[Slacky]

There's customers out there that want a cheap, half-a-job-bob standard of work, there's customers out there that want something approaching reasonable and acceptable and there's customers out there that want quality, professionalism, polite manners, and a give and take working relationship.

Some you'll find on FB, some you'll find from your website and some will arrive because they've heard about you through the grapevine and like what they hear.

You cant please them all and you won't secure them all. Some are meant to be and some ain't.

Stop fretting over lost ones, they obviously don't fit your customer profile. And if those lost ones are quality customers you possibly need to look at your working practises.

[deeege]

Nailed it there Slacky. I don’t fret at all over customers that drop off or cancel. I’m confident in the service and cost I offer and realise it won’t be for everyone, just the way it is.

[Spruce]

I don't know if Hilti still do this, but if you, as a commercial building construction company, purchased their anchors and fittings (consumables) they gave the machine away for free.

Their fittings were expensive and the profit paid for the machine give-away many times over.

I wonder if these guys thought a well paying monthly window clean would compensate for the free gutter clear and clean. It doesn't take that long to do a 'sort of' slap dash fascia and gutter clean. I'm guessing they wouldn't clear the gutters every year.

[Jay Le Huray]

I do no advertising what-so-ever, no website/yellow pages, most of my work comes from recommendations or walk ups when out with the sign written van.

6 months  ago I noticed a few cleaners using FB to gain more customers so I thought I would give it a go.

I gained 2 new ones in the first week but after the 2nd clean both of them cancelled saying they could not afford it anymore.

Suffice to say I have not used FB since as it's full of time wasters and when I see people looking for a tradesman the most common word used is CHEAP and not RELIABLE , so not for me I'm afraid.