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Attitudes to our job.

TolishAPurd

Well-known member
Messages
5,294
I've got nothing against people that lick the wrong side of the stamp, its just the bitchy little ones I don't like. Ones like this one;

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So this weekend I was cleaning windows at a new customers house, and he had one of the camp ones round his house cleaning. Think they might have both been on the same page of the book, so to speak. So I asked this 'guy' cleaning if I could speak to Mr _____, and he had a sarky little laugh about me calling him Mr _____. He then called up to the man and shouted; "John, the window cleaner wants to speak to you". He then quickly turned to me and apologised for calling me the window cleaner, like it was something to be ashamed of. I told him not to worry as that's what I am. But everything else he said was a bit sarky and bitchy, so it felt like he was having a dig.

It never bothers me when people look down on it. I've even had people on job seekers look down on me for it! lol I told my mrs about it this morning and she said, "doesn't it bother you?" But it doesn't, I just smile inside....

In the words of Robert Carlisle in the full monty..."Folk don't laugh so loud when you've a grand in your back pocket".

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Anyway, the point of the post was that I told my mrs that you almost need to act poor, or play to thier perceptions in this trade sometimes. The moment people realise that you might be on more money than them, is the moment they decide to cut your paycheck by sacking you off. Anyone else had this? I reckon @boarcity knows what I'm talking about. Its like people want to feel good about themselves by having someone they percieve to be poor and in a dead end job working on their house for them as it makes them feel better about themselves. It reminds me of the bride that doesnt want to be upstaged by a prettier bridesmaid on her wedding day. /emoticons/biggrin.png

 
I had people with that attitude until i reply with "how much have you earnt today?"

 
Im not a window cleaner, i offer a window cleaning service.

But really im a business owner. Never though about people looking down, i usually look down on them as i feel superior to most (bit of a **** lol)

 
LMFAO - Bet that dress cost you more than most peoples monthly cheque to boot!
Only problem is it gets snagged on my ladder, and people always stop in the street to look up at my giblets.

 
I hear what you saying Tolish.

Sure you chaps have heard me say this before but I was suited and booted, commuting in a managerial position in the big smoke and made the decision to move into window cleaning.

Have to be honest and say that it took me awhile to get used to but now I've got no qualms about it.......helped by the fact that I am now fully up and running and am currently making more than I was in London.

But at the start i was driving round in a poop van and felt a bit self conscious about pulling up in people's driveways etc.

 
Ok so back to the serious stuff and how this thread can help you:

If you havent read this book, then as business owners I suggest you do. It literally changed my life, and my whole outlook. It has the potential to make you a lot of money through simple choices you can make.

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One point in my post that reminds me of this book is that it mentions about wealthy business owners that just drive normal cars. If they turn up to thier business premises in a bentley, then the employees all think he is ripping them off, so he doesnt wear his wealth on his sleeve to show off. (FOR THE RECORD, I AM NOT WEALTHY) But for customers in this game, its a good approach to not look to wealthly, as they feel they are being conned.

 
You see one of the key problems here is how we present ourselves also Tolish, shorts n t-shirt, ratty jeans or whatever is our favorite armor for the day, we aren't going to win any fashion contest that's for sure.

Last year I was opening a business account at the bank and had to have an appointment with the bank manager that wanted to see proof of income as i was self employed, I gave him the previous years returns from Her Majestys finest tax collectors, his exact expression was 'sodding hell! You earn more than I do!' My retort was 'I know that, I'm self employed'

He went a rather quite and hurried along with processing my papers, no further fuss.

Nothing brightens up your day more than letting a w@nk manager......... sorry, meant bank manager know that us menial minions earn more than they do.!!

 
since iv had 3 workers iv had no end say to me , "here comes the millionaire / oooh its the big man himself / yeh thats right you collect the money

as if im doing very little actual work. truth is im on the ladders all day but its like im invisible

and quite often i hear customers saying to my lads "is he treating you right?" as if im suddenly a real ogre

whats worse is my lads play up to them when they ask , looking downtrodden /hurt very convincingly ,the beaten look

 
As long as you take pride in your work you will be appreciated. And if look professional, you will feel it. Some people will always look down on you and other people will think of you as just another tradesman that they need and that does an honest job, regardless of class, its just in peoples nature how they think. With the HUGE influx of new windies, me included, the old view of a windie is a little outdated and I think peoples views are a little different nowadays. We are just small business owners doind a trade.

 
They only thing I really need to know or care about is the fact that these toss pots paid my mortgage, sent my daughter to uni without student loans and keep my fridge well stocked with all my favorite treats! /emoticons/smile.png

I dont care what they think of me at all, I have however torn customers up with verbal and sacked them off for how they dare to talk to me or even my crew and I don't care how posh they when I get verbal on them they know they've been told (and so does half the rest of the street for that matter) /emoticons/tongue.png

 
They only thing I really need to know or care about is the fact that these toss pots paid my mortgage, sent my daughter to uni without student loans and keep my fridge well stocked with all my favorite treats! /emoticons/smile.png
I dont care what they think of me at all, I have however torn customers up with verbal and sacked them off for how they dare to talk to me or even my crew and I don't care how posh they when I get verbal on them they know they've been told (and so does half the rest of the street for that matter) /emoticons/tongue.png
Exactly Green. I don't look for approval off anyone. Especially the nobheads like that. Makes me chuckle when people look down on me for driving a van, especially the ones that don't realise that my van cost more than thier car did, and yet while thiers depreciates, mine will bring me returns year after year.

 
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