[lee_dewing]

hi, i've been a w/c 2yrs now, worked for someone, broke away this may.
Have roughly £1400 of work now built up, built all work up through leaf let-ing
keep getting time wasters, been going to price jobs always polite and freindly.
tell people i call 5 weeks average give'em a price say £8 med size house 2 bed,
  and then they start throwing in extra duties i.e the other w/c use to wipe all frames down.

another thing is i text or call customers to unlock gates and leave money out under flower pots etc, but had some customers say leave this month's windows not that dirty or i'm on holiday leave it. I have thrown some customers away in temper through this as they initally said they'd have windows done regularly then move goal posts.

am I a stropy so & so, do any of you guys get this? if customers want me less frequently i try to charge them more, but most won't buy this!
do any of you have a rehearsed speech for new customers?
a bit wary of giving to many rules and regs don't want to come across as c^cky!.
  advice and critisisms greatly taken.  lee

[brett walker]

Lee

i clean my customers windows once a month and wipe window sills if 2 monthly extra price.  Frames extra price

Dont bother with time wasters they obviously have got no respect for you trying to make a living when you are giving them a professional service , it sounds like you are working hard to make your business make your rules and stick by them.  Or just replace them with other customers

Good luck

Regards

Brett.

[lee_dewing]

thanks Brett.

[windows_chepstow]

Lee, I'm the same as yourself and have posted a couple of my own whinges on here.

The thing is, the bigger your round gets, the more customers you have (obviously), therefore the more 'bad' customers you'll come accross.

I now have my terms and conditions printed on my A5 sized chit which basically says that we've had to 'let customers go because after carting our equipment to their property, they say, 'Not this month, Mate'', and goes on to say that unless we've arranged other terms, we clean once per calander month. 

I've had a few jokers, mind, who've waited till I've climbed up my ladder and come out and say, 'Not this month, Mate', then laugh when they see my face screw-up.

But I've got the message accross to the majority of my customers.

[simon spencer]

Hi Lee

I clean all my domestic every 3 weeks, when I cavass I always make it very clear to them that 6 weekly is the max I will go to. I think with you having contact with them i.e leaving monies, gates etc You are prompting them to check how dirty there windows are. Lets face it If you left it upto most customer they would rather them be cleaned 4 times a year. BUT AS YOU KNOW THATS NO GOOD FOR US.
I would try to get keys cut for padlocked gates, climb the ones that are just bolted. As for payment I collect in the day, if no ones in i invoice them. Only invoice customers when they owe £10 or more. I have £6000 worth of work every month to clean this method works very well for me.
If you dont want the hassle of cheques then collect in the evening.

I hope this helps you.

Simon

[H h20]

I used to do all domestic until,but mostly commercial now but i am picking up decent size domestic jobs now so worth doing,the ones that use to get to me were when the husband or who ever the bloke was who lived there was "she isn`t in mate",rather than stand there arguing with the idiot i used to laugh at em and walk off shaking my head, and another one was "oh have you been", i got so tempted to reply "no i just collect money for nothing", oh how i miss the good old days  Gaz.

[thewindowcleaner1]

It gets better, (sometimes)

when they say leave them this month miss them the following month
If they do it again stop going, then when they ask why you have not been tell them you thought they had cancelled as customers don't normally miss months, when/if you start to clean them again up your price (they lost the customer loyaty discount)

If you have a lot that mess you about in one area, look for a diffrent area (one where the Demographics are better)

After years running pubs I learnt that if you let customer mess you about they will do it all the time (makes them feel important) the odd can you leave this month just about OK (once only though..)

The best ones are "can you leave it today it looks like rain)
these I sack and when they ask. I tell them the weather forcast said rain this week...You feel so good when that happens...

I,ve just been reading about body language and apparently to get the upper hand stand with legs slightly appart arms by side (take up as much space as possible) and look directly at the other person (don,t drop your gaze and don't shake or knod your head) this should give you a superior positon..

Give it to em...

Alan

[s.hughes]

Once you have enough work it dont matter, I am always late round my jobs so the customers are always pleased to see me.

Steve

[windows_chepstow]

A few months back I had this posh lady who always gave me the run-around when it came to getting paid.  The final straw was when she left from the front door, when I went to clean around the back.

I didn't know she'd gone, so stood there, knocking and waiting her to answer with the sun beating down on me.  I was cross when the penny dropped that she'd buggered off out.  In fact I was raging!!!!  I late called three times, eventually got paid and never went back.

Yesturday, I was sat having a coke in the car with Wor Lass and this posh lady spots me, smiles, which she never used to do and came around to my side of the car to speak.  My window was open a few inches.

'Hello, when are you comming next?' she asks.

'Sorry, Pet, trying to get the payment from you was harder work than doing your windows', I said, quoting a line I'd read from this site.

'Oh, well I wasn't always in', she said.  So are you going to clean my windows?', she asked looking a little flustered.

'What do you think?' I asked.

She walked off in the huff.

But I really enjoyed it.

It's one strike and your out now.

[SWC_70]

'Sorry, Pet, trying to get the payment from you was harder work than doing your windows', I said, quoting a line I'd read from this site.

pmsl....Tosh.............glad that made a reappearance......hope I don't have to use it too......but sure would like to.....

[Londoner]

A few months ago someone got really ratty with me because I said something about always tryig to improve your round by continually moving on. This job would be great if it wasn't for the customers.
You do have to know when to let them go.

[lee_dewing]

thanks for all your input, I'l make a push to get more customer's got a bit lazy, are there better times of year for canvassing i.e spring, summer better than autum, winter?

Gradually weeding out the time waster's, valid point made about calling customer's; gives them a chance to mess you about, just did this so they leave money out as i've only gone out collecting twice so far.
funny how my customer's remeber to unlock gate but not put money out!

have got a couple of key's now;(customers offered) always feel nervous about asking to have a key, I give customers my full address & tel no's I suppose it's up to them to trust me. I'm to eager too please I realise this change's the bigger your round gets thanks again.  lee

[williamx]

Lee

I charge my customers 50% extra when I first clean their windows, so if they ever say not this time they know that they will have to pay 50% extra the next time I turn up, if they don't have it done for 2 cleans then they are off the list and they never get back on again.

[Chris Cottrell]

Only invoice customers when they owe £10 or more.

Thats all very well if you charge so little if I waited till my customers owed £10 or so Id be invoicing every customer exept for say  1 or 2 !!

[neil100]

My round is 95% domestic. Ive been cleaning windows since 1980 and make a very good living at it with no stress.
My advice is simple, start out as you mean to go on.
I tell all my customers i will do their windows every 4 weeks,if they want to pick and choose when i do them i tell them in a nice way that i am not the window cleaner for them and wish them all the best in finding another window cleaner.

i give them one chance,then take them of my books.

You have to take the long term view. Get rid of time wasters.I tell all my customers i clean the windows,you have to let me clean them regularly,its an unwritten contract. get that right and you can do them in the rain with no problems.

in the end you have a round were everyone pays.