Interested In Advertising? | Contact Us Here
Warning!

 

Welcome to Clean It Up; the UK`s largest cleaning forum with over 34,000 members

 

Please login or register to post and reply to topics.      

 

Forgot your password? Click here

tomo

my all weather system.....
« on: October 17, 2006, 06:19:29 pm »
fed up of losing work to the bad weather....... so recently at all my accounts i have been saying "as my round is at capacity i will be working through most weathers" i am in my second week of four doing this and i haven't had one knock back..

i have no doubt i will but i can afford to lose some customers. i don't waffle i just say if they are "doubtful" to pay me on friday or send the cheque but they alway's pay and except it. i know some complain about the rain  but think of your average turn over per day(everyone is different so do your own maths :))

 think about losing ten days work to the weather and then it hits home how much money your losing . if you lose a few customers over the year it wont matter as your turnover will be higher due to work not lost if you follow...

the other thing is i think working in the RAIN is more to do with our OWN insecurities about losing work than anything else i hate sitting at home twiddling my thumbs thinking oh no i will have to work saturday now....oh by the way i introduced my wfp as an all weather system but to be honest i still work trad too and the same applies. i will still work in the rain not pleasant but can't grumble with 100 squid in your bank at the end of the day :)

regards Tomo

Re: my all weather system.....
« Reply #1 on: October 17, 2006, 08:04:10 pm »
But think about it you never ever loose any money your just behind.

If you had 20 houses to do on a monday and it rained you just start earlier finsih later the rest of the week and your only doing 4 extra each day because of monday being wet so you never loose any money.


tomo

Re: my all weather system.....
« Reply #2 on: October 17, 2006, 08:09:45 pm »
hi easyclean how you doing?

That would be good advice for me two yrs ago but i now have five full days a week so impossible and they are five full days too i feel like i'm on a treadmill i can't get off!!

nice position to be in thus the  reason i want to work through most weathers and break the hoodoo about not cleaning in the rain most customers dont blink an eye lid some you have to convince. Either way i would prefer to crack on through if i can ... last month i think there were two or three days of rain back to back a horrible situation when you need to get the money in.....:)

regards tomo

Richy L

  • Posts: 2257
Re: my all weather system.....
« Reply #3 on: October 17, 2006, 09:30:06 pm »
hey tom.
I agree with you. As you know i am pretty much all trad, and people dont mind cleaning in the rain. You get a few saying
 "your not going to clean in this weather are you!" :o
to which i usually say "it takes four weeks to get dirty again"  :)
the thing is, i guess you have to know when to stop cleaning. i mean lately we have been having 'thundery showers', so working during these are probably not a good idea, but it doesnt pour down for long really. Light rain is fine for working in

geefree

  • Posts: 6180
Re: my all weather system.....
« Reply #4 on: October 17, 2006, 09:49:13 pm »
i tried it but how do you know the smears will disappear.... it was my first attempt in the rain and i was just forever wiping blobs of rain of a pane of glass,, turning it into a smear.... so i could not tell if it was clean or not ... ??? so i gave up....

whats the secret anyone please...

gary.

Richy L

  • Posts: 2257
Re: my all weather system.....
« Reply #5 on: October 17, 2006, 10:07:18 pm »
i dont clean the rain off a window when im cleaning it. As soon as you leave the window there will be some more on there. Just make sure your scrim is dry. I always go through a lot more on rainy days.

tomo

Re: my all weather system.....
« Reply #6 on: October 17, 2006, 10:36:40 pm »
hey richie... ;D

glad to hear it. it was frustrating to think of all the potential earnings being lost when you say to a customer that,s the reason your regular because you clean all weathers they seem too understand plus mentioning its our lively hood and the bills don't stop falling at your door because its raining ;D works for me so far

Tom@clearview

  • Posts: 9
Re: my all weather system.....
« Reply #7 on: October 17, 2006, 11:03:48 pm »
Evening chaps!

I've been going through this thing about working in the rain, My wife suggested that i use Mr Mussel shower spray in my bucket in the rain to stop the smears!!??!! (the safty aspect) ie, the feet of the ladder on the wet muddy lawn,   Then on the wet concreat.
  Dose anybody have any safty suggestions for the wet days???
 
                       ---------------LADDERMATE------------
Anyone got oneof these??  cost about £65 are they any good??

Cheers Tom
what do you mean they died last week!!!
    Some people will do anything not to pay!!!!!!!!!

stevekennedy

  • Posts: 677
Re: my all weather system.....
« Reply #8 on: October 17, 2006, 11:22:17 pm »
Laddermate works well but is very heavy. You need to remove it. SHift your ladder, leave the ladder unnattended and go back for your laddermate. Problem is, it falls apart when you try to grab it with one hand.

Might get easier to use of one persevered.

JM123

  • Posts: 2095
Re: my all weather system.....
« Reply #9 on: October 18, 2006, 02:09:49 am »
for anyone working trad in the rain, try putting a new blade on if you are working in the rain, you'll find that you won't need to detail much if at all.
Live life in the fast lane.......if you break down you'll freewheel further

Ballymena N.I

Trevor Knight

  • Posts: 1825
Re: my all weather system.....
« Reply #10 on: October 18, 2006, 07:27:55 am »
Have always worked in the rain since I started window cleaning and although I can't give exact figures, all I will say, is I have been cleaning windows for 15 years and If it didn't work I would not have continued cleaning in the rain for this long.

I would guess at most I have lost probably 10 customers over this time when they have really had a problem. I always say this. Yes I did clean them when it rained, however, what would you want me to do if I cleaned them at 9am and at 9.15am it poured down, am I expected to give you a refund? When you use a car wash do you take it back if it rains an hour later?

Generally, most customers accept this and understand you are very busy and don't have time to call back just because it rained, besides, I always end up joking with them. I explain they can watch the rain now through nice clean windows.

Be confident in your approach, this is your business and you can't be held back or accountable for the British Weather, unless it's torrential rain, keep earning!
Covering Hampshire, Dorset, Surrey, Berkshire