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G O A

  • Posts: 152
windows or windows and frames???
« on: October 25, 2007, 11:12:17 am »
i have been doing windows for 1 day a week for the last 6 month to help with my gardening business but am now considering just windows.the thing is ive been doing windows and all plastics as well a quick wipe but have been told i should be charging extra if im doing the frames aswell can anyone help.

ive been charging 5 pound for houses with patio door 5 normal windows another hard to reach and a pvc door and frame is this to little

any help appreciated ???
if i wasnt self employed i wouldnt work at all

williamx

Re: windows or windows and frames???
« Reply #1 on: October 25, 2007, 11:26:19 am »
In a word YES.

I charge a minimum of £10.00, I do the frames as well but I don't charge for this.

G O A

  • Posts: 152
Re: windows or windows and frames???
« Reply #2 on: October 25, 2007, 11:31:41 am »
where abouts in the country are u. im in north wales.wages arent brilliant here but friends who live locally have said they would be prepared to pay 10pound just for the fact they cant do it or just cant be bothered.
do u ever get turned down no one has grumbled so far
if i wasnt self employed i wouldnt work at all

jampot

  • Posts: 537
Re: windows or windows and frames???
« Reply #3 on: October 25, 2007, 11:34:18 am »
yes £5 is too cheap, i would personally charge £7-£8 for that, others may charge more.
Try to work out how much you would like to earn per hour and go from there,

3 houses per hr @ £8 with give you £24 hr,
thats what i find is best  ;)

williamx

Re: windows or windows and frames???
« Reply #4 on: October 25, 2007, 11:36:06 am »
I'm from Birmingham, yes I do get a few who say thats expensive, but the majority accept the price, so I must be ok.

If they do question the price, I point out that I clean not only the glass but I also clean the white work and front and back doors as well.


williamx

Re: windows or windows and frames???
« Reply #5 on: October 25, 2007, 11:40:31 am »
where abouts in the country are u. im in north wales.wages arent brilliant here but friends who live locally have said they would be prepared to pay 10pound just for the fact they cant do it or just cant be bothered.
do u ever get turned down no one has grumbled so far

If they are preprared to pay £10.00 then thats seems to be the correct price.

Try charging £10.00, if more people question this price then lower it by the pound until you find a happy medium.

Its easier to go down in price than charge someone one price then you find that you need to raise it.

Londoner

Re: windows or windows and frames???
« Reply #6 on: October 25, 2007, 12:40:08 pm »
The correct price is whatever you can get the customer to pay. The whole thing is not a precise science. I would say £5 is bottom end even out in the areas where prices generally are low.
You should be able to earn more per hour cleaning windows than gardening. Keep your eye on the hourly figures.

xxmattyxx

Re: windows or windows and frames???
« Reply #7 on: October 25, 2007, 01:01:47 pm »
How long do these jobs take you to do, you ought to be able to work out from that if theyre priced correctly.

From the sounds of it Id say theyre underpiced

Kwackers

  • Posts: 700
Re: windows or windows and frames???
« Reply #8 on: October 25, 2007, 02:33:30 pm »
Deffo, I'm near Birmingham to.

I havnt quoted many but i'd say i'm getting 80% of my quotes and quoting at Basically 80p-£1 a window, Cheapest quote so far is £9, and i undercharged that one  as it was my first quote, should've been £11

Speak to Sanity, i think he started doing them at £5 and pushed them up to £7.50, which is obviously quite an increase.

G O A

  • Posts: 152
Re: windows or windows and frames???
« Reply #9 on: October 25, 2007, 09:11:09 pm »
cheers have noticed i can earn more doing windows than gardening and am quickly thinking of changing over even though i dont perticulally like cleaning windows,

these houses are now taking 20 to 25 minutes depending on how bad frames etc have been (quite a dirty place)
but if i could earn a reasonably good hourly rate wouldnt mind.i can earn 15 tops gardening but think this would be much better the more i get into it.

do u go to houses far apart or just housing estates,have started a couple that i was asked to do at about 15 pound but i have to travel to them but only take about 3/4 hr.
if i wasnt self employed i wouldnt work at all

mark dew

  • Posts: 2901
Re: windows or windows and frames???
« Reply #10 on: October 25, 2007, 11:04:04 pm »
do u go to houses far apart or just housing estates,have started a couple that i was asked to do at about 15 pound but i have to travel to them but only take about 3/4 hr.

Travel further and earn more is the best way. Get an advert in parish magazines and village shops. And when people phone and ask, tell them immediately that you have a minimum £10 charge. That will sort the wheat from the chaff. And you will either work 1/2 as hard or you will earn twice as much.

ps i wouldn't have advised normally talking money over the phone, but i have got all my quotes when saying this and have driven to several where i have forgotten to say, where they are shocked when i have priced. And not got the job.

G O A

  • Posts: 152
Re: windows or windows and frames???
« Reply #11 on: October 25, 2007, 11:42:47 pm »
i have found that an a5 card with print on and a piece saying please put this in your window if you would like your windows cleaned.and delivering around estates by hand,this to be very affective although time consuming can be cheap(pack of card about 5quid)


do you find you get many phone calls with this method
if i wasnt self employed i wouldnt work at all

Jago

  • Posts: 453
Re: windows or windows and frames???
« Reply #12 on: October 26, 2007, 11:04:09 am »
I used to charge a min of £8 but now it is deffo £10
remember too to tell the custie that a first clean is more

I like to say after they have said they are interested that
A first clean on a 4week basis is £15 then after this it is £10 all they seem to hear is £5 cheaper there on after

Also always check the back or ask if they have extension or conservatorie as you will kick yourself if you do not check
Hope this helps

another thing is any Win Cleaner worth his crust does frames and sills
it only takes a couple of mins per house and it looks good too

Regards J
County Window Cleaning
To Do Is To Dare

SherwoodCleaningSe

  • Posts: 2368
Re: windows or windows and frames???
« Reply #13 on: October 26, 2007, 02:11:56 pm »
From the description of the house I'd say £5 would be cheap just to clean the windows, if your looking at climbing a ladder and cleaning the windows and the frames then it's gotta be nearer £10.  Most custy's will only expect you to clean the glass. 

I find that offering to do the frames will make you more distinct from other window cleaners but that should come at a good price if you don't charge it then you'll end up extinct.

Simon

G O A

  • Posts: 152
Re: windows or windows and frames???
« Reply #14 on: October 26, 2007, 09:18:47 pm »
yes have come a cropper a couple of times already with the pricing game for some reason i got it in my head that an estate of houses would all have the same houses on,how wrong i was haha.

i was worried about pricing and now have a load on one street all shapes and sizes all same price


bummer >:(
if i wasnt self employed i wouldnt work at all

Re: windows or windows and frames???
« Reply #15 on: October 26, 2007, 09:24:21 pm »
yes have come a cropper a couple of times already with the pricing game for some reason i got it in my head that an estate of houses would all have the same houses on,how wrong i was haha.

i was worried about pricing and now have a load on one street all shapes and sizes all same price


bummer >:(
if you havent cleaned them yet reprice them after you have done the first clean, say it was your mistake, you will only charge them £... but if regular then the price will have to be £...
never give a fixed quote till you have seen the house

G O A

  • Posts: 152
Re: windows or windows and frames???
« Reply #16 on: October 26, 2007, 10:49:07 pm »
nah some of these i been doing a couple month now unfortunatly do u think it would stil be ok to put the prices up or not

the main one was this one house charged 7quid then found out theres about 19 windows but she got 3 of her mates to use me the same day who had more reasonable amount of windows and were the same price
if i wasnt self employed i wouldnt work at all

Re: windows or windows and frames???
« Reply #17 on: October 26, 2007, 11:01:54 pm »
nah some of these i been doing a couple month now unfortunatly do u think it would stil be ok to put the prices up or not

the main one was this one house charged 7quid then found out theres about 19 windows but she got 3 of her mates to use me the same day who had more reasonable amount of windows and were the same price
when you next clean say this to her: your getting a very good deal on this as i got the price very wrong, I dont want you to cancel but would you mind if I put the price up by £2 as it should be £15. see what she says. if you have just started you have to be carful as words does get round, but you also have to watch that a £7 house with 19 windows does not speak to someone with 9 windows and is paying more.

be honest with your customers I always do and it seems to work for me, my lower priced work went up £1 a year till it hit what I wanted, if they know it is coming they understand.

being honest in my business makes me alot of new work. I am very straight and honest with all customers I have, I think they respect it. ::)

G O A

  • Posts: 152
Re: windows or windows and frames???
« Reply #18 on: October 26, 2007, 11:07:03 pm »
gonna take a long time isnt it ,
sighhh
if i wasnt self employed i wouldnt work at all

Re: windows or windows and frames???
« Reply #19 on: October 26, 2007, 11:09:06 pm »
gonna take a long time isnt it ,
sighhh
as long as you learn from it it is good experience, I have done many silly thing thats I could kick myself as long as you learn from it, and get the price up it is a lesson learnt.