[sean liam]

need advice.  Been window cleaning a couple of days a week for about five years. (Have another job as well)  Just a steady flow of custys.  This year the phone has not stopped ringing. 
I now find myself in a position where something has got to give.  Do I leave my other job and concentrate on the windows? or do I start turning work down and get a bad name as being unreliable? 
Other job is only part time but constant.  I am in Ireland and 50% of my customers don't want a regular clean but call me a couple of times a year.  Would love to stay on windows full time but am worried that the work will dry up and I'll be left without a job.  Stressed.  Any advice?

[robertphil]

those 50% who only want you when they feel like it will only slow you down so itll affect the regular pace of work .  nothing is to be gained from them in my experience

[sean liam]

the problem is these 50% are all 5/6 bed detached in the country.  decent earners. 

[Ian Rochester]

If you're sat their waiting for their call then you don't have a real business to commit to, tie them in to regular work or stick with what you're doing.

[DG Cleaning]

If you're sat their waiting for their call then you don't have a real business to commit to, tie them in to regular work or stick with what you're doing.

I disagree quite a lot of businesses rely on customers ringing up.
Window cleaning in most other countries isn't a regular thing but people still make a living from it.

[8weekly]

If you're sat their waiting for their call then you don't have a real business to commit to, tie them in to regular work or stick with what you're doing.

I disagree quite a lot of businesses rely on customers ringing up.
Window cleaning in most other countries isn't a regular thing but people still make all living from it.

Only if they are charging well. As a part time job the OP might not be, so if he had to charge what a full time windy would need to, the once or twice a year customers might not be willing to pay.

[dazmond]

so how much do you earn for the 2 days a week you do window cleaning?say you earn £350-£400 for 2 days.can you earn this every week?and could you live off it for starters while you build the rest of your work up?

if you do decide to go it alone you ll need to leaflet and canvass a lot.are you prepared to do what it takes?


best wishes



dazmond

[Ian Sheppard]

If you're sat their waiting for their call then you don't have a real business to commit to, tie them in to regular work or stick with what you're doing.

I disagree quite a lot of businesses rely on customers ringing up.
Window cleaning in most other countries isn't a regular thing but people still make all living from it.

The above is a good point. The US is a good example where if the cleaners gets a clean on a quarterly basis they are over the moon 4 weekly and monthly cleans are unheard of at the domestic level. They rely on the phone and repeat customer getting a clean maybe once - twice a year.
If you can tie those occasional cleans into may quarterly plus you other regular work this would give you a good base.
Then look at marketing or recommendations from existing customers, Also is the 50% regular work enough to give you want you need while you increase the regular cleans?

[Ian Lancaster]

If you're sat their waiting for their call then you don't have a real business to commit to, tie them in to regular work or stick with what you're doing.

I disagree quite a lot of businesses rely on customers ringing up.
Window cleaning in most other countries isn't a regular thing but people still make all living from it.

The above is a good point. The US is a good example where if the cleaners gets a clean on a quarterly basis they are over the moon 4 weekly and monthly cleans are unheard of at the domestic level. They rely on the phone and repeat customer getting a clean maybe once - twice a year.
If you can tie those occasional cleans into may quarterly plus you other regular work this would give you a good base.
Then look at marketing or recommendations from existing customers, Also is the 50% regular work enough to give you want you need while you increase the regular cleans?

But the point is that those American 'once a year' jobs are nothing like our monthlies.  They do a complete valet - inside and out including frames, secondary glazing both sides if there is any, conservatories including roofs in and out etc.  These jobs take between one day and a week or more to complete.

The sort of prices they charge are more like a visit from the plumber to install a new bathroom than our quick outside wash.

On that basis it would be a good viable business, but not if these 'on demand' customers expect the same service as we give our monthlies and for the same sort of price.

 

[sean liam]

I understand what everyone is saying about regular customers. I am adding regular ones every week. I think i can make it work full time just need to bite the bullet and jump in.  just the fact of loosing my stable income is a bit daunting. Thanks for your input everyone.

[C o z y]

I'm in Germany Sean. I have a few hundred Brit soldiers custies as what Brits understand as regular customers. I have them all on 6 weekly. However, in Germany, the customers are like the people in Ireland, or so it would seem. They call and book a clean, and these are in, out, and any glass panels and conservatories etc.
It's as Ian Lancaster described. Very high standard work including every part of the frames etc and no fly specks left, or you get called back to re-clean. They do pay well for this sort of work.These sort of custies can take years to build up to keep you full. What I did before I decided to concentrate more on Brits over here, was to go to bigger firms that do contract work. I was a subby for two or three of these firms and built my custy base up while still being kept busy.
So, basically, keep going, and you'll need to make a big push to make that level of being self covered if you see what I mean.
There's a member on here called Johnny B who's in Ireland too. Go into "search" at the top of the page and type his name in and see what he's said about working there. A good guy, and has done quite well in the last few years. Gives good advice too.

Here are a few of his posts, you can click on, there are enough there! http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?action=profile;u=18720;sa=showPosts

Hope that helps.