New custy wants a 12 weekly clean

[PJ Bullard]

What do you say to somebody who wants this? Bear in mind this is a facebook custy and I did the first clean when they were out. Then messaged them saying what freq do you want? 4, 6 or 8 weekly? And they messaged back 'can we have 12 weekly?'

Thing is, I want to keep them as they are close to my home and its a big, easy house plus conny with glass roof - so a nice little earner.

But part of me wants to say 'Er no, you either have 8 weekly or jogg on'

Anyone else get this?

 

[tobyswindowcleaning]

Add a bit extra on top to accommodate the amount of dirt that will pick up. I have a couple at 12weekly and are happy to pay a bit extra

Sent using the Window Cleaning Forums mobile app

 

[A.K WINDOWS]

I charge a one off clean price for anything over 8 weeks

 

[Dave B]

I would say no problem if it ties in with other work in the area which it should if you can offer 6 weekly and adjust the price to reflect the extra work involved

If not say sorry but you can't go that far out of your way for 1 job

I don't mind the 3 monthly ones i have as they pay well for not much more time spent on the job

I was until 2 weeks ago offering loads of different frequencies as i work in a tight area but have altered that to 5 or 10 weekly but kept my 3 monthly work also as it is worthwile to me

I didn't need to go out my way but it was still annoying to park in the same place to do 4 houses 1 week and then again to do 1 a couple of weeks later when it wasn't a long enough frequency to charge much more for the hassle

 

[Dave B]

After 25+ years i have only recently started to charge more for 10 weekly than 5 weekly as they aren't much dirtier but it has made a good difference in earnings on any new work

I think when i review my prices in spring the longer frequencies will be put up a couple of quid but not the 5 weekly ones

 

[PJ Bullard]

Yeah I hear you davey. I just dont want custys thinking they can be so cheeky. Imagine if they all thought 12 weekly was fine. We'd all be out of work and like I say, I want to tell them its 8 weekly or not at all.

But for this one, because its local and big, I'll allow them to have 12 weekly..the swines! lol

 

[Dave B]

It is all extra work mate

I would love to have 3x the customers i have now all on 3 monthly

I would do the same amount of work but be a lot better off for it and the work would be less monotonous as doing different jobs each month

Plus it is recession proofing your business as Mrs Jones paying monthly may not think it is justifiable but someone on 3 monthly would think " it's only £20 every 3 months"

Just means that the 3 bed you do i 10 minutes for £12 takes 12 minutes for £16

 

[adamangler]

I have a couple. no big deal

 

[noddy]

don't have any 12w jobs any more got rid of them over the years and now don't take any on

 

[spruce]

What do you say to somebody who wants this? Bear in mind this is a facebook custy and I did the first clean when they were out. Then messaged them saying what freq do you want? 4, 6 or 8 weekly? And they messaged back 'can we have 12 weekly?'
Thing is, I want to keep them as they are close to my home and its a big, easy house plus conny with glass roof - so a nice little earner.

But part of me wants to say 'Er no, you either have 8 weekly or jogg on'

Anyone else get this?

If you offered a 4 and an 8 weekly clean then them asking for 12 weekly isn't going out of your way. You would be doing it with your 4 weekly cleans every 3rd time.

You offered 6 weekly, so 12 weekly is every second time.

What I don't get is why you offer 4 and 6 weekly cleans. IMHO its either 4, 8 or 12 weekly or 6 and 12 weekly. By offering 4 and 6 weekly you are getting yourself out of rhythm.

In the early days we offered 4 or 8 weekly but had lots asking for 6 weekly. Because we were getting a lot of 'leave it because the windows are still clean' comments I moved everyone onto 6 weekly. When they then said leave it this time; OK but next call is 6 weeks time and the price is £x help some to reevaluate their request.

They are the customer so they have the right to decide when their windows are to be cleaned. You are the service provider and have the right to either accept or reject their request. That's business. For a happy customer relationship it has to be win win on both sides. If the balance tips to win loose in either direction, the relationship sours. Of course, that loose situation can be readjusted to win by a higher price on your behalf, but if the customer isn't happy with that, then its as above.

.

 

[Rosewood]

Most of mine are 8 weeks but quite happy with 12 or 16 as long as it's a multiple of 4 then it fits with the rest of work that week , would suit me if I could get all customers on 12 weeks

 

[StorminNorman]

Here in Ireland (ROI) it is a completely different story - most of them say YES to 4/6/8 weekly cleans initially but when I text them saying I will call in to get them done again I am getting a txt back saying "windows are OK at the moment. Can you call in few weeks!"

So I am keeping my prices high for them.

I have some customers who are happy to see me every 4 or 6 weeks and I give them a massive discount as I am feeling bad charging them 25 quid (€) for 15 min job.. But the rest will have to pay LOADS!

If there would be no gutter cleaning or sfg I would be poor and exhausted by canvassing and never ending first cleans..

 

[PJ Bullard]

What I don't get is why you offer 4 and 6 weekly cleans. IMHO its either 4, 8 or 12 weekly or 6 and 12 weekly. By offering 4 and 6 weekly you are getting yourself out of rhythm.

.

Are you talking about schedules? Well I tend to simply get the work first, then fit it in with other jobs as I go. Im still not at full capacity in terms of my round, so I can see why a veteran like yourself would say that. For me, Im still building

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

When I go to the shops or a service provider as a customer I tell them what I want. If they cant or wont provide it I go else where.

If I want someone to clean my windows every 12 weeks and you say 'no, it's 4 or 8 weekly' I say 'no problem, thanks for coming, don't come again'

At the end of the day it's the customers house so entirely up to them what they want. If you don't want to accommodate that then that's your issue not theirs.

There seems to be a lot of 'Who do these customers think they are?' going around at present. How did we fall so fast from the customers always right to this sort of attitude?

 

[spruce]

Are you talking about schedules? Well I tend to simply get the work first, then fit it in with other jobs as I go. Im still not at full capacity in terms of my round, so I can see why a veteran like yourself would say that. For me, Im still building

Sorry, I wasn't having a go at you personally or the way you work. That's up to you. I'm just saying that 12 weekly doesn't mess with your job schedule. But by offering 4 or 6 weekly you are messing with your own schedule, maybe not now, but later as your round grows.

We struggled to get a full round in the early days as well. We made lots of mistakes trying to bend over backwards to accommodate another regular customer. We had the attitude to get a customer at all costs. We even made excuses for them in our own minds. (If they only want a clean during summer that's fine as we don't have the daylight hours in winter as we do in summer etc.)

So we ended up chasing our tails and the tails wagged the dog. We were so busy being messed about with irregular routines and schedules that we didn't have time to look for better customers. (By better I mean customers more suited to the routine the majority of our customers were happy with.) We had them even going as far as wanting their windows cleaned at 9.30am on the first Wednesday of the month.

Even when we were short of work, we realised that it was more cost effective to work a street once and not come back to it until everyone was due again.

If we texted them and they forgot to leave the side gate unlocked, we went back and cleaned them. I remember once we spent a whole day running around doing touch up jobs that we ended up cleaning a handful of houses that day. The rest was time wasted.

That was a turning point. We were screwing ourselves trying to be perfect service providers. For us its either 6 or 12 weekly. We have a couple of business cleans which are done every 4 weekly and we squeeze a couple of 4 weekly residential cleans in on route, but we have found those couple of 4 weekly are a pain as we also clean the neighbours on a 6 weekly schedule who complain, especially if we get a bit behind.

"Why can we be on their cleaning schedule as well?"

"You were on a 4 weekly cleaning cycle, but because you repeatedly asked us to skip cleaning them this time as they are still clean, they are now cleaned when they are dirty."

"They are dirty now".

"But they aren't due yet."

"Well, we will have to look for another window cleaner."

"That's your prerogative and we will be sorry to loose you as a customer. Do you want us to clean them when they are due in another couple of weeks?"

"Alright then"

.

 

[adamangler]

Sorry, I wasn't having a go at you personally or the way you work. That's up to you. I'm just saying that 12 weekly doesn't mess with your job schedule. But by offering 4 or 6 weekly you are messing with your own schedule, maybe not now, but later as your round grows.
We struggled to get a full round in the early days as well. We made lots of mistakes trying to bend over backwards to accommodate another regular customer. We had the attitude to get a customer at all costs. We even made excuses for them in our own minds. (If they only want a clean during summer that's fine as we don't have the daylight hours in winter as we do in summer etc.)

So we ended up chasing our tails and the tails wagged the dog. We were so busy being messed about with irregular routines and schedules that we didn't have time to look for better customers. (By better I mean customers more suited to the routine the majority of our customers were happy with.) We had them even going as far as wanting their windows cleaned at 9.30am on the first Wednesday of the month.

Even when we were short of work, we realised that it was more cost effective to work a street once and not come back to it until everyone was due again.

If we texted them and they forgot to leave the side gate unlocked, we went back and cleaned them. I remember once we spent a whole day running around doing touch up jobs that we ended up cleaning a handful of houses that day. The rest was time wasted.

That was a turning point. We were screwing ourselves trying to be perfect service providers. For us its either 6 or 12 weekly. We have a couple of business cleans which are done every 4 weekly and we squeeze a couple of 4 weekly residential cleans in on route, but we have found those couple of 4 weekly are a pain as we also clean the neighbours on a 6 weekly schedule who complain, especially if we get a bit behind.

"Why can we be on their cleaning schedule as well?"

"You were on a 4 weekly cleaning cycle, but because you repeatedly asked us to skip cleaning them this time as they are still clean, they are now cleaned when they are dirty."

"They are dirty now".

"But they aren't due yet."

"Well, we will have to look for another window cleaner."

"That's your prerogative and we will be sorry to loose you as a customer. Do you want us to clean them when they are due in another couple of weeks?"

"Alright then"

.

I took in exactly the same at first,those who wanted certain days or times. have to be in customers, going back to the same are more than once per cycle, going back to locked gates etc. I suppose it has to happen at first as work is work in the early days but you soon realise the cost of doing these things in both time and fuel. time that would be better spent looking for customers to fit your round.

 

[David K]

I offer 2 Weekly ( commercials only ) 4-8-12 Weekly , must say i dont charge extra , stupid maybe , but i dont feel i use Any extra time cleaning either . Maybe i should start doing it too .. But i know im in the high of my general Prices in my area .

 

[A.K WINDOWS]

I took in exactly the same at first,those who wanted certain days or times. have to be in customers, going back to the same are more than once per cycle, going back to locked gates etc. I suppose it has to happen at first as work is work in the early days but you soon realise the cost of doing these things in both time and fuel. time that would be better spent looking for customers to fit your round.

The locked gate business can be a pain i now have it written into terms that if left locked will be charged 50% the price i will do the fronts.I will not go back untill due again.

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

It's why all custys get a text the night before.

Works perfectly.

 

[A.K WINDOWS]

It's why all custys get a text the night before.
Works perfectly.

thats true but some still forget i txt all the time now and again they forget so 50% it is.

 

[PJ Bullard]

There seems to be a lot of 'Who do these customers think they are?' going around at present. How did we fall so fast from the customers always right to this sort of attitude?

If the customer is always right and can dictate their own cleaning frequency at will then we would all be screwed. Firstly when they say they want a 12 weekly clean, to me it means 'Im not fully committed to having regular cleans and Im a bit of a tight wad so I'll see you 4 times a year'. Now imagine if it got around that you accept 12 weekly cleans at will and your customers all started telling each other and then all wanted to change to 12 weekly. Your schedule would be fcuked - no 2 ways around it.

Our business is maintained by regular customers do pay to keep their windows clean through out the year. In fact Green, I learnt an important phrase from one of your posts and that is 'Maintenance cleans'. The customer pays for maintenance cleans over the course of a year.

Again not everyone will agree with me, but as another poster on this thread commented - he simply got rid of his 12 weeklys and I share the same view as I think its a bit of a cop out