[Shrek]

I was reading this thread and thought you’d be interested in our data. I’m not brilliant at collecting everything I could collect data on. The only thing that really interests me is net growth in regular customers.

Last year we delivered around 700,000 leaflets and grew out net number by 900 customers. Numbers slightly rounded obviously. This year to date we’ve dropped just under 1,000,000 leaflets and grown by 650. Same leaflet btw. We’ve got about another 200,000 to go.

I’m guessing long standing single operators will lose some but not an apocalyptic situation. We’re preparing to lose a staff member  if the October domestic fuel increases go ahead as we can’t advertise in the winter to mitigate. I think e have to hope the new PM grasps this issue really quickly. My feeling is that to protect the economy, they have to cancel the fuel increase. Protecting the poor only won’t do much for the economy as those people have already cut to the bone.

I do have some plans to get more work from our base to try to protect jobs. We’ve got 4,000 customers and when the leaves drop, they are getting an email or a text message advertising gutter clearing. My suggestion is to maximise from your base if you see the cancellations becoming a worry.

I find this information fascinating.

I’m particularly interested to read that your usual conversion rate is 900 per 700,000 - so 0.13%. And now it’s dropped to 0.065%.

May I ask, once you’ve leafleted an area, how long do you wait before leafleting it again?

Also, why can’t you advertise in the winter?

It’s not quite what I wrote. I was talking about net figures so new customers - cancels = 900 growth last year. I’d guess over 3 months of summer we’d normally lose maybe 100 so probably 1,000ish new ones? The cancels this summer are off the scale. Normally over winter we lose about 3/4%  of customers. We’ll get a lot of those new ones cancel after 2-3 cleans for example. I’m actually expecting less new ones to cancel this year because they all has to agree to 3 cleans plus signed up with GoCardless, but I’m expecting the high cancellation rate among longer standing customers to continue unless the government deal urgently with the energy sector. I had hoped things would settle but with the October announcement they got a lot worse.

 It needs radical action like we had during Covid and the financial crisis under Brown or we may see a lot of deaths as well as businesses failing.

That’s a lot of cancellations we have a similar  number of customers to you but if we get 10 cancel  in a year we have had a very bad year , yes we get the odd ones move , or die but cancellations are very rare .

I get some new customers cancelling after a year , I just put it down to pricing high and they can’t be arsed anymore

[Smudger]

👍

I’m all about debate and learning - this is not a national industry - we all have different areas and uite frankly needs - there are loads of old guys here doing a house for£5 - thankfully they are in the main stopping and it’s a shock to these people when they get a price 3xor4x what they currently pay

I just hate sweeping statements without some sort of fact based research - we all have different experiences

Darran

[Shrek]

👍

I’m all about debate and learning - this is not a national industry - we all have different areas and uite frankly needs - there are loads of old guys here doing a house for£5 - thankfully they are in the main stopping and it’s a shock to these people when they get a price 3xor4x what they currently pay

I just hate sweeping statements without some sort of fact based research - we all have different experiences

Darran

Apologies to you and splash 👌

Talking about my personal experience with this job , the higher price I was , the more cancellations I received . The service got better , my experience got better and so did my hourly rate. I get about 50% of quotes as opposed to 100% when I was cheaper, that’s the only thing I put my cancellations down to is the customer doesn’t want to pay that price anymore

[Splash & dash]

No you were saying we get no cancellations because we are cheap..

By that token I said you  an say you lose work for bad/work poor service - none of the aforementioned is a true statement - it’s (in your case) a perception and way to consol yourself in my case it’s a counter argument as to why possibly there are lots of cancellations

I have no experience in other areas of the country to know if city folk cancel more often than out in the sticks - I can tell you that lots retire here in their 50’ s and don’t move around a lot - I would say splash is y the same being in cornwall

Darran

Yes we have a lot of retired or semi retired people that aren’t short of money , some run business on the internet so still have an income , many have moved down from London way having sold property for  many millions  and bought stuff down hear that’s cheaper sometimes several  properties and then either rent them out long let or holiday let’s so the still have a very good income and money in the bank , we have several custody have 8 plus houses and we do them all , very good earners each month and only one payment .

[Splash & dash]

👍

I’m all about debate and learning - this is not a national industry - we all have different areas and uite frankly needs - there are loads of old guys here doing a house for£5 - thankfully they are in the main stopping and it’s a shock to these people when they get a price 3xor4x what they currently pay

I just hate sweeping statements without some sort of fact based research - we all have different experiences

Darran

Apologies to you and splash 👌

Talking about my personal experience with this job , the higher price I was , the more cancellations I received . The service got better , my experience got better and so did my hourly rate. I get about 50% of quotes as opposed to 100% when I was cheaper, that’s the only thing I put my cancellations down to is the customer doesn’t want to pay that price anymore

No offence taken we all work in different ways and areas some of the work we price  makes my eyes water when giving them the quote but usually they don’t  bat an eye lid  and say yes that’s fine . I know ime lucky with ware I am and the customer base I have , been in this game a long time and very well known so get lots of references and referrals from wealthy customers their friends this helps greatly ,we rarely get a cancellation, having said that who knows what will happen this winter .

[DJW]

Cancellations?
Norfolk enchants!

[dazmond]

Picked up 2 x £30 jobs right next door to other work in the last few days after no enquiries for months...

No cancellations at present

[SB Cleaning]

Picked up 2 x £30 jobs right next door to other work in the last few days after no enquiries for months...

No cancellations at present

That is worrying not having any enquiries for months at this time of year, do you advertise though?

[dazmond]

Picked up 2 x £30 jobs right next door to other work in the last few days after no enquiries for months...

No cancellations at present

That is worrying not having any enquiries for months at this time of year, do you advertise though?

No I never advertise(apart from driving a  sign written van)...

The area I work has a lot of window cleaners though...at least 20 companies/ sole traders I know of...

[Smudger]

Here's an example - went to quote today - barn complex out in the sticks - we do several in the area - so this is a 2 storey barn conversion - Juliet balcony - bi fold door to front - 4 windows on the side + 4 velux - only access via both neighbours + extra long pole - then a move to the rear for 3 more velux windows ( again accessed from the main farms drive )  after 1st clean priced @ £30

- just spent 30 mins with the wife (not present) this morning arguing about the price - their current cleaner only charges £13  - I enquired why they are looking to change - reason given he's ill - (not surprising working at that price) - anyway good news I got the neighbour each side + the farm house behind and the mother of the farm house over the road 

Who knows what goes through some peoples heads - or why they cancel - just get on and do your best for the the best price you can

Darran

[dazmond]

Picked up 2 x £30 jobs right next door to other work in the last few days after no enquiries for months...

No cancellations at present

That is worrying not having any enquiries for months at this time of year, do you advertise though?

I'm not really looking for more work but of course i need to replace some jobs from time to time that I've either dumped or they've moved/died or whatever ...

[james peters]

Picked up 2 x £30 jobs right next door to other work in the last few days after no enquiries for months...

No cancellations at present

That is worrying not having any enquiries for months at this time of year, do you advertise though?

I'm not really looking for more work but of course i need to replace some jobs from time to time that I've either dumped or they've moved/died or whatever ...

and of course its madness to turn down work that is right next to existing jobs .... the more compact the better

[Stoots]

I've had maybe 10 cancels in the last couple of months and dumped as many for non payment. Definitely seeing a spike in cancels.

[AuRavelling79]

Two stopped this week. Expected as they have been waiting for the go ahead to finally move out of the area for weeks/ months.

One is now quite isolated as in over two miles from the next nearest customer and (rarely now) 4 weekly at only £26.00. The owner asked if I wanted my details left for the new people.

No thanks I'm a bit stacked out to be honest. 

[Arnold Palmer]

Two stopped this week. Expected as they have been waiting for the go ahead to finally move out of the area for weeks/ months.

One is now quite isolated as in over two miles from the next nearest customer and (rarely now) 4 weekly at only £26.00. The owner asked if I wanted my details left for the new people.

No thanks I'm a bit stacked out to be honest. 

So long as you're alright, Jack.

[AuRavelling79]

Two stopped this week. Expected as they have been waiting for the go ahead to finally move out of the area for weeks/ months.

One is now quite isolated as in over two miles from the next nearest customer and (rarely now) 4 weekly at only £26.00. The owner asked if I wanted my details left for the new people.

No thanks I'm a bit stacked out to be honest. 

So long as you're alright, Jack.

That's the second time you've posted that about one of my comments Soupy. Why not try to post something constructive for a change? You're not on the "post a silly meme" or say "LOL" section now. 

[CleanClear]

Two stopped this week. Expected as they have been waiting for the go ahead to finally move out of the area for weeks/ months.

One is now quite isolated as in over two miles from the next nearest customer and (rarely now) 4 weekly at only £26.00. The owner asked if I wanted my details left for the new people.

No thanks I'm a bit stacked out to be honest. 

So long as you're alright, Jack.

That's the second time you've posted that about one of my comments Soupy. Why not try to post something constructive for a change? You're not on the "post a silly meme" or say "LOL" section now. 

Yes, quite. "i'm stacked out" is constructive to guys who get cancels? Share with the group what you do to alleviate cancels ?

[CleanClear]

I aint worried by the way.  Ill just do a big lead gen campaign before summer is over and get em all replaced and on better prices.

If i'm not mistaken you seem to do a lot of this "lead gen" ? If you're losing customers and then having to "lead gen" again, that seems like a lot of effort to go through. Have you looked into your retention issues ?

[SB Cleaning]

I haven't lost any yet, im expecting it though....

I think it will depend on  who you clean for,  I've always tried  targeting  the wealthy retired type and i think it will be the younger familys with kids,mortgages etc who will feel the pinch the most and cancel..

Who knows though

[AuRavelling79]

Two stopped this week. Expected as they have been waiting for the go ahead to finally move out of the area for weeks/ months.

One is now quite isolated as in over two miles from the next nearest customer and (rarely now) 4 weekly at only £26.00. The owner asked if I wanted my details left for the new people.

No thanks I'm a bit stacked out to be honest. 

So long as you're alright, Jack.

That's the second time you've posted that about one of my comments Soupy. Why not try to post something constructive for a change? You're not on the "post a silly meme" or say "LOL" section now. 

Yes, quite. "i'm stacked out" is constructive to guys who get cancels? Share with the group what you do to alleviate cancels ?

The clue is right there Clean. Being a bit stacked out means a few cancellations don't matter. To be a bit stacked out you do good value work and get customer recommendations which are the best kind. To alleviate cancellations you need to have targeted the right kind of customers.

In fact since posting that I have dumped a 'not today thanks, we're having a new drive next week' this afternoon - this ensures that I retain the right kind of customer and don't busy my self with short lived will they or won't they types.

Now what do you  do Clean?