[dazmond]

Each to their own but I've never done a free clean for any customer ever and never would....I think it's a foolish idea myself.....

If I wanted to get customers on gocardless I'd just tell them this is my payment method from next clean please sign up....

BACS is great for me for lots of customers as well as card payments/cash at the door...hardly any cheques now and my debt list is usually pretty low(usually under 1k)so manageable......

Don't forget it costs YOU MONEY to clean someone's windows(resin,water meter bill,heating it up if your hot wfp)diesel driving there,etc,etc......it all adds up......

You might think its foolish daz but like you say each to their own... ive spent 5k on canvassers, doing free cleans,  dealing with bad payers etc... i might have lost a lot of money on that but gained a grand a month in revenue in the bigger scheme of things....

you blew 5k on a diesel heater that does not add a grand a month in revenue

Whos the fool ?   

Just saying 

i already earn a very comfortable living from window cleaning for my needs, you didnt so you spent money to gain the work to reach a better level of income.....thats fair enough.....

i didnt blow 5k on a heater....(it was £4.5k actually).it was a 25 year anniversary present to myself to make my working days easier for years to come with frost protection to boot!

might as well spend the money....i cant take it with me!

[Oliver James]

My entire round of 655 jobs is now on Go Cardless, including six commercial jobs.

Details about Go Cardless have been on the payment card that we put through the door for 3 years, and many went to direct debit voluntarily. We started offering direct debit 3 years ago.

I made direct debit a condition of being added to the round for new customers in March of this year. We don't do ANY work unless they've authorised a mandate.

70% of them sign up - the rest do not become our customers. 

Over the summer I sent the customers who were still paying bacs / cash / cheques (about 150 customers)  a copy of our brochure, along with a letter explaining about Go Carless and saying 'for continuation of service please set up a direct debit'.

Of those 150 customers about 40% have made the switch, and 40 I am still chasing

It is hard work getting your round this way, but if you do it, you won't regret it.

[John Mart]

My entire round of 655 jobs is now on Go Cardless, including six commercial jobs.

Details about Go Cardless have been on the payment card that we put through the door for 3 years, and many went to direct debit voluntarily. We started offering direct debit 3 years ago.

I made direct debit a condition of being added to the round for new customers in March of this year. We don't do ANY work unless they've authorised a mandate.

70% of them sign up - the rest do not become our customers. 

Over the summer I sent the customers who were still paying bacs / cash / cheques (about 150 customers)  a copy of our brochure, along with a letter explaining about Go Carless and saying 'for continuation of service please set up a direct debit'.

Of those 150 customers about 40% have made the switch, and 40 I am still chasing

It is hard work getting your round this way, but if you do it, you won't regret it.

For 650 customers I see no benefit. The admin time in reconciliation is small and with the amount of jobs you’ve lost it’s costing you thousands.

[Arnold Palmer]

My entire round of 655 jobs is now on Go Cardless, including six commercial jobs.

Details about Go Cardless have been on the payment card that we put through the door for 3 years, and many went to direct debit voluntarily. We started offering direct debit 3 years ago.

I made direct debit a condition of being added to the round for new customers in March of this year. We don't do ANY work unless they've authorised a mandate.

70% of them sign up - the rest do not become our customers. 

Over the summer I sent the customers who were still paying bacs / cash / cheques (about 150 customers)  a copy of our brochure, along with a letter explaining about Go Carless and saying 'for continuation of service please set up a direct debit'.

Of those 150 customers about 40% have made the switch, and 40 I am still chasing

It is hard work getting your round this way, but if you do it, you won't regret it.

For 650 customers I see no benefit. The admin time in reconciliation is small and with the amount of jobs you’ve lost it’s costing you thousands.

Not if you fill them back up though.

[John Mart]

My entire round of 655 jobs is now on Go Cardless, including six commercial jobs.

Details about Go Cardless have been on the payment card that we put through the door for 3 years, and many went to direct debit voluntarily. We started offering direct debit 3 years ago.

I made direct debit a condition of being added to the round for new customers in March of this year. We don't do ANY work unless they've authorised a mandate.

70% of them sign up - the rest do not become our customers. 

Over the summer I sent the customers who were still paying bacs / cash / cheques (about 150 customers)  a copy of our brochure, along with a letter explaining about Go Carless and saying 'for continuation of service please set up a direct debit'.

Of those 150 customers about 40% have made the switch, and 40 I am still chasing

It is hard work getting your round this way, but if you do it, you won't regret it.

For 650 customers I see no benefit. The admin time in reconciliation is small and with the amount of jobs you’ve lost it’s costing you thousands.

Not if you fill them back up though.

They are still lost.

[Arnold Palmer]

They are still lost.

I agree but if you are losing customers that you don't want (for any reason) to replace them with ones that you do then there is no problem there.

Not everyone wants 10 vans and 1000s of customers.

[John Mart]

They are still lost.

I agree but if you are losing customers that you don't want (for any reason) to replace them with ones that you do then there is no problem there.

Not everyone wants 10 vans and 1000s of customers.

But why would you decide what is a good customer based upon the method by which they pay? I have some customers that are slow in paying, but the vast majority pay within a few days. I understand why you might want them all paying that way, but 650 customers is easily manageable in terms of credit control.

[Arnold Palmer]

They are still lost.

I agree but if you are losing customers that you don't want (for any reason) to replace them with ones that you do then there is no problem there.

Not everyone wants 10 vans and 1000s of customers.

But why would you decide what is a good customer based upon the method by which they pay? I have some customers that are slow in paying, but the vast majority pay within a few days. I understand why you might want them all paying that way, but 650 customers is easily manageable in terms of credit control.

Again, you're preaching to the converted; I will take money any way you want to give me it. For a guy on his todd though it completely eliminates one of his jobs.

[Stoots]

it the constant texting reminders that gets a bit tedious, its always the same ones, slow payers dragging there heals.
Having to sift through bank accounts/paypal every few days, then send a reminder out.

I admit for a chap on his own thats only a couple of hours a week but still its one less thing to think about


Anyway ive only had 10 sign up so far so goes to show a lot dont like it anyway and i cant see myself with a round full of go cardless anytime soon.

[dazmond]

it the constant texting reminders that gets a bit tedious, its always the same ones, slow payers dragging there heals.
Having to sift through bank accounts/paypal every few days, then send a reminder out.

I admit for a chap on his own thats only a couple of hours a week but still its one less thing to think about


Anyway ive only had 10 sign up so far so goes to show a lot dont like it anyway and i cant see myself with a round full of go cardless anytime soon.

i only have around 20 customers that i have to send a text reminder for  BACS payments every month.....the vast majority transfer payments either on the day of clean or within a few weeks.....

i still collect though from some jobs(mainly card payments,cash and the odd cheque).........

[nathankaye]

It's easier to put new customers onto it straight away than converting existing customers onto it

[Stoots]

It's easier to put new customers onto it straight away than converting existing customers onto it

Not in my experience.

Easier to ask them after when they have some trust in you.

I offer all of them go cardless on sign up, not many choose it.

[Stoots]

it the constant texting reminders that gets a bit tedious, its always the same ones, slow payers dragging there heals.
Having to sift through bank accounts/paypal every few days, then send a reminder out.

I admit for a chap on his own thats only a couple of hours a week but still its one less thing to think about


Anyway ive only had 10 sign up so far so goes to show a lot dont like it anyway and i cant see myself with a round full of go cardless anytime soon.

i only have around 20 customers that i have to send a text reminder for  BACS payments every month.....the vast majority transfer payments either on the day of clean or within a few weeks.....

i still collect though from some jobs(mainly card payments,cash and the odd cheque).........

I text everyone after 7 days then every week until paid, otherwise it gets out of hand.

If no payment by next clean they get skipped, if it becomes a habit for slow payment dropped. Go cardless would solve this process for me.

I never collect. I tried it when starting out but an hour round trip to call at a couple of houses in the dark in rush hour traffic isn't that appealing. Especially when you get there and no one is in.

That idea didn't last long, sod that I'd rather just find a new customer.

Only cash payers I have are always in or leave money out. If they aren't in on occasion I'll roll it over to the next clean but this is rare and I would stop at 2 cleans owing and simply attempt to collect next time I'm passing or there clean is due.

[nathankaye]

It's easier to put new customers onto it straight away than converting existing customers onto it

Not in my experience.

Easier to ask them after when they have some trust in you.

I offer all of them go cardless on sign up, not many choose it.

Thats not been my experience, but then I don't give the customers a list of payment options.  I simply let them know that payment is via direct debit and the response is generally,    "that's great, it's so much easier"
To the point that ones have said this when leaving a review on my Facebook page