Getting Paid - How to & Options

[Rosewood]

@Brandon you don't need to know all this info to be honest. Knowing it is costing anything should be justifiable enough for us all to use gocardless for ALL new customers.
No messing about with anything else.

The very fact you can see if they cancel a mandate *another positive, means you don't go cleaning a house who has cancelled. A standing order on the other hand, you wouldn't see cancelled online until it just doesn't come in.

That's a very good point chris33

 

[Chris33]

I only have 20 odd on it but it's what they will all be going for from now on. Daily we should be checking through mandates for cancellations @Bucko Jr had an issue with one cancelling..I'm sure he won't mind me saying.

He wouldn't have even known about this for ages with bacs. This means we can be proactive faster as well.

 

[Skxawng]

Just wondering with gocardless, the customer sets up a dd mandate and you can then claim the money manually from their account after you've cleaned the windows?

 

[K in Kent]

Excellent , quality info and well written Mr Green !

 

[P4dstar]

Just to throw a wildcard in, there's an app called invoice to go. You can put your company logo on the invoices and they look real professional. The biggest bonus is that the customer can pay by PayPal or card (through stripe) and you have the option to charge them the processing fee automatically.

I'm not up and running yet but I plan to do this for customers who don't fancy gocardless. I already have a subscription from a small company I run but it was only used once so I'll change it all over. The downside was it cost £50 for the first year and £99 after that. Invoices do look real professional on it though


Sent from my iPad using Window Cleaning Forums

 

[Iron Giant]

Customers who don't fancy GoCardless don't get on my rounds, Unless they are retired couple for example who are typically at home, The only clients I have paying bacs are longterm no hassle payers who pay within a few days or commercial clients.

If you only offer the one option for clients who are not typically at home when you carry out the cleaning then they have no choice but to sign up to GC, But you do need a website with a payments page to get this option working effectively and efficiently. 

 

 

[P4dstar]

Customers who don't fancy GoCardless don't get on my rounds, Unless they are retired couple for example who are typically at home, The only clients I have paying bacs are longterm no hassle payers who pay within a few days or commercial clients.

If you only offer the one option for clients who are not typically at home when you carry out the cleaning then they have no choice but to sign up to GC, But you do need a website with a payments page to get this option working effectively and efficiently. 

 

I've seen a few people say the same across a few threads on here. It sounds like the words of a man who is set up with a solid round and a good reputation behind him. What about the people starting out though? Some people are petrified of bank fraud because they got an email from the king of Nigeria once and lost 2 grand. Surely some just won't want to hand over their bank details? Once you have built that trust with a customer and a reputation in the local area that objection would be easy to overcome but not if your just starting out?

@Iron Giant I mean that as a question not a criticism of what you said.

 

[BigFoot]

I've seen a few people say the same across a few threads on here. It sounds like the words of a man who is set up with a solid round and a good reputation behind him. What about the people starting out though? Some people are petrified of bank fraud because they got an email from the king of Nigeria once and lost 2 grand. Surely some just won't want to hand over their bank details? Once you have built that trust with a customer and a reputation in the local area that objection would be easy to overcome but not if your just starting out?

@Iron Giant I mean that as a question not a criticism of what you said.

I've had GoCardless for a while but only started processing new customers recently and like you I thought I'd get opposition on cold call new customers, to be honest I'm surprised how new door knocked customers respond to setting up an electronic recurring payment with effectively a stranger, to date zero knockback although I read the customer first so if elderly etc just go down the cash rout.

My method,

1. knock door regular sales pitch

2.take details

3. Text from my mobile phone with GoCardless link to customer mobile number

4.Customer fills in GoCardless details

5.I receive notification and put them on a plan ( £12.50 every 4 weeks etc...)

6. Customer receives email confirmation

7. I never collect again all automatic 

side note i put my customers on on a set date preferably the day they get payed/tax credits so money is coming out when they should have money in the bank so fewer bounces and less admin for me. The customer knows that money out and windows cleaned are not necessarily the same time of the month and I like that and they don't seam to mind.

 

[Iron Giant]

I run GC through Cleaner Planner as I have nearly 200 clients on GC so payment is only requested after each window clean, I won't allow clients to have a set date otherwise it's a pain. 

@BigFoot I started off a bit like you, but had customers sign through my website and made requests through GC dashboard but as I got more signed up it was a lot easier for me partner CP & GC, It also means that if jobs are either skipped or because of access issues or clients getting building work done etc they are not charged or are billed less if required.

 

[BigFoot]

@iron Giant, I'm just starting out on cleaner planer ( had it about two weeks) and am on the learning curve, I've not yet linked GoCardless. Always good to here from others further down the line, I'm all for learning from forum members experience. I'll take a look at this today.


Sent from my iPad using Window Cleaning Forums

 

[Iron Giant]

I've seen a few people say the same across a few threads on here. It sounds like the words of a man who is set up with a solid round and a good reputation behind him. What about the people starting out though? Some people are petrified of bank fraud because they got an email from the king of Nigeria once and lost 2 grand. Surely some just won't want to hand over their bank details? Once you have built that trust with a customer and a reputation in the local area that objection would be easy to overcome but not if your just starting out?

@Iron Giant I mean that as a question not a criticism of what you said.

I only have 2 clients that don't trust any form of online payments, As for getting new clients signed up I have no issue with the vast majority my website payment page has plenty of info and links for new clients to feel secure and confident in signing up. 

The only ones I have found over time that don't sign up will be messers they tell you they want a regular service upon enquiring but then don't sign up, So they don't get their windows cleaned unless they sign up before the first clean commences my non sign up rate is less than 1%

 

[noobwc]

We have also investigated Android Pay but at present you need an app (as in your own app) to collect this way)

It would be possible to do this on a budget without an app 

The basics would include a website built on a WordPress core, stripe to handle the payments (With Stripe, you can accept all major debit and credit cards from customers in every country in 135+ currencies, as well as Apple Pay, Android Pay, and other local payment methods, like Alipay or SEPA Direct Debit.)

As i will be building my own i will share more on this and how it can be done when i get around to doing it its easy limited skills needed really i will also be making my site into a phone app 

 

[Andy Hill]

Anyone thinking of getting a card machine. The sumup device is now only £19 here....

https://sumup.co.uk/welcome/home/

Normally £29.

Grab a bargain!!

 

[Teaboy]

Green if only I could pay you to come and sort out all my debt from customers lol


Sent using the Window Cleaning Forums mobile app

Green if only I could pay you to come and sort out all my debt from customers lol


Sent using the Window Cleaning Forums mobile app

I’ll be honest I should move it all to go cardless it just feels a bit of a daunting task!!

Currently we accept

Cash
Chq
Bacs
PayPal
Worldpay (card over the phone)
Stripe





Sent using the Window Cleaning Forums mobile app

 

[P4dstar]

Anyone thinking of getting a card machine. The sumup device is now only £19 here....

https://sumup.co.uk/welcome/home/

Normally £29.

Grab a bargain!!

I use sum up. That ain't that cheap. If you want one use my referral link*, you get the machine for £15...

http://fbuy.me/iMsxB

*Just a side note. If you sign up I get £10 cash from them. I have had £90 so far in referrals but it has all been donated to charity. The first £50 went to cancer research and the other bit has gone to Lend with care so this is not my attempt to make myself a tenner.

I’ll be honest I should move it all to go cardless it just feels a bit of a daunting task!!

Currently we accept

Cash
Chq
Bacs
PayPal
Worldpay (card over the phone)
Stripe

Go Cardless is really easy mate, I would strongly recommend it. You can just bring it in slowly.

What are the fee's like for Worldpay? Are they compatible to Stripe as they have a virtual terminal I discovered the other week.

 

[Incheck]

Good all round info. I get cash, cheques n Bacs, I personally don't collect if not in n hope they are in next time. Thought about PayPal n do think it's a good option for customers, as safe for them to pay, but all those 20p+ all add up.
 
Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk

Yeah i’m exactly the same, i ditched all forms of card payments as the regulations kept changing (in my case debit card readers) and in general it was just PITA, if your phone battery was in the red or if you had poor 3G/4G it would take ages. Some customers with frail hands didn’t have the strength to push the buttons & some were spending 5 minutes rummaging around for their glasses so that they could see the keyboard. It was a waste of time for me.
There’s too many ways of paying now for me to cope with, & if people were paying through multiple ways (paypal, gocardless, pingit, apple pay, debit card machines & lord knows what else) it would fry my brain.
If neither cash, cheque in hand or by post, or online bank transfer is possible, then there’s something wrong i reckon




Sent using the Window Cleaning Forums mobile app

 

[dmw]

Well done padstar, I got my sumup reader through you, very generous of you to donate your referral fee to charity.[emoji3][emoji3]

Sent using the http://Window Cleaning Forums mobile app

 

[Teaboy]

Go Cardless is really easy mate, I would strongly recommend it. You can just bring it in slowly.
 
What are the fee's like for Worldpay? Are they compatible to Stripe as they have a virtual terminal I discovered the other week.

Worldpay are sneaky think the fees have come to more than we have taken on it so far


Sent using the Window Cleaning Forums mobile app

 

[Iron Giant]

Just been looking back over this post and it was started over a year ago, people messing on with card payments is nigh on pointless these days I now have over 250 clients paying via GoCardless I would have had more but I have been replacing some jobs in recent months 

 

[P4dstar]

Just been looking back over this post and it was started over a year ago, people messing on with card payments is nigh on pointless these days I now have over 250 clients paying via GoCardless I would have had more but I have been replacing some jobs in recent months 

It depends how you use your card reader. Just under 50% of my customers are on GC and that’s great. I don’t force people to set it up before I clean but I try to encourage it. People are skeptical of window cleaners and I can completely appreciate some may want to see the service before they sign up to a direct debit. I have some customers who take the date off me each time and are always home.... you know the older generation who are retired etc, some of them use my card reader now. The biggest benefit I have found is people are paying via card for the first clean, no excuse they have no cash!

I don’t force people to take GC after the first clean but I don’t talk about other payment methods unless they spark the conversation. I remember Darren saying in one of his videos that the mortgage company doesn’t care that you have £3k in outstanding invoices and he’s right. I would however suggest people need to put some money by to allow them to live comfortably without panicking about invoices being paid. Give yourself a wage each month and leave the rest in an account. I appreciate this isn’t always possible when you first start out but once a you’re up and running it is. If you take all of the money from your business when the going is good then when you hit a rocky patch you will go down faster than a scouse bird in Ibiza.

I’m not by any stretch of the imagination saying you should just let people pay when they like or take the mick but it’s a better position to be in than stressing when someone doesn’t pay. It allows you to take a holiday or buy new equipment.

The only good argument for being solely GC is that you have a regular income. I just don’t think it should be at the detriment of flexibility!


Sent using the Window Cleaning Forums mobile app

 

[Iron Giant]

It depends how you use your card reader. Just under 50% of my customers are on GC and that’s great. I don’t force people to set it up before I clean but I try to encourage it. People are skeptical of window cleaners and I can completely appreciate some may want to see the service before they sign up to a direct debit. I have some customers who take the date off me each time and are always home.... you know the older generation who are retired etc, some of them use my card reader now. The biggest benefit I have found is people are paying via card for the first clean, no excuse they have no cash!

I don’t force people to take GC after the first clean but I don’t talk about other payment methods unless they spark the conversation. I remember Darren saying in one of his videos that the mortgage company doesn’t care that you have £3k in outstanding invoices and he’s right. I would however suggest people need to put some money by to allow them to live comfortably without panicking about invoices being paid. Give yourself a wage each month and leave the rest in an account. I appreciate this isn’t always possible when you first start out but once a you’re up and running it is. If you take all of the money from your business when the going is good then when you hit a rocky patch you will go down faster than a scouse bird in Ibiza.

I’m not by any stretch of the imagination saying you should just let people pay when they like or take the mick but it’s a better position to be in than stressing when someone doesn’t pay. It allows you to take a holiday or buy new equipment.

The only good argument for being solely GC is that you have a regular income. I just don’t think it should be at the detriment of flexibility!


Sent using the Window Cleaning Forums mobile app

Yeah, I hear what you are saying, mate, I would say my opinion is based on being in the game for so long and going through all the various payments options from only cash over 18 years ago up to around 8 years or so ago to offering bacs and Paypal without the newer options really taking off at any point as most people had the mindset that a window cleaner would always call back because they always have so 6 hrs plus a week doing evening cash collections really sickening me off just over 4 years ago I wanted my life back.

GoCardless was the godsend I had waited for, as once it really took off for me it meant no more cash collections at all and for years now I have been able just to come home and for me and my wife to enjoy going out for a drink or a meal or just be able to go out for a walk with the dog, big bonus for us both and got 7kg of blackberries these past 2 weeks so loads of crumble and custard after a cold day at work ?