[james44]

With more and more window cleaners losing commercial contracts to the so called big companies, i have noticed and increase on the domestic side of things, and i dont mean your summer crew, dont know about peeps on here but i have been talking to some local cleaners and they have said the same more and more sign written van are popping up everywere,

had a long disscusion with a former builder today as well who does not see himself going back into building and was thinking of starting up window cleaning as he said it seams to be a more secure business and is good for cash flow wich is true!

now the bit that will concern some is the way that the commercial side of things is going with rates being cut and those cleaners who are losing commercial work are looking back to domestics to make this back up, now with what is happening in commercial how long is it going to take before it happens on domestics as well

i mean people have lost jobs and will do anything to earn a living and a lot are turning to window cleaning and dont know how much to price and are doing work for far less than some other cleaners, i know peeps will say they will learn to price right but the builder i was talking to said that he has targeted an area where the houses are normally in the £10 range said his plan is to employ workers pay them £10hr and price those houses at £8 now one man i know does 4 houses a hour so that will be 4x8=£32-£10 for worker leaves him with £22 per each man hr now i know his plan is to have 3 men plus himself working  which will give him an hourly rate of £98 and hey it can be done!

Now with so many coming into window cleaning it is going to be hard for newbie startups and i predict some will have to start lowering their prices or lose out, so far my prices have stayed the same but i can see all this price cutting entering into domestics in the very near future!

[paul rulton]

haha nearly read that 4the 2nd time lol 2places at once hey 

[supernova77]

I agree that there are a lot more window cleaners in smart sign written vans cleaning domestics...

At the moment the market is in danger of becoming saturated... But these things come in cycles... In a few years time there will be another business that people jump into instead of window cleaning.

I'm not worried about it in the long term.

Andy

[mci services]

james its nothing new round my way there is a firm with 10 vans on the road. they pay £7 per hour and price at 20 but they have between 30 to 40 employees. all doing domestic. there isnt an estate they dont cover. fortunately the standard is not great so i price higher and offer a different service. but guys round here have been trying to compete with them for years and so they have to drop standards as well. its just a big never ending circle for some, but then again having read the prices charged on here its always going to open to under cutting

[james44]

Yep know what you are saying stu-mac


But there have been thousands of people lost their jobs and have mortgages and are looking to window cleaning as a way to pay the bills and some will stick it out!


bulders, plumbers, decorators go in with lower prices to get the work the same will i believe happen in window cleaning on domestics in the very near future!

[james44]

I'm not worried about it in the long term

Andy you should be!

[richard jagger]

I was thinking how to many new cleaners coming into the market.One has to be good at selling yourself or have multi services to make it. The bad thing is with more compation, prices will drop as all these w/c get desperate for business.Its going to take lots of smart thinking to servive.

[paul rulton]

I agree that there are a lot more window cleaners in smart sign written vans cleaning domestics...

At the moment the market is in danger of becoming saturated... But these things come in cycles... In a few years time there will be another business that people jump into instead of window cleaning.

I'm not worried about it in the long term.

Andy

im with Andy on this    been in the bizz over 20years    & it keeps goin 1way then the other  : :

[james44]

Agree with you richard! i know a lot of cleaners will say its not all about price wich is usally the case but now even the customers are feeling the pinch!

[mci services]

james they were feeling the pinch in the late 80s and some survived and some didnt and my old mans company is still going strong under my brother now. and i am doing not bad myself but yes prices may drop but i doubt it round my way as they are already rock bottom

[james44]

Yes stu-mac but this is worse than the 80s

[Platinum]

wer r u stu?

[Platinum]

I had a call from a wc yesturday saying i undercut him.

I am actually pricing the same as him but i clean frames were he doesnt...

He thinks that he owns the estate and says im naughty and their will be conflict. Told him i cant wait to meet him...Ive met a few of these wa*kers in the last year but happy days

The more competitive it gets the more pricing comes into the issue rather than service.
Im looking at a few small commercial and am pricing with attitude that its very competitve so im giving my lowest lowest price.... Ive won 2 so far

Danny

[mci services]

danny i am central scotland and james no its no worse in this area than in the 80s feck me all the pits closed, steel industry, and every other industry gone. and the prices havent improved since.

[supernova77]

Diversify

 

[mr D]

When I started up there were next to no window cleaners in the areas I work all suburbs no big town work as there are alot already covering the town.

Now I get told almost monthly that another window cleaner is canvassing the areas I prefer to work. I am worried. not for my future as I know there is more than enough work to go around but for the rep I and other established window cleaners get from these new guys.

I have absolutely nothing against them as I was there once before and help new guys where ever I can but I do think it the ''we couldn't get a window cleaner for love nor money until you came along'' I used to get has stopped and were approaching the ''10 a penny'' mark like painters and chippy's.

Also there are a few guys from the big towns who are branching out (nothing wrong with that) in to the suburbs but with very hab dad attitudes swanning around like I should be worried for my business. This really wind me up.

[amayze]

There really is nothing to fear. Firstly, there will always be more windows than window cleaners in the world, secondly, there are several reasons why a human brain makes a purchasing decision, and price isn't the only one.......level of service, whether or not you 'buy' into the service provider and quality of cleaning.

There will always be new entrants into the marketplace, no matter what sector you're in. And the smart, well organised businesses will prevail.

If these new entrants, raise the standards of the industry with new signwritten vans, that's gotta be better than the scruffy chain smoking dole cheats who use milk crates to stand on !! Not to mention make some wc's think twice about 'dumping', often without notification, some customers 'cos they can clean another house quicker or for more money in another street !

[actualcleaning]

Agree with you richard! i know a lot of cleaners will say its not all about price wich is usally the case but now even the customers are feeling the pinch!

So your theory about newbies coming into the game and pricing as low as possible to get the work will completely bugger your DIAL-A-CLEAN concept as surely you wont be able to compete anymore?
By the way how is Dial-A-Clean going........

[barry mallett]

wonder if all these newbies will blade the window after they wfp it.hope so all our work should be safe if they do

[Jack Wallace]

More Doom and Gloom!!
The sun is shining, its not freezing so I guess its time to moan about something else, 

There is a w/c round my way who complains and moans EVERY time I meet him, usualy about newbies.
He has been doing it for years yet is still in business. Me, I prefere to worry about todays problems, Whats the point wasting all that brain power and energy on something that may not happen?