[e newlands]

been flyering for the past four weeks offering both a traditional and wfp service with a try it 1/2 price service for wfp on the first clean

the traditional is preffered and wanted by almost 75 % of new customers

ive been targeting affluent areas large houses in small villages etc
a lot of older people but the traditional window cleaning service is winning hands down

there is def still a market for it

[david watts]

tell me about it; why do i allways pick up hard jobs for wfp.
talking about windows on a slant wooden frames droping out the lot

[andyM]

I just market my service as "window cleaning". I use WFP and Trad and I decide which method I use for cleaning customers windows.
Im mainly WFP but do Trad usually for bungalows and windows with leaky seals etc.   
Customers are happy.

[Sseddon]

Odd that you'd let customers choose the best method of cleaning their windows. Obviously the customer with rotten frames that chooses WFP knows better than you. Similarly the one with UPVC that chooses trad. Still, the customer knows best.

[e newlands]

i thought id give them a choice as there seems to be a lot of resentment around this area to change people still like  to see a traditional cleaner  they seem to think the finish is better
and to be honest i prefer it
the wfp is handy over conservatories etc where i always use

[Martin ccs]

if you can do both then do wfp!

why let customer tell you how to work? the end result is the same! clean windows ...

with h&s in mind more and more these days - more customer are understanding the need for wfp and im finding more customers expect wc not to miss any windows - above conservatories, bad slopped roofs ...

i can see your point but maybe an option on a first clean is to break them in slowly is to wfp tops n trad bottoms?

[WCE]

I never give the option - I choose the method and if it would involve ladders then WFP it is

[gary999]

been flyering for the past four weeks offering both a traditional and wfp service with a try it 1/2 price service for wfp on the first clean

the traditional is preffered and wanted by almost 75 % of new customers

ive been targeting affluent areas large houses in small villages etc
a lot of older people but the traditional window cleaning service is winning hands down

there is def still a market for it

people often cant see the wood through the trees so to speak
and given the choice go for the option they know and understand

doesnt necessary mean its the best option for them or you.

i have took on plenty of customers who were doubters
and once they had the intial clean and seen the greater overall
clean they have never looked back.

if you want to make life hard for yourself keep offering the choice
me! i prefer an easier life
doesnt mean trad shouldnt be used.i use it for the odd window
that doesnt suit the pole and insides.

[Frankybadboy]

seems like his custys are running his business,


take a grip of it before you lose it.

[e newlands]

seems like his custys are running his business,


take a grip of it before you lose it.

34 new ones in 4 weeks over 550 worth of  new work a month by just giving them a option

without the custies no business

[WCE]

But at the same time you could be breaking H&S, more specifically WHAD rules by doing this :

[R W C™]

Wait till you got a full round, I think you will look back and regret this, or youll start dropping the trad ones and replacing them with wfp jobs  

[mci services]

Of course trad will win in the customers eyes they pay you and you work harder, so they get more value for their money, they do not care if you fall and can not work, I have absolutely nothing against trad and ladders use but I choose how I work not the customer, would a joiner offer to erect 40 meters of fencing using a hammer or just get nail gun out and do it in less than a day and charge the same rate

[Frankybadboy]

Of course trad will win in the customers eyes they pay you and you work harder, so they get more value for their money, they do not care if you fall and can not work, I have absolutely nothing against trad and ladders use but I choose how I work not the customer, would a joiner offer to erect 40 meters of fencing using a hammer or just get nail gun out and do it in less than a day and charge the same rate

stu
you hit it on the head mate.

hammer nail,crap joke.

[dazmond]

i clean all upper windows with wfp or trad pole except a block of granny flats which i clean trad from the ladders(i dont clean all the downstairs flats).also i wfp most upvc windows on ground floor as well as they come up great.i do relent and trad some ground floor windows if space is restricted or water is an issue.

i really dont think its a good idea to let the customer decide esp for upper windows as your safety is paramount.

if your an experienced window cleaner YOU should know what the best method is of cleaning the windows and not the customer!after all your the one cleaning day in/day out!

obviously if you ve wfpoled some windows say 3-4 times and they still come up spotty or runs all over the place then tradding them or blading after wfp is the best method!!

REMEMBER YOUR THE PROFESSIONAL NOT THEM!

you wouldnt dream on asking a joiner to use a hand saw instead of an electric saw would you!!!


regards

dazmond

[Paul Coleman]

I'm not surprised that 75% opted for trad.
It depends how you present it.
Dear customer.  Would you like your window cleaned so that they are left dry and I have to work very hard for the same money?
Dear customer.  Would you like your windows left wet but risk finding me dead on your patio from a head wound caused by a fall?
A few years ago, just around the corner from me, a window cleaner fell off his ladder.  The hairdresser in the shop next door called the ambulance.  He told me that he thought the window cleaner had had his lot.  There was lots of blood on the footpath that was leaking from his head.  He survived and managed to continue window cleaning.  When I bumped into him after a few months he was clearly much slower of speech and movement and told me he sometimes suffered from epilepsy due to the fall.  He couldn't drive so he restricted himself to town centre shops.  I recently heard that he has finally packed up as he could no longer cope.  I'm not sure of his age but he has medically retired around his mid 40s - due to the fall.

I wonder how many of those 75% would have opted for trad if they had seen the aftermath of the fall (I didn't, incidentally).
I've seen a guy go from a thriving little business to medical retirement/epilepsy/extreme slowness - possibly because his customers wanted their windows left dry.  I doubt he would have invested in WFP anyway though as he mostly did shop fronts.

If the quality of the work isn't up to standard, the customer has the right to complain.  The customer does not have the right to choose the work method.  Simple really.

[Jack Wallace]

The answer to your question is simple, the winner is the customer!
It amazes me that after so long this argument is still raging.

wfp v trad? its obvious to anyone wanting to run a business which is the best method for profits. (Which correct me if I am wrong is why we are all here) offering the customers a choice is fine and I would do it if I could earn the same money with both.
In other words. "Yes Madame you can have either, its £10 wfp or £15 trad". That way everyone gets what they want. then we would see how adamant they are about having trad.

Customers don’t like change it’s as simple as that.
Any customer wanting trad gets left to the plodders around here, I am running a business not a charity. (my charity work is done weekends so anyone wishing to sponsor me please get in touch ) 

[dazmond]

i know a guy near me who fell off last sept and shattered his heels and damaged vertabre in his back.not good!

i find most custies are ok with wfp and some are very happy and say its a much better clean than trad!! .

im new to wfp so i reckon itll take a few cleans to get some windows up to scratch but my custies know this and will give me 3 cleans to get them wfp friendly! .

[dazmond]

well said jack!


dazmond(former plodder)

[NJWindowCleaning]

I do offer both services but my pl dont allow me to walk up appex roofs so i tell the customer on these sort of houses that the tops windows will be done with the wfp for h&s reasons. And any I dont use the ladders if there is gravel / slat etc., on the ground around the property. But there is a market for both trad/wfp.