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Crystal-clear

  • Posts: 3029
Hold on to your hats
« on: March 19, 2020, 09:53:44 am »
No doubt all of us have experienced at least some cancellations here and there.
And with rumours of a lockdown It looks like it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Those with the most overheads are going to be the most frustrated new vans lease vans. Commercial units multipul staff.

Our industry is bulletproof when it comes to recessions but this is something we have never seen before in our life time.

Everyone knows their business the best and it's important for everyone to put measures in to keep ticking over to keep yourself earning and or your staff.

The path is going to be Rocky but with a lot of hard work and persistence and patience we should pull through





NBwcs

  • Posts: 881
Re: Hold on to your hats
« Reply #1 on: March 19, 2020, 10:04:50 am »
The financial implications have barely started and with no end in sight. I've moved to a temporary mindset, I just want enough money to pay the bills,anymore is a bonus, get through this, then pick up the pieces and go again when it's done. My 1st priory is looking after the vulnerable members of my family.

AuRavelling79

  • Posts: 25385
Re: Hold on to your hats
« Reply #2 on: March 19, 2020, 12:12:11 pm »
Saw on the BBC no new cases in China. If true then there is a way forward sooner than later?
It's a game of three halves!

James Styles

  • Posts: 377
Re: Hold on to your hats
« Reply #3 on: March 19, 2020, 12:15:10 pm »
I keep reading that there’s possible lockdown that will be announced tomorrow, hope this ain’t true.

NWH

  • Posts: 16952
Re: Hold on to your hats
« Reply #4 on: March 19, 2020, 12:17:32 pm »
Had customers this morning say you must carry on if you are self employed unless they say you can’t so that’s what I intend to do,flattening out in China which is great news we are about 3/4 weeks behind them so hopefully in that time we will be too.
It’s people that have multiple vans and 1000s of customers that will  feel it more I reckon if I started to lose more than I liked I’d stop completely and go back when things have at least improved slightly,until then I’ll keep going.

NWH

  • Posts: 16952
Re: Hold on to your hats
« Reply #5 on: March 19, 2020, 12:20:46 pm »
The way you can judge  what sort of circumstances your customers are in are if you are being cancelled before you’ve even gone round to clean them,that’s more of a worry in my eyes I would say they ain’t coming back those types of jobs.

NBwcs

  • Posts: 881
Re: Hold on to your hats
« Reply #6 on: March 19, 2020, 12:31:16 pm »
That's the concern, I can deal with "can we leave it this time" but it's the cancellations that are worrying, absolutely no guarantee they will ever come back. Bizzarely I havnt had either yet but its surely coming.

Arnold Palmer

  • Posts: 20792
Re: Hold on to your hats
« Reply #7 on: March 19, 2020, 12:33:02 pm »
Saw on the BBC no new cases in China. If true then there is a way forward sooner than later?

Until they unweld people's doors we won't know what happens next.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/10925668/coronavirus-patients-welded-homes-china/

Simon Trapani

  • Posts: 1561
Re: Hold on to your hats
« Reply #8 on: March 19, 2020, 02:37:50 pm »
Had customers this morning say you must carry on if you are self employed unless they say you can’t so that’s what I intend to do,flattening out in China which is great news we are about 3/4 weeks behind them so hopefully in that time we will be too.
It’s people that have multiple vans and 1000s of customers that will  feel it more I reckon if I started to lose more than I liked I’d stop completely and go back when things have at least improved slightly,until then I’ll keep going.
If your referring to the likes of Pryor’s, my guess would be he’s better placed to absorb the cost than a lot of us.

Slacky

  • Posts: 8278
Re: Hold on to your hats
« Reply #9 on: March 19, 2020, 03:10:06 pm »
NWH has a thing about the big hitters, as he calls them.

Stoots

  • Posts: 6211
Re: Hold on to your hats
« Reply #10 on: March 19, 2020, 03:33:21 pm »
Only good thing so far is loads of people are at home, I've had 2 walk ups today. I very rarely get walk ups.

Just keep advertising hard, not everyone will lose their job a lot may still work from home and a lot will be on paid leave also.

I've lost 5 this week. But I've gained about 10 now. People oddly still want a window cleaner.

But the worst is obviously yet to come.

Crystal-clear

  • Posts: 3029
Re: Hold on to your hats
« Reply #11 on: March 19, 2020, 03:44:08 pm »
Only good thing so far is loads of people are at home, I've had 2 walk ups today. I very rarely get walk ups.

Just keep advertising hard, not everyone will lose their job a lot may still work from home and a lot will be on paid leave also.

I've lost 5 this week. But I've gained about 10 now. People oddly still want a window cleaner.

But the worst is obviously yet to come.

Yes that's the spirit isn't it.
The only problem is some people will be reluctant to have contact with anyone.
Hopefully a glance from the customer that you look healthy enough and you're onto a winner!

paulswindows

  • Posts: 30
Re: Hold on to your hats
« Reply #12 on: March 19, 2020, 03:55:37 pm »
Customers might like a visit from the window  cleaner. Maybe it gives them a sense of normality in very strange times. Plus it gives them a bit of social contact. I’ve had a few chats (from a safe distance) with customers who are self isolating.

Slacky

  • Posts: 8278
Re: Hold on to your hats
« Reply #13 on: March 19, 2020, 04:27:33 pm »
I had one customer say today that if they wanted a window cleaner after this has all passed they'd need to support me whilst it was here.

She also offered to help out financially if things get tight. What a lovely offer.

Slacky

  • Posts: 8278
Re: Hold on to your hats
« Reply #14 on: March 19, 2020, 04:28:21 pm »
Customers might like a visit from the window  cleaner. Maybe it gives them a sense of normality in very strange times.

I've thought that. Someone to talk to, someone to vent their uncertainty.

NWH

  • Posts: 16952
Re: Hold on to your hats
« Reply #15 on: March 19, 2020, 05:03:45 pm »
Had customers this morning say you must carry on if you are self employed unless they say you can’t so that’s what I intend to do,flattening out in China which is great news we are about 3/4 weeks behind them so hopefully in that time we will be too.
It’s people that have multiple vans and 1000s of customers that will  feel it more I reckon if I started to lose more than I liked I’d stop completely and go back when things have at least improved slightly,until then I’ll keep going.
If your referring to the likes of Pryor’s, my guess would be he’s better placed to absorb the cost than a lot of us.
On the contrary firms like that have 1000s of jobs and multiple staff-vans they couldn’t take the same percentage hit and survive with the same amount of staff unless the problem only last a short time,you could run at break even for a short time but you wouldn’t want to do that long term.
If you lose 10 it could mean a 100 for someone else that’s a worry,I’m not directing this at Lee at all this problem of firms losing work won’t be short term it could go on for well over a year maybe 2 it’s not the Virus it’s what it leaves behind as far as the economy goes.
The last thing people are thinking about at the moment is picking up that leaflet and signing up for a direct debit for window cleaning and that’s a fact,go out and ask 20 people what they would do at this particular time they’d laugh at you.
You need to maintain and try to keep what you’ve already got if manage to get the odd new job brilliant,but spending 1000s on a leaflet campaign at the moment would be daft like I say this is not over once people stop dying from it.

Simon Trapani

  • Posts: 1561
Re: Hold on to your hats
« Reply #16 on: March 19, 2020, 05:10:30 pm »
But who is spending on 1000’s of leaflets at the moment? No one to my knowledge.

p1w1

  • Posts: 3873
Re: Hold on to your hats
« Reply #17 on: March 19, 2020, 05:11:53 pm »
Just offer a free toilet roll with all first cleans

NWH

  • Posts: 16952
Re: Hold on to your hats
« Reply #18 on: March 19, 2020, 05:14:28 pm »
People have been talking about better go out and leaflet now boys,complete waste of money imo the last thing the general population have got on there mind at the moment is having there windows cleaned.

NWH

  • Posts: 16952
Re: Hold on to your hats
« Reply #19 on: March 19, 2020, 05:15:10 pm »
Just offer a free toilet roll with all first cleans
Yeah if you can find any lol.