[Paul-J]

After 6 years as a trad window cleaner I've reluctantly called it a day!

I've found over the last few years the amount of window cleaners in the area has majorly increased, trad and WFP. I've gradually been losing customers to the WFP guys which encouraged me to invest in my business and take the plunge and get myself a system. However before I bought the system I thought I'd do a little market research and find out just how much compition there is.

What can I say, I was stunned to see so many WFP window cleaners in my area.....12! And that was in a 3 mile radius of where I live! God knows how many there are in the whole city (Bristol)?!

So that's pretty much it for me, far to much compition out there to warrant investing £££ and and losing to many customers to continue on as a trad.

Another one bites the dust

[paul rulton]

sorry 2 hear that m8  no chance u could build it up again? may b worth a try 

[daz1977]

have u lost a lot to wfp,

[chopsie]

If it really is the end,why not sell your round off to one of your rivals,after 6 years you must have a fair few customers?

[bad trippy]

sorry to hear that paul,if there is no pursuading you to stay on then i would be interested in taking your remaing customers off your hands for a decent price
Cheers
trippy

[Paul-J]

I suppose I could sell off my round but I really don't think I would get much for it.
I was speaking to one on my customers on Friday and she was telling me about how many leaflets and people banging on her door since christmas is just stupid!

[dazmond]

how an earth are you losing custys?you must be crap then!ive NEVER lost a custy to another newbie starting up in 16 years of trad cleaning.ive had guys canvass parts of my round twice this year and never lost one!!

1.you must do a crap job and be unreliable AND/OR

2.your way too expensive!

there is always competition everywhere in all businesses.most WCs are pretty crap round here so i always pick up new work.

i enjoy wc and no way am i giving up!in fact quite the opposite!change your attitude matey and get more professional in your business and itll start growing again!

[prestige cleaners]

chopsie he said hes lost them all!  :

sorry to hear that mate, hope you fair better soon

same down here i see a few newbies every month, we'll be working for peanuts b4 long

[bad trippy]

Paul im still building up my round, im in Bristol mate, heres my mobile number, im sure we can work something out as regards money
07887691058

[Moderator David@stives]

Paul

Don't be so defeatist, there is loads you can do to gain new work, there is tons of work in Bristol, you just have to go about a strategy to find it

Dont just count the wfp guys, how many are still trad ? probably not as many as you think, a 3 sq mile in Bristol is huge.

Dave

[chopsie]

chopsie he said hes lost them all!  :

sorry to hear that mate, hope you fair better soon

same down here i see a few newbies every month, we'll be working for peanuts b4 long

Think you need to brush up on your reading skills mate.He said he has been gradually losing customers to wfp.NOT that he has lost all his customers  : :

[dazmond]

my custys just put the leaflets in the bin!why would a custy jump ship paul if your doing a good job at a fair price? : :

[Paul-J]

Lol thanks daz! I've never had a single complaint about my work in the whole 6 years I've been doing this. I'm losing customers because of cleaver marketing, nice shiney leaflets and vans filled with flashy expensive looking equipment. I'm not saying I've lost all my customers but I've lost enough to notice

[Ste M]

how many did you have and how many have you lost?

[Ian101]

What can I say, I was stunned to see so many WFP window cleaners in my area.....12! And that was in a 3 mile radius of where I live! God knows how many there are in the whole city (Bristol)?!

29 window cleaners in my area Chester / Wirral / North Wales ... ive picked up 4 customers with under 2 hours of door knocking .... loads of oppertunity ... my area no where as near populated as Bristol .. keep going mate !!!

[davids3511]

Lol thanks daz! I've never had a single complaint about my work in the whole 6 years I've been doing this. I'm losing customers because of cleaver marketing, nice shiney leaflets and vans filled with flashy expensive looking equipment. I'm not saying I've lost all my customers but I've lost enough to notice

Why not compete instead of giving up? I drew a line in the sand at 260 customers sep 08 when the credit crunch was in full swing. I said that if I slipped 1 customer below 260 I would go out that very night and knock until I had 260 again. I now have 350.

[Ste M]

What can I say, I was stunned to see so many WFP window cleaners in my area.....12! And that was in a 3 mile radius of where I live! God knows how many there are in the whole city (Bristol)?!

29 window cleaners in my area Chester / Wirral / North Wales ... ive picked up 4 customers with under 2 hours of door knocking .... loads of oppertunity ... my area no where as near populated as Bristol .. keep going mate !!!

is that all the 'legit' ones then ian? loads of people probably not registered as well !

[Ste M]

Lol thanks daz! I've never had a single complaint about my work in the whole 6 years I've been doing this. I'm losing customers because of cleaver marketing, nice shiney leaflets and vans filled with flashy expensive looking equipment. I'm not saying I've lost all my customers but I've lost enough to notice

Why not compete instead of giving up? I drew a line in the sand at 260 customers sep 08 when the credit crunch was in full swing. I said that if I slipped 1 customer below 260 I would go out that very night and knock until I had 260 again. I now have 350.

now thats just being greedy

[davids3511]

 

[dazmond]

custys are not interested in shiny new vans etc.they just want clean windows at a fair price!at least they are like that where i work!i have been doing a lot of them for years though!

ok say you lost 10 custys.its hardly the end of the world!get out and leaflet and canvass in different areas!!

i cant stand defeatists!maybe you ve not got the interest to turn your business around?

ok if its not for you anymore sell it!but what are you gonna do instead?

regards

dazmond