Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: roundbuilder on July 07, 2013, 11:03:15 am
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Im out canvassing in an area where the window cleaner is charging £6 for a semi or £8 with a conservatory.. Most people i know would charge £12-15 without the conservatory and £20 with conservatory.
This is in a nice area too. Its the difference in someone earning £100 or £250 in the day or 2k a month or 5k a month doing the same area and same work!, Or someone working twice as hard to earn the same!. £6 for a semi front and back wherever you are in the country is simply stupid.
Underpricing or not putting your prices up is business suicidal!.
Rant over!!!! :-\
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Im out canvassing in an area where the window cleaner is charging £6 for a semi or £8 with a conservatory.. Most people i know would charge £12-15 without the conservatory and £20 with conservatory.
This is in a nice area too. Its the difference in someone earning £100 or £250 in the day or 2k a month or 5k a month doing the same area!, Or someone working twice as hard to earn the same!. £6 for a semi front and back wherever you are in the country is simply stupid.
Underpricing or not putting your prices up is business suicidal!.
Rant over!!!! :-\
Totally agree.
But I've got to ask as its been bugging me since you put it up, you build rounds within a 60 mile radius of London?
Your signature shows 60 customers for £708. giving an average of £11.80. Is that not a little low for the home counties or is it another area of the UK.
My average in the midlands is just shy of £14
Tony
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I 9 times out of 10 only do fronts at£10 the round your refering to is what im buildning for my stepdad. He wants 10 £10 jobs a day which is what im delivering for him.
My priceing earns well over the average as can do 6/8 fronts an hour depending how compact they are.
My average is just short of £13 per house as a whole on my rounds but thats due to 90% being front only cleans which is what i targeted.
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Are you getting £10 for average sized fronts then Mick, sounds a good price, might try this myself rather than quoting for whole house. Guess you can earn more an hour doing lots of fronts in a row and most people are not going to mind forking out a tenner a month.
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Yes much more an hour doing front only cleans, £10 min for anything. All fronts are £10 nomatter how big or small and i price accordingly for the backs. Can hit 8 fronts an hour as opposed to 3 whole houses so as long as priced correctly doing front only cleans is a win win. Plus i get home early everyday too. Max pay for minimal work just what the doctor ordered.
Rarely does a customer begrudge £10 a month for the windows, frames and seals to be done regular on the fronts.
You should defo target some work like this. You wont go wrong as long as priced £10 fronts and you target the right areas.
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Great idea mate, by the way would you canvass as south as Romsey and surrounding villages, usually do my own but at the point now where i'm too busy to fit much canvassing in and too knackered of an evening. Nothing definite but might be interested at some point
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Yea id hit there for you, i have mates in brighton(straigh mates lol) so would stop off there.
Just let me know as and when mate.
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Cheers, will do mate
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theres a lot of greedy folk who want high prices and get upset when they come across a windie working at a lower price. the greedy cannot compete i have found
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Greedy is subjective.
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Its Not greed is it?? Its maximising profit at the end of the day. If folk are fine paying £15 then why charge £6?? Its madness.
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Exactly.
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You know if your greedy if customers keep cancaling on you and declining your price so greed would be as stupid as under charging
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I find it crazy how cheap some are, I go in with high prices and still get a lot of people saying 'you're cheap' and 'that's very reasonable' so what is the point in working for peanuts when most people expect you to be expensive.
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You've got it right if you secure something in the region of 60-65% of what you price. If you secure 100% you're too cheap. Nothing to do with greed. It's about what the market forces are prepared to withstand.
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How do you get away with doing fronts only .
Are they terraced or difficult access.
All houses here would want back and front doing otherwise they would find someone who would?
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https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10202128780640527.jpg
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How do you get away with doing fronts only .
Are they terraced or difficult access.
All houses here would want back and front doing otherwise they would find someone who would?
Yes terrace, mainly victorian terrace. I target houses with no rear access hence a ful round of front only simple cleans.
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Greedy is subjective.
idiot
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The main problem is new starters coming from various backgrounds setting up, and just being happy charging lower amounts compared to what some window cleaners expect.
I never price low, I am not in to gaining work and being a busy fool, I price accordingly to hopefully get the work, but do it to a high standard, safely.
It can be frustrating and annoying, but I think it will get worse.
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Greedy is subjective.
idiot
Lol
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You know if your greedy if customers keep cancaling on you and declining your price so greed would be as stupid as under charging
Even then its not greed,its simply overestimating what price the area will accept.
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To call others greedy for getting a better price is just a ludite attitude that is unfortunately a British throwback of the class system where others just hate to see people succeed and be successful
Darran
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lol so funny
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Obtaining a job at a higher price than others is a sales skill some don't possess. If you can do it good for you. Our average price is £32.00+.
Criticism of someone aiming for this and getting it is nothing more than the attitude of an idiot who obviously is inadequate in that dept of their business.
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The only people who disagree are the guys without the balls to price high enough or the guys who dont put there prices up. You get stuck in a rut doing work that is £5 or more out of date.
Remember i have canvassed all over the southeast from northampton to portsmouth and every area between i have been able to get good prices with good retention from happy customers as long as the window cleaners do a good job and happily accept my price.
Me and my team of canvassers have Never priced a house under £10 for the last 5 years so why are people still today only charging a silly £6 for a house is so beyond me??
Open your eyes gents its your own foot your shooting!!! In the long run it will effect things in the future by not putting your prices up for yourself and others pricing up new work.
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my average is £11, I charge £6 for a front which I think is a fair price.
What happens after 6 months or so is the customer thinks your too expensive and changes the clean to 8 weeks instead of 4.
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I signed up 7 in the area where a guy was doing them for £6/8 for the whole house! I got 4 at £10 front only 3 at £15 for whole house and 1 at £35 with conservatory and wanted inside of conservatory cleaned too.
£120 for 2 hours work cleaning 7 houses all in 2 roads.
The other guy who does the whole house for between £6 and £8 so for arguments sake say £7 as a medium would have to clean 17 houses to earn the same(a whole 10 houses more)which at 3 an hour would take just short of 6 hours so basically a whole days work including driving.
Who's the mug??? It surely isnt me.
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Obtaining a job at a higher price than others is a sales skill some don't possess. If you can do it good for you. Our average price is £32.00+.
Criticism of someone aiming for this and getting it is nothing more than the attitude of an idiot who obviously is inadequate in that dept of their business.
Fair play.
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my average is £11, I charge £6 for a front which I think is a fair price.
What happens after 6 months or so is the customer thinks your too expensive and changes the clean to 8 weeks instead of 4.
To be fair £11 average isnt bad going at all. My average is only £12 as i mainly do just fronts.
Do you not have a min charge though??if you let your customers know from day 1 min charge is £10 you would be surprised how many would accept it.
Answere to your question most of my work is 4 weekly and are happy when they see me and never queery the price! The ones who are on 8 weekly i dont charge more for like others do on her as they are the customers who cant afford it 4 weekly.
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pricing as "high as the market will take" is shortsighted. growth will be slow
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pricing as "high as the market will take" is shortsighted. growth will be slow
I don't follow... If yo price higher than the market will take, you won't get any wok.
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pricing as "high as the market will take" is shortsighted. growth will be slow
I don't follow... If yo price higher than the market will take, you won't get any wok.
exactly . if you price high generally,you are going to get a bigger rate of cancellers . likely you will need to canvass/advertize often to keep it all going
i know 1 or 2 high pricer types personally, they stay 1 or 2 man banders because
theres not enough cream paying jobs out there to allow them to expand off the
tools . a case study worth reading is the Earl of Elgin
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pricing as "high as the market will take" is shortsighted. growth will be slow
I don't follow... If yo price higher than the market will take, you won't get any wok.
exactly . if you price high generally,you are going to get a bigger rate of cancellers . likely you will need to canvass/advertize often to keep it all going
i know 1 or 2 high pricer types personally, they stay 1 or 2 man banders because
theres not enough cream paying jobs out there to allow them to expand off the
tools . a case study worth reading is the Earl of Elgin
But if you price cheap, you will never be able to expand because there will be no profit after costs. No point in having a dozen employees returning a few percent profit. It isn't worth the stress.
Besides, alone or with staff, I have no interest in retaining customers just because I am cheap. I would rather have a turnover at the higher price, even if it does mean an ongoing marketing spend. Each to their own though.
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pricing as "high as the market will take" is shortsighted. growth will be slow
How do you equate your thinking with us, operating for 16 years, average job price over £32.00 and employ.
We have never used canvassers and dont as a rule knock. We probably have one a month cancel. Out of 200 customers thats not bad is it in the current economic climate.
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well if youve been going 16 yrs and are still on the tools after that its not moving forward is it.
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well if youve been going 16 yrs and are still on the tools after that its not moving forward is it.
Ouch!
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pricing as "high as the market will take" is shortsighted. growth will be slow
See the ones without the savvy to price properly instead of underselling themselfs always shine up with a nevgative stupid post.
I hardly ever lose work maybe one job every 3 months which easily gets replaced by word of mouth and people seeing us out working, they all also accept the price.
I wouldnt want an underpriced heap of a round where my competitioon do half as much work for double the return?.
By underselling your selling yourself short.
Even me near on everyone accepts my price so maybe there is even more scope for me to get away with more who knows!!.
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well if youve been going 16 yrs and are still on the tools after that its not moving forward is it.
lol I never had any intention of coming off the tools. I like my job, I dont want to be sat on my arse worrying, I want to be out there on the coal-face so to speak.
Anyway, just try to answer the question, no need for digs, we all know why people do that, be rational, intelligent, its debate. Re-read it and answer it, its really simple.
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Im out canvassing in an area where the window cleaner is charging £6 for a semi or £8 with a conservatory.. Most people i know would charge £12-15 without the conservatory and £20 with conservatory.
This is in a nice area too. Its the difference in someone earning £100 or £250 in the day or 2k a month or 5k a month doing the same area and same work!, Or someone working twice as hard to earn the same!. £6 for a semi front and back wherever you are in the country is simply stupid.
Underpricing or not putting your prices up is business suicidal!.
Rant over!!!! :-\
Agreed mick! And your right to rant about it. I can't help thinking its down to having no self confidence! Or maybe someone trying to build a round asap?!
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well if youve been going 16 yrs and are still on the tools after that its not moving forward is it.
lol I never had any intention of coming off the tools. I like my job, I dont want to be sat on my arse worrying, I want to be out there on the coal-face so to speak.
Anyway, just try to answer the question, no need for digs, we all know why people do that, be rational, intelligent, its debate. Re-read it and answer it, its really simple.
you dont come over as somebody who craves being on the tools / im not diggin at you neither / the answer to the question about folk underselling themselves is that likely they still earn an ordinary crust at 6 quid a house , say they do 12 a day thats more than many folk earn isnt it
i think youve done very well to carve out a niche of plum £32quid jobs altho imagine some of the bigger ones are damaging your body
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I love being on the tools. I've worked outdoors all my life since I was 16. If i know one thing its that i dont want to work indoors. Initially farming, in the UK and abroad, then landscaping for 11 years now this. And it's by far the best career choice I've made.
Not sure how pricing work higher damages the body though ???
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big jobs are more gruelling because theres not the natural breaks that come in between . iv only about 10 what i call big jobs,old vic nursing homes and factories, even when iv a crew of 4 on the job we all hate doing them for that reason .
i understand where ur coming from when you say you love being outdoors and i do too - however i plan to be off the tools in about another years time rather than wait for a muscle to go pop or click
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Our average price is more a reflection of sales technique than size of property IMO. Which is why I was confused with the body being damaged. Maybe we just have a decent sales technique, I don't know.
Never under sell yourself. Someone said something in here to me when I was in the market for the new van we got. I was undecided which one to go for. They said something along the lines of 'don't ever lower yourself to the expected norm'. I've always had that attitude when selling our services. Glad I did with the van now too.
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Greedy is subjective.
idiot
Calling someone an idiot is usually the last resort of someone with a weak argument.
To massively oversimplify put it this way: If you have room in your schedule for say 300 houses, you can charge an average of £12 and earn £3600, or an average £8 and earn £2400. If you can earn the £3600 why wouldn't you?
Who wants to work hard for less money than they could? A mug perhaps?
It's not greedy to earn a decent living, it's not wrong to have a bit of dignity and not undercharge.
Believe in yourself a bit and don't undercharge because if you do then I think you'll be taken for a mug, it won't make you a better person just a poorer one.
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Greedy is subjective.
idiot
Who wants to work hard for less money than they could?
A tradder ;D
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Greedy is subjective.
idiot
Who wants to work hard for less money than they could?
A tradder ;D
;D... Here comes a trad vs wfp war :-X
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I wonder how many on here could honestly say they are getting 100%
of what they could be charging.
Charge £10 you might get £12 charge £12 and you might get £14 and so on.
I know people who would never pay £20 to have their windows cleaned put would
gladly pay £15.
So if somebody has got in first and taken all the £20 customers does that make the
person left with the £15 customers a mug.
A lot of guys on here think that if one person will pay a certain price on a street then
everybody will pay that price if pushed.
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P.S.
Trad gives better quality than wfp so should charge more. ;D ;D
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I wonder how many on here could honestly say they are getting 100%
of what they could be charging.
Charge £10 you might get £12 charge £12 and you might get £14 and so on.
I know people who would never pay £20 to have their windows cleaned put would
gladly pay £15.
So if somebody has got in first and taken all the £20 customers does that make the
person left with the £15 customers a mug.
A lot of guys on here think that if one person will pay a certain price on a street then
everybody will pay that price if pushed.
good point.
I said an average because even in a road of work there will sometimes be the odd house you do for a lower price cos you throw it in with the others cos you're there.
But to call someone else 'greedy' because they manage to charge more than you is just plain silly.
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P.S.
Trad gives better quality than wfp so should charge more. ;D ;D
p.s. WFP does a better job if used correctly and stays clean for longer. The windows on my customer's houses GLEAM. ;D
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the answer to the question about folk underselling themselves is that likely they still earn an ordinary crust at 6 quid a house , say they do 12 a day thats more than many folk earn isnt it
That in a nutshell is the problem as a business an ordinary is not enough to cover expenses and move forward. as a self employed person you need to cover the times your not working - rain days sick days holidays etc...
Darran
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the answer to the question about folk underselling themselves is that likely they still earn an ordinary crust at 6 quid a house , say they do 12 a day thats more than many folk earn isnt it
That in a nutshell is the problem as a business an ordinary is not enough to cover expenses and move forward. as a self employed person you need to cover the times your not working - rain days sick days holidays etc...
Darran
Exactly my point, how with all these low priced shiners are they saving for the future when they dont earn enough for day to day.
I did a bad job when i started out, not with underprincing but by being lazy and taking 2/3 days off a week and not taking it serious and got into debt and struggled daily with stress of not enough money coming in. Soon as i got focused and did a business plan for myself and followed it i found i had more money than all my mates and all my bills and debts were paid. If i didnt charge what i did(the norm) it would still be as if i was taking half the week off by losing out on so much.
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the thing is mick you can charge what you want to a degree!IF you look professional and do a good job! ;D ;D ;D ;D
i have lots of work ive picked up over the last few years which is much better priced than some of the windows cleaners around me BUT they dont clean doors or frames,cant clean windows above connys,velux windows,they dont do add ons like fascias,solar panels and roofs.
with the explosion of WFP that is slowly changing.most of us have undercharged at some point.usually when starting out and esp years ago when overheads were a lot lower when trad only.
and people do window cleaning for different reasons.some are older guys who top up their pension,others are trying to make a few extra quid on top of their regular job part time.others are supplementing their benefits,beer money etc.
i have 8 days of work that are very compact 3 bed semis.lots are under a tenner(i clean the backs as well as the fronts!)i would say these are underpriced but im slowly creeping them up.i earn ok off them and they are good reliable customers.
if you live down south and around the london area your going to charge a lot more as the cost of living is a lot higher(i know cos every time i go visit my brother who lives in wimbledon im shocked by how much everything costs!).
i wouldnt call people who charge less mugs.just as i dont call guys who charge a lot more greedy!
the truth is there is a vast array of different personalities,needs,attitudes,cost of living in different areas around the country etc that pricing will always we different.
and YES different prices in the same areas! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
best wishes to you all
dazmond
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Daz its not north vs south as im talking about work in the same roads with total different charges by window cleaners.
You run your business is verey well run and have you top equipment so fair play to you.
Imagine knowing you charge half as much as your local competition cleaning the same work and roads!. You would feel a right mug for doing so, or if you charge £15 for the houses on your roads but you know someone else does them for £6 you would think they were a mug.
Maybe mug is a bit harsh of a word to use but you get my drift right??.
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Daz its not north vs south as im talking about work in the same roads with total different charges by window cleaners.
You run your business is verey well run and have you top equipment so fair play to you.
Imagine knowing you charge half as much as your local competition cleaning the same work and roads!. You would feel a right mug for doing so, or if you charge £15 for the houses on your roads but you know someone else does them for £6 you would think they were a mug.
Maybe mug is a bit harsh of a word to use but you get my drift right??.
It also depends on the effort you put into the clean you could charge £15 and clean glass frames sills and
doors another guy could charge £6 and clean glass only.
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Mick in your first post you say charging £6.00 for a semi front & back is stupid .
Not having a go but define a semi is it 2 bed , 3 bed or 4 bed , I charge £6.00 to £7.00 for a 2 bed semi which is on the money for were i live in County Durham .
And i know i am more expensive than most window cleaners in the area were i work , I am pricing new jobs higher all the time by £1 or £2 , As like a lot of us i have under priced work that i am slowly increasing so by pricing new jobs higher .
I am taking the sting out of doing under priced jobs for myself . Mike
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ive got loads of work that is what you would call 'mug money' the thing is loads of mine is compact and probably smaller than your houses, my main differences are im happy with it all, i hit avery good hourly rate, but, the main thing is, i lose 5 of my houses for some reason say someone undercuts or oversells then it wont make a big difference to me, however, if you lost 5 of your houses then it would make a difference to you.
I dont feel the need to come on here an willy wave like you are here, good for you if you can oversell your work, made up for you well done. Your a canvasser yes? would i take you on? no would i fook simply cos i dont like being called a mug, youve come across here as a smug git so for me, im out ;D have a nice day
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Lol its hardly willy waving. If you read my first post properly im refering to working in the same roads an another cleaner charging less than half of what i do! To me he is a mug for going in that low when he couls be getting much more..
These are the norm 3 bed semis medium. The roads are dartford road and crayford road da1 if anyone knows the area.
I do believe £6 for a whole semi front and back is extreamly low, only my opinion though.
There are many wc who simply dont put prices up over the years or go in to low hence low prices. Maybe mugs is harsh but it is what it is at the end of the day.
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Its Not greed is it?? Its maximising profit at the end of the day. If folk are fine paying £15 then why charge £6?? Its madness.
And if folk would rather pay 6 not 15 and the window cleaner is happy with that that's his perogative ;D
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Dazmond and mick Kent,
Obviously none of us are mugs, we are just there basically providing a service, to hopefully earn us a living, and to enjoy the things that go with it.
The important thing for anyone is to accept what we are wanting from going out to work, then we can decide which direction we want to move in.
I can only speak regarding window cleaners around the north, of which there are possibly a lot more than down south per population, just my opinion, which in turn can drive prices down dependant on areas.
Mick, not for one minute would you get compact work up north like the areas in which you command your prices.
We all have goals, and want to hit them, but gotta be realistic
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Ok maybe i should have said down south then. My bad.
However i still feel im right with my way of thinking. I dont think i charge high at all as most accept my price, i just know i wouldnt be charging £6 when others are charging £12/15.
This was t meant to be north vs south prices. I just find it crazy that people in my area charge lower than what i did 10 years ago.
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Yes,
That's sounds about right, that's because possibly some people have come out of low paid jobs, and because they don't have to climb ladders to clean higher level windows, they jump on the bandwaggon
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Yes,
That's sounds about right, that's because possibly some people have come out of low paid jobs, and because they don't have to climb ladders to clean higher level windows, they jump on the bandwaggon
That makes no sense. It is the guys on ladders that tend to b cheap around here. The ones using wfp charge more because they have overheads.
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I think you are missing Micks point..
Why would you not seek out the top rate that the market will allow for your labours..
Its simple maths. charging half the money means twice the work for the same return..
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i thought i was charging top dollar last 2 years however started charging even higher in last 6 months and still getting the jobs ........ only problem now is my origional work looks underpriced ::)roll
starting putting up houses with connies then doing a normal price increase.
when pricing now before i open my mouth with price i stop myself for a split second and stick 2 or 3 quid on top of what i was going to say ;)
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8weekly,
I was saying because some people are scared of heights or climbing ladders ,they can now use wfp to clean higher level windows meaning they will work for less than what seasoned window cleaners will, pretty simple to understand
Not , doesn't make any sense
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8weekly,
I was saying because some people are scared of heights or climbing ladders ,they can now use wfp to clean higher level windows meaning they will work for less than what seasoned window cleaners will, pretty simple to understand
Not , doesn't make any sense
But if the seasoned window cleaners aren't afraid why do they need more money? Around here it is the guys on ladders that are cheap. That makes sense because there are no overheads. Family saloon and ladders. I can't see how wfp guys would be cheaper because they are afraid of heights.
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It happens
I wouldn't think a cow licking a bald head would make hair grow back, but it was on news years ago
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There is a fella round here, well known drinker, he has way over 500 houses and he signs on, works off ladders, gets his beer money for the day and goes the pub, he has 2 or 3 lads working with him at times an he pays them buttons and he charges on average £3 a house front an back, he has no overheads as ive never seen him with a bucket, he just wipes the dirt around.
Ive taken a fair bit of his work now and he aint bothered, never snarls at me or anything. i charge a hell of a lot more than him yet people still say yes to me, im not overly pricey but i hit what i need to hit to make my business work and its as simple as that.
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Yep,
That will happen, people generally prefer decent window cleaners who take pride in themselves and their work,
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The thing is...people are just different, think differently and have different aspirations.
Some guys are happy to charge a lower rate, make a wage, do a fair job and they are happy with their lot.
Others want to build a business; charge a premium for 'a better quality of work and service' and probably do provide a better service.
There is nothing wrong with either and both have their place. And I'm not knocking anyone.
I have lost customers to the 8 pound brigade, but that's what the customer wanted, so I just get on with it.
Set your stall out. Decide on where you want to be. Don't worry about anyone else.
I could go and buy a tiny Hyundai car for no money or a Range Rover for mega bucks. Both do the same thing!
If you're doing a good job and your customers like YOU (YOU), then let everyone else worry ;D
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It happens
I wouldn't think a cow licking a bald head would make hair grow back, but it was on news years ago
But you are the one trying to make a logical connection between wfp and a fear of ladders leading them to be cheaper. It maybe that wfp guys are cheaper, but it ain't cos they are afraid of ladders. More likely it is that they can do 3 houses to a ladder guy's one.
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There is a fella round here, well known drinker, he has way over 500 houses and he signs on, works off ladders, gets his beer money for the day and goes the pub, he has 2 or 3 lads working with him at times an he pays them buttons and he charges on average £3 a house front an back, he has no overheads as ive never seen him with a bucket, he just wipes the dirt around.
Ive taken a fair bit of his work now and he aint bothered, never snarls at me or anything. i charge a hell of a lot more than him yet people still say yes to me, im not overly pricey but i hit what i need to hit to make my business work and its as simple as that.
Most of the windies I come across are like this around here.
Very few work alone because they couldn't do enough to make a living.
One I know makes around 200 to 230 a day with one employee who makes 45% of what he earns which is half the £200 so £45 or around £60 on a good day.
They spend nothing on equipment still walking around with a round bucket etc but happy for prices to stay as they are.
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Trad or wfp i have always priced the same so that isnt an issue in what i was saying. Would you still be happy working for the same money you was charging 10 years ago??
When i started in 2003 my average house price was £7. Now its £12 so on average goes up 50p a year.
Bare in mind 90% of my work is fronts at £10 so an average over the whole of £12 is pretty damn good.
Lowest job i do is £10 and has been since i joined this forum as a result from advice on this forum so how calm many folk still only charge £6 for a whole house.
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if i charged an average of 32 quid a house i would be out of business . i couldn't imagine any of my custys would pay that much... mind you i am from up north .( no money town)... even the local window cleaners commute
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My thoughts on the price debate are-
A wc can charge whatever he wants as there is no recommended price.
If someone comes to wc from a factory or other low paid work, it is more likely he will charge lower prices solely because if his background. He will work out he can charge eight quid a house and still get a lot more pay each week than on his old job. Result for him and his customers if he does a good job.
Someone who comes to wc from a "professional" background would never charge eight quid. They will price higher, again just because of their background. Result, good for him and his customers if he does a good job.
Where is the problem?
I price higher than some because I value my time.
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my average front is £7 lovely easy work until i read this
thread i never thought of deliberately targeting this work
with loads of victorian properties in a 2 miles radius of home,me
thinks this might change :)
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my average front is £7 lovely easy work until i read this
thread i never thought of deliberately targeting this work
with loads of victorian properties in a 2 miles radius of home,me
thinks this might change :)
Untill 2 years ago i didnt target them either, best thing i did to my business, total bread and butter work.
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I signed up 7 in the area where a guy was doing them for £6/8 for the whole house! I got 4 at £10 front only 3 at £15 for whole house and 1 at £35 with conservatory and wanted inside of conservatory cleaned too.
£120 for 2 hours work cleaning 7 houses all in 2 roads.
The other guy who does the whole house for between £6 and £8 so for arguments sake say £7 as a medium would have to clean 17 houses to earn the same(a whole 10 houses more)which at 3 an hour would take just short of 6 hours so basically a whole days work including driving.
Who's the mug??? It surely isnt me.
i would say the customers are the mugs, for accepting your overpricing ;)
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8weekly,
sorry but your imagining what I am saying ::)roll
What I said was, some people have taken up window cleaning because they can clean windows from the safety of the ground, rather than having to use ladders, where they maybe thought they where dangerous or possibly scared of climbing them, or heights.
I know what you meant though, because im dim aswell :-[
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if i charged an average of 32 quid a house i would be out of business . i couldn't imagine any of my custys would pay that much... mind you i am from up north .( no money town)... even the local window cleaners commute
I know, unbelievable, yet true. You couldnt make it up. Unbelievable what you can achieve when you set your mind to it despite your deepest doubts.
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if i charged an average of 32 quid a house i would be out of business . i couldn't imagine any of my custys would pay that much... mind you i am from up north .( no money town)... even the local window cleaners commute
I know, unbelievable, yet true. You couldnt make it up. Unbelievable what you can achieve when you set your mind to it despite your deepest doubts.
Thing is though how many do you do an hour of your £32 jobs?? If 2/3 then you defo have a winning round.
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According to your definition I guess we have a winning round then.
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According to your definition I guess we have a winning round then.
Top man!
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I reckon, when in a hole, it's best to stop digging. ;)
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Great idea mate, by the way would you canvass as south as Romsey and surrounding villages, usually do my own but at the point now where i'm too busy to fit much canvassing in and too knackered of an evening. Nothing definite but might be interested at some point
why do you want work in Romsey when you live in Essex ? Seems like every one in the south of England wants to come to Romsey. There's a bloke that's comes from Portsmouth 2days a month and I don't understand why surely there's plenty house in Portsmouth to do, don't get me wrong it doesn't bother me just don't understand why people travel miles when surely it's better to stay closer to home.
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Great idea mate, by the way would you canvass as south as Romsey and surrounding villages, usually do my own but at the point now where i'm too busy to fit much canvassing in and too knackered of an evening. Nothing definite but might be interested at some point
why do you want work in Romsey when you live in Essex ? Seems like every one in the south of England wants to come to Romsey. There's a bloke that's comes from Portsmouth 2days a month and I don't understand why surely there's plenty house in Portsmouth to do, don't get me wrong it doesn't bother me just don't understand why people travel miles when surely it's better to stay closer to home.
I live in Romsey.. ???
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Sorry mate it's says on your location your in Essex .
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I used to mate, thought i'd changed that.
Are you in Romsey then mate?
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Come from Romsey but at the mo in north baddesley
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Another inspiring thread which many have taken the wrong way. Some will read this and will strive to achieve, others will see it as willy waving without wondering how it's done.
There's £££s to be had from some replies on here if people wonder how, instead of how not.
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Moaning at £6 a semi? If i charged any more id have no customers... I can do 4/5 semis an hour at £6 that's £24/£30 an hour which is more than enough.
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Moaning at £6 a semi? If i charged any more id have no customers... I can do 4/5 semis an hour at £6 that's £24/£30 an hour which is more than enough.
Where are you in the uk joey and how long have you been a wc?? If up north then fair do's as i can only speak for me london bound.
A lot of window cleaners simply dont put there prices up.. Like i said when i started in 2002 the round i bought was £7 houses which are now upto £12/15 houses with a min of £10 for a front if they are not in for backs etc going up £1 every 2 years.
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£10 a front???? Are you cleaning mansions lol? Im in Leicester midlands, been a window cleaner 3 years. For a 2 up 2 down semi front in charging £4, £6 all the way round all my cleaning is Trad too
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I have a round of £10 houses and they are all big detatched houses with massive conservatories, they have all got 13plate mercs on the drive... I do about 3 of them an hour. I suppose everything is more expensive in London though.
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I'm glad I don't live up north if you can only get £6 to do a whole house, I wouldn't even do a front for that. At the end of the day window cleaning is a luxury and from my experience most people expect it to be expensive and are more than happy to pay a good price for a good job done. These cleaners that offer a cheap service are of no threat to me as most people are aware that you get what you pay for and are happy to pay my prices as they know I do a great job every clean.
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No i only target terrace and semi's. I find it easy to get £10 front. However when i do full house On a terrace its only£12 and semi's £15 but with a bit of savvy i hit the ones with no rear access unless going through there house so can get £10 front and agree that when they are in ill come through to do backs which hardly happens they just get used to fronts done every 4 weeks.
I find your priceing verey low indeed mate.i defo couldnt trad 4/5 full houses an hour every hour 8 hours a day earning me £210 per day. If you on £850 a week trad on those low prices then fair play but think how much more you could be on if you priced higher??. Next time you go out canvassing offer your services for £10 min per house and make sure you wipe all seals and frames and pitch" unlike other cleaners in the area im proud of my work and dont leave bird poo and dirt after i leave so do the frames and seals all in the price so its great value too you".
Its all how you sell yourself, your business and the service your offering.. Better still go wfp and your 4/5 semis an hour will become easy reality.
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I'm glad I don't live up north if you can only get £6 to do a whole house, I wouldn't even do a front for that. At the end of the day window cleaning is a luxury and from my experience most people expect it to be expensive and are more than happy to pay a good price for a good job done. These cleaners that offer a cheap service are of no threat to me as most people are aware that you get what you pay for and are happy to pay my prices as they know I do a great job every clean.
Wise words from a wise man.
I couldnt agree more!! I like to work for what i believe im worth which is why i choose to be self employed.
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I couldn't justify £10 for a 3window front? I cant believe anyone would pay that much to be honest. I could clean 10 fronts easily in an hour, £4 a front £40 an hour all day long, i see £10 a front as extortion and to be honest would triple my tax bill haha!
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http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=3+bed+semi&tbm=isch&ei=Pf3iUc7OOKWG0AXQg4DYAw&start=20&sa=N#i=10
Take a look at that house, if the back was same as the front id charge £4 front £6 all round and would take me 10mins... Your tellin me your charge a £10 for the front of that and £15 all round? Cant get my head round that lol
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5th house down on the right on the google page btw haha :-X
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http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=3+bed+semi&tbm=isch&ei=Pf3iUc7OOKWG0AXQg4DYAw&start=20&sa=N#i=10
Take a look at that house, if the back was same as the front id charge £4 front £6 all round and would take me 10mins... Your tellin me your charge a £10 for the front of that and £15 all round? Cant get my head round that lol
Yes £10 for the front easily and £12-15 for the rear included. Windows doors, frames and seals for £10 is a bargain to the homeowner.
You undersell yourself joey.. Think outside the box and do more than your competition.
Trust me.
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Oh you are pricing for the frames too?? For that i charge double so £8 front and £12 all round, were not far off then, i assumed you meant glass clean and sill wipe which is the majority of my work! Haha
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Joey look at the old post i reserected from 2005 of min charges for then.
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I have a round of £10 houses and they are all big detatched houses with massive conservatories
???
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Id love to take you canvassing on my rounds lol. If i knocked 100 doors and quoted a £10 front £15 all round id get approx 0 new calls. £4 front £6 all round i normally get 1 in 5
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http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=3+bed+semi&tbm=isch&ei=Pf3iUc7OOKWG0AXQg4DYAw&start=20&sa=N#i=10
Take a look at that house, if the back was same as the front id charge £4 front £6 all round and would take me 10mins... Your tellin me your charge a £10 for the front of that and £15 all round? Cant get my head round that lol
Yes £10 for the front easily and £12-15 for the rear included. Windows doors, frames and seals for £10 is a bargain to the homeowner.
You undersell yourself joey.. Think outside the box and do more than your competition.
Trust me.
I even know people who are charging £3 fronts and 5er all round lol... I think region to region there's a big price gap. I know some pole cleaners who charge more than me but they are only a couple of quid more. Still cant get my head round a £10 front lol
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Id love to take you canvassing on my rounds lol. If i knocked 100 doors and quoted a £10 front £15 all round id get approx 0 new calls. £4 front £6 all round i normally get 1 in 5
Proof is in the puddin then. If your getting 1 in 5 accept your quote for such silly low prices of ££4-6 a house then id settle for the 1 in 100 that would pay me what im worth.
Your simlpy charging far to low if your getting 1 in 5 new customers!. FAR TO LOW.
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But what good is 1 in 100? Im not goin work to clean a house a road.... Id rather have 20 £6 houses on a road and earn £120 9 till 2 than treck around an estate doin one here one there
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I have a round of £10 houses and they are all big detatched houses with massive conservatories, they have all got 13plate mercs on the drive... I do about 3 of them an hour. I suppose everything is more expensive in London though.
Joey read what you've just put.
You're trad. You do 3 big detached houses with massive conservatories an hour. And you charge £10 a pop.
Come and work for me and if you can do three of those an hour all day long I'll pay you £12 a pop and charge the custy £20. Everyone's happy.
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I agree with mick. But i'm a bit of a mick kent fan anyway! However to be fair to joey he's a glass cleaner! He said he doens include frames right joey? So i doubt very much you include doors either?
I'm not having a dig by the way, each to there own!
I live in lincolnshire by the way joey, which isnt a million miles from Leicester And i do know for a fact you could get more money if you included frames and doors as standard!
George
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I canvassed an estate of big houses before and quoted £12 a house £5er a front, most refused to pay that much and the few i picked up i ended up leaving because they where few and far between. I dont think im too cheap i wouldn't have enough work charging those prices, or id spend most of my day trecking from house to house.
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OK Joey, you're right. We're all wrong ...
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Where are you working? In town? What town or city? Rural or built up? Council or private?
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I agree with mick. But i'm a bit of a mick kent fan anyway! However to be fair to joey he's a glass cleaner! He said he doens include frames right joey? So i doubt very much you include doors either?
I'm not having a dig by the way, each to there own!
I live in lincolnshire by the way joey, which isnt a million miles from Leicester And i do know for a fact you could get more money if you included frames and doors as standard!
George
My £4 front £6 all round quote is for a two up two down standard semi, glass clean and sill wipe. To do frames i charge double that, so £8 and £12 but 90% is just standard glass n sill. And of course i give the door glass a quick scrim as i walk by ;) not being rude but in my opinion £20-£30 an hour which is what i earn is 4 times the minimum wage, earning anything over that seems a little greedy. I understand wfp incurs more running cost, which i dont know alot about. Mayb that's where the price difference comes in?
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OK Joey, you're right. We're all wrong ...
Bit childish
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Where are you working? In town? What town or city? Rural or built up? Council or private?
Leicester. And i avoid the council and gyro casher areas.. Lol. I think the difference is you do frames aswel as standard. I offer it as an extra for double the glass clean price, hardly anyone cares about the frames round here aslong as the glass and sills are clean...
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But what good is 1 in 100? Im not goin work to clean a house a road.... Id rather have 20 £6 houses on a road and earn £120 9 till 2 than treck around an estate doin one here one there
Lol you seem to know so little about doing well in this game. I start at 9 and am never home later than 2 with upto an hour driving to and from area and work at my own pace and never clean less than £250 in a day, normally its more.
I do 6-8 fronts an hour as an average and most of my work is compact.
If im not earning £60-80 ph glass time then i canvass and build more work within that area untill i do hence i love my business and love building it to its full potential.
Id have jacked it in a long time ago if i had your prices and way of thinking.
Not trying to blow my own trumpet but just proving a point that under pricing and not putting prices up or believing £6 a house is a good thing is simply madness and your working upto 3 times harder and 3 times longer to reep the same rewards.
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So you earn £1250 a week? £5000 a month? £60,000 a year? Your either greedy or got alot of expenses lmao
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I earn average £120 a day. £2400 a month is alot more than what anyone i know my age is on working half days. My costs work out to £150 a month so before tax £2250 for a 9 till 2 job suits me fine. Ive got mates who work 9 to 5's for HALF what i earn who hate their jobs, i love mine. £6 a house is perfect for me and i feel happy that my customers are happy and getting a fair price sorry if that offends you
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Look Joey, you've come onto this forum in the last week or so and you're expounding your views as to how to get started and succeed in window cleaning. There are guys on here who have ten, twenty years experience who have changed from trad. to wfp and who know what they're on about who are explaining to you that the prices you are staring disbelievingly at are entirely possible.
They know that as a new window cleaner that you will not be able to do "3 big detached houses with massive conservatories" an hour trad. as a business model to go forward with. Otherwise you will be earning over £200 in a seven hour day; and you're not are you? Before you protest look at your daily figures over the last four weeks add them up and divide by 20. It's not the better side of £200 is it?
Now if you want to succeed you will not find a better bunch who will share their experience and assist you. But if you dig your heels in and do it your way then you will miss out on a lot of goodwill and help.
It's up to you.
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So you earn £1250 a week? £5000 a month? £60,000 a year? Your either greedy or got alot of expenses lmao
I actualy earn more than that. To do well in this business is easy but the input to get there is the drag and can sometimes seem never ending.
Simple way is 100 £10 customers a week
There you go £1000 a week.
50 £20 jobs a week
There you go £1000 a week.
Have a plan and work towards it.
Its not greed its being succesfull.
Im not flash or bigheaded im just proud of what i have built up.
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than what anyone i know my age is on working half days.
How old are you Joey if u don't mind me asking?
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Im 23 and been a window cleaner since 20. I worked for a company before then brought a chunk of that and brought another round and canvassed myself some more. Before i was working for a company and i earnt half of what i cleaned in an average day id earn £60. Mayb that's why i think £6 is a good price because i used to get half what i cleaned. Not havin a dig at anyone but from my experience nobody would pay any more than what i charge in my area.
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You just haven't asked them properly Joey ...
Let's take the big detached with connies you do for £10 (with 13 plate mercs outside). Don't you think some of them would pay £20 if they had their frames washed and the windows above the conny that you can't get to?
Of course they would.
So if you get one in a street where all the others have got minging frames and can't get the windows above the conny done (because you don't do the frames or above the conny) others will notice and come up to you and say "can you do mine?" and then you canvass each side of them and get a few more and then you're really rolling.
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Joey
I wouldn't waste time trying to justify yourself to the o look at me aren't I brilliant brigade.
I know guys who work nights in factorys for £12 an hour and people who work in shops for a lot
less.
I mean good luck to anybody who is earning £60.000+ a year for cleaning windows but don't come out
with crap like Im worth it.
A nurse is worth it a fire fighter is worth it and so on but somebody who rubs dirt of windows come on.
Im proud to clean windows for a living and like yourself have doubled my earnings compared to my
last job.
I set my targets I achieved my targets and dont need anybody else dictating what my targets should be.
Joey I just wonder how many of these guys would even get of the ground in your area wouldn't like to bet
my savings on any of them.
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The trick is to find the right kind of customer, who really appreciates a professional service, and doesn't mind paying a decent price. It takes longer to find these customers, and means you have to invest more money, and time initially, but over the long term you will find life easier, and less stressful.
You charge, what you think you are worth is the best advice I have been given.
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I undersell myself, probably. If you think I'm a mug, fair enough.
I'm not a good businessman; I treat it like a job with hours that suit. I'm not as driven by money as many of you obviously are.
But that's my business; I'm not letting the industry down ::)roll. If you can't handle that, then maybe you aren't as cut out for business as you think.
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After reading a few comments, so long as you are happy cleaning the windows and are happy with your prices that's fine, we are all different.
Personally I have some houses at £5.00, and they are basic and simple, and I know people who earn lots of money with prices at £5.00, never be fooled by prices like that.
We all have different things we want to achieve, and prices we want to charge.
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I earn average £120 a day. £2400 a month is alot more than what anyone i know my age is on working half days. My costs work out to £150 a month so before tax £2250 for a 9 till 2 job suits me fine. Ive got mates who work 9 to 5's for HALF what i earn who hate their jobs, i love mine. £6 a house is perfect for me and i feel happy that my customers are happy and getting a fair price sorry if that offends you
What always amazes me is the perfect working conditions all week and every week and perfectly organised rounds with perfect customers and never ever the odd job that is a bitch that takes much longer then expected and never any hold ups like traffic jams.
I have this image in my mind of someone window cleaning on wonderfull nice easy flat and all round accessible houses, no hold ups from wanting to chat for England customers, and then the next job a few doors down that is likewise and that scenario is repeated day in and day out and week in and week out and the weather is always perfect and sunny and warm and the window cleaner never gets tired and is always smiling.
Every window is also straight forwards and easy and of course organising it all is easy peasy and takes no effort.
Just go out each and every day and average £120 working from 9am till 2pm. Simple isn't it?
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Joey,
Don't be sorry, £6.00 a house if your happy with that, then that's all that matters, just keep going, asking advice off others and you will be ok.
Keep going and sounds like your happy and doing well.
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I undersell myself, probably. If you think I'm a mug, fair enough.
I'm not a good businessman; I treat it like a job with hours that suit. I'm not as driven by money as many of you obviously are.
But that's my business; I'm not letting the industry down ::)roll. If you can't handle that, then maybe you aren't as cut out for business as you think.
I'm with you Griff.
I earn a living that suits me fine and I don't feel any need to be ashamed of not being able to clean four 3 bed semi's an hour all day and week and year long and I don't understand the 'my willy is bigger than yours' willy waving that goes on.
I sometimes think a lot of the 'I earn this much' is just utter bull shyte by those who are actually the opposite of what they claim to be.
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Rosskesava,
Yep, as long as your happy doing the work and charging your prices that's all that matters, and joey says he is happy so that's fair enough
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This is getting a bit mad now. My point of this thread was that 2 window cleaners doing the same roads in the same area where both do the same job the same way with wfp but 1 charges £6 for the whole house and the other charges £15. If customers are fine paying £15 without questioning it then the guy charging just £6 is underselling himself and mugging noone but himself. Maybe he is happy earning £6 per house and fair play to him, my point was he could have got away charging over double of what he does which in theory would earn him much more or he could be working half the hours for the same money either way he is underselling himself.
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if i was a custy who earned 50g+ a year like they do down south, i wouldnt mind paying top money out to a window cleaner . however the custys in my town generally only earn basic money . so you got to be reasonable or you might as well forget it. yet you travel a few miles down south and you could get better rates , also my work is very compact . theres no fighting through london traffic. im always only a few mins from home ..my point being- different areas different prices
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Rosskesava,
Yep, as long as your happy doing the work and charging your prices that's all that matters, and joey says he is happy so that's fair enough
Good evening Mr Archer, and nice to see you posting on that other part of the forum again.
I'm not questioning the prices charged at all just the amount earn or rather how the amount is earnt.
With regards being happy, I know a retired bloke here in Brighton who does piles of shops for a few quid a shop and he takes ages doing it. For him, it's a type of social thing and he gets a few quid extra on top of his pension and as he says, he's out and about every day and keeping active and meeting people.
Horses for courses.
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I think what it is mick was the fact that you said the word, mugs.
You are right in what you say, but also some people are happy with what they charge, joey sounds like he's happy enough charging what he does.
Like I say I have some houses at £5.00 which are nice little earners ;)
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if i was a custy who earned 50g+ a year like they do down south, i wouldnt mind paying top money out to a window cleaner . however the custys in my town generally only earn basic money . so you got to be reasonable or you might as well forget it. yet you travel a few miles down south and you could get better rates , also my work is very compact . theres no fighting through london traffic. im always only a few mins from home ..my point being- different areas different prices
I totally agree. Different areas are different. This is about same area. If you charged £6 per house but found out everyother wc is charging £12-£15 on the same streets as you wouldnt you question yourself of totally underpricing??.
I know what maybe £10 down south could be £5 up north and the cost of living reflects this somisnt much different in value by the time bills and mortgage is payed etc etc.
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Yes Good Evening Mr Rosskesava
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I think what it is mick was the fact that you said the word, mugs.
You are right in what you say, but also some people are happy with what they charge, joey sounds like he's happy enough charging what he does.
Like I say I have some houses at £5.00 which are nice little earners ;)
I already said that maybe the word mug is a bit harsh to use.
Archer your a bright bloke. Wouldnt you feel like your doing something verey wrong if you was charging £6 doing what your competition does for £15.
To be fair anyone underselling there self wherever they are or whatever they do are mugging themselfs off.(selling themselfs short).
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I think what it is mick was the fact that you said the word, mugs.
I agree.
Someone may have quoted £6 for a job that he could have got more for. He might have bought the work or had it passed on. It could be seen as a mistake, being naive or unbusinesslike but a mug? :-\
I've got complacent and I'm not motivated enough to sort my business out, so I just go out and earn a wage.
I don't mind what others think or do and I shouldn't matter to them.
If they find it hard to sell themselves because of others, that's their problem.
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I think what it is mick was the fact that you said the word, mugs.
I agree.
Someone may have quoted £6 for a job that he could have got more for. He might have bought the work or had it passed on. It could be seen as a mistake, being naive or unbusinesslike but a mug? :-\
I've got complacent and I'm not motivated enough to sort my business out, so I just go out and earn a wage.
I don't mind what others think or do and I shouldn't matter to them.
If they find it hard to sell themselves because of others, that's their problem.
Changed it from mugs to something more suitable.
Being from south london mug and mugged off are words i hear and use daily so i appologise if came across as rude.
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G griffin,
I get like that sometimes, but then have a few weeks being motivated again and going for it, :)
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I totally agree. Different areas are different. This is about same area. If you charged £6 per house but found out everyother wc is charging £12-£15 on the same streets as you wouldnt you question yourself of totally underpricing??.
I know what maybe £10 down south could be £5 up north and the cost of living reflects this somisnt much different in value by the time bills and mortgage is payed etc etc.
I don't know whether the different areas being different is just a reflection of what value the window cleaner in that area places upon themselves based on what they think window cleaning in that area is worth.
I live in Brighton mainly but have an uncle in mid Wales near Aberwythwist, or how ever it's spelt, who has a farm. Me and the missus go there 4 or 5 times a year. Daft as it may seem, I now have 11 jobs I do when we visit my Uncle which started off from doing the windows of a neighbouring farm 3 years ago when the farmer saw me cleaning my uncle's windows and it spread by word of mouth.
I quoted the same prices as I quote here in Brighton (for me, a 4/5 bed detached house plus conservatory £30 - £40) and got all the jobs bar one.
Last time I was there I got talking to a window cleaner in a place called Tregaron who was doing shop windows and he didn't believe the prices I was charging. He reckoned on about £8 to £10 as being the maximum any one would pay for the jobs I was doing.
Someone posted somewhere on this thread that you only can charge what you believe you are worth and I think there may be some truth in that.
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I think what it is mick was the fact that you said the word, mugs.
I agree.
Someone may have quoted £6 for a job that he could have got more for. He might have bought the work or had it passed on. It could be seen as a mistake, being naive or unbusinesslike but a mug? :-\
I've got complacent and I'm not motivated enough to sort my business out, so I just go out and earn a wage.
I don't mind what others think or do and I shouldn't matter to them.
If they find it hard to sell themselves because of others, that's their problem.
Changed it from mugs to something more suitable.
Being from south london mug and mugged off are words i hear and use daily so i appologise if came across as rude.
Fair enough, Mick; I understand.
I got a lot of underpriced work when I started, so I know what you mean. I blamed the old cleaner for his prices etc but then realised it was down to me to sort it.
He was content with it- he would have liked more, I'm sure- but it was his business.
I do realise that that it can affect customers' expectations; but conquering that is part of business.
I just can't be bothered, though ;D.
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Changed it from mugs to something more suitable.
Being from south london mug and mugged off are words i hear and use daily so i appologise if came across as rude.
Mick, where abouts? I hope it's not Croydon.
That term 'mugged' and 'mug' does have a different use and connotation there to the rest of the UK.
Rosskesava,
I have said that, and I stick to my price, I know I am good and I will charge accordingly.
I got told that a few years ago off a wise old man, and it has paid dividends.
Archer, sorry mate, I didn't mean to sound like I was being critical and that wasn't aimed at you at all.
I stick to my price as well even when it gets declined because that reflects somehow onto the next customer you give a price to and yes, I agree, it does pay dividends.
I was just making a general comment about how maybe prices across the country have maybe more to do with what the window cleaner thinks the customer will pay.
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Yup, it's amazing how many people will pay happily more for the same thing and I think it's because of the way our society is based, they believe that price dictates quality.
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If i did my £6 houses for £15 id earn £75 an hour. Id feel guilty taking £15 off somebody for a 15min job, regardless of 'its a service' or 'im not under selling myself'. Sometimes i feel bad charging old ladies £6! End of the day its not a hard job is it in all honesty, hardly factory work slaving away or fighting fires or saving lives. People constantly go on about under-selling yourself, id rather 'under sell myself' for £24 an hour than feel like a con man charging people twice what they earn an hour for a 15min job....
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But you dont earn £24.00 an hour.
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If i did my £6 houses for £15 id earn £75 an hour. Id feel guilty taking £15 off somebody for a 15min job, regardless of 'its a service' or 'im not under selling myself'. Sometimes i feel bad charging old ladies £6! End of the day its not a hard job is it in all honesty, hardly factory work slaving away or fighting fires or saving lives. People constantly go on about under-selling yourself, id rather 'under sell myself' for £24 an hour than feel like a con man charging people twice what they earn an hour for a 15min job....
I think you should feel guilty if you were charging £15 per house and only cleaning the glass! ;)
At the end of the day you are trying to compare your prices against other people's but from what you have said you are not doing as much work, ie. not cleaning frames and just giving sills a "wipe".
Does your pricing also include cleaning all exterior doors or do you not do them either?
Not having a go at you, but you are questioning what other people are charging but realistically you are not comparing like for like.
If customers in your area are only willing to pay £6 then perhaps you are providing just enough to suit their budget.
But I think you are being unfair believing all customers will only accept a second rate window cleaning service.
From a business perspective I don't feel you are exploiting the potential you could realise from your customers, if you upped your level of service and provided more perhaps you could earn more out of them?
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But you dont earn £24.00 an hour.
I clean roughly £25 - £30 an hour.
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Yup, it's amazing how many people will pay happily more for the same thing and I think it's because of the way our society is based, they believe that price dictates quality.
Probably because, under most circumstances, price does dictate quality. More directly: Of course price dictates quality.
I do lots of little bits that add up to quality service in my customers' eyes. Need a garage door doing once in a while? No problem. Need a window on an outhouse doing? No problem. Want your frames cleaned as well as the glass? Every time. Got a window that needs a bit of TLC for some reason? No problem. Building work being done next door so your windows need a couple of goes over to be right? No problem. Away on holiday and can't open the gate? No problem. Need a single window cleaning on the inside occasionally because you can't reach it? No problem.
If that's quality of service, then I'm offering quality. I can do it because I charge enough. You cannot get something for nothing.
Vin
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But you dont earn £24.00 an hour.
I clean roughly £25 - £30 an hour.
You still don't actually earn anything like that.
Assuming you work every day and are full. Costs need to come off (fuel, depreciation on vehicle etc, travel time, collecting etc.). Then you need to subtract holiday pay, sick pay. You need to take off round management activity. You will be lucky if you get to £15 an hour when you really do the sums.
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But you dont earn £24.00 an hour.
I clean roughly £25 - £30 an hour.
The commonest myth amongst newly self-employed?
So what about wet days, ill days, bank holidays, holidays, days off, windy days, sleet snow, icey cold days. You dont earn £25.00 an hour. After that lot minus expenses your probably earning something like 8weekly says or less an hour. For someone who is self-employed thats atrocious.
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Sorry i forgot you both know me and my situation so well hahaha... All my work is 5miles or less from my house, i do not drive, my girlfriend does haha ;) and as for bad weather days i dont stand outside and earn £0 an hour do i..... Like i said i clean £25 - £30 an hour as a minimum and i have low expenses. As for collecting i wouldn't class that as working, that's the best part of the job
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Sorry i forgot you both know me and my situation so well hahaha... All my work is 5miles or less from my house, i do not drive, my girlfriend does haha ;) and as for bad weather days i dont stand outside and earn £0 an hour do i..... Like i said i clean £25 - £30 an hour as a minimum and i have low expenses. As for collecting i wouldn't class that as working, that's the best part of the job
By your reckoning (and I know I'm taking this to an extreme) if there were a week of terrible weather and you managed to get out for an hour, you'd consider that to be £25 an hour. While that might be strictly true, it's not really too relevant, as you'd have earned £25 for a week's work.
Also, if your girlfriend is driving and you're considering that as being "free" then you're going to pay far too much tax at the end of the year.
Vin
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I have a round of £10 houses and they are all big detatched houses with massive conservatories, they have all got 13plate mercs on the drive... I do about 3 of them an hour. I suppose everything is more expensive in London though.
Large detached houses with massive conservatories and you do three an hour?
That says it all really.
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Changed it from mugs to something more suitable.
Being from south london mug and mugged off are words i hear and use daily so i appologise if came across as rude.
Mick, where abouts? I hope it's not Croydon.
That term 'mugged' and 'mug' does have a different use and connotation there to the rest of the UK.
Rosskesava,
I have said that, and I stick to my price, I know I am good and I will charge accordingly.
I got told that a few years ago off a wise old man, and it has paid dividends.
Archer, sorry mate, I didn't mean to sound like I was being critical and that wasn't aimed at you at all.
I stick to my price as well even when it gets declined because that reflects somehow onto the next customer you give a price to and yes, I agree, it does pay dividends.
I was just making a general comment about how maybe prices across the country have maybe more to do with what the window cleaner thinks the customer will pay.
No not in croydon. Im belvedere near plumstead/woolwich(dumps)
Full of mugs here lol.
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I'm happy with my £5.00 houses
Everyone's goin round in circles
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I'm happy with my £5.00 houses
Everyone's goin round in circles
+1
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I'm happy with my £5.00 houses
Everyone's goin round in circles
+1
+1
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I'm happy with my £5.00 houses
Everyone's goin round in circles
+1
+1
- 1
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I'm happy with my £5.00 houses
Everyone's goin round in circles
+1
+1
- 1
- 1 & + 2
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Sorry i forgot you both know me and my situation so well hahaha... All my work is 5miles or less from my house, i do not drive, my girlfriend does haha ;) and as for bad weather days i dont stand outside and earn £0 an hour do i..... Like i said i clean £25 - £30 an hour as a minimum and i have low expenses. As for collecting i wouldn't class that as working, that's the best part of the job
Oh, good grief!
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Sorry i forgot you both know me and my situation so well hahaha... All my work is 5miles or less from my house, i do not drive, my girlfriend does haha ;) and as for bad weather days i dont stand outside and earn £0 an hour do i..... Like i said i clean £25 - £30 an hour as a minimum and i have low expenses. As for collecting i wouldn't class that as working, that's the best part of the job
Oh, good grief!
Lol i thought the same thing.
I thought he was 18/19 when he said was doing well for being young!. At 23 he should know better if im being honest.
Such is life.
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Sorry i forgot you both know me and my situation so well hahaha... All my work is 5miles or less from my house, i do not drive, my girlfriend does haha ;) and as for bad weather days i dont stand outside and earn £0 an hour do i..... Like i said i clean £25 - £30 an hour as a minimum and i have low expenses. As for collecting i wouldn't class that as working, that's the best part of the job
Oh, good grief!
Lol i thought the same thing.
I thought he was 18/19 when he said was doing well for being young!. At 23 he should know better if im being honest.
Such is life.
He's young and happy with his lot. He is doing well compared to many.
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the best of the job is getting the money tho
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I hate Collecting.
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I'm happy with my £5.00 houses
Everyone's goin round in circles
+1
+1
- 1
- 1 & + 2
+£5
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I'm happy with my £5.00 houses
Everyone's goin round in circles
+1
+1
- 1
- 1 & + 2
+£5
+ another £5 and we are getting there!