[frames to panes]

Someone with the £30,000 (roughly) brand new van and say Ionics thermal set up with carbon poles, embroidered uniform, wrapped van and all the gubbings..............
or someone like Dai, for example £300 van i think he said and a £15 pole. Both capable of doing the same domestic work using the same methods. One of the two is pretty obviously going to have a much shorter relaxed working week than the other to take home the same money.




p.s. hope you don't mind me making an example of you Dai. No way is this intended to take anything away from you.

[NWH]

The 1 with the new van if you ask me he or she are in it for the longhaul,and don`t kid yourself thinking that the other 1 is capable of doing the same job your wrong.

[frames to panes]

Why not? (domestic remember)

[NWH]

Get yourself the best kit you can afford ie poles,system the lot.Your more likely to be approached for better work if you look the part,if look scruffy have a C***py old van do you honestly think that any big business will take you seriously when you turn up to quote,this is how people think like it or not that`s the way it is.Your more likely to get far better prices aswell being that you look like a proper business,you can come back with all the it does the same job comments but in reality people go on first impressions.

[frames to panes]

Domestic. The more i think about this, the more pointless it seems to spend such vast amounts to do the same job and come up with the same result for the same pay.

[Village Gleam]

A couple of things.
First thing, you seem to have a problem with people like me who are still in their first wc business year, work hard and are determined to succeed.
Point two, the guy I know(a local competitor) who is in the situation you describe has two reels and two men, One goes front, the other back, while he writes the chit out and collects.This is what you might call a money machine. The figures are beyond anything you've ever seen posted.

He's a nice bloke and started off humping ladders across town without a vehicle. I don't think he's thirty yet.

[NWH]

What sort of figures are we talking about roughly.

[ronnie paton]

a £300 van which will last 5 min  and cost a fortune in repairs and i know cause i did this at first and wish to this day i got a decent van from the start would of saved lots of lost days and lots of money!!

[dai]

I went out looking for a van prepared to spend £3.500. I came back with a very tidy M reg escort for £250. {He gave me £100 for the old one]. This is a very clean van, hardly a mark on it.

My customers don't know the difference between a new Unger carbon, or a £15 B&Q pole.
To them I am just good old 100% reliable Dai, who has an ex directory phone number, and no Yellow pages listing.
The buggers still track me down asking if I can clean their windows. They get my number from my existing customers.
I have work coming out of my ears, it takes at least 5 weeks of fine weather to get round.
So, why the hell would I want to spend a fortune on a brand new all singing, dancing, hot water system.
Who do I want to impress? I'm 65 years old and living well off my reputation.
No matter what system you have, at the end of the day you are going to need to talk to perspective customers, and that determines whether or not. you get the job
Your own personality will always be the determining factor, presenting yourself as an honest sincere person will get you more work than a £25,000 system. Trust me. Dai

[NWH]

I went out looking for a van prepared to spend £3.500. I came back with a very tidy M reg escort for £250. {He gave me £100 for the old one]. This is a very clean van, hardly a mark on it.

My customers don't know the difference between a new Unger carbon, or a £15 B&Q pole.
To them I am just good old 100% reliable Dai, who has an ex directory phone number, and no Yellow pages listing.
The buggers still track me down asking if I can clean their windows. They get my number from my existing customers.
I have work coming out of my ears, it takes at least 5 weeks of fine weather to get round.
So, why the hell would I want to spend a fortune on a brand new all singing, dancing, hot water system.
Who do I want to impress? I'm 65 years old and living well off my reputation.
No matter what system you have, at the end of the day you are going to need to talk to perspective customers, and that determines whether or not. you get the job
Your own personality will always be the determining factor, presenting yourself as an honest sincere person will get you more work than a £25,000 system. Trust me. Dai

What your saying is right,but in most cases you won`t get your foot in the door for people to see it.

[frames to panes]

Mr Solubility, don't take things to heart, this is in no way aimed at you, the figures don't mean anything. All i'm getting at is the fact that the same results can be achieved at minimal cost. Obviously if your chasing commercial work your unlikely to get it if your driving a three wheeler van!
 People can match my earnings at the moment with a bucket and squegee so it just makes me wonder who's right and who's wrong.

[pjulk]

Well said dia

I for one would never spend £30,000 on a van and setup or anywhere near that.
And no mines not a DIY setup but my next one will be.

I for one have better things to spend my earnings on than try to go round with the the top of the range van and equipment.

At the end of the day they all do the same job.
And a competent WFP user i doubt will NOT make any more money no matter what kit they have.


Paul

[jonah]

Agree with you Dai about that , you could have all the latest most expensive kit on the market , but when getting custom it comes down to YOU personally !  Best bit of advice I heard is that ( in sales speak ) If they like you they will buy from you !

[matt]

good question DJW

what do the domestic customers care if you have a new van worth 30 K or a van worth 200 quid, they dont care, they just want clean windows

what to do they care that you have the best pole int he world ( the facelift pole, im sure some1 has mentioned a facelift before ) or a fishing pole, its just a pole with a brush on the end, they dont care, they just want clean windows

a fair % these days are out in the day anyway, the other % are older and dont really care aslong as they get clean windows


imho the same can be said for the comercail client, they dont care aslong as you get them clean, i allways arrive in my family golf, i hand them a bit of " bumf" explaining the system and how it works and they are happy

people seem far to eager to impress and look the "big un" with this and that, i bet som on here call themselves a CEO of "insert name here / cleaner windows", i guess they need that in their lives

[NWH]

If they like the look of you,impressions count.

[matt]

Well said dia

I for one would never spend £30,000 on a van and setup or anywhere near that.
And no mines not a DIY setup but my next one will be.

I for one have better things to spend my earnings on than try to go round with the the top of the range van and equipment.

At the end of the day they all do the same job.
And a competent WFP user i doubt will NOT make any more money no matter what kit they have.


Paul

indeed

Agree with you Dai about that , you could have all the latest most expensive kit on the market , but when getting custom it comes down to YOU personally !  Best bit of advice I heard is that ( in sales speak ) If they like you they will buy from you !

indeedy again

[jonah]

For the record I think its unfair to knock somone who is trying whichever way ! The good thing about this forum is you can decide for yourself from reading the posts , like the saying goes "you cant buy experience "  Also think it is best to not to get personal .

[NWH]

At the end of the day all you need to do is get water up to a brushead,it depends on what kind of work you do or want.

[Pj]

On residential

Who would I take more notice of?  The lad who's been a w/c for a year?  Or the 65 year old who can clean windows in his sleep?

No brainer!

[jonah]

spose you could take advice from both and then you would come to your own conclusion