You win some, you lose some

[Hanco13]

Cheers Hanco.
3 months in and doing ok. Building up a house at a time.

I've been doing the job for 13 years and when my gaffer sold his round I realised I couldn't work for anyone else. They want speed over quality. I'm not slow but I can't leave a window till it's perfect.

So now I'm back at the bottom of the ladder so to speak and I'm enjoying every minute of it.

With standards like that, you'll build up your round in no time. Keep plugging away mate. Like you say, one house at a time.

The best of luck to you bud

 

[dredge3]

That's how I look at it. 1 house at a time. "well thats another £10 each month" Last months I sacked 1, lost 1 and gained 7

 

[Scottie]

Credit to you SWCS. It takes guts start a business, guts and time. I'm 6 years down the line and I'm still building it up.... You can't beat being your own boss. At least you're Lining your own pocket and not some buggar else's. Keep up the good work mate.

Well said.

As someone new its really gutting to knock people off your list as numbers go back, but as you guys all say, get rid of now and look forward, I knocked 6 off now in total this weekend, I keep chasing going to clean and not in again or dont have money, so now they off my list and not contacting to book in. At least I dont have the hassle now and save some time chasing them. Feel better as round is nearly all good custys now.

Some real idiots out there, they think you just pop out and clean a house and go home. I had a clean on thursday, text 1 hour before, can I leave it this time, I am out now. I did book them in and also sent a day before reminder and all was ok and get this (again) I reply ok I can re book you and get can you come saturday wither 9:00am or 5:30pm thank you. WTF, they no i dont work saturdays and if I just come out to clean for you and go home, I feel lots people expect you to just drop your hat and come and clean and you ahve no day rota etc. Do people really think window cleaners just sit and wait for a call and come out and clean then go home? lol - Also I got the other day "well I am in a low paid job just like you and this government does not help us" Do people think us window cleaners earn **** money ? I always thought window cleaners done very well. I can have days earning £140-150 and when I am progressing the business I expect to earn that per day. I just wish SOME customers would show more respect. Still this is the bets job ever and I love it so much, so they can jog on, I am happy and proud to be a window cleaner running own business.

 

[SWCS]

"well I am in a low paid job just like you and this government does not help us" Do people think us window cleaners earn **** money ? I always thought window cleaners done very well. I can have days earning £140-150 and when I am progressing the business I expect to earn that per day.

People think we do it because we can't get a proper job.

I can earn £23 + an hour and that's hardly breaking a sweat.

Better than being cooped up in an office for 8 hours a day for £7.50ph

 

[luc]

I have a one strike and your out attitude, texting customers before is good and bad if you don't need to i don't.

Last week full of new cleans I dropped 5 customers £60, from things like I haven't got the money can you call back later, I call back later and and there not there to another customer having a yard full of dog s**t and I asked her to clean it up for next time but know she won't.

You deal with a lot of different people in this job and you get some great and loyal customers and by the way I picked up more than I sacked from people just coming up to me and asking.

 

[Hanco13]

People think we do it because we can't get a proper job.
I can earn £23 + an hour and that's hardly breaking a sweat.

Better than being cooped up in an office for 8 hours a day for £7.50ph

I've been that bloke sat in an office behind a computer screen for 9 hours a day, with a d*** head boss over you shoulder all day, with no natural daylight, and stress levels like you wouldn't believe...... Never again mate, I can assure you. I love getting in my van, tootling about, iPod on shuffle, it's fan-f******-tastic. And the beauty of it is, I'm earning more money now than I was back then. Win win!

 

[Hanco13]

I have a one strike and your out attitude, texting customers before is good and bad if you don't need to i don't.Last week full of new cleans I dropped 5 customers £60, from things like I haven't got the money can you call back later, I call back later and and there not there to another customer having a yard full of dog s**t and I asked her to clean it up for next time but know she won't.

You deal with a lot of different people in this job and you get some great and loyal customers and by the way I picked up more than I sacked from people just coming up to me and asking.

There's such a thing as bad customers dude, and like you, I've had a few. My attitude is like yours now. When I first started I proper put up with some ****, but not anymore!

 

[Hanco13]

Well said.
As someone new its really gutting to knock people off your list as numbers go back, but as you guys all say, get rid of now and look forward, I knocked 6 off now in total this weekend, I keep chasing going to clean and not in again or dont have money, so now they off my list and not contacting to book in. At least I dont have the hassle now and save some time chasing them. Feel better as round is nearly all good custys now.

Some real idiots out there, they think you just pop out and clean a house and go home. I had a clean on thursday, text 1 hour before, can I leave it this time, I am out now. I did book them in and also sent a day before reminder and all was ok and get this (again) I reply ok I can re book you and get can you come saturday wither 9:00am or 5:30pm thank you. WTF, they no i dont work saturdays and if I just come out to clean for you and go home, I feel lots people expect you to just drop your hat and come and clean and you ahve no day rota etc. Do people really think window cleaners just sit and wait for a call and come out and clean then go home? lol - Also I got the other day "well I am in a low paid job just like you and this government does not help us" Do people think us window cleaners earn **** money ? I always thought window cleaners done very well. I can have days earning £140-150 and when I am progressing the business I expect to earn that per day. I just wish SOME customers would show more respect. Still this is the bets job ever and I love it so much, so they can jog on, I am happy and proud to be a window cleaner running own business.

Don't worry about losing a few Scottie, it's inevitable. Just carry on doing a good job and don't rip anybody off and the customers you have got will spread the word. You can't please all the people, all the time. Just gotta play the long game mate.

 

[Keir999]

Ive been shining for eleven years and had my fair share of 'pain in the asses'.

If they start saying 'leave it this month' or messing me around for payment, I just let them know that im not prepared to keep doing them and will cancel them off my list. This usually works. If it dont then I just dont turn up again. Then when they call i ignore it. Simples.

 

[Hanco13]

Ive been shining for eleven years and had my fair share of 'pain in the asses'.If they start saying 'leave it this month' or messing me around for payment, I just let them know that im not prepared to keep doing them and will cancel them off my list. This usually works. If it dont then I just dont turn up again. Then when they call i ignore it. Simples.

Gotta be cruel to be kind mate, that's for sure. Plenty of time wasters out there.

 

[jamiesmack]

I've been that bloke sat in an office behind a computer screen for 9 hours a day, with a d*** head boss over you shoulder all day, with no natural daylight, and stress levels like you wouldn't believe...... Never again mate, I can assure you. I love getting in my van, tootling about, iPod on shuffle, it's fan-f******-tastic. And the beauty of it is, I'm earning more money now than I was back then. Win win!

I am that bloke in the office at the minute! We have just had our hours reduced, so not even getting the very generous 40 x £7.75 ph we usually get for all the stress & responsibility you could imagine!

Thats why Ive decided to bite the bullet and have a real go at the window cleaning, lots of learning at the minute, but give me a couple of months and I'l have a few custie's of my own under my belt :thumbsup:

 

[Hanco13]

I am that bloke in the office at the minute! We have just had our hours reduced, so not even getting the very generous 40 x £7.75 ph we usually get for all the stress & responsibility you could imagine!
Thats why Ive decided to bite the bullet and have a real go at the window cleaning, lots of learning at the minute, but give me a couple of months and I'l have a few custie's of my own under my belt :thumbsup:

Go for it mate. The owner of the print company I worked for had us all in the office one by one, and told us that the company wasn't doing very well etc etc. So we all had to take a 5% pay cut. The next week, I was sat at my computer and he jumps on the Mac next to me, opens up Safari and pulls up a picture of this 70 grand Jag.... Cheeky c*** said, "What do you recon to that LLoydy, I'm picking it up next week..... Needless to say I walked out a few weeks after. I figured that even being jobless would be better than working for a moron, in a stressful environment, doing a job that I should be getting paid a lot more for..... I fell into window cleaning by fate and even though Its relatively early days, I'm so much more relaxed and my quality of life has improved 100 fold........ There's nothing worse than dreading going to bed at night because you know that when you wake up, you've got to go do a job you hate. I certainly don't have that problem anymore....... The best of luck to you mate, you'll do it.

 

[superclear]

Good on ya mate, I like the comeback about the squeegee too. lol
There should genuinely be a window cleaning blacklist for these muppets.

I recently spoke to a friend of mine (bit of a computer whizz) about setting up a site where window cleaners could name and shame customers like this, the problem is when/if they move, the new people won't b able to get a cleaner! He was still up for the idea tho and when we both have some spare time gonna try do something like this not sure if its legal to name and shame tho!

I recently bought some work of a cleaner (around 50 properties) and everyone was fine apart from 1 person who watched me clean her house them said she wasn't going to pay the £12 as she had no agreement with me! Her name is Gogo and she lives at 6 cowper rd Colchester!!

 

[Smurf]

I'm not being funny but she is right you don't have any permission to be on her property nor do you have any verbal agreement that she wants you to do her windows.

Did you just turn up and start cleaning her windows then without first introducing yourself and most importantly asking if it was ok?

Just because window cleaners pay for a so say round don't mean jack as each person on that list "the customer" decides who they want to employ not the other way around. In effect that's like a total stranger to you just turning up at your house clean the windows. Then afterwards knock on your door for payment… How would you feel?

I've also had it said to me more than once that this has happened to customers that I've done work for. The cleaner has been told to go away for one reason or another. One chap quite bluntly told one cleaner "I liked the old cleaner not you so don't assume I want you to clean my windows even though he sold you his round. I will decide who I want now go.”

I can imagine this can happen quite a bit as people can be very choosey who they want to give the work to. Not just in window cleaning but in any trade when giving quotes as well.

 

[Pickingpaul]

I hate that feeling you get when you know a custy doesnt trust you and disputes if youve been. Its all part of your round evolution, its good you weeded her out mate, if i get the sense they are going to be like this i dump them even before they do it.

U just get that feeling dont you? Something they say, forgot they owed you double, did u clean this one or that one? Why are you a day late? Youre early! Not this month! Etc ect,

 

[Smurf]

That's one of the main reasons why I would not buy a round myself as you don't know what messers are on that list even if the guy selling it says they are all good. Then if your face don't fit you could loose good customers anyway as people are funny like that.

 

[luc]

Im sure that's one reason why I'm picking up loads of work, because no one canvasses hardly I think all the windys have bought rounds and these keep getting passed around.

Just an idea of mine and the fact some customers have told me that there windy changed about six times over the last four years.

 

[spruce]

That's one of the main reasons why I would not buy a round myself as you don't know what messers are on that list even if the guy selling it says they are all good. Then if your face don't fit you could loose good customers anyway as people are funny like that.

I agree with what you say regarding buying a round. This is why its important for the seller to introduce the buyer to his customers.

Even when Son in Law started with us and I 'gave' him a list of our customers for him to work, I did his first clean with him and introduced him to our customers. But even although the "we cleaned your windows" slips were the same with my telephone number on the bottom, he lost some because 'his face didn't fit' as @Smurf says. But he also gained some that we didn't when we did the round.

It's difficult to know whether some of these cancellations would have been delayed cancellations or not. By that I mean that some my not have had the heart to cancel the old bod (me) but found the ideal time when the cleaner changed. I'm slow, so some felt that because SIL got though the same clean in half the time, he couldn't have been doing the job properly. You can never second guess your customer's thoughts, even although we had been doing some of them for years.

Our first major step into window cleaning was buying a trad round for some window cleaner my son knew. My son was introduced to these and we started with wfp. We got a quick acceptance into the area by something we hadn't considered. The previous cleaners only cleaned the glass and didn't touch the frames and they were minging. We sold the concept of cleaning the frames as well as the windows (we were the second wfp cleaners in the area) and once people in the street saw the difference, most on the round were eagerly awaiting our arrival. I believe that this was the reason we only lost one or two in the whole estate.

We haven't canvassed much so most of our additional work gained above and above the first round purchase has been done by word of mouth. But the stuff I work now is all over the place. The round we bought was very compact, so this is a great plus. If I was expanding I would consider buying a round again at the right price and the right hand over procedure. But it needs to be compact.

 

[Pickingpaul]

Ive been canvassing regular for a year and im starting to enjoy it, quite a buzz when u get a new bunch.

 

[luc]

totally Paul i'm finding it more enjoyable than the work at the minute i don't know what that's all about.

 

[Smurf]

Myself I find winning work is much more enjoyable that actually doing the physical job for sure.