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How to start a window cleaning business.
- Thread starter Gavin
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rshandyman
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It is not only London.I do frames as well and here South people are not happy when you don't.
Green Pro Clean Ltd
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In the words of the legendary actor Christoper Walken, 'Okay Dokay artichoakey, here we go!'
This is aimed at residential quotes only.
Right for this method of pricing to work we need to factor in a couple of things and more importantly remember those factors.
1: A window is a window weather it is in Southampton or Carlisle
2: Minimum wage is the same weather it is in Southampton or Carlisle (Londoners adjust accordingly)
3: It will take YOU the same time to clean the window weather you are in Southampton or Carlisle
In short my point is that of ALL trades the whole - 'prices are different up north' mentality needs to f**k off right now! Your customers in Carlisle will pay the same for their Sky Sports Package as will will your customer in Southampton so why can't they pay the same for other services? Perhaps back in the dark ages (1960s & 1970s) before the advent of civilization the great north south divide might have had some weight but not anymore (IMO)
Wooo hoo I'm all excited! I even got pics to go with me post!
Now remember I have a policy where I don't go anywhere for less than £10.00 after all 99% of my customers wouldn't cross the street for £10 so why should I? and that's just the way it is. If you are still cleaning windows for less than £10 per house monthly or six weekly then I truly believe you are doing yourself an injustice!
OK, for the purpose of this exercise we are assuming that all houses in the pictures are identical at the back so we are simply doubling what we charge for the fronts. So all prices are for front and back (not including sides)
I watched a youtube video with some yank and got this idea, he was saying 'downstairs window $3 upstairs window $5' and so on. So I got to thinking why can't we here in the UK simplify it like that well this is what I came up with, 20 pence per pane, with a minimum charge of £1 per window set (see example pics below) and £1.50 for doors
I have quoted 11 jobs in the past 4 days and landed 10 of them using this system.
Example 1
The two upstairs front windows at 20 per pane would be 40p each but we round each upto the minimum of £1 so for the front windows on this house as each is rounded up to £1 that will be £3 + 1 front door at £1.50 = Total £4.50 Now we assume that the back is identical so that would be a £9 job but not to worry as it is a minimum charge of £10
Example 2: (Look closely now)
Upstairs bay window at 20p per frame £1.80 (always round up) so that's £2 Upstairs hall window at 20p per frame 60p so rounded up £1 - Downstairs bay at 20p per frame £2.40 (round up) £3 and a front door set at £1.50 so that's a total of £7.50 for the front of the house, if the back was identical you would be looking at a £15 job.
In this instance I can tell you the back is actually a £4.50 job so this house we charge £12
Eample 3:
You guessed it! Chaching Caching!
He we say hello to Georgian Glass, I only round the total to the nearest pound on these not the individual 'frame' so to speak
4 windows at £.3.20 per window (£12,80) - 1 window at £2.40 and one door at £1.50 = £16.70
Identical at the back so that's £33.40 (in this instance I tell them the full total then round it down to £30 (they usually ask to go bi monthly, not a problem)
Also if you can afford a house like this you can afford to keep it clean! simple!
I think I am lucky in my round being more than sufficient for me that I can experiment with quoting and I have found that people will pay for a reliable quality job.
If you go in cheap you are saying that you offer a cheap service, when you are going out to earn £4 per house in shite weather it is easier to stay in and watch Jeremy Vine when you are going for £10 + per house Jeremy Vine can fu*k off!
Now I will sit back and wait for you all to tell me how you will never get customers at those prices blah blah blah.
Do not forget 2 years ago I had just moved to Nottingham from the channel islands, didnt have a pot to **** in and all the local window cleaners telling me 'You wont get customers at that price'
2 years on me and one lad and we are turning over 600 houses per month at just shy of £80k per year. IT CAN BE DONE
This is aimed at residential quotes only.
Right for this method of pricing to work we need to factor in a couple of things and more importantly remember those factors.
1: A window is a window weather it is in Southampton or Carlisle
2: Minimum wage is the same weather it is in Southampton or Carlisle (Londoners adjust accordingly)
3: It will take YOU the same time to clean the window weather you are in Southampton or Carlisle
In short my point is that of ALL trades the whole - 'prices are different up north' mentality needs to f**k off right now! Your customers in Carlisle will pay the same for their Sky Sports Package as will will your customer in Southampton so why can't they pay the same for other services? Perhaps back in the dark ages (1960s & 1970s) before the advent of civilization the great north south divide might have had some weight but not anymore (IMO)
Wooo hoo I'm all excited! I even got pics to go with me post!
Now remember I have a policy where I don't go anywhere for less than £10.00 after all 99% of my customers wouldn't cross the street for £10 so why should I? and that's just the way it is. If you are still cleaning windows for less than £10 per house monthly or six weekly then I truly believe you are doing yourself an injustice!
OK, for the purpose of this exercise we are assuming that all houses in the pictures are identical at the back so we are simply doubling what we charge for the fronts. So all prices are for front and back (not including sides)
I watched a youtube video with some yank and got this idea, he was saying 'downstairs window $3 upstairs window $5' and so on. So I got to thinking why can't we here in the UK simplify it like that well this is what I came up with, 20 pence per pane, with a minimum charge of £1 per window set (see example pics below) and £1.50 for doors
I have quoted 11 jobs in the past 4 days and landed 10 of them using this system.
Example 1
The two upstairs front windows at 20 per pane would be 40p each but we round each upto the minimum of £1 so for the front windows on this house as each is rounded up to £1 that will be £3 + 1 front door at £1.50 = Total £4.50 Now we assume that the back is identical so that would be a £9 job but not to worry as it is a minimum charge of £10
Example 2: (Look closely now)
Upstairs bay window at 20p per frame £1.80 (always round up) so that's £2 Upstairs hall window at 20p per frame 60p so rounded up £1 - Downstairs bay at 20p per frame £2.40 (round up) £3 and a front door set at £1.50 so that's a total of £7.50 for the front of the house, if the back was identical you would be looking at a £15 job.
In this instance I can tell you the back is actually a £4.50 job so this house we charge £12
Eample 3:
You guessed it! Chaching Caching!
He we say hello to Georgian Glass, I only round the total to the nearest pound on these not the individual 'frame' so to speak
4 windows at £.3.20 per window (£12,80) - 1 window at £2.40 and one door at £1.50 = £16.70
Identical at the back so that's £33.40 (in this instance I tell them the full total then round it down to £30 (they usually ask to go bi monthly, not a problem)
Also if you can afford a house like this you can afford to keep it clean! simple!
I think I am lucky in my round being more than sufficient for me that I can experiment with quoting and I have found that people will pay for a reliable quality job.
If you go in cheap you are saying that you offer a cheap service, when you are going out to earn £4 per house in shite weather it is easier to stay in and watch Jeremy Vine when you are going for £10 + per house Jeremy Vine can fu*k off!
Now I will sit back and wait for you all to tell me how you will never get customers at those prices blah blah blah.
Do not forget 2 years ago I had just moved to Nottingham from the channel islands, didnt have a pot to **** in and all the local window cleaners telling me 'You wont get customers at that price'
2 years on me and one lad and we are turning over 600 houses per month at just shy of £80k per year. IT CAN BE DONE
Green Pro Clean Ltd
Well-known member
- Messages
- 8,103
- Location
- Nottingham & Derbyshire
]
Sorry RS - I meant London & Southern Counties /emoticons/wink.png
Green Pro Clean Ltd
Well-known member
- Messages
- 8,103
- Location
- Nottingham & Derbyshire
And ooops I just realized that this is posted in WFP forum, my pricing structure is based on Traditional cleaning methods only so if any Mods want to move me somewhere more appropriate please do. Cheers.
peter rogers
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- 3,251
- Location
- belfast
hi i do my pricing abit different in richer areas i price rightly so .
i do a wee concil estate at 6 per house as after first clean i do them 5 an hour at 6 quid thats 30 an hour and i do 37 of them in the small estate and they all pay on time i take 8 hours at it as i have few cups tea and sandwiches etc handy wee day by wfp
would i be right or am i doin them bit cheap theyhave 5 windows and 2 doors one door is full wood
i do a wee concil estate at 6 per house as after first clean i do them 5 an hour at 6 quid thats 30 an hour and i do 37 of them in the small estate and they all pay on time i take 8 hours at it as i have few cups tea and sandwiches etc handy wee day by wfp
would i be right or am i doin them bit cheap theyhave 5 windows and 2 doors one door is full wood
Green Pro Clean Ltd
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- 8,103
- Location
- Nottingham & Derbyshire
Why do you think you are pricing richer areas rightly so Peter? if the case is you are pricing the richer areas rightly then you are pricing the less affluent areas wrongly.
It costs you just as much fuel, time, tools, experience ect to clean a council home in a non affluent area as it does a private home in an affluent area.
Your statement really says: I'm fleecing people in better neighborhoods cause they got more dough!
Perhaps it is time we started to level the playing field, the ones in the more affluent homes are less likely to be claiming benefits etc so are costing you (the tax payer) less so they should get a discount whereas the council house benefit customers are claiming so many benefits that is paid for by your taxes so they should pay more so you get a little something back from those that persecute you!.
Of no real relevance that previous statement.
We now charge a minimum rate of £10 per house Peter but we are traditional, it matters not if we have 20 homes on one road or just one, the minimum price is the minimum price.
I have had customers say to me 'well you're coming here to do her windows anyway...........' and that pisses me off, first off why should they get a discount just cause I happen to be on that road? and secondly as I tell them, 'yes, but even if you were the only customer I had on this street I would still come out to clean your windows so the price is the price'
It costs you just as much fuel, time, tools, experience ect to clean a council home in a non affluent area as it does a private home in an affluent area.
Your statement really says: I'm fleecing people in better neighborhoods cause they got more dough!
Perhaps it is time we started to level the playing field, the ones in the more affluent homes are less likely to be claiming benefits etc so are costing you (the tax payer) less so they should get a discount whereas the council house benefit customers are claiming so many benefits that is paid for by your taxes so they should pay more so you get a little something back from those that persecute you!.
Of no real relevance that previous statement.
We now charge a minimum rate of £10 per house Peter but we are traditional, it matters not if we have 20 homes on one road or just one, the minimum price is the minimum price.
I have had customers say to me 'well you're coming here to do her windows anyway...........' and that pisses me off, first off why should they get a discount just cause I happen to be on that road? and secondly as I tell them, 'yes, but even if you were the only customer I had on this street I would still come out to clean your windows so the price is the price'
Green Pro Clean Ltd
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- 8,103
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- Nottingham & Derbyshire
P.S. Peter, you have, hundreds, if not thousands invested in a WFP system that you want to recuperate ASAP so why do cheap, undervalued work.
If I was using WFP all day I would put my prices up, using logic such as
'No no luv, this WFP system is state of the art, same as they use on all those posh offices and restaurants you see in town, just the initial setup cost £XYZ not to mention maintaining the system to ensure that the water is perfect. Look at that brush head, doesn't miss an inch of that glass or the frames, dries to a perfect finish every time! It's up to you luv but you get what you pay for really don't you?'
It's all in the power of suggestion. I wouldn't be selling it as I can go cheaper cause it's faster, I would be selling it as 'It's worth paying for to have the best new technology to clean your windows'
Total crock of sh*te but I reckon you could sell that easily.
Put them all up by £2 per house Peter You could lose 11 customers off that round, be down to only 26 houses and still take home the same money every day and finish 2 hours earlier. (half the ones you lose will come back when all they can get is a drunk on a ladder for a fiver.
If I was using WFP all day I would put my prices up, using logic such as
'No no luv, this WFP system is state of the art, same as they use on all those posh offices and restaurants you see in town, just the initial setup cost £XYZ not to mention maintaining the system to ensure that the water is perfect. Look at that brush head, doesn't miss an inch of that glass or the frames, dries to a perfect finish every time! It's up to you luv but you get what you pay for really don't you?'
It's all in the power of suggestion. I wouldn't be selling it as I can go cheaper cause it's faster, I would be selling it as 'It's worth paying for to have the best new technology to clean your windows'
Total crock of sh*te but I reckon you could sell that easily.
Put them all up by £2 per house Peter You could lose 11 customers off that round, be down to only 26 houses and still take home the same money every day and finish 2 hours earlier. (half the ones you lose will come back when all they can get is a drunk on a ladder for a fiver.
peter rogers
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i have in total 4200 in the van like but i do them at that as its easy access and easy we windows its right nxt to my house and i do it for a we easy day of money as i dont have as much houses as id like i priced them wen i first started i know now id do them 4 £8 but i learned from my mistake like wouldn price that low now i only charge the richer area more cause them boys and girls have extensions conservatories some houses are 3 stories harder access and they are all bigger at the end of the day i know im to cheap at 6 for them wee ones
I agree Green I'm building my round on the same principle and so far so good, take for example an estate I've just picked up 10 customers it is not a wealthy estate working class and lots of rented property, with two window cleaners that are well established only charging £6.00 how did I get them?
I told them why they needed me, all frames, sills and doors included in the clean I'm reliable and professional so 10 new customers at £10 each happy days.
We have loads of terraced houses in my area that you don't have access to the back it may be a harder sell but imagine getting ten fronts for £10 each that would be a good earner
I told them why they needed me, all frames, sills and doors included in the clean I'm reliable and professional so 10 new customers at £10 each happy days.
We have loads of terraced houses in my area that you don't have access to the back it may be a harder sell but imagine getting ten fronts for £10 each that would be a good earner
peter rogers
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how many of you go to a house and the people say.... why would i want a window cleaner im only renting
cause if you clean your windows you will be able to see out again lol /emoticons/biggrin.png
cause if you clean your windows you will be able to see out again lol /emoticons/biggrin.png
Green Pro Clean Ltd
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We do a few terraced streets and how we got around the argument of 'You didn't do the back so i'm only paying you half price' as some ******* do was by starting a text alert service.We have loads of terraced houses in my area that you don't have access to the back it may be a harder sell but imagine getting ten fronts for £10 each that would be a good earner
This is two fold benefit and works like this.
When signing up a customer we ask 'what's your mobile number?' (once they tell us) 'we'll add you on to our text alert service at no extra cost, we send you out a text the night before they're being done to remind you to leave the gate open and also you can leave the payment under your bottle bin (or flower pot or whatever)
MAKE SURE YOU DO TEXT
Then when they dont leave access you can do just the fronts and charge full price, if they ***** I just tell them that the fuel doesn't cost less cause their gate was locked, my staff don't get paid less cause their gate was locked and at the end of the day if they don't want to help my to do my job I will sign up their neighbor in their slot so I can earn a full price job with no messing.
They always give you the full price and never leave gate locked in future. /emoticons/tongue.png
Green Pro Clean Ltd
Well-known member
- Messages
- 8,103
- Location
- Nottingham & Derbyshire
That makes more sense Pete, obviously more work (a conservatory for example) must command a higher price
The way you were talking earlier you were charging more for same size house just cause area was posher.
And £4200 in your van? Damn, I get ****** having to spend £90 on a new ladder! /emoticons/wink.png
peter rogers
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- belfast
its an investment but that includes the van my man lol and at that i have 500 set aside for a friend to do s full vap on he transit make it look the part and some free advertising
rshandyman
Well-known member
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- 943
£4200 it is not that much.Since last april I have spent over 15k
rshandyman
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And I do trad
Green Pro Clean Ltd
Well-known member
- Messages
- 8,103
- Location
- Nottingham & Derbyshire
£500 for a full vap? Hook me up, my local firm want £1000
peter rogers
Well-known member
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- 3,251
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- belfast
15k on what doin trad /emoticons/ohmy.png
Duncs
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hey under my new management team I have to say....one rule stood out....ban the fifty pence....
I know smurfy means well but....some of us are in a different position and areas are different price wise...
although....I know which way I want to go...
and fortnightly work has to be a piece of **** as I do think monthly is....not so much dirt...which is why my work tends to drift about a lot unless custys ask me twice then they end up WHAT EVER THE WEATHER..on my monthly list....
first two houses today a fiver a piece and seperated by several miles....and another later on... a new job...I wont mention here..well okay seeing as some of you like my waffle..
fecking council estates...boar your welcome to em...
she told me the name as she collared me on another job and said can you clean my windows? well...now let me think...
so I gave her my number and told her to text me her address..
and she duly did...and I thought...I just love lifes coincidences...as one of my said monthlies is on the same estate...
as i entered the estate....I noticed the name of her close on the main entrance board and thought oh great I will go and have a butchers as you do...although she had actually told me she would be there in the afternoon...
so I drove all the way to the end....no sign of it...I drove all the way back double checking every turn off...couldnt see it so did my due job and thought laters...
cheap took call the night
lassy had aked couple off months back for her windows to be done
just shows **** job out my patch
well friend off the family soft touch me
my mate since he is bit off a athlete has job to climb back wall
phone call the night
,due to all the water running down the wall will have to cancel scared it will course damp
laters I turned up and still couldnt find it now I could put sat nav on but he takes half an hour to warm up so I guessed where it was and got my ladders and headed off...
I asked a guy who said he was a visitor and it wasnt what I wanted.....I walked away peeded off and met another man who sent me back to the same stretch of houses....eventually....after I went for a walk around getting really annoyed...I FOUND IT.....oh...I have never seen a sign for it ..but I did spot the bench the woman told me was outside the front door...
well I did the front and went for a good walk around the back and couldnt find a gate....eventually I figured it out but...council estates....hmmmmm
well I got my fiver...and left....hopefully she wont bother me again...they were not that dirty but I have much better things to do than walk for miles for a fiver....now as for the other job..
I pull on the drive never seen the person yet the money is waiting for me and I now...bang my wfp trolley smack in the middle and boy I fly....
peter rogers
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reen im getting it done when he has time promises itll be byend april il post pics wen it done he is a friend and doin it for cost as we drink together and he doin me a wee turn /emoticons/smile.png
