[macleod]

just wondered if anyone is starting to concentrate on residential or commercial since going wfp?

i started w/c this year, but have decided to drop domestics (except the really large manor houses)...

just wondered if any one else is adapting their business?
thanks for the feedback...

[Andrew McCann]

It's your business so run it however you want but I woudn't drop domestics completely. No loyalty in commercial and the old cashflow can take a real bashing. I know of a few who are moving back into domestic because of the bad payers in commercial.

Andrew

[macleod]

thanks andrew... building up commercial work takes about 3 to 4 times longer but the speed that i can do windows gives me an edge, and domestics are always out... not moaning just this is what ive found.

also i am thinking its gonna get more competitive in the domestics as those w/c without wfp will slowly be edged out... (again thats what i am finding) mainly through H&S... and also the 'current' window cleaners with no wfp have become too familiar i.e. drinking coffee all the time... they like to see a w/c at work...

[steve massey]

Hi,

The problem with commercial work is you can loose so much in one month, So far this year i have lost around £2000 per month in commercial work. We are not doing enything wrong just places closing down and some of our customers sold out. I have still got a good commercial round which we have done for 7 years but i still keep my houses just to fall back on.

[macleod]

one reason i dropped all domestics was to give me time to prospect commercail - a risk i know...

i lost commercail when curry's gave the contract to have their windows cleaned by a national carpet cleaning company - betcha they werent cheaper than me though, so not sure what the company saved.... and i will not buy from curry anymore... power house for me !!! lol

[Sarah Sarill]

Its been said so many times before but ' dont put all your eggs in one basket'.

Many weeks ago I posted a thread about the effects of a recession as I was feeling the effects even then.  Mainly because businesses are the first to look for ways to save money when their business is slow.  W/c is usually one of the things they can 'live without' for a while and if you had a round of commercial only you would be in real trouble.

Residential customers only start to think about stopping w/c when it gets really bad ie 3 day working weeks, huge morgage increases etc so always keep a good stock of residential just in case

Only my opinion but with so much talk about a pending recession and so many businesses closing or at least cutting back I would think very carefully.

At the very least delay it until the market evens out.

God luck whichever way you decide to take your business forward.

Regards,

Sarah

[matt]

i will allways stick with my DOMESTIC

why

commercail stuff is ok to bulk up the money a bit

BUT

they will drop you like a hit brick come the hard times

[Moderator David@stives]

sorry to interupt here

Matt did you get my mail

Dave

[Mike Hunt]

It seems its every window cleaners ambition to go commercial.
I have taken on a lot of domestic through people moving on to commercial.

With wfp being more accesable to the avarage w/c its only a matter of time before these origional wf polers will be getting underpriced.
Companys are forever trying to keep spending down and the first thing they look at is the window cleaner.

They wont think twice about losing the man with the thermo pure for the man with the diy.

The nic'he now might be be screwing the tradional w/c's for their commercial work by throwing h&s in their clients faces but they might come back to haunt you.

Domestic will be the way to go in two more years when everone is getting undercut and the moneys gone in commercial.
That why im staying where i am.
   Craig

[matt]

sorry to interupt here

Matt did you get my mail

Dave

no mate

where did you send it ?? ??

if your a member over on the DIY forum, just send me a PM on it

[matt]

They wont think twice about losing the man with the thermo pure for the man with the diy.

Craig, that'll have some crying into there hot milk tonight

[Paul Coleman]

just wondered if anyone is starting to concentrate on residential or commercial since going wfp?

i started w/c this year, but have decided to drop domestics (except the really large manor houses)...

just wondered if any one else is adapting their business?
thanks for the feedback...

I intend to increase the percentage of commercial work that I do.  Currently it's around 5 - 10%.  I want it to be around 40 or 50%.  I also intend to start chasing the larger domestic work (if i ever get the hang of this WFP stuff).

[GRAHAM.K]

I think it's pretty much irrelevant wether the glass you clean is domestic or commercial. It's the price v time ratio that counts. I have a mixture of all types of jobs, and commercial is not always the most lucrative.
 I also know window cleaners who have not put up their commercial prices for 10 years or so because they are terrified of raising the issue with the customer, this also has the effect of locking out any other window cleaners, but they are foolishly loosing income so they can have this superior air of " commercial only"
 Recently i quoted 40 quid for a job, the previous w/c  who had done the job for years charged 6.50, small wonder he had the job for years.
A mixed bag of work is always better, it will keep through going through good times and bad.
cheers.

[steve massey]

Yes Graham you are right we have a commercial account with a big insurance company we have cleaned it for 4 years and have never increased the price,

We dont want to loose the job its a good earner,
But no increase over 4 years how much as fuel gone up in that time and we still have to drive there.

[Stuart webster]

thanks andrew... building up commercial work takes about 3 to 4 times longer but the speed that i can do windows gives me an edge, and domestics are always out... not moaning just this is what ive found.

also i am thinking its gonna get more competitive in the domestics as those w/c without wfp will slowly be edged out... (again thats what i am finding) mainly through H&S... and also the 'current' window cleaners with no wfp have become too familiar i.e. drinking coffee all the time... they like to see a w/c at work...

With nearly 20 years experience, may I suggest you are wrong on that score. At least in my area its quite the opposite.

Hi,

The problem with commercial work is you can loose so much in one month, So far this year i have lost around £2000 per month in commercial work. We are not doing enything wrong just places closing down and some of our customers sold out. I have still got a good commercial round which we have done for 7 years but i still keep my houses just to fall back on.

Good point about losses

I think it's pretty much irrelevant wether the glass you clean is domestic or commercial. It's the price v time ratio that counts. I have a mixture of all types of jobs, and commercial is not always the most lucrative.
 I also know window cleaners who have not put up their commercial prices for 10 years or so because they are terrified of raising the issue with the customer, this also has the effect of locking out any other window cleaners, but they are foolishly loosing income so they can have this superior air of " commercial only"
 Recently i quoted 40 quid for a job, the previous w/c who had done the job for years charged 6.50, small wonder he had the job for years.
A mixed bag of work is always better, it will keep through going through good times and bad.
cheers.

Spot on!!