[Jeff Brimble]

One thing regarding prices I have noted over the years that lots of customers have a "price/spend" whatever size the house. ie lets say their "price" is $200 per year then they wont generally pay more than that average figure. So if you go bi annual the total shouild be about the "buppy price" say $100 per clean. But if you go 6 times a year then the buppy price is err....$33 per clean external only. How does that sound to you ? You could also compare car washing or any other home service.

[Pat Purcell]

Most homes pay $200 US  (I don't know the conversion, sorry)

£102....houses must be of Southfork size!

Simon, theres just a lot more to do when your washing windows in the US
We have a base price of $8 per window and this is for the kind of window which you find in the UK ,( thats for insides and outsides)4 quid which i would think is about the same as a window cleaner in the southern UK would charge, but the price can climb as high as $30 per window depending on how much is involved
Not wanting to get too much into whats involved let me leave it at this, I carry a sawzall in my van

[Tosh]

I carry a sawzall in my van

Pat,

What's a sawzall?

[Pat Purcell]

it's one of those jagged edged power saws that will cut anything,
In order to remove the storm windows( secondary panes set in tracks on the outside) all the windowshave to open sometimes your cutting thru 30 years of paint or nailed shut windows etc
At $30 you earnm your money on those, on the upside once you've done the initial clean every other clean is cake for the same price

[C.F.P]

I am actually one of the only companies over here that I have seen offer a monthly and bi-monthly to home owners.

Our customers do not warm to it very well. They usually go twice per year (inside and out). I think that is also why we chase customers and try to get as many as possible. May-early July is busy. July- August is pretty slow. September- October is busy, then November- May can be pretty slow depending on what part of the Country we live.

We in the cold need to have route/rounds to supplement.

I never thought about how different it is over there. It is very different.

[Tosh]

CFP (Paul),

Most of us work to a four-weekly shedule for domestic customers, but from reading posts on this forum, I believe this has evolved from a two-weekly-schedule; believe it or not.

Thirty-or-so-years ago, before everyone had cars, window cleaners were limited in the areas they worked as to how far they could travel pushing a cart and their ladders.  Therefore they cleaned once-every-two-weeks.  It still happens in some areas; so I believe; for routine domestic work.

Now we've got motorised transport, we do four-weekly cleans, but I think over time, we'll evolve to longer cleaning frequencies.  I already do quite a few 'every-other-month' cleans at a higher price than my monthlys.

[dai]

Evolution is the word. When we start off in this business, we work hard to build up a round. If you only have 3 days work every week, you can take on smaller stand alone jobs. If you weren't doing them, you wouldn't be working.
When you build up your round until it's a full time job, you have to make a decision.
Either continue to expand and take on labour, or stay on your own.
Many of us have tried taking on help and found it doesn't work. Either our prices were too low to make employing feasible,  we lacked the necessary skills, or we just rather do without the extra hassle that employing brings.
If you work as a sole trader and have a full round, you can't expand.
That doesn't mean you can't evolve.
 I see myself as a large worm, taking increasingly juicier bits in at one end, and discharging waste at the other.
Yes we must look after our customers, but only as long as they are prepared to pay the rate for the job. If you don't do this, then your business and your income will stagnate. Dai

[C.F.P]

I see myself as a large worm, taking increasingly juicier bits in at one end, and discharging waste at the other.
Yes we must look after our customers, but only as long as they are prepared to pay the rate for the job. If you don't do this, then your business and your income will stagnate. Dai

I love it!