[roundbuilder]

Then I admit, with those sums, I'd work Sunday!!! 

exactly lol 

[robbo333]

I've been going about six weeks now. I started offering a six weekly clean but a lot of my customers want 8 weeks and a few 12 weeks. They just don't want to spend the money. Naturally, I try to convince them to have 6 weeks but I want every customer I can get at the moment so if 8 weeks is what they want then that's fine by me.

[Perfect Windows]

Robbo, all I'd say about that is try to get 4/8/12, 5/10 or 6/12 but not 8/12.  If you have one of the sets of frequencies I've mentioned, you're doing your round in a sensible order but just missing some each time.  If you try 8 and 12, your route will be blown as you'll have to cover the same areas more than once in each cycle.

Vin

[robbo333]

Thanks Vin, I'll have a ponder on that one!

[roundbuilder]

I've been going about six weeks now. I started offering a six weekly clean but a lot of my customers want 8 weeks and a few 12 weeks. They just don't want to spend the money. Naturally, I try to convince them to have 6 weeks but I want every customer I can get at the moment so if 8 weeks is what they want then that's fine by me.

8 and 12 weekly  its getting worse.

[roundbuilder]

Vin this is how i would see it on a 4 and 6 weekly difference without a price difference. Do you agree or not that it creat's more work 6 weekly.
How would the same scinario work with me on my 4 weekly with you on you 12 weekly with your price 50% higher than mine as you stated.


Rav and joe are in contest to build a window cleaning business...

 ravi patel wants to have a business with 1200 customers at 4 weekly.

van 1 400x£10  customers
van 2 400x£10 customers
van 3 400x£10 customers

144k a year

joe bloggs wants a business with 1800 customers at 6 weekly

van 1 600x£10 customers
van 2 600x£10 customers
van 3 600x£10 customers

144k a year

both ravi and joe build there rounds gaining customers at the exact same speed.

Poor old joe will have a lot more work to do than ravi to hit hes target. Ravi would have van 4 and half of van 5 on the road by the time joe has finished earning him 8k more a month than joe. On a flip side joe could try changing from 6 to 4 weekly and be the same but runs the risk of many cancelations due to the change and customers being used to how it was before.

[robbo333]

Mick, your figures are interesting, but as a newbie, what do I do when a customer is insistent that they only want 6 or 8 weeks? Don't get me wrong, I'd love to be in a position to pick and choose.

[Erithwc]

What i think people are missing is a £10 4 weekly job would a £13 -14 6 weekly job and it dont take much longer to do that a 4 weekly job for more money.

Paul

[roundbuilder]

hi rob. window cleaning in my eyes has always been a monthly thing. from the day i started till now. never have i been asked to go 6 weekly. must be the way you canvas. i go through my pitch at the door and when they are interested i say its £10/20 a month and they agree. sometimes they ask every 2 months but verey rarely and i go with it withought charging extra. I live se london and it is the norm here with work i hav canvassed or bought as never came accross 6 and 12 weekly requests by customers however i can see why a customer would tick 6 weekly if had the choice but the trick isto not give that choice 1200 strong customer base i cant be wrong, where in the country are you??
Something i am going to do from new year when i hit the doors again is charge 50% extra on the first clean as a few local blokes my way do this.

[robbo333]

Mick, i'm in Bournemouth and I started out with the intention of doing 6 weekly cleans due to all the info I've read on here. I must admit that it made sense that 4 weekly would be too often (especially as time flies etc), customers seeing you too soon blah blah. And I didn't want too many cancellations. So rightly or wrongly, I made the decision for 6 weeks and I'm ok with it. I put it on my leaflet that I offer a six weekly clean so I set my stall out, so to speak. On the doorstep I explain that I clean all the windows, frames, doors, sills etc and I offer a six weekly clean. Most in all fairness are ok but about 20 percent say that's too soon and would prefer 'every couple of months'. That seems to be the key phrase. Naturally I try and steer them towards 6 weekly but some are insistent and I'm too new to lose customers for the sake of a couple of weeks.

[roundbuilder]

What i think people are missing is a £10 4 weekly job would a £13 -14 6 weekly job and it dont take much longer to do that a 4 weekly job for more money.

Paul

No my point is you cant change from £10 to £14 for a 2 week difference,
Bedonwell road i charge £10 fronts wheather it be 4 or 6 weekly you and i both know customers wont pay more than that for a front customers arnt that stupid. 12 weekly i can understand charging more but no way 2 week difference. Would run the risk of customer seeking cheaper quote or accepting a better offer. the past 3 years i have worked out the rough max i can get away with charging and if i went for £14 fronts i wouldnt have much of a business as it just wouldnt happen round here, Blackheath maybe bet even that is a push.

[LT carpet cleaning]

hi rob. window cleaning in my eyes has always been a monthly thing. from the day i started till now. never have i been asked to go 6 weekly. must be the way you canvas. i go through my pitch at the door and when they are interested i say its £10/20 a month and they agree. sometimes they ask every 2 months but verey rarely and i go with it withought charging extra. I live se london and it is the norm here with work i hav canvassed or bought as never came accross 6 and 12 weekly requests by customers however i can see why a customer would tick 6 weekly if had the choice but the trick isto not give that choice 1200 strong customer base i cant be wrong, where in the country are you??
Something i am going to do from new year when i hit the doors again is charge 50% extra on the first clean as a few local blokes my way do this.

Mick, do you honestly think you would get away with 50% extra for first clean?? Fair play if you can tho. When I was on the windows, I did try to maybe stick few quid on the first clean, not 50% tho. Wish I had!

[robbo333]

On my 12 weeklys, I have managed to push the price up a bit. For instance, one house is 25 quid and when I'm up to speed should take me half an hour. Naturally i'm looking forward to doing that one again...if I don't get too old in the meantime LOL.

[roundbuilder]

Mick, i'm in Bournemouth and I started out with the intention of doing 6 weekly cleans due to all the info I've read on here. I must admit that it made sense that 4 weekly would be too often (especially as time flies etc), customers seeing you too soon blah blah. And I didn't want too many cancellations. So rightly or wrongly, I made the decision for 6 weeks and I'm ok with it. I put it on my leaflet that I offer a six weekly clean so I set my stall out, so to speak. On the doorstep I explain that I clean all the windows, frames, doors, sills etc and I offer a six weekly clean. Most in all fairness are ok but about 20 percent say that's too soon and would prefer 'every couple of months'. That seems to be the key phrase. Naturally I try and steer them towards 6 weekly but some are insistent and I'm too new to lose customers for the sake of a couple of weeks.

Rob you are a long way from me but it sounds you are 6 weekly brainwashed. yes a lot of customers will comment and say to frequent but these are the type of customers you dont want. if you get the slightest iclin that the customer you are canvassing will be a messer then dont add to the round. you dont need headaches or hasstle customers. I bet you any money if your leaflets or you changed your canvassing pitch to 4 weekly you wont notice much of a difference and by the end of the year you will be 50% better off than you would staying at 6 weekly.
good luck with it all though robbo whether you do it 4,6,8, 0r 12. it beats working for min wage or for anyone else for that matter.

[dazmond]

most of my work is calendar monthly with some on every other month.i have got some stand alone commercial jobs on 6 weekly and the odd stand alone large domestic.some 3 monthly and the odd 6 monthly!

i dont have any problems with "is it that time again?" comments on monthly work at all!quite a few window cleaners around my way are still cleaning fortnightly!!


regards


dazmond

[roundbuilder]

hi rob. window cleaning in my eyes has always been a monthly thing. from the day i started till now. never have i been asked to go 6 weekly. must be the way you canvas. i go through my pitch at the door and when they are interested i say its £10/20 a month and they agree. sometimes they ask every 2 months but verey rarely and i go with it withought charging extra. I live se london and it is the norm here with work i hav canvassed or bought as never came accross 6 and 12 weekly requests by customers however i can see why a customer would tick 6 weekly if had the choice but the trick isto not give that choice 1200 strong customer base i cant be wrong, where in the country are you??
Something i am going to do from new year when i hit the doors again is charge 50% extra on the first clean as a few local blokes my way do this.

well like you im doubting ill get away with it but 2 other big companies near me do this and say that they get away with it so im going to give it a go, it would sort the messers from day 1 so im told so im going to give it a go.

Mick, do you honestly think you would get away with 50% extra for first clean?? Fair play if you can tho. When I was on the windows, I did try to maybe stick few quid on the first clean, not 50% tho. Wish I had!

[roundbuilder]

most of my work is calendar monthly with some on every other month.i have got some stand alone commercial jobs on 6 weekly and the odd stand alone large domestic.some 3 monthly and the odd 6 monthly!

i dont have any problems with "is it that time again?" comments on monthly work at all!quite a few window cleaners around my way are still cleaning fortnightly!!


regards


dazmond

top man im exactly the same. i have been going over 10 years and never been a problem. maybe its a newbie thing due to the stress of how hard it is to build a solid customer base as us established guys have all the regular work and all thats left is the stuff established monthly cleaners dropped over the years fro being messers. 

joke by the way before anyone rips me apart.

[robbo333]

I'll give the 4 week push and go and see how I get on. Thanks for your help.
Cheers
Pete

[Perfect Windows]

Vin this is how i would see it on a 4 and 6 weekly difference without a price difference. Do you agree or not that it creat's more work 6 weekly.
How would the same scinario work with me on my 4 weekly with you on you 12 weekly with your price 50% higher than mine as you stated.


Rav and joe are in contest to build a window cleaning business...

 ravi patel wants to have a business with 1200 customers at 4 weekly.

van 1 400x£10  customers
van 2 400x£10 customers
van 3 400x£10 customers

144k a year

joe bloggs wants a business with 1800 customers at 6 weekly

van 1 600x£10 customers
van 2 600x£10 customers
van 3 600x£10 customers

144k a year

both ravi and joe build there rounds gaining customers at the exact same speed.

Poor old joe will have a lot more work to do than ravi to hit hes target. Ravi would have van 4 and half of van 5 on the road by the time joe has finished earning him 8k more a month than joe. On a flip side joe could try changing from 6 to 4 weekly and be the same but runs the risk of many cancelations due to the change and customers being used to how it was before.

Yes, if the prices are the same, then there's a potential disadvantage being 6 weekly versus 4 weekly if you neglect the fact that customers may be easier to get 6 weekly and less likely to cancel as you're not "back too soon".  Neglecting that lightly is a mistake, in my opinion.  I chose 6-weekly because it's what I wanted and it's what most of the people I asked (before I started) wanted.  Giving customers what they want makes it easier to get them in the first place and reduces cancellations, IMHO.  I do think that giving what customers want is in no way a bad thing.  Very few businesses other than ours blindly ignore their customers' wishes.

Yes it takes a little longer to be full, but that's a detail.  I want to be in this business for a while, so a slow start didn't bother me.  And the big thing for me, the one I keep banging on about because it's so important, is the 50% price uplift for half frequency.  That's where I make a lot of money.  It takes even longer to build up, but the hourly rate is just fine.  And, let's face it, the number of hours in a working week is what limits sole traders' earnings.

Let's keep the maths simple.  Comparing your 4-weekly to my 12-weekly makes little sense, so lets compare 4 weekly and 8 weekly.

Cleaner A has 300 customers every four weeks at £10. £3,000 every four weeks - £39,000 a year
Cleaner B has 100 customers at four weekly (£10) and 400 customers at 8-weekly (£15).  Every four weeks he cleans 300 houses (same as "A") and gets in £4,000 - £52,000 a year.

So, it takes cleaner B more time to build up his round but he's earning far more for the same workload.  And I say genuinely that half frequency cleans really don't take more than a few seconds more than a normal clean.

Vin



Vin

[Frankybadboy]

well i put a spanner in the work,i work 5/6weeks but when i get there


to me i earn a good hourly rate every day and dont worry about when i get there