[Spruce]

For a successful business transaction its needs to be a win win situation. You both need to win. Whilst the saleman/service provider needs to be flexible there is a limit before a transaction becomes a win lose senario.

In the same way our customer can decide who he/she wants to do business with, we as suppliers have the same right. If we don't accept their conditions we can politely walk away from it. But things are not always fair in love and war as the markets usually dicate how far the pendulium will swing to either side.

Will Paul's customer ever think that those requirements were OTT? I doubt it. She will spend the rest of her life trying new window cleaners and the same thing will happen. She will probably spend the rest of her life thinking that all window cleaners are a waste of space. She will probably never consider her attitude the problem. None of us will change that, so why bother?

Spruce

[C o z y]

Well put Spruce. Top answer.

[William McCafferty]

It amazes me at times that cleaners do a lot to get a customer, from door knocking, leaflet drops etc over years in many cases.

Now they get the customer and will not call the night before so they lose income because of access issues, because this happens a lot they get more customers, except these customers do not fill up the round instead they pay for the ones you cannot get to the back to clean.

I have a smaller database of customers, but I work the round so that I get over 98% of income from it

I know for a fact that i would have to increase the amount of customers on my round by 25% to 35% just to earn the same amount of money, that is not a problem, but working 25% to 35% harder for the same amount of money, seems foolish.

[C o z y]

What a vague and strange post Pure Hydro. I've read your posts on other forums and you have repeatedly posted that you only have enough work for three days a week. You got a right kicking on there for these kind of posts and now you'd like to give an opinion about how you handle customers like the OP has described!!

It could only happen on the net   I'll try and clear the point up for you. 350 to 450 customers. 90% are no problem. 1 customer wants to be called before you come to clean. The other 350 to 450 customers have to take the service as it stands, but this single customer wants you to call first. So YOU do. This is how you operate, so you say. The only difference is, you only have 3 days worth of work a week.




What's wrong with this picture?...........................

It's like giving advice about a super sports car when you drive a ford cortina.

[mister bit]

I wondered how long it would last before it got personal  five pages ... brilliant ... 

[William McCafferty]

What a vague and strange post Pure Hydro. I've read your posts on other forums and you have repeatedly posted that you only have enough work for three days a week. You got a right kicking on there for these kind of posts and now you'd like to give an opinion about how you handle customers like the OP has described!!

It could only happen on the net   I'll try and clear the point up for you. 350 to 450 customers. 90% are no problem. 1 customer wants to be called before you come to clean. The other 350 to 450 customers have to take the service as it stands, but this single customer wants you to call first. So YOU do. This is how you operate, so you say. The only difference is, you only have 3 days worth of work a week.




What's wrong with this picture?...........................

It's like giving advice about a super sports car when you drive a ford cortina.

If I did not work the way i do by not calling the night before I would be working 5 days a week, instead I call most of my customers te night before and I only need to work 3 days, I now have 2 days free to fill up with new work.

A lot of people seem to think that you must be wrong 7 days a week and 10 hours a day to have a full round, I do not look at how many customers I clean each week, instead I look at how much money I earn, and if I can earn the same amount as someone who has a full round in 3 days, how am I getting it wrong.

[C o z y]

I didn't say you were wrong, I said to GD earlier, there is no right and wrong in this game. What I'm saying is, if you work 3 days, and this leaves you more time to find MORE work, why aren't you getting it? You just said you only have 3 days work.

If you want to look for more in the two days extra per week that you have (because you only have 3 days work) why look for more if 3 days is enough?? We had all this before!

As Spruce said, customers like the one the OP mentioned, are never happy and always need new indow cleaners and NEVER see the attitude problem as their problem.

How can someone that freely posts they only have enough work for 3 days a week so they need to look for more work give advice about customer retention?   If you could find customers AND keep them, why after years of being in this game have you only got 3 days a week full?

Please don't think I'm attacking you, I'm just surprised that of all people, you would like to advise someone about customer relations. Let's not go into how many "staff" you have either. That's a non starter.

Thanks for making me smile though.

[William McCafferty]

Thanks for making me smile though.

A pleasure

[William McCafferty]

also remember I don't just clean windows, that I do 3 days a week, the other 3 days I do Gutters/Solar and Carpet Cleaning.

and of course I don't employ, I just like transfering money into peoples accounts every month for no reason

[GDwindowcleaning]

Tony your statements are so broad and sweeping that they make me laugh, if you just stood back and stopped prejudging people you might learn that not all people are the same.

Try educating them instead of putting the phone down, you never know it just may work.

You talk about no right and wrongs but being rude to people is wrong......

[Ian101]

Imagine this, you have a full round of say, 350 to 450 customers who you service with clean windows every 6 weeks. They mostly behave and 90% pay on time and don't cause problems. OK so far?

Now a "special" customer calls (at 11 pm  ) and starts talking about a special arrangement for the service in that you "must" contact them first, before you intend to turn up and provide the service they want.

All they would hear from my side of the conversation would be a dial tone at the other end of the phone line.

I'd be looking for at least one new customer who fits the system that's in place to provide the service they want. No frills, just more customers than you can manage. As soon as someone wants "special handling", it's time to decide.

We DO provide a service, but because it can get very big for a one or two man set up very quickly, you need to stay 100% in control and not try to pander to everyone.

Just my opinion, but so far, after over 20 years in the game, works for me.

Tony are you my twin brother ?? ... or have you read my mind .... totally agree with what you have posted ... makes perfect sense to me ...................... well said that man


and no its not me posting in another name incase anyone askes 

[Ian101]

If you say so GD. I'd just pass 'em on to a customer relations expert. That leaves me an easier round to run. I'm only in this game to earn as much as I can in the shortest time and the lifestyle of being able to take time off when and if I need to.

I envy blokes like you who have lots of time for and interest in their customers. I'm not a "people person" really. Just the free time and money, thanks very much. Interesting points you made though. 

I'm out.

oh yeah I like this one as well !!!

[C o z y]

Tony your statements are so broad and sweeping that they make me laugh, if you just stood back and stopped prejudging people you might learn that not all people are the same.

Try educating them instead of putting the phone down, you never know it just may work.

You talk about no right and wrongs but being rude to people is wrong......

Yeah, thanks for that tip. I'll log it into my "to do" list  

Hydro, You have multiple vans and staff and contracts and hundreds and hundreds of customers. You still work 3 days a week and look for more work in the other 2 days and pay staff.............. for 3 days??  

You work alone and sometimes you have a family member help you out, according to your posts on other forums. The trick is, if you feel the need to exaggerate, develop a good memory mate  

[Perfect Windows]

...customers like the one the OP mentioned, are never happy and always need new indow cleaners and NEVER see the attitude problem as their problem.

You're extrapolating a lot from someone whose only crime is to have asked to be called before a visit.

Vin

[Ian101]

Tony your statements are so broad and sweeping that they make me laugh, if you just stood back and stopped prejudging people you might learn that not all people are the same.

Try educating them instead of putting the phone down, you never know it just may work.

You talk about no right and wrongs but being rude to people is wrong......

errr because you cant educate most of them if not any of them ..... been there ... tried it ... easier to spot the signs early on and replace asap ..... ok maybe I wouldnt have put phone down though  

world is full of good customers who dont make the job difficult ... after all its only window cleaning ... not like a kidney transplant that in fairness would need to be organised in advance but for some people I have "removed" from my round organising a kidney transplant would have been easier.

[C o z y]

...customers like the one the OP mentioned, are never happy and always need new indow cleaners and NEVER see the attitude problem as their problem.

You're extrapolating a lot from someone whose only crime is to have asked to be called before a visit.

Vin

Well I'm impressed  I'll need to Google that one because I'm only a window cleaner  with enough work and savvy to spot a bad customer

[Ian101]

Do I win a prize for the most hotly debated posting of the week / month 

We certainly have some difference of opinions !!

[Perfect Windows]

...customers like the one the OP mentioned, are never happy and always need new indow cleaners and NEVER see the attitude problem as their problem.

You're extrapolating a lot from someone whose only crime is to have asked to be called before a visit.

Vin

Well I'm impressed  I'll need to Google that one because I'm only a window cleaner  with enough work and savvy to spot a bad customer

Are you for real?

Why not leave out the personal attacks (whether on Hydro's business acumen or my vocabulary) and try dealing with what people are saying rather than who is saying it.

Vin

[C o z y]

 

[Steve Sed]

...customers like the one the OP mentioned, are never happy and always need new indow cleaners and NEVER see the attitude problem as their problem.

You're extrapolating a lot from someone whose only crime is to have asked to be called before a visit.

Vin

Someone that complained about the sound a brush makes on the glass and says to call because "we are busy people" when there are no access issues is not a customer I would want and would dump. And I am not full.