[dave the rave]

Wise words Tony Carr, One local window cleaner near me  often  under cuts my prices when out door knocking but over the years only lost a couple to him. Some of my customers have even mention he his to cheap.But as he says he will do them just to get the job.Obviously its not working for him.

[Edge Clean]

You just got to get over the fear of losing work, obviously your competition hasn't got over this fear yet.

I live in a smallish village, 810 houses, Ideally I would like a full time round here, it won't happen as I would need 500 out of those 810 houses unless I buy out the competition. I currently have 1 weeks work and working on building my 2nd week, if I get to this point I will be happy.

The village is already covered by half a dozen window cleaners, myself included, the chap with the biggest round only bought it before Xmas and is quite threatening to the other window cleaners when he loses jobs to them, he is currently one of 4 window cleaners touting for new business here mainly by under cutting, however none of them seem to be having much luck taking any of my customers of me, I have only lost 1, but have somehow managed to pick up 18 that they have failed to get since the start of the new tax year.

I don't doubt that they will pick up some customers but they won't get many, after a while they will fall by the wayside and the customers will become available again to whomever gets them first.

[Smurf]

"Get off my patch" does make me chuckle 

[AuRavelling79]

how would you feel some one putting flyers threw your doors this guy has probably spent years building up his round and then you come along, i have had it done to me not as nice feeling and you have p""sed him off no wonder he feels the way he does it will happen to you and see how you react 

 

[Smurf]

How would you feel if you were at home with the signed up van sat on your drive and a cleaner turns up and cleans next door?
And yes I was that cleaner as quoted for a full exterior clean and done the job no probs. 

A. would you come rushing outside and screem get of my patch?
B. think why did next door not ask me for a quote?

[Ian Lancaster]

I would rather not do next door's.  If there's a dispute or any kind of falling out, I'd still have to live next door to them

[nathankaye]

A short while ago, had a phone call from a windy asking if i had anywork to sell in his patch. I guess he got my number of my van or website. Eitherway, i said NO. He went on to say hiw hes been in that area for 20 yrs and looking to have all of it. Said sorry cant help him......
2 days later i was working my round in his patch ( lol)  and wondered if i would see any trouble. Sure enough this huge chap by huge i meant round belly, in addition to looking scruffy with cheap blue plastic pouches on a normal belt walk upto me. He said it was him that phoned me and again i said same response but talked pleasantly to him. However stating that ive been there over 14yrs and this is the first our paths have crossed.  He left on friendly terms. But i couldnt help but think if hes been in this game for over 20 yrs and he still looks like a beer money window cleaner he cant be doing very well, i wonder if i should follow him n poach his customers lol

[capn sparkle]

A short while ago, had a phone call from a windy asking if i had anywork to sell in his patch. I guess he got my number of my van or website. Eitherway, i said NO. He went on to say hiw hes been in that area for 20 yrs and looking to have all of it. Said sorry cant help him......
2 days later i was working my round in his patch ( lol)  and wondered if i would see any trouble. Sure enough this huge chap by huge i meant round belly, in addition to looking scruffy with cheap blue plastic pouches on a normal belt walk upto me. He said it was him that phoned me and again i said same response but talked pleasantly to him. However stating that ive been there over 14yrs and this is the first our paths have crossed.  He left on friendly terms. But i couldnt help but think if hes been in this game for over 20 yrs and he still looks like a beer money window cleaner he cant be doing very well, i wonder if i should follow him n poach his customers lol

Gutted! I'm on my third set of 'cheap blue plastic pouches'

Inferior feelings spring to mind

[Marc Stock]

I can never really undestand the off my patch mentally of some window cleaners.

Its all about showing respect for your competition. For example when canvassing if a prospect said to me we have a window cleaner, the 1st thing id ask is 'are you happy with their quality of work? '

9 times out of ten they would be happy with their current cleaner but the one time you get a hesistation your ready to sell.

Sometimes is because thier current cleaner cant reach a certain window, or it could be a reliability issue which is common umungst complaints, other times it can be just that they are not trustworthy enough.

I never make it about price.

[Smurf]

Bearing in mind that anyone can get hold of a set of ladders and a bucket and call themselves a so say window cleaner it does not supprise me in the slightest we bump into  nutters from time to time doing this job.  So people as their customers are even frightend of getting rid of them too which has been mentioned more than once to me in conversation. 

[Johnny B]

I can never really undestand the off my patch mentally of some window cleaners.

Its all about showing respect for your competition. For example when canvassing if a prospect said to me we have a window cleaner, the 1st thing id ask is 'are you happy with their quality of work? '

9 times out of ten they would be happy with their current cleaner but the one time you get a hesistation your ready to sell.

Sometimes is because thier current cleaner cant reach a certain window, or it could be a reliability issue which is common umungst complaints, other times it can be just that they are not trustworthy enough.

I never make it about price.

When I canvassed I never made it about price or picking up anyone else's customers. If I was told they already had a window cleaner, I always replied that I would not try to take another guy's work (we are all trying to make a living after all). I then thanked them for their time and moved on. I also never asked what they were being charged.

The guy who warned me off his 'patch' had intimidated his customers into staying with him. Once one of them broke cover and told him where to go their neighbours all soon switched over to me!

John

[CleanClear]

in fact i enjoy coming across other windy`s when working , have a good ol chin wag

Come to some parts of Liverpool and try the "good old chinwag" routine. You'll be told where to take your chinwag, some are bluffers and some are not and you won't get the chance to speak.....................
  I actually dread coming across them and will not usually speak to them. When out working they usually fall into two types, the busy business minded ones carrying out their work and ignore me, or the territorial ones who wanna come over and start to tell you, based on how you react, that they do the whole area and have done for years, its not on coming into someones area or they bought their round and you're knackering it up for them. If i get anything other than "hiya mate" i usually just snarl at them and won't entertain them at all. Not that they'd be particularly frightened of me, but they know where the conversation will lead...generally me saying.......................................off, i'm not interested.

[LT carpet cleaning]

in fact i enjoy coming across other windy`s when working , have a good ol chin wag

Come to some parts of Liverpool and try the "good old chinwag" routine. You'll be told where to take your chinwag, some are bluffers and some are not and you won't get the chance to speak.....................
  I actually dread coming across them and will not usually speak to them. When out working they usually fall into two types, the busy business minded ones carrying out their work and ignore me, or the territorial ones who wanna come over and start to tell you, based on how you react, that they do the whole area and have done for years, its not on coming into someones area or they bought their round and you're knackering it up for them. If i get anything other than "hiya mate" i usually just snarl at them and won't entertain them at all. Not that they'd be particularly frightened of me, but they know where the conversation will lead...generally me saying.......................................off, i'm not interested.

I expect they are terrified.

[jk999]

Funny how people stop posting when they are shot down lol,  I used to think my patch thirty years ago when I first started but as time went on I realized that if you lose a customer to another windy then it's a customer not worth having if your doing a good job there's nowt to worry about but there will always be customer s that trys to save a penny that's life

[CleanClear]

in fact i enjoy coming across other windy`s when working , have a good ol chin wag

Come to some parts of Liverpool and try the "good old chinwag" routine. You'll be told where to take your chinwag, some are bluffers and some are not and you won't get the chance to speak.....................
  I actually dread coming across them and will not usually speak to them. When out working they usually fall into two types, the busy business minded ones carrying out their work and ignore me, or the territorial ones who wanna come over and start to tell you, based on how you react, that they do the whole area and have done for years, its not on coming into someones area or they bought their round and you're knackering it up for them. If i get anything other than "hiya mate" i usually just snarl at them and won't entertain them at all. Not that they'd be particularly frightened of me, but they know where the conversation will lead...generally me saying.......................................off, i'm not interested.

I expect they are terrified.

You terrify me to be honest.

[duncan h]

in fact i enjoy coming across other windy`s when working , have a good ol chin wag

Come to some parts of Liverpool and try the "good old chinwag" routine. You'll be told where to take your chinwag, some are bluffers and some are not and you won't get the chance to speak.....................
  I actually dread coming across them and will not usually speak to them. When out working they usually fall into two types, the busy business minded ones carrying out their work and ignore me, or the territorial ones who wanna come over and start to tell you, based on how you react, that they do the whole area and have done for years, its not on coming into someones area or they bought their round and you're knackering it up for them. If i get anything other than "hiya mate" i usually just snarl at them and won't entertain them at all. Not that they'd be particularly frightened of me, but they know where the conversation will lead...generally me saying.......................................off, i'm not interested.

Same round here. Less and less bad ones since WFP came out.

[dave f]

I just wondered if the popularity  of wfp will go full circle as you see a lot  vans for sale on evil bay ,etc I have noticed work is getting a bit more of an effort to obtain  with the a mount of guys out their seems with it being a bit faster the more scope for new work  the more scatterd  your round could be .having to travel  a bit more .which could lead to the price war touchy subject on here .just an observation.im sure they will be a few more

[OutlaneWC]

Where is West Yorkshire are you?

[LT carpet cleaning]

in fact i enjoy coming across other windy`s when working , have a good ol chin wag

Come to some parts of Liverpool and try the "good old chinwag" routine. You'll be told where to take your chinwag, some are bluffers and some are not and you won't get the chance to speak.....................
  I actually dread coming across them and will not usually speak to them. When out working they usually fall into two types, the busy business minded ones carrying out their work and ignore me, or the territorial ones who wanna come over and start to tell you, based on how you react, that they do the whole area and have done for years, its not on coming into someones area or they bought their round and you're knackering it up for them. If i get anything other than "hiya mate" i usually just snarl at them and won't entertain them at all. Not that they'd be particularly frightened of me, but they know where the conversation will lead...generally me saying.......................................off, i'm not interested.

I expect they are terrified.

You terrify me to be honest.

 

[slap bash]

I have had a few customers ask me to equal a newbie's price the answer is always yes sure, then when they are happy to go with the lower price. Will be the last time they see me. I have had a few calls to come back after the price drop because I have not come to clean. I tell them I felt blackmail and have had a change of heart and will only clean at the old price. It never goes down well.  But it`s good for me getting my message across.