[lee_dewing]

lot of intresting points here guys.
davew i have had a few not todays, the windows aren't dirty!

i was thinking of changing to 6 weeks i currently run a monthly round which if i'm honest i get round in 5 weeks.

i've now come to the conclusion that i can't please all the people all the time!

95% of my customers seem happy.
the ones that want to save a few quid can do themselves.

I try to give people 3 strikes and your out.
I'l take a not today on the chin but not to in a row if it starts to become a problem then i'l now tell them that. i am going to make a small terms and conditons entitled how i work for new customers and it will be stuck threw the letter box of any not todays.

I know you can't make the customers have their windows cleaned:
but there's also a flipside to that coin you don't have to clean the windows of messer's.

Like someone said on here which i thought was a good response.
you can have a reliable w/c who keeps your windows nice & clean,(frames panes and sills)
or replace me; have dirtier windows and wonder when the window cleaners gonna show.
I think with some people familiraty breeds contempt.

I appreciate that you have to be a bit flexable, but the more you seem to do for people the more they want,
thats fine if they want every other time, but i wont be providing it to them, and if another window gets the job so be it.
he's welcome to have all the stress and aggro that comes with akward customers
merry xmas everyone
lee

[dai]

I don't see what the problem is, you either do them monthly or offer a bimonthly service at plus 50%.
It's down to them to make a choice.
The most important thing is that you agree on cleaning interval, and both parties stick to it. You can be flexible in the event that they are having building or other work done.
If you have a lot of under priced work, going bimonthly at plus 50% makes sense, it's not being greedy, it's getting paid the right rate for the job. If you have lots of semi detached houses at a fiver a go, they should be paying at least £7.50 anyway. Dai

[mark dew]

I think that's the point.  In all but exceptional circumstances windows just really don't need cleaning monthly.

It follows that w/cers who turn up monthly are just really going through the motions....and the word that springs to mind is CON!

Sorry!

On some jobs it is just going through the motions i agree. But when a customer asks for their windows to be cleaned monthly and i turn up monthly to clean what are already cleanish windows i don't think it's a con.
The customer is the one who is in charge of the frequency and if the wc doesn't or can't provide that service then they are free to go elsewhere. Until i am told otherwise, i will rub my hands in glee that most of the work has become easy enough for me that i can do them very quickly now.
Since i've been using wfp, i am more and more maintaining clean windows than cleaning dirty windows. I don't charge more for this service than i did when i was trad (apart from inflation). And i'm sure if i told a customer that they would rarely  ever look out of dirty windows again for no extra charge, they would be sceptical maybe but incredibly impressed if i could achieve it.

[simbo]

since going wf i cannot get my head round cleaning clean windows and thats on a six weekly. They just do not need doing so have started advertising "regular but not too regular" and had a good response from it already as i need to have a viewable result for my own satisfaction otherwise i just feel no pleasure in this job at all
there is plenty of work to be had on a less regular and getting work gives that buzz that you dont get just going over the same old ground
all the best for 2008
simbo

[Londoner]

Thats a good idea "You choose how frequently your windows are cleaned" would look good on a leaflet and it might give you a psycological advantage. The customer feels more in control.

Like it

[windowwashers]

Thats a good idea "You choose how frequently your windows are cleaned" would look good on a leaflet and it might give you a psycological advantage. The customer feels more in control.

Like it

already give an option choose 4 or 8 weekly, or it is one-off

[Paul Coleman]

I don't really give much of a choice I'm afraid.  I found in the past that if you give customers too many choices, it only takes a few of them to start causing parts of your business to be unviable.  At the very least it can mean that you have to micro-manage something that could be almost running itself.
So the deal I offer is:-

Run of the mill work - 6 weekly cleans (this usually brings those who want bi-monthly onside).
£50+ jobs have an option to go 12 weekly if they ask (I don't tell them unless they ask though).
I would be OK with much larger jobs (particularly commercial ones) going less frequent but I would quote them as if I were doing a one-off each time.  To provide such an infrequent service though, I would have to make it very worth my while financially.  In reality, I find such jobs do not come my way very often so it doesn't interfere with my normal schedule much.

[NWH]

You are asking for trouble by saying to people you choose the frequency,if your not careful they`ll think they can choose whether to have there window`s cleaned when you turn up,all you`ll get is not today thankyou if you plugged that line to em.

[windowwashers]

You are asking for trouble by saying to people you choose the frequency,if your not careful they`ll think they can choose whether to have there window`s cleaned when you turn up,all you`ll get is not today thankyou if you plugged that line to em.

100% agree with you NWH why ask for trouble. give them three option 1 4 weekly cheapest 8 weekly 50% more than 4 weekly one-off double 8 weekly price

[NWH]

Any sized house over £50-60 i will stretch to 12 weekly under that and it`s 2 months max,if they have a house or office which is priced well they can normally afford 2 monthly anyway.I`ve said before if you want to earn more you have to go for larger jobs that are not cleaned every what seems to be 5mins or increase the times between cleans on even smaller jobs but raise the price,raising the price often on jobs that are every 4 weeks will be asking for trouble,to be honest people in the main don`t want there window`s cleaned to often every 6-8 weeks i find is a perfect time between cleans to warrant a good price with 1-2 yearly increases.

[windowwashers]

Any sized house over £50-60 i will stretch to 12 weekly under that and it`s 2 months max,if they have a house or office which is priced well they can normally afford 2 monthly anyway.I`ve said before if you want to earn more you have to go for larger jobs that are not cleaned every what seems to be 5mins or increase the times between cleans on even smaller jobs but raise the price,raising the price often on jobs that are every 4 weeks will be asking for trouble,to be honest people in the main don`t want there window`s cleaned to often every 6-8 weeks i find is a perfect time between cleans to warrant a good price with 1-2 yearly increases.

i did ask half of customers if I cleaned every 8 weeks and increased the price would they be ok with it and all bar one said yes.

at the mo I will stick to the way I am cleaning 4 weekly or 2x paratice in darker days is very good for my business  adding double what I have next year thats my goal, finding staff is my problem

[NWH]

I know what you mean there,anyone can get staff but the good ones are like rocking horse S*** LOL.

[mark dew]

Thats a good idea "You choose how frequently your windows are cleaned" would look good on a leaflet and it might give you a psycological advantage. The customer feels more in control.

Like it

I agree vince, those are the good points but the potential drawback is when you start visiting the same area 3 or 4 times a month to do work that could collectively be done in 1 day. I have cut my fuel expenses by 1/3 by reassessing each job location and grouping them together.
Although i work a distance from where i live and it would work better if all your work is within close (ish) proximity to each other.