[bobplum]

hi
im looking for some input from anyone who as gone from 4 weekly cleans to 6/8 weekly cleans
how did you do it? overnight,slowly
did you create an extra two weeks of work or just spread the existing work out and so on and so on
all input accepted
im giving it some serious consideration
cheers bob

[roundbuilder]

i dont understand why you want to change from 4 weekly to 8 and to have to find another 4 weeks work when all you will be doing is earning the same. I recently changed mine from calender monthly to 4 weekly and had no probs. Unless i have read your post wrong i realy think its a waste of time going from 4 to 8 weekly.  madness

[♠Winp®oClean♠]

Yes, I went from 4 to 6.

Got fed up of the "you back already"  "doesn't seem 2 minutes since you were last here" comments on 4 weekly. Got to admit though, it does seem to short an interval, especially when you are charging well too.

To be honest I let it happen naturally, just took more work on untill it got to 6 weeks (on the odd occasion it may be 5 weeks for some jobs). Don't ever get comments now about being too regular. It suites me better too, bit more flexability.

[roundbuilder]

i never get comments saying im to early etc. Sounds like to much hard work for me adding an extra 2-4 weeks of work just coz a few customers comments. But hey it worked for you so top respect to you. The only jobs i dnt mind being 8 weekly are the bigger houses and then that annoys me as isnt 4 weekly but beggars cant be choosers the old saying goes.

[♠Winp®oClean♠]

My comments above are for domestic work, commercial is on the button as agreed.

[lee09]

Hi
My new quotes are mainly 8 weekly with a lower priced 4 weekly and higher priced 12 weekly, but there is the option for them to decide
I used to offer 4 weekly only but found a percentage of custies would moan that they were still clean. 8 weekly is more flexible though if your a day or two early or late, they don't seem to notice
I think the industry is and will have to change. The old girls on my round that would go cold in the winter so they can keep their window clean, are very different to the younger professional people that would not know a clean window if it fell on them!
We have to be aware of our target market and it's changes.
Lee

[Paul Coleman]

It was a bit easier for me.  I used to do monthly but ended up taking on far too much so I made 6 weekly the norm.  It's easier really (if you have enough work to do it) because it drastically reduced the "not today" stuff.  It also made it easier to do the work at all the same intervals (mostly) because someone who is asking for 8 weekly is more likely to agree to 6 weekly with longer intervals in winter (often 8 weekly anyway).  If someone wants 8 weekly (or 2 monthly) and you tell them it normally works out at 7 cleans per year then they will usually be fine with that.

[lcwalker]

I alway surgest to the customer 6 weekly as i think they would change to that after a while if i was doing them 4 weekly.IMO 6 weekly is about right 4 to soon 8 to long.

[Smudger]

we do 4 8 or 12 weekly,

if i started again i would do 6 or 12 weekly as i think 4 is quite a short period of time, however 80% of custy's are 4 weekly and seem happy with that so thats hows its going to have to stay,

not sure how 8 weekly is more flexible ?     a clean date is a clean date not a few days either way 

Darran

[lee_dewing]

Winp®oClean
 and icwalker are on the money as far as i'm concerned.

i'm 5 weekly, does take 6 weeks at times am planning to get a bit more work and just do 6 weeks

as said 4 weeks "not you again" and 8 weeks to long you'd need to get a double round.

just eek it out tell those who want 8 weeks that in time you'l be 6 weekly.

I tried 4 and 8 weeks and i was always late the 8 weeks ended up being 10 weeks as if a 4 and 8 weekly custy in the same road you'd end up doubleing back and doing 4 and 8 out of sink.

the idea of 4 and 8 weeks is the 8 is everyother time but had the probs mentioned.


keep it simple in my opinion all custy's on same rota if they want it different, i can not help unless it's a real big place ie £40 plus job.

goodluck mate and at the end of the day do what is right and best for you!

[lee_dewing]

ps
due to ecomnic climate i've had a few say everyother time i just say i'm not monthly, it's nearly 6 weekly and 12 weekly windows would be to dirty

had none cancel (yet) i think people just try it on.

they think all trades men are struggling, had some say i bet you've had a few cancelations.

I just say i lose the odd one but always pick up more, will soon have to have a waiting list

[chopsie]

I have got some areas on 6 weekly and everyone sems happy with that.then other areas  with a choice of monthly or bi-monthly,monthly seems too much imo,but if thats what they want,I may go onto 6 weekly only as it seems to be accepted quite well,but i think a range of options is best.I work calendar month by the way

[prestige cleaners]

thankfully when i started my round it was all 8 weekly, but also double the price, as its not much use if they still pay you about £10. i still get the "is that time already" mind, its surprising how fast the time goes. i would recommend it especially for illness, the big freeze, as long as you only work 3-4 days a week, you can claw it back if you fall behind.

and cuts down on not todays, but i do have one who wanted it monthly, now is on 3 monthly as she says their still clean?

[Blue Frog Systems]

Im starting out again soon (new area) and am going to offer 4 or 8 weekly as i have always done.

Will change this to 6 or 10 weekly if my plans come together though.

I have 1 job thats 12 weekly, but thats quite a large house and well priced.

[AuRavelling79]

A lot of my stuff is monthly and a lot is every two months.

My monthly stuff originates from when I was trad and is mainly lower priced and compact. My two monthly is from when I started getting new custies when i went wfp in 2005/6 and I made it a selling point at a higher rate per clean.

In fact two small estates with about 30 houses each I changed from 4 weekly to 8 weekly to raise the prices by 50% and go less often.

I even have a handful of custies who are monthly in summer and every two months in winter as I have less cleaning time in November through January than in the Spring and Summer.

[bobplum]

i would like to thank everyone for their input
i think the customers are changing from 4 weeks,especially the "younger" types and looking to get windows cleaned at longer intervals ill take on board everyones comments and hopefully come up with a plan
many thanks
bob

[John Walker]

Late comment but I went from 4 weekly to 5 weekly. 

I am not cheap and in this economic climate I was for the first time in 6 years getting comments like 'is it that time already!' - 'not sure if they really need doing' etc.  I must admit that at 4 weeks they were still very clean.

I didn't want to go to 6 weekly so I compromised.

As I often went to 5 weeks unplanned (weather/holidays) I decided to change - so 5weeks is my default interval for domestics.

No more comments and at least it looks like they need cleaning with the extra week

[daz1977]

have decided that i am going to 6 weeks,  as my 2 months can get it done every 6 weeks, have worked out that it will be 8 cleans a year, sure i need more work but thats life


i also find the 4 week boring, as i seem to be doing the same houses all the time  and hopefully 6 weeks will help break it up

[Tom White]

Late comment but I went from 4 weekly to 5 weekly. 

I am not cheap and in this economic climate I was for the first time in 6 years getting comments like 'is it that time already!' - 'not sure if they really need doing' etc.  I must admit that at 4 weeks they were still very clean.

I didn't want to go to 6 weekly so I compromised.

As I often went to 5 weeks unplanned (weather/holidays) I decided to change - so 5weeks is my default interval for domestics.

No more comments and at least it looks like they need cleaning with the extra week

I'm going this way too.  I prefer well priced cleans at two monthly intervals; I find I can charge well for these - normally detached houses in the country - and the customer is happy to see me.

For my urban work, I think I'm pretty much on the edge of what I can charge, so I don't want to be toooooo regular, because it just annoys the customer; or it annoys a small percentage of them; or at least it's my perception that it annoys them; I don't really know to be honest.

I just feel it would be better to have a longer cleaning interval than monthly for well priced domestic work.

[Ryan @ Transparent, Carlisle]

4 8 or 12 weekly for me.

will stretch to 16 weekly if its a big un £60or more.....

anything more than 16 is priced as a 'one-off'

im running a business. MY business. and if they dont want to agree to MY terms, then there is other window cleaners they can ask