[ben783]

Just had my first phone call after delivering roughly 400 leaflets.... ;Dand i'm over the moon. Going round to the customer tonight to quote...hope i don't over price and lose her !!
Bit different from the Army this !
Will keep you all posted
 :)Ben

[007 or what]

Good luck mate this is the best thing you'll ever do. Are you trad or wfp?

[windows_chepstow]

...hope i don't over price and lose her !!
Bit different from the Army this !
Will keep you all posted
 :)Ben

Ben, I started window cleaning, straight after leaving the army; well sort of.  I spent my resettlement leave leaflet dropping.  It was quite a culture shock, since I joined the army at 16 years old and left at 34.

Anyway, don't underprice what-ever you do.  You'll end up dropping them later on, so you won't be doing yourself or your customer any favours by going in cheap.

I went in cheap (and ignorant) and I've dropped most of my first year customers because of this.

Price well.

Where in the UK do you live?

[windows_chepstow]

Oh, and leaflets are fairly naff.  You'll get around a two-percent success rate if you're lucky.

You'll end up with 'drive betweens' everywhere.

Ideally you should leaflet first, then canvass after a day or so.  You'll get a higher success rate, but it's tough going and be prepared to get plenty of 'No thank yous', or 'we've already got one', and if you're not hearing, 'How much???' you're not charging enough.

I was really cheap to start with and four years on, still suffer in some places.  I can't emphasise enough how important it is to charge a fair price from the word go.  When I say 'fair', I mean fair to both you and your customer.  You will drop them if you underprice and your customer may well have been prepared to pay more for a quality service.  So underpricing is unfair all round.

There's loads of 'Canvassing Spiel' on this forum; use the search function.

Also, if you've got the money, consider buying a small round to start you off and find another window cleaner who'll take you out for a few days; so you can learn the ropes.

I've just had a look through your backposts.

If you're an Ex SSgt then you should have received your resettlement grant; if you haven't done your full 22 years, so you'll have about 9K behind you; a lot more if you've done your 22.

Consider buying a small compact round and build from there.

Also, you will need training; window cleaning isn't easy as it looks and I was quite arrogant when I first started.  I honestly thought it was in the same league as collecting trolleys from a Supermarket car park.  How stupid was I???

Even then, training won't help that much.  It all boils down to practise and experience!  I honestly think, for the average guy (like me), it takes a couple of years at least to be a competant window cleaner.

Keep us updated as to how you get on!

PS.

What Corps were you in?

[ben783]

 

Trad and in the RA(Royal Artillery)

Just got back in, got 3 jobs in a oner and a fence post/panel to re-erect !!!FANTASTIC   What a buzz !!

First customer was £8 who led me on to her mother(another £8), then whilst eating tea with wife and nipper phone rang,so i when out(only round the corner) and got another £8..Will do all 3 on Saturday(gonna be known as the 8 quid kid !!)
My next door-but-one neighbour was a trad w/c for 28 years before the tax man realised he wasn't telling him everything !!(he lost the lot but thats his business, not mine) he's shown me the ropes and techniques,lent me all his kit and told me what and what not to say....I know i've still got a lot to learn
Family and i live in Hampshire, so any w/c in Fareham or Gosport who have either too much work or can put me onto areas that they know are quiet, i'd really appreciate it...As for the Army, i'm due to leave in a couple or so years and should get around £48k pension .I thought it'd probably take that long to establish a good round.......Does this make sense ?

Any way i'm over the moon, all advice is welcomed !!

8quidkid

[KarlJones]

round to the customer tonight to quote...hope i don't over price and lose her !!

Over price?  Your biggest fear is under pricing.

I had a lady ask me to come and quote her while I was up a ladder yesturday.  First time this has happened (only started this week) and it felt nice.  So when I fiished I went to have a look,  oh my, window after a window, leaded ones in places, an L shaped conservatory so big it wrapped round  portion of the house "the last window cleaner did the conservatory as well"

I walled round, counting in my head, I kind of go 1, 2, 3 in my head. If it is a big window it gets 2 added.  At the end I work it out. Well this lot in my head was 13 quid.  I thought to myself that was a lot, round here no one has a 13 quid window cleaner.  So I told her, "hang on I am just going to check this because it is quite  lot"0 she asked how much, I said "13 quid!"  she said well forget it, the last window cleaner charged 5.50.   So I walked again, counting and even giving some of the "2" window size jobs a "1" window count it still came  to 11 quid.

Told her that the cheapest I could go was 11 and that was giving her some for free, she said "I told you the last one did it for 5.50" 
I said "what happened to him"
she said "he just stopped comming" 
I said "he probably had got more better prices somewhere and moved on"
she said "No, he used to do all the houses round here"
I said "he probably had undercharged himself on all of them"
She said "no, he did it for years and then just disapeared"
I just said "goobye" at this stage as I was just wasting my breath.

Honest I wish I could have taken pics,  I have half a mind to go back and tell her I want to show my mates on a forum on the net what she expects for 5.50.  You should have seen it, those south of the gap would have quoted 30 +

It feels nice to over price I think,  I get a bit of a kick out of it when someone can't afford me

Let us know how you get on.


PS seen your reply...
£24 worth in one day, nice going.
Do not fiull yer boots piling em all onto one day though.  You might think your pretty fast on your own windows as you have been practising.  It is a bit different when the window is filthy and you need to work out how to get to it.

Spread the customers out

[ben783]

Thanks Karl,
                        Advice taken after all i can only work weekends at the monent and holidays....Don't want to try to run before walking !!  But at the same time don't want to over-price and scare off any potential customers, i can always shave off the excess later, can't i ??
How easy is it to get into commercial(shop windows in the town etc...?)i'm thinking i could do a couple of shop windows in the morning before going off to work(army),especially during the spring and summer...is this the norm ?

[marc al]

  Shop windows will pretty much already be sown up, they are only any good if you get a long row of them, not worth turning out for 2quid a time.

   I still maintain to anyone who will listen, is anyone listening? This is the best time of year for getting new work, I dont look for work anymore, perhaps the odd flyer through a next door neighbours if they look dirty, but this week alone I have picked up 55quid of good work in the areas I have been working for ages, 40 quid is in a place where I can do it without moving the van whilst already doing 59 quid while parked there - that is now 99 quid wihtout moving and it should take no more than 2hours.

  You see it is out there for the taking, but do not undercut yourself, be reliable, polite and obliging, the customer is always right until you have too many at better prices.

  Marc

[ben783]

Thanks Marc
Point taken on board !Gonna get my a%@e back out there tommorrow evening and go for it with the leaflets and door bashing. Been posting 100 leaflets in an hour so far and from my first 200 leaflets got 3 jobs !!

[KarlJones]

But at the same time don't want to over-price and scare off any potential customers, i can always shave off the excess later, can't i ??

Dunno which angle to hit this from,  I could say bad business model to have if it involves replacing bad customers with good ones,  I could say that this is operating in your free time so there for it should be well priced not poor priced.  I could then rant and rave about how your only going to clean em 25% speed at first ect ect. 

But instead I will say this.  I just quote what I want, not what I need, not what I would be willing to do it for, not what the last window cleaner or others charge.  If I get told I am too expensive I am happy,  if I get a few "I will let you know" I am happy, and if I get a few customers I am very very happy.

Currently, my quotes go roughly like this...
10% tell me I am too expensive.
50 % say I will let you know.
40% say OK.

I think, if I was brave enough I would prefer 30% to say OK. 

It is not that different from the Army,  you still get out of it what you want.  But maybe the difference is this, in the Army you often get what you get,  outside you get what you put up with.

[Bobs Window Cleaning]

Marc

         Why is this the best time to get work?

Its cold, snowing,raining and windy. Wouldn't new customers be put off by the weather?

Surely its better to wait till just before spring.

        Bod

[marc al]

  Ben, as you are still employed I would ear on the higher pricing side as you will then start to build a good quality round, just give them a good service for the money - reliability is the key thing.

   I went to one on Tuesday, I quoted 15pound, she was aghast and said the last window cleaner was 10 pound, I asked why isn't he here then? She hasn't seen him for a while - usual thing - she then asked if I would do it for 12pounds, no I said 15 pounds is the price, anyway got the job, cleaned the windows, gave her my business card with all my details on, not just a mobile number, wished her a pleasant month, see you next time etc.

  2 hours later I got a call from her, "could you pop and see my nextdoor neighbour if you are still close by, we have never had a window cleaner who gives out his address before!!"

  

[marc al]

  Bod

   You can wait till spring, along with all the new starters and fair weather boys, I will take the customers now while thier windows are dirty and their is little competition.

    I have always picked up more work in December and January.

[Bobs Window Cleaning]

Thanks Marc


Doorknocking i will go tomorrow then......if its not snowing :

  Bod

[KarlJones]

This is gonna make you laugh but even I am thinking of getting my windows cleaned the state of them after the bad weather.   I went out the weekend and lots of people were cleaning their own windows.  Hurry before they get them all done

[Pj]

 if you're not hearing, 'How much???' you're not charging enough.

I mean fair to both you and your customer.  You will drop them if you underprice and your customer may well have been prepared to pay more for a quality service.  So underpricing is unfair all round.

Excellent thoughts from Tosh...(Sorry to edit Tosh)

That's 2 good posts from Chepstow tonight, from The Chepstow 3.

The above from Tosh, one from Ian Giles on the "Don't ask me to use a ladder" thread... will we get a third from Squeaky?

[jeff1]

Hi £8kid 
If your going around gossport, go around Broomfield Crescent area, Last time I was there visiting my daughter, she told me the people in that area, were screaming out for a window cleaner.
She's now moved back to somerset, so I can't get you that one now.
When she was there, I put up a post, for a wc in Gossport but had no response, so give that area a Reccee.

Good luck for the future.

P.S. The houses in Broomfield Crescent are worth around the £8 mark, so you should feel at home

[windows_chepstow]

Trad and in the RA(Royal Artillery)

Just got back in, got 3 jobs in a oner and a fence post/panel to re-erect !!!FANTASTIC   What a buzz !!

First customer was £8 who led me on to her mother(another £8), then whilst eating tea with wife and nipper phone rang,so i when out(only round the corner) and got another £8..Will do all 3 on Saturday(gonna be known as the 8 quid kid !!)
My next door-but-one neighbour was a trad w/c for 28 years before the tax man realised he wasn't telling him everything !!(he lost the lot but thats his business, not mine) he's shown me the ropes and techniques,lent me all his kit and told me what and what not to say....I know i've still got a lot to learn
Family and i live in Hampshire, so any w/c in Fareham or Gosport who have either too much work or can put me onto areas that they know are quiet, i'd really appreciate it...As for the Army, i'm due to leave in a couple or so years and should get around £48k pension .I thought it'd probably take that long to establish a good round.......Does this make sense ?

Any way i'm over the moon, all advice is welcomed !!

8quidkid

I reckon you're going to have problems maintaining your current customers while being in the army, but at least it'll give you some experience.

I think you should also ask here, if you're serious about window cleaning, about what courses you should do, window cleaning related; you could do these on your Resettlement; from memory, I think you're entitled to seven weeks worth of resettlement courses if you complete your 22 years.

I'm an ex AGC(SPS) Staff Sergeant (who left doing a WO2 job) and could advise you how to 'wangle' the best from your resettlement entitlement.  Remember your resettlement grant is naff (it was 534 quid in 2003), but you can do some dodgy deals with the subsistance allowance part of it.  I've processed many, many resettlement claims. 

Anyway, good luck. 

Tosh.

[craig1]

 hello all running through after a togh week reading posts with a pint and saw an ex squaddie chat thought id say hello as im an ex chunk w/c so hello men leaving my current job ( partner in a franchise business) and looking at w/c as a probable way to go some advice would be great ...i have been cleaning 4 about a year now after work and at weekends i thiunk im up to scratch well as far as speed and quality go all customers are happy just aprehensive about taking the plunge in a business where there is so much competition and lets face it chancers and cowboys( not pointing the finger at anybody ) so lads any advice at all spose i feel a bit lacking in morale as im not use to the lack of teamwork  cheers!!!! [/

[windows_chepstow]

hello all running through after a togh week reading posts with a pint and saw an ex squaddie chat thought id say hello as im an ex chunk w/c so hello men leaving my current job ( partner in a franchise business) and looking at w/c as a probable way to go some advice would be great ...i have been cleaning 4 about a year now after work and at weekends i thiunk im up to scratch well as far as speed and quality go all customers are happy just aprehensive about taking the plunge in a business where there is so much competition and lets face it chancers and cowboys( not pointing the finger at anybody ) so lads any advice at all spose i feel a bit lacking in morale as im not use to the lack of teamwork  cheers!!!! [/

Craig,

I've read your post about five times now, and I'm still not sure what you're asking.  I can understand certain parts of it. 

Is this what you're saying:

You've left the Pioneer Corps (RLC) and have been a window cleaner for about a year now, but only in the evening after your regular daytime job and on weekends.

You think you're a quick window cleaner who does a good job, but you're a bit put off by the 'chancers' and 'cowboys' who may take work from you?

You're also worried about working by yourself, after working with a good team of lads in the past and you'll miss the camraderie.

Am I right?