I allways fall into this trap too. I don't agree with shiner that's it's because you're new or green or gullible.
I think sometimes it might have sometthing to do with familiarity breeding contempt.
Yes I've fallen into that trap. Because your new you want to impress, you want them to tell all their friends about the new windowcleaner who does it all! Dosen't seem to work though. Just spend loads of extra time scrubbing for the same money as jack the lad with his bucket of dirty water who dosen't touch the frames or sills.
The way round it is proffesionalism. Take estate agents for instance, unless they were there seperating the people that we deal with no house sales would ever go through.The buyer would always want a bit extra, would be round every day for the month before the move, and the seller would demand the last penny for their 'tatty wouldn't fit any other house bathroom shelves'
Most times the friendliness is an act.Everyone has double if not triple standards. Talking to a friend today he said he would like to do WC having seen my promising startup. He thought it would be fairly easy. Then he told me that he'd just sacked his own window cleaner."he did a good job."he said "And he'd been coming a long time. He wasn't dear he charged £5.50. I sacked him because he didn't shut my gate."
Then there was even one of us, started a thread a couple of days ago, she had been charged full whack- £5- when the gate was locked, but knocked them down to £2.50. She had now lost trust in them. Meanwhile on previous threads for her own cleaning business she made it clear to the custy what they could and could not expect for her £160 two bed house clean.