what is worth to me, I do not care if they have an existing service provider or whether I am cheaper or more expensive. They have asked for a quote and they have got it at my price. Now if that upsets some of you sensitive little souls, go and get some paye work cause you clearly can`t handle it in  competitive service business.

How many of you are out there constantly changing your electric/credit card/car insurance provider for a cheaper one??? oh but thats ok is`nt it.

If I am quoting on a big contract and I manage to find out what they are currently paying and I believe I can comfortably do the work cheaper and still make a healthy profit, I will thank you. Do I care if it upsets my competitor? No, why cause it ain`t personal its business and it happens to me all the time, get a grip some of you.

 

You are correct and I fully agree with you but when you are undercutting you are not competing with EON or United Utilities. The local nutter may well be the guy you take the job from and a burnt out van, smashed front window or a good kicking will cost you more than any job will make for you (unless it is a very good job and that is a different story).

For an easier life I try not to take jobs from others and I certainly will not do any job cheaper. It would kill me to know they were paying the last cleaner £12 while I was only getting £10.00.

I read on here a while back about some guy who was called to give a price on an estate he had leafletted. He turned up to price one dark evening and two lads jumped him in an alley, kicked the crap out of him and warned him not to come back. There are nutters out there.

[elfords]

I agree mate in general, but how do you know the nutter until you cross his path eh. You can`t live life like that as you may never cross paths with the nutter, if you do deal with it then.

Of course you should`nt go out deliberately targeting a persons job to simply undercut him, but it will happen indirectly & my point is that should not stop you quoting, more fool you if you do as you will never get on in business with such an approach.

[sgibsoncleaning]

he is not undercutting, he is a quid cheaper than you.
there are parts of this BUSINESS i will never understand.
if your customer gets a quote and its cheaper than you charge the W/C doing it is undercutting scum. is there a supermarket forum out there with blokes from tescos saying that about asda because of the prices of tea bags.
ever thought you may be a Quid too dear?
this is a business not a social club, if i can put in a sensible quote i frankly dont care if they have a window cleaner and if i am cheaper or dearer than them. happy customer dont change, customer who feel over charged or cheated will seek other quotes.
the other one is "my patch"
again on the supermarket forum " tescos stop building new store as it is on asdas patch"
every street has potential customers on it, no window cleaner cleans every house in a road.
the new window cleaner gets wrong everytime for trying to increase his BUSINESS
i have heard stories over the years of window cleaners driving out other window cleaners. one picked up some shops that where unhappy the old window cleaner so the old one offered 4 months free cleans to drive the new one away. good and friendly i think not.
if you charge a sensible price and keep your customers happy you wont lose them to other window cleaners, the way some on here talk about how they behave towards them and the silly claims of hourly rates, it no wonder you lose customers.

[daniel worgan]

Well said steve...i dont think a lot of wc's grasp the concept of running a competative business.

[DMK115]

if you go round canvassing in a new area how are you supposed to know if youre undercutting anyone?

[G Griffin]

Look if If I go out and quote on a job I quote what is worth to me, I do not care if they have an existing service provider or whether I am cheaper or more expensive. They have asked for a quote and they have got it at my price. Now if that upsets some of you sensitive little souls, go and get some paye work cause you clearly can`t handle it in  competitive service business.

 

I would say the same, unless I knew and was friendly with the window cleaner concerned.  People like Squeaks, Ian_Giles, Elite_Mike, Tommo, and a few others I wouldn't quote for their work if I knew it was 'theirs'.

And I know for a fact that Ian_Giles has refused to follow up a quote for a factory unit of 'mine', which was nice of him (I am about 40% more expensive than what he quoted for it  ).  Though he did unknowingly undercut me on a domestic job; the bugger.

Ian needs to get his prices right! 

I think you`re worried about getting a kicking off Squeaky.

[Mike55]

Hi, KentKleen here, just to clear a few things up, I have been leafleting areas around Redcar with great response. I NEVER ask anyone IF they have a window cleaner I respond to text messages and phone calls and give out my quote!!!! You must be doing a good job if your customer is staying with you!! I am offering a service that includes the frames sills and doors cleaned every visit and alot of people have taken me up on that. 40 new customers last week!!Can you explain how I am undercutting?? 01642 290814 or 07938926125

Hi Kentkleen

Of subject a bit but I just wondered if you could give me some pointers on leaflets?  Do you use pictures etc or just keep it simple? 

Sounds like you've had a great response - how many did you put out to get a response of 40 customers in one week?

Cheers, Mike

[tom2009]

I have never delibratly undercut.

In fact, if a potential custy says "my current cleaner does it for £10" i will normally say "my price would be £13"

One customer who approaced me and asked for a quote told me that his current cleaners are charging £20. I told him £30.

He went for my price, because he had seen my cleaning the neighbours, and seen that i did the frames & sills.


If someone knocked on my custys and offered to do it a couple of quid cheaper, i am pretty sure that the majority of my custys would stay with me. as they know i am regular [they can set their watch by me ] and i make a good job 

Thats a good way of looking at it. Adding value to the whole industry rather than it dragging us all down.

[David Kent @ KentKleen]

Hi, Mike, yes great response, i have been out this afternoon with leaflets, delivered around 400 already got 5 new jobs from them ranginging fron £6.50 bungalow to £10 3 bed semi.
Very simple leaflet with my business name on top then explain that I clean all frames, sills and doors using a pure water cleaning system. Fully insured then my contact details, Make them myself on the pc, A5 size and can produce them for £ 30 per 3000
hope this helps
p.s for the 40 i delivered over 1500 leaflets and 11 of the 40 where friends/refferals from the original; work i picked up from the leaflets.
Its just a matter of leg work 
regards
Dave   

[suds window service]

how long you been going dave?

[David Kent @ KentKleen]

Hi, just since january.  did trad windy cleaning for around 4 years but had a break for a while. Are you busy there over in stockton?

[Mike55]

Hi, Mike, yes great response, i have been out this afternoon with leaflets, delivered around 400 already got 5 new jobs from them ranginging fron £6.50 bungalow to £10 3 bed semi.
Very simple leaflet with my business name on top then explain that I clean all frames, sills and doors using a pure water cleaning system. Fully insured then my contact details, Make them myself on the pc, A5 size and can produce them for £ 30 per 3000
hope this helps
p.s for the 40 i delivered over 1500 leaflets and 11 of the 40 where friends/refferals from the original; work i picked up from the leaflets.
Its just a matter of leg work 
regards
Dave   

Fair play to you Dave, that is a great return in anyone's book 

[suds window service]

Hi, just since january.  did trad windy cleaning for around 4 years but had a break for a while. Are you busy there over in stockton?

yea dont come over here all taken unless you want to canvass for me
given them results

[David Kent @ KentKleen]

think i have just been lucky and hit an area that needs some windys!! thanks 

[JRDEasiReach]

i never undercut at all and tbh 100% of quotes i have given to customers who were unhappy with a previous cleaner have been more expensive, im not aiming to be a busy fool by no means.