First time cleans or one off cleans

[Chris34]

When you first start out it's hard to believe anyone would get anywhere charging double for the first clean. Some people would say start as you mean to go on etc.

The thing to remember is you currently need the practice. If you turned up at my house and quoted me £15 a month I would think fine, if you said £20 for the first clean I wouldn't raise an eyebrow. If you said £30 for the first clean I would go for it but expect top quality results, probably inspect your work etc etc etc (This is in the alternate universe where I am not a window cleaner of course haha)

You say about enticing the customer into getting the windows cleaned regularly which sounds like you're making a fundamental mistake. There is no enticing people into regular cleaning, they are having them cleaned regularly or they're having a one off. If they're having a one off then charge them double or even more. Make sure you negotiate a frequency before you clean. I find the best way is to simply ask ''how often do you want them cleaned'' when I do the quote. This normally throws people off, some have an answer others ask for your advice. I offer 4/6/8 week cycles and charge them increasing prices depending on which one...

What I mean is enticing them to say yes to the quote.  A 50% first clean looks more attractive than double but still gives a clear difference between first clean price and regular price.  I won't be offering one off's, already decided it's not worth it.  

I just tell them how I work, it's every 4 weeks, payment via dd, text day before clean.  If they think it's a bit expensive then my fall back option is every 8 weeks at slightly more but I don't tell them that, I only offer it if they don't seem welcoming to the 4 week price.

I like the fact I can say yes or no to jobs and pricing, the power feels great  : )   FRREEEEEEDDDDDDDOOOOOOM    ha ha. 

 

[Iron Giant]

It really depends how much time you’re going to take and what sort of job you’re going to do. If you’re just going to do wfp and degreaser then i dont know, double the rates?

Lately i’m offering a premium type service to windows that haven’t been cleaned in years, where i water fed & de-grease every window, followed by ladder out & trad gear, blade scraping paint specs, spider poo, fly spots off, then micro fibres out & buff up all frames and sills that i can access safely from grey back to white using the pink stuff. Also restore the UPVC doors removing all those dark rubber scuff marks from peoples shoes etc. This can take a lot of time and the charge can go in to the £££’s. not many people are willing to pay for it and many just cant afford it but i’ve done a few lately and i really enjoy doing it.

i dont do builders cleans though so if I come across plaster/cement and loads of horrible stuff all over every window then i’m not interested in those jobs as i just find it horrible and frustrating + they've generally chipped the glass and damaged pvc fittings when they’ve made that sort of mess and i could do without the hassle of “who’s done what” type questions. 

I had one like that the other day the client had spent months having their cottage renovated new roof, render windows and more there were tiny specks of render on some of the windows which only became noticeable during the clean I made him aware straight off and walked him around and told him I don't do builders cleans I don't remove cement and that some damage may become apparent later which they may not have seen during the renovations with the windows being so dirty.

He started taking bits off with his fingernail ? and had to stop him and told him he could damage the glass, I told him about cement off by titan labs which my thoughts are that it should deal with the specks with no trouble, but the balls in his court as I ain't paying £22.00 for something I will use once are my thoughts but it's £20.00 monthly job so not sure if I should bite the bullet, as I have cleaned his mother in laws house for years and also his sons.

 

[P4dstar]

not sure if I should bite the bullet, as I have cleaned his mother in laws house for years and also his sons.

I reckon if you offer to do the work but ask him to pay for the stuff you'll be away you know.

 

[P4dstar]

What I mean is enticing them to say yes to the quote.  A 50% first clean looks more attractive than double but still gives a clear difference between first clean price and regular price.  I won't be offering one off's, already decided it's not worth it.  

I just tell them how I work, it's every 4 weeks, payment via dd, text day before clean.  If they think it's a bit expensive then my fall back option is every 8 weeks at slightly more but I don't tell them that, I only offer it if they don't seem welcoming to the 4 week price.

I like the fact I can say yes or no to jobs and pricing, the power feels great  : )   FRREEEEEEDDDDDDDOOOOOOM    ha ha. 

Good to hear mate, thats the way forward.

With regards to one offs I wouldn't be so hasty, certainly not at first. They fill your diary and get you seen cleaning. You'll be amazed at the amount of walk ups you get in summer while you're cleaning. I have hoodies which have contact number and company name on the back but no one has ever walked up to me in Tesco or anywhere like that, while cleaning or sat in the van happens all the time though.

Long term I agree one offs are a waste of time. The easiest way to put people off is to quote high and tell them its a 3/4 week wait. I do this particularly when someone contacts me through Facebook or the website asking ''how quickly can you clean my windows'' or ''what's your earliest availability''... Now sometimes i'm wrong but it usually means 'I ain't bothered with cleaning my windows in the last 5 years and now i'm listing it for sale'. Usually i'm right but I will concede there are a couple of exceptions.

A lot of lads swear by cleaning every 8 weeks at an extra £5 or so, same amount of customers but more money. I have found from experience it's worth telling them all the frequencies and the extra price so they ain't shocked when you tell them it's more to go to 8 weeks after being on 4 for a few weeks.

 

[Incheck]

I had one like that the other day the client had spent months having their cottage renovated new roof, render windows and more there were tiny specks of render on some of the windows which only became noticeable during the clean I made him aware straight off and walked him around and told him I don't do builders cleans I don't remove cement and that some damage may become apparent later which they may not have seen during the renovations with the windows being so dirty.

He started taking bits off with his fingernail ? and had to stop him and told him he could damage the glass, I told him about cement off by titan labs which my thoughts are that it should deal with the specks with no trouble, but the balls in his court as I ain't paying £22.00 for something I will use once are my thoughts but it's £20.00 monthly job so not sure if I should bite the bullet, as I have cleaned his mother in laws house for years and also his sons.

Looks alright that titan stuff to be fair! There’s always something new lol. Expensive few weeks for us as it is. New pole as the one of ours split, got 2 new backpacks as the ones we are currently using are on borrowed time, now we’re low on resin as well & the vans going in for a service. ? and to top it all off i spent 3 hours tinkering with our brushcutter/strimmer, stipped the carb cleaned it out & everything threw it back together & it still slows down & stalls on full throttle ? so thats up the workshop being fixed too ?

like me, none of our gear is getting any younger!

 

[noobwc]

When I do a first time or one of clean how much should I charge 

I normally charge a bit under x2 the x-month(s) fee

For example i did one today the first clean was £25 and then it will be £15 every 4 weeks.

And in the morning i'm doing a one off clean for a 3 bedroom property and its a £40 pound job. 


Push your luck a bit buddy if you are offering a high end quality service then you can charge more