[Davo]

There s always a risk when you buy a second hand vehicle. My last van cost £300 and I got two and a half years out of it. I have a trailer, and tow bar fitted on my car.
If anything goes wrong with the van I can still work from the car and trailer. This is an advantage if you use a trolley system.
To make a large investment in my business would in my case be throwing money away, as I said before, I'm 65 and have all the work I can handle.
A tidy lettered van can bring you work, it's advertising your business, but the vast majority of clients have no idea about WFP systems, and wouldn't know the difference between a brand new Ionics or a well put together DIY system.
Say you phone around looking for commercial work, If your lucky you find a prospective client, you then have to go and talk to them, they are usually busy people so you ask their requirements, look at the job, and give them a price. Some clients may say "fine carry on", the majority will promise to get back to you.
The prospective client has remained in the building throughout, and has not even seen your van parked outside, let alone have a clue about what's inside it.
An Escort 55 is the smallest van that meets my requirements, I do over 50 miles a day and the Escort is good on diesel. At £350 I can forget about depreciation, and the tax man gives me £4,500 a year to run it. It's not rocket science, I run my business in the most cost efficient way. Dai

Dai,

I presume its taken you many years of hard work to reach the position that you are in now. To be honest I feel that many who are newcomers to  this business (myself included) are looking for the quick route, or should I say the route of least resistance. Not many enter a trade thinking " well 60 hours up a ladder for £200 a week will do me" But the new technology is partly to blame for that, its a safer job now.

The way you work works for you, and noone with any sense will argue with you, but just say for arguments sake you were 30 years younger entering this business, do you not feel you would approach things differently. And by that I mean, in the early years do you think you would have got to where you are now quicker if you had done things differently?


Mark

[matt]

the domestic customer also like the idea of the " honest joe, working man " it goes down well

LOL only if thats what they are themselves, in which case they are of no interest to me as customers.  This and the other thread has given me a useful insight into the cobble-together mentality.  Clearly as with all trades peobably there are window cleaners and there are window cleaners.

FLIP, whats happening in the north sea?  Anyone know? Is it terrorism?

Ok, i'll cut to the chase & say what most viewers are thinking.
Tennet clean- you are an a**hole, good luck to you in your own little dream world with your (smaller than most) thingy!

Tony

  , most viewers, thats a little harsh, i bet its only 98 % of them, i am being kind here, it'll be higher than that, but im a thoughtfull kind of soul, i guess its because im a cobbler and i get to loads of soles 

[Village Gleam]

Wait till my promotion to moderator comes through you two are both in for it!

[mark dew]

Apply for the position. I reckon you'd make a good moderator.

[niceandclean]

Wait till my promotion to moderator comes through you two are both in for it!

Apply for the position. I reckon you'd make a good moderator.

Ha ha, me too!! 

[groundhog]

Why is everyone attacking tennet? I think he makes some very good points and I would totally agree with some of it. I too target wealthy areas and large houses, it makes good sense if you think about it. I don't think it matters what system you use though, anyone should be able to put together a simple van mount system for a few hundred pounds that can do everything that an expensive Ionics set up can do.

[mark dew]

i also target certain houses though i do take on smaller jobs if they are in the right area and are happy to pay a tenner min charge.
The trouble with tennets perspective is that it takes a long time to gain the type of customers he wants and therefore is of no use information wise to the majority of window cleaners who need to earn enough money to pay the bills asap. And that for better or for worse is by taking on the properties or customers that tennet writes off.

[matt]

Why is everyone attacking tennet? I think he makes some very good points and I would totally agree with some of it. I too target wealthy areas and large houses, it makes good sense if you think about it. I don't think it matters what system you use though, anyone should be able to put together a simple van mount system for a few hundred pounds that can do everything that an expensive Ionics set up can do.

Oh i clean the wealthy area's, but because i have a in the words of tuppenceclean " cobbled together system" im not worthy of calling myself a window cleaner

it seems that tuppenceclean does like to dish it out, as most of his posts are either just wind-ups or just plain idiotic ( im honestly not sure, i would hope its that he likes a wind-up )

[matt]

.
The trouble with tennets perspective is that it takes a long time to gain the type of customers he wants and therefore is of no use information wise to the majority of window cleaners who need to earn enough money to pay the bills asap. And that for better or for worse is by taking on the properties or customers that tennet writes off.

tuppenceclean also makes a point about being a "real window cleaner", i guess if you do clean 10 quid semi's, you fall into this

LOL only if thats what they are themselves, in which case they are of no interest to me as customers.  This and the other thread has given me a useful insight into the cobble-together mentality.  Clearly as with all trades peobably there are window cleaners and there are window cleaners.

[matt]

Wait till my promotion to moderator comes through you two are both in for it!

 

i notice you didnt disagree and jump tuppencecleans defence 

[L.J.Thorpe]

i also target certain houses though i do take on smaller jobs if they are in the right area and are happy to pay a tenner min charge.
The trouble with tennets perspective is that it takes a long time to gain the type of customers he wants and therefore is of no use information wise to the majority of window cleaners who need to earn enough money to pay the bills asap. And that for better or for worse is by taking on the properties or customers that tennet writes off.

i vote mark for moderator spot on again mate without being anything other than diplomatic

[mark dew]

it would take the fun out of coming here if i had to trawl every post. I'm suprised there are only 2 moderators cos there's alot of stuff they have to read and if they are not here for a couple of days that's alot of posts to trawl.
There could be a couple more. People like matt or squeaky (cos chepstow seems to be the recruiting ground) or even getting tosh to come back as one as he was good. But it cramped his style unfortunately, he claimed.
I'm not that diplomatic lj thorpe, but it seems like it when you read other posts.
I do try not to antagonise people though cos its easy to misunderstand when there's no eye contact and i don't like burning bridges. It's against my nature. I still think mr solubility would make a good one if he wanted as he might be blunt towards peope at times but he's straight to the point. A good thing i reckon.

[dai]

Mark, If I was 30 years younger I would do things very differently, I would have ambition driving me.
If I had a mortgage to pay and had debts I would drive myself a lot harder. I would be out at weekends canvassing better paid work. Having a full round can be a disincentive, I choose to come on here when I could be improving my business, or even getting some of the jobs done around the house. I have 3 doors that have been waiting to get hung for months.
I can work really fast, but lose what I gain talking to customers, those little 2 hour jobs around the house now take 4 hours to complete.
I am taking life easier, and why not? It's great to be young and full of drive, working hard to provide for your future, but there comes a time when we start running out of future. We are all different, as are our circumstances.
I can understand a young guy that wants what he believes is the best possible gear to work with, new van, smart uniform, latest hot water system. If it gives him the confidence that he may lack without it, he may think it's essential.
Hey guys, we are only cleaning windows, the most important thing of all, is that we clean windows to a standard for which our customers are prepared to pay. End of story. The method you use to achieve that standard is irrelevant to the end product. As far as I am concerned I will always strive to maintain that standard, but at the lowest cost to myself. Costs are what's coming out of your pocket before you take your pay, and cutting costs is an essential part of running a successful business.
MAINTAIN THE STANDARD, CUT THE COSTS=£££££'S

[L.J.Thorpe]

Hey guys, we are only cleaning windows, the most important thing of all, is that we clean windows to a standard for which our customers are prepared to pay. End of story. The method you use to achieve that standard is irrelevant to the end product. As far as I am concerned I will always strive to maintain that standard, but at the lowest cost to myself. Costs are what's coming out of your pocket before you take your pay, and cutting costs is an essential part of running a successful business.
MAINTAIN THE STANDARD, CUT THE COSTS=£££££'S

well said dai  nutshell for me that

[matt]

personall ithink the trouble is he,s an arrogant antagonistic ahole but diplomacy has never been one of my strengths

but he a window cleaner, not just any old window cleaner either  : :

[Village Gleam]

I'll go with the first bit if that's okay, young, ambitious, full of drive, running toward the future- It's like you know me Dia!

Then the stuff about the latest gear, signed van, uniform, latest hot system, well, I was a bit embarrased to be honest. No matter I like to lead by example. Very diplomatic of you not to mention the skivers and slackers gang though but I see two of them jumped straight in.

[L.J.Thorpe]

personall ithink the trouble is he,s an arrogant antagonistic ahole but diplomacy has never been one of my strengths

but he a window cleaner, not just any old window cleaner either : :

[matt]

Then the stuff about the latest gear, signed van, uniform, latest hot system, well, I was a bit embarrased to be honest. No matter I like to lead by example. Very diplomatic of you not to mention the skivers and slackers gang though but I see two of them jumped straight in.

does that mean we offically have a gang now 

you made 2 posts in this thread before me, so are you 1 of the "jumper in's ", it was 4 hours before i replied, as it happens i was out doing some of my comercail, i wont say what i earnt in 3 hours this morning, as i dont want to shatter the illusion that im a waster , it was with a " cobbled system  " aswell  , oh and whilst i was out i only met 1 person who was the area manager, he brought me down a coffee and we had a brief chat about my campervan and his home in florida ( to play golf ), the other places had no sign of life, i guess they just dont want to see in the back of my van

[Davo]

Dai,

Just to say a quick thankyou for your reply. Take care and keep busy ( well as busy as you want to be)


Mark

[L.J.Thorpe]

I'll go with the first bit if that's okay, young, ambitious, full of drive, running toward the future- It's like you know me Dia

the future is a pine box mate run as fast as you want

Then the stuff about the latest gear, signed van, uniform, latest hot system, well, I was a bit embarrased to be honest. No matter I like to lead by example. Very diplomatic of you not to mention the skivers and slackers gang though but I see two of them jumped straight in.

how can i be a skiver if iam my own boss : : as for slacker .....spot on mate and proud of it.... roll on summer and the three day week.....