[GlassClean]

Morning.


I work as one man band in the south, mainly on residential work, with a few half reasonable commercials thrown in for good measure. Nothing more than half a days work on any one commercial unit though.


I’d like to be able to expand my work base into central London and the outskirts but I’m finding this a bit frustrating. I get a few enquiries a week from London based companies but never seem able to convert the enquiries into solid work. Although I’m aiming for commercial work I have also received a few enquiries for domestic work which have been converted into regular work and pay well.


Im more curious as to what the situation is with regards these commercial enquiries and why Im unable to convert the enquiries into regular work.


Do London based businesses regularly go out to quote just to check that their regular contractor is charging the going rate, so it’s not an enquiry so much but more a check for them.


I go in with the intention of knocking out £300 - £350 a day, is this too high for commercial work in London?


All help and suggestions gratefully received.

[C.C.S.]

Hi. I ocasionally been asked to workin London ,not because I wanted but because I have domestic customers that have businesses there . The felling was that actually the competition is quite fierce and that drives prices down. And it's the case with other trades aswell.

[sunshine windows]

Morning.


I work as one man band in the south, mainly on residential work, with a few half reasonable commercials thrown in for good measure. Nothing more than half a days work on any one commercial unit though.


I’d like to be able to expand my work base into central London and the outskirts but I’m finding this a bit frustrating. I get a few enquiries a week from London based companies but never seem able to convert the enquiries into solid work. Although I’m aiming for commercial work I have also received a few enquiries for domestic work which have been converted into regular work and pay well.


Im more curious as to what the situation is with regards these commercial enquiries and why Im unable to convert the enquiries into regular work.


Do London based businesses regularly go out to quote just to check that their regular contractor is charging the going rate, so it’s not an enquiry so much but more a check for them.


I go in with the intention of knocking out £300 - £350 a day, is this too high for commercial work in London?


All help and suggestions gratefully received.

I should have thought that was a very competitive rate for London. Especially on commercial work

[GlassClean]

Thanks guys.


I would’ve thought £300 a day in London would be easily within most budgets.


Perhaps it’s just a numbers game although you have to ‘knock’, so to speak, a lot more times before you get a result.


I spend somewhere in the region of £500 a month on AdWords and would like to think it’ll pay off at some time, although the two residentials I’ve picked up do go some way to paying for that due to their size.


I used a telephone canvassing company, sourced from here a couple or so years ago, can’t remember her name, but never had any joy whatsoever as a result of that. A few enquiries but IMO the companies were just using it as an opportunity to confirm their current cleaner was in the ballpark figure. No work came of that exercise.

[GlassClean]

I have wondered if when you get a commercial enquiry whether asking if it’s a kosher enquiry or they’re just looking to check out the price of their cleaner; maybe that doesn’t send out a great impression to a potential client.

[NWH]

That’s very low for commercial in London with commercial work I price not to get the job if I get them it would be a bonus,they are as loyal as Hugh Hefner 1 minute your turning over 10k a month the next week your on minimum wage if a fair few drop you,it happens I’ve known it to for a fact.

[NWH]

These days if you are in say the Home Counties and a big brand come to you for a quote you’ll be expected to clean that whole area and have to quote the lot before you start. It’s costing you money and hassle before you’ve cleaned a window,gone are the days when the local guy did the shop in his village of town if it’s a big chain of stores.

[GlassClean]

I turn down shop cleaning. I hope to pick up schools, offices, flats etc.

[NWH]

I know a guy who does schools in London he gets good money 6-700 a day on his price but it takes him 2 hours there and the same back at least,you have to weigh up if it’s worth it  do you have good paying domestics. Slightly less money for 2 blokes from 1 van closer to home without all the travelling and the worry of losing the work week to week has got to make more sense to me imo,if your already established this work will send you over the threshold making you an unpaid VAT collector.

[GlassClean]

If I took £700 a day and it involved 4 hours travelling I’d be staying up there.




Is that £600 - £700 for two men?

[NWH]

2 men that’s not split down the middle the other chap is employed by him he’s on a wage + work completed over the month bonus.

[GlassClean]

Thanks.