How to stop clients skipping

[Bart90]

I am not saying the letter is garbage to insult you..I am waking you up to the fact that the letter is next to useless, and will do only one thing; alienate your customers. So the fact is it is garbage.

Are you not able to put across your opinion without being rude and demeaning in your posts? I'm all for exchanging ideas and debate but do it politely and respectfully.  Each to their own and it clearly works for the OP.  

 

[cleaniac]

If I presented a 'contract' like that to most of my customers I would literally get laughed off the property. Jesus Christ we're window cleaners not property developers lol. To me something like that is putting an instant barrier up between you and the customer from the get go, not good to create a long sustaining friendly relationship imho.

It's typical though of these new starters. They think that because they are now a business "entrepreneur", they need to somehow show the customer 'accepted 'terms of business ' to be deemed worthy to be graced the superior service provided. It's stupid. 

Imagine going to a burger van, and having to agree a contract that you will return every x time for the next 4 months to get a burger, and if you didn't you'd be charged a cancellation fee. 

Or if you went to get your hair cut, and subsequently presented with a contract to sign promising you won't go anywhere else.

It's window cleaning, no agreement is enforceable. I leave next clean date on on their bills, and clean on those days as that's when I am on that round, if they cancel there is absolutely nothing I can do about it, it's called goodwill, not forcewill.

 

[cleaniac]

Are you not able to put across your opinion without being rude and demeaning in your posts? I'm all for exchanging ideas and debate but do it politely and respectfully.  Each to their own and it clearly works for the OP.  

By me saying the letter is Garbage is not being rude or demeaning.  Garbage has a proper meaning :

gar·bage | \ ˈgär-bij  \

Definition of garbage

1a: food waste

b: discarded or useless material

2a: TRASH sense 1b

b: inaccurate or useless data

The letter serves no positive impact on his business. It is my opinion that he should refrain from using such a letter if he wants to build up long term customers. 

Customers come and go, and come back again, and go. It's called freedom to choose. 

It is absolutely ridiculous to think that any customer would agree to such stupid terms. In fact, I bet he could easily get into trouble under unfair terms of business regulations, and unfair contract terms act 1977. 

Yes I am currently studying law. 

 

[Omega]

It's typical though of these new starters. They think that because they are now a business "entrepreneur", they need to somehow show the customer 'accepted 'terms of business ' to be deemed worthy to be graced the superior service provided. It's stupid. 

Imagine going to a burger van, and having to agree a contract that you will return every x time for the next 4 months to get a burger, and if you didn't you'd be charged a cancellation fee. 

Or if you went to get your hair cut, and subsequently presented with a contract to sign promising you won't go anywhere else.

It's window cleaning, no agreement is enforceable. I leave next clean date on on their bills, and clean on those days as that's when I am on that round, if they cancel there is absolutely nothing I can do about it, it's called goodwill, not forcewill.

@Bart90 thank for stating that about being rude. It sometimes seems like a minority feel it is acceptable to just spout off using their tongue like a razor blade.

@cleaniac you are garbage person insulting others like you have. It's people like you that make people not want to return on here and say anything. You're ignorant!

 because you have failed to really read and understand the post before gibbing off.

To make matters worse, many are in need of the work and do not want to charge a higher first clean price either because they may not secure the quote or because it penalises the majority who are honest.

I mentioned about those who do not want to charge a first clean price. In places where there is competition for example, charging a first clean when you have no customers and no rep and no referrals can mean not making enough money each mont.

I have simply shared a handful of solutions that someone may use if they want.
I also mentioned at the end of the post to charge double first then discount a later on.

Also, for all of you saying this will make customers run blah blah blah.
Not one of you has actually asked, how exactly is this implemented.
You clearly think we just rock out this statement the moment walks up asking for a quote.

We work to a system and certain other actions and such occur before this is sent ad it's a little down the line after we pre-qualify certain elements. We don't use phones for business for a year now and we do not quote in the street. Everything is done online.
 

Now, Cleaniac saying 'these new starters'. wind your neck in.
I might be new in relative terms but I have a hell of a lot of experience in business and I've been to a war in afghanistan too. You don't know me and you haven't in the integrity to ask or understand before come on here mouthing off.

And so what if I am a new starter in your opinion. Your opinion is worth what i'm paying for it. Jack.
 

This new starter built a business with over 100k turnover within just a few years and I'm doing great.
We have over 100 online reviews. Not one person has negative things to say about us and we are growing really fast.

Maybe its because there is so many dinosaurs like you out there working day to day like because something worked for the last decade, it is the defect way to work for the next. news flash.

People like you are the ones making so easy for me to dominate out there.

So instead of shooting me down.

Please can you recommend a way those who do not wish to charge double on the first clean can work around it.
You clearly are so good so why don't you add some value instead of insulting others.
 

 

[cleaniac]

@Bart90 thank for stating that about being rude. It sometimes seems like a minority feel it is acceptable to just spout off using their tongue like a razor blade.

@cleaniac you are garbage person insulting others like you have. It's people like you that make people not want to return on here and say anything. You're ignorant!

 because you have failed to really read and understand the post before gibbing off.

To make matters worse, many are in need of the work and do not want to charge a higher first clean price either because they may not secure the quote or because it penalises the majority who are honest.

I mentioned about those who do not want to charge a first clean price. In places where there is competition for example, charging a first clean when you have no customers and no rep and no referrals can mean not making enough money each mont.

I have simply shared a handful of solutions that someone may use if they want.
I also mentioned at the end of the post to charge double first then discount a later on.

Also, for all of you saying this will make customers run blah blah blah.
Not one of you has actually asked, how exactly is this implemented.
You clearly think we just rock out this statement the moment walks up asking for a quote.

We work to a system and certain other actions and such occur before this is sent ad it's a little down the line after we pre-qualify certain elements. We don't use phones for business for a year now and we do not quote in the street. Everything is done online.
 

Now, Cleaniac saying 'these new starters'. wind your neck in.
I might be new in relative terms but I have a hell of a lot of experience in business and I've been to a war in afghanistan too. You don't know me and you haven't in the integrity to ask or understand before come on here mouthing off.

And so what if I am a new starter in your opinion. Your opinion is worth what i'm paying for it. Jack.
 

This new starter built a business with over 100k turnover within just a few years and I'm doing great.
We have over 100 online reviews. Not one person has negative things to say about us and we are growing really fast.

Maybe its because there is so many dinosaurs like you out there working day to day like because something worked for the last decade, it is the defect way to work for the next. news flash.

People like you are the ones making so easy for me to dominate out there.

So instead of shooting me down.

Please can you recommend a way those who do not wish to charge double on the first clean can work around it.
You clearly are so good so why don't you add some value instead of insulting others.
 

Wow hit a raw nerve there didn't I?  

Listen buddy, I'm telling you right now, that letter is Garbage. It is my opinion that you will alienate customers with it, I'm not getting all eggy with you, your on the defensive. How are you going to deal with difficult customers? Like you are with me right now, cos I got your back up over a legitimate opinion? 

Please don't take offence, but a turnover of £100k over three vans is very thinly spread, and you will be VAT registered at that level so that's a net 70k divided by three vans 23k per van? Then you have insurances etc.  You should be turning over at least £120k per van to make it worthwhile.

No wonder your concerned. This dinosaur has been there and done that, so get back into your little corner and take some criticism without being a big fat baby over it, or you won't last long and will end up having a breakdown. Grow some thicker skin.

 

[Omega]

Wow hit a raw nerve there didn't I?  

Listen buddy, I'm telling you right now, that letter is Garbage. It is my opinion that you will alienate customers with it, I'm not getting all eggy with you, your on the defensive. How are you going to deal with difficult customers? Like you are with me right now, cos I got your back up over a legitimate opinion? 

Please don't take offence, but a turnover of £100k over three vans is very thinly spread, and you will be VAT registered at that level so that's a net 70k divided by three vans 23k per van? Then you have insurances etc.  You should be turning over at least £120k per van to make it worthwhile.

No wonder your concerned. This dinosaur has been there and done that, so get back into your little corner and take some criticism without being a big fat baby over it, or you won't last long and will end up having a breakdown. Grow some thicker skin.

I explained how you did not take on the point of the original post and asked you to give a constrictive input to add value.
You haven't have you? Because you just said something that contradicted what I mentioned in the first post.
 

why don't you check out my client reviews to see how much I alienate them. They all seem really happy.

3 vans yes and turnover said over 100k. do you think it's slap bang on 100k and in comfort zone for the foreseeable future.
Again, you don't know my business or my plans and yet you' e qualified to state your opinion based on a figure with your punitive math. And I said over 100k and it's growing.

Maybe I want to have 1000 vans making £1k profit each per month. Who are you to say that is right or wrong.
I don't tell the sole trader window cleaners near me they are wrong for not employing and making money for doing less work.

We all have a right to conduct ourselves in a way that works for us.
There is  distinction between different and wrong that you would benefit from to understand.

Regardless of what your opinion is on turnover per van, despite you not knowing any details on what I'm doing, I am in a position where I can live comfortable and not window clean anymore. That fact does not lie and so many are not in a position that I am in. For most, you stop physically working and the money stops coming in.

Tell me. Are you in the position where you can not work and have money coming in still?

Were you not on here apologising for being rude recently too? And feeling silly because you listened to the general consensus on working during covid-19 and regretted it. Making out I'm a little boy when you are not even capable of making your own decision based on available facts and information.

So while i go and grow some thicker skin maybe work on your intellect and review information correctly being being so opinionated.

And I'll tell you what. I'm building my company to be nationwide. Criticise me all you wish to.
I'm confident in what I'm doing and my plan is working better and better.

For everyone on here to witness we can let my actions do the talking for me.

 

[cleaniac]

I explained how you did not take on the point of the original post and asked you to give a constrictive input to add value.
You haven't have you? Because you just said something that contradicted what I mentioned in the first post.
 

why don't you check out my client reviews to see how much I alienate them. They all seem really happy.

3 vans yes and turnover said over 100k. do you think it's slap bang on 100k and in comfort zone for the foreseeable future.
Again, you don't know my business or my plans and yet you' e qualified to state your opinion based on a figure with your punitive math. And I said over 100k and it's growing.

Maybe I want to have 1000 vans making £1k profit each per month. Who are you to say that is right or wrong.
I don't tell the sole trader window cleaners near me they are wrong for not employing and making money for doing less work.

We all have a right to conduct ourselves in a way that works for us.
There is  distinction between different and wrong that you would benefit from to understand.

Regardless of what your opinion is on turnover per van, despite you not knowing any details on what I'm doing, I am in a position where I can live comfortable and not window clean anymore. That fact does not lie and so many are not in a position that I am in. For most, you stop physically working and the money stops coming in.

Tell me. Are you in the position where you can not work and have money coming in still?

Were you not on here apologising for being rude recently too? And feeling silly because you listened to the general consensus on working during covid-19 and regretted it. Making out I'm a little boy when you are not even capable of making your own decision based on available facts and information.

So while i go and grow some thicker skin maybe work on your intellect and review information correctly being being so opinionated.

And I'll tell you what. I'm building my company to be nationwide. Criticise me all you wish to.
I'm confident in what I'm doing and my plan is working better and better.

For everyone on here to witness we can let my actions do the talking for me.

Would you like me to apologise, would that make It all better for you?

Listen, good luck with your plans for world domination. I'm sorry you think I was rude, I don't think I was, just expressing an opinion. 

Agreed the opinion was perhaps, a little..sharp? Maybe? But if your going to be going national with this business, your going to meet a lot worse than me in terms of difficult opinions, and customers. You need to learn to take a lot of stuff on the chin, even if it isn't justified in your opinion. You will get customers leave you all sorts of nasty reviews for absolutely no reason, just ask Lee Pryor. He has worked very hard and is turning over a million quid a year with i think over 12k regular customers, the problems and difficulties he has had as he expanded his business, he's doing well now, but he used to get all upset in the new days when someone posted something he thought was a little bit unfair. Now he has learned just to get on with it and accept that people will say hurtful things, but a newsflash, they themselves don't think it's hurtful, it's just interpreted as hurtful by the receiver.  I would strongly recommend you call him for advice, he really knows his stuff he is a great guy!

As for me, I run a small ltd company with 2 full time employees, I'm happy with my business the way it is, I did have delusions of grandeur 10 years back, but now I'm just happy with making a good profit. Daz once said turnover =vanity, profit =sanity

And yes I did have a wobble over covid. So what? Lol. 

When you get to having 20k customers nationwide and 4 million quid turnover, and your sitting in your massive mansion, you will be thinking to yourself, yeah I showed them! But in reality, you showed yourself, and no one really cares about your lifestyle. No doubt you will want to tell everyone about your success, but it will fall on deaf ears and that will hurt. 

So go ahead get on with it, go and make it a success. But you will get much worse than my response on this road you have embarked upon, I wish you well.  Take this as a training excecise..??

 

[Davy G]

Are you not able to put across your opinion without being rude and demeaning in your posts? I'm all for exchanging ideas and debate but do it politely and respectfully.  Each to their own and it clearly works for the OP.  

Well said Bart. Courtesy costs nothing but rudeness offends and there's no need for it.

 

[Poles Apart]

With respect its not worth the paper its written on how are you going to enforce it ?.. we always charge double for first cleans this stops the messers.  The only exception is existing customers family or very close friends , when quoting I always explain this price is fir a regular 4/8 weekly clean and we work in all weathers ,if they hesitate ,cough splutter I imedjatly say I dont think you would be the type of customer we are looking for thanks for  your time and walk away , they arnt going to waist my time , by cancelling or saying after the first clean we will be in touch when we want them doing again . Been there done that ??

Spot on here if takes twice as long you charge double I wouldn't charge for a regular clean hoping they become regular.