[Clayton Spencer]

Hi all don't know whether this is the right site to come to. Cleaning domestic windows but looking to branch out into commercial window cleaning is there any tips. How would I go about contacting companies. Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated thank you in advance.

[Shrek]

Don’t bother 

It’s very cut throat and you will get dropped for someone £5 cheaper, it’s a lot safer sticking to domestics

[Spruce]

Hi all don't know whether this is the right site to come to. Cleaning domestic windows but looking to branch out into commercial window cleaning is there any tips. How would I go about contacting companies. Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated thank you in advance.

Funnily enough, most of the commercial we have done over the years have come from domestic customer referrals because we did a good, honest job with their home first.
 We still do a good amount of commercial although its much more fluid that domestic - here today and gone tomorrow for a variety of reasons.

We have canvassed for the odd commercial - care home for example, but they wanted the job done for pennies so we just didn't bother. We lost our biggest commercial in the early days and we suffered financially for months afterward. The company went bang and the receiver took control of it to recover unpaid taxes. We got paid in full from the owner's pocket which he didn't have to do, but it took a few months to replace that work - we did eventually with domestic work.

So our main focus turned toward domestic where the risk of non payment was much lower. We have several commercial that are paid from petty cash; we never have a problem with those, but the bigger ones requiring invoicing and statements we can  spend as much time chasing payment as it does to clean the property.  30 days gets squeezed to 60 days and they will try 90 days as well. The money made isn't worth the effort to be fair.

As Shrek says, stick with domestic. Any commercial are to be treated as the icing on the cake. But if they are priced right, someone will come along and under cut you.

If you have your heart set on commercial, don't take on work that you can't afford not to be paid for. And don't buy equipment especially for a job because someone's law says they will change their minds after the first clean and leave you with the proverbial baby.

.

[jonboywalton75]

40% of my work is commercial
It earns me on average about 35% more than my domestic work
I know which I prefer

[AuRavelling79]

Welcome to the forum Clayton Spencer.

You've had some good advice from above.

For me some of my commercial I have had for over 15 years. Others come and go lasting a few years at a time. But they only go due to moving away, closing down or receivership rather than losing them to someone else. (Oh there was one where head office put all window cleaning under a national contract)

I've actually dumped a couple of very small £40 industrial units for messing me around. And infamously a well known clothing chain regional office because the security wanted triplicate forms signed every time I went, wanted to check the purchase order and seemed to take sadistic delight in making me wait for them to take their time while they checked my van upon leaving for stolen goods.

They had a 60 day payment policy which stretched to 90 and I just walked away. I got a phone call asking where I was for the quarterly contract and I said I'd turn up when they paid me what I owed. It took them a further week. I went down to start again and the security rigmarole started so I wrote on their paperwork (in triplicate  ) that when they treated me with more respect I would consider cleaning their windows again. Strangely they didn't chase me up!

But  ...  a receivership is unpleasant as it is unlikely you'll get paid and if you aren't on top of it you might have a couple of months outstanding if they pay on 45/60 days.

If payment times increase from say 30 days it might be a sign they are going down the tubes so whatever you do don't clean again until you've been paid for the last one.

By the way, can you tell us who the hell Pearly Spencer was? A relative? 

[Spruce]

Welcome to the forum Clayton Spencer.

You've had some good advice from above.

For me some of my commercial I have had for over 15 years. Others come and go lasting a few years at a time. But they only go due to moving away, closing down or receivership rather than losing them to someone else. (Oh there was one where head office put all window cleaning under a national contract)

I've actually dumped a couple of very small £40 industrial units for messing me around. And infamously a well known clothing chain regional office because the security wanted triplicate forms signed every time I went, wanted to check the purchase order and seemed to take sadistic delight in making me wait for them to take their time while they checked my van upon leaving for stolen goods.

They had a 60 day payment policy which stretched to 90 and I just walked away. I got a phone call asking where I was for the quarterly contract and I said I'd turn up when they paid me what I owed. It took them a further week. I went down to start again and the security rigmarole started so I wrote on their paperwork (in triplicate  ) that when they treated me with more respect I would consider cleaning their windows again. Strangely they didn't chase me up!

But  ...  a receivership is unpleasant as it is unlikely you'll get paid and if you aren't on top of it you might have a couple of months outstanding if they pay on 45/60 days.

If payment times increase from say 30 days it might be a sign they are going down the tubes so whatever you do don't clean again until you've been paid for the last one.

By the way, can you tell us who the hell Pearly Spencer was? A relative? 

Now you are showing your age Malc!

[Richard Stevenson]

Don’t bother 

It’s very cut throat and you will get dropped for someone £5 cheaper, it’s a lot safer sticking to domestics
You don't know what your talking about

[dazmond]

most of the commercial jobs ive got are well priced and pay within 30 days....ive never gone looking for it...all word of mouth and recommendations....some ive been cleaning 20+years....

i dont do shops or work for any management companies though...mainly private offices,childrens nurseries/care homes etc........

[dazmond]

as for pricing...CHARGE WHAT YOU WANT!THERES NO HARD OR FAST RULES!

[Phil J]

Wise words indeed Spruce....

[paul alan]

I dont look for commercial, I had one that took 10 hours to first clean and spent £200 on a ladder to access a flat roof for one window. I never got a second clean as the "last cleaner turned up" who incidentally hadn't been seen for 2 years.


I also have a care home that is way overpriced, £240 for 3 hours work. wont be long before someone offers to do it for £239.

[G Griffin]

Hi all don't know whether this is the right site to come to. Cleaning domestic windows but looking to branch out into commercial window cleaning is there any tips. How would I go about contacting companies. Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated thank you in advance.

I'm going to be frank, Spencer.
I've had a bit of trouble with commercial.
Ooh, Betty.

[Gringo]