Looking to sell my window cleaning round? How do you much is it worth?

[Jaygti]

£30k a year, so therefore £2.5k a month. 
x 4-6

= £10k-£15k

If it’s good quality work with customer phone numbers etc ,and your helpful with the handover you’ll get that easily. 
 

If not re advertise at a lower price later on. 

 

[Dunk]

Yes, an average of £36 per customer for the 6 weekly and £47 for the 8 weekly.

At those prices, I suspect he's  in London or Surrey... 

Spot on Surrey!

 

[Dunk]

Based in Surrey

Weybridge, Cobham, Oxshott and Esher area

 

[Dunk]

£30k so therefore £2.5k a month. 
x 4-6

= £10k-£15k

If it’s good quality work with customer phone numbers etc ,and your helpful with the handover you’ll get that easily. 
 

If not re advertise at a lower price later on. 

Hi Jaygti, Its very good quality customers with contact numbers and addresses, most of them been with me for many years.

I have a large complex of flats on a rolling contract, thats £2950 a year. Not sure how easy that will be, to move to the purchaser of the business?

Thanks for your advise..cheers!

Will look to sale for 10k and see what happens

 

[Ian Docksey]

Hi Jaygti, Its very good quality customers with contact numbers and addresses, most of them been with me for many years.

I have a large complex of flats on a rolling contract, thats £2950 a year. Not sure how easy that will be, to move to the purchaser of the business?

Thanks for your advise..cheers!

Will look to sale for 10k and see what happens

Ok I'm a newbie. Can someone please explain. How selling a round works. The way I see it, you are selling something that works for you!  But is not a business?  So how can it be sold on.  The customers you are selling may not want a different window cleaner, so may not go with whoever you sell them too. As I see it , a round is personal to whoever got it together and has customer relationships.  This cant just be sold on. 

 

[Ian Docksey]

Ok I'm a newbie. Can someone please explain. How selling a round works. The way I see it, you are selling something that works for you!  But is not a business?  So how can it be sold on.  The customers you are selling may not want a different window cleaner, so may not go with whoever you sell them too. As I see it , a round is personal to whoever got it together and has customer relationships.  This cant just be sold on. 

When selling a round, do you ask the customer if they are ok with you selling their business to someone else? I can understand selling a Ltd Business,  but if it's not a Ltd business how is it worth anything, apart from good will, from said customers,  

 

[Pjj]

Ok I'm a newbie. Can someone please explain. How selling a round works. The way I see it, you are selling something that works for you!  But is not a business?  So how can it be sold on.  The customers you are selling may not want a different window cleaner, so may not go with whoever you sell them too. As I see it , a round is personal to whoever got it together and has customer relationships.  This cant just be sold on. 

Technically you are only buying good Will that’s it , the customers might not like you and decide they want someone else , but from everyone I know that has bought work the vast majority stick with them , but buying a round there is no physical stuff that you are purchasing just names and addresses , I wish the seller  @Dunk all the best with the sale of this work it sounds good stuff do you think 10k is enough ? I would be tempted to try a bit higher price and if no takers reduce it a bit , let us know how it goes .

 

[Jaygti]

When selling a round, do you ask the customer if they are ok with you selling their business to someone else? I can understand selling a Ltd Business,  but if it's not a Ltd business how is it worth anything, apart from good will, from said customers,  

As pjj said your just buying or selling goodwill. There’s no guarantee the the customers will take you on. 
However buying and selling of rounds has been going on for years. Most work out fine. 
Most customers just want clean windows. How and by whom is largely irrelevant.

I sold almost my entire full time Trad round in 2003 with no problems. 
I also bought some Very High quality work at the beginning of this year which had turned out to be a great success. 
I lost only 2 customers, both of whom were moving away. 

If you have the cash, you can get something instantly that would take many years to get by Normal methods  (if at all)  

Also I think £10k sounds a bit cheap for this work also??

 

[dazmond]

i sold a small underpriced round over 15 years ago now..i got £1200 for it.......within  a few months i had quite a few ex customers phoning me up asking me to go back!i never did....once its sold its history.....the new guy was scared of heights and missed a lot of upper windows out...he also  turned up at 8am on a sunday morning with his dad at some of the jobs!?....

to the OP i think you should be looking at around £15k for your round....its half decent and its took you 10 years to build up and get established.....im sure you ll find someone who ll pay it around the surrey area.......good luck...?

 

[Davy G]

I would not tell my customers that I was selling a round. Nor would I tell new customers I'd bought their round. I see it from the customer's point of view. I'd be most p...d off to be treated like a commodity to be bought sold or traded if it were me.

I would simply say I was passing the round to someone else, and give a brief reason for it. Cutting down, moving, concentrating on a different area for example. Or I was taking over from someone else (one of the same reasons).

 

[Dave B]

I would not tell my customers that I was selling a round. Nor would I tell new customers I'd bought their round. I see it from the customer's point of view. I'd be most p...d off to be treated like a commodity to be bought sold or traded if it were me.

I would simply say I was passing the round to someone else, and give a brief reason for it. Cutting down, moving, concentrating on a different area for example. Or I was taking over from someone else (one of the same reasons).

When I did it once I just said I was helping the guy out as he was so busy.. after a few months it becomes the norm then it's your work..that's when I said I'd took it over as he was still too busy and here's my bank details.

 

[Davy G]

When I did it once I just said I was helping the guy out as he was so busy.. after a few months it becomes the norm then it's your work..that's when I said I'd took it over as he was still too busy and here's my bank details.

Yeah Dave. That's a great way to do it. ??

 

[Dave B]

Yeah Dave. That's a great way to do it. ??

It just means getting payments off the guy for a couple of months for his online payments.

No big issue though.

 

[dazmond]

It just means getting payments off the guy for a couple of months for his online payments.

No big issue though.

it must be a pain to get all your customers to pay into a different bank account at first.....when i sold a round it was all cash payments and the odd cheque....how times have changed....

 

[Skxawng]

it must be a pain to get all your customers to pay into a different bank account at first.....when i sold a round it was all cash payments and the odd cheque....how times have changed....

The last time I sold a round, it was almost all cash too. Now I'm 95% cashless, it might not be quite as simple. In the past I've always worked it with them at least once to introduce them and get them familiar with the work.

Like @Davy G I never mention selling or buying a round. I say my colleague is going to handle this section of the work on their own next time. I also write a letter and post it through each door (in case they were out and didn't see them) saying that as my colleague is going to be taking responsibility for this section of the work, please can you contact him directly to arrange payment and cancel any standing orders that have been set up to my bank account. I also mention that the service is unchanged in every other regard. 

 

[Dunk]

Technically you are only buying good Will that’s it , the customers might not like you and decide they want someone else , but from everyone I know that has bought work the vast majority stick with them , but buying a round there is no physical stuff that you are purchasing just names and addresses , I wish the seller  @Dunk all the best with the sale of this work it sounds good stuff do you think 10k is enough ? I would be tempted to try a bit higher price and if no takers reduce it a bit , let us know how it goes .

Cheers PJJ for all the information. Really does help and gives a clearer picture. Just seems strange to sell a client list on good will. I will increase the price, as i have nothing to lose and see what happens. Will definitely let you all know, how things go.

So if i get a buyer for the round. Whats the next procedure after you received full payment?

I guess, it is best to have something legally in writing for the sale?

Do you contact the clients by text, letter or give them a call. Not sure whats best?

Asking them if they are happy to have their windows cleaned, by the new window cleaner and their details passed on to them.

What happens if quite a few decide, they prefer to find their own replacement. Surely the new window cleaner will be not particularly happy but i guess its a risk when buying a round?

As you can see i am completely novice in selling ?

 

[Pjj]

Cheers PJJ for all the information. Really does help and gives a clearer picture. Just seems strange to sell a client list on good will. I will increase the price, as i have nothing to lose and see what happens. Will definitely let you all know, how things go.

So if i get a buyer for the round. Whats the next procedure after you received full payment?

I guess, it is best to have something legally in writing for the sale?

Do you contact the clients by text, letter or give them a call. Not sure whats best?

Asking them if they are happy to have their windows cleaned, by the new window cleaner and their details passed on to them.

What happens if quite a few decide, they prefer to find their own replacement. Surely the new window cleaner will be not particularly happy but i guess its a risk when buying a round?

As you can see i am completely novice in selling ?

Generally the seller would work the work with the purchaser and try to introduce the new cleaner to the customer and just say something like Ime doing less work and so have found joe bloggs to take over your window cleaning Ime sure he will do a good job and you will be happy with his services , thanks for your custom over the years etc , or something similar that’s what I have done when I’ve sold work . 

 

[NewGuy]

Would you introduce the buyer to the customers only after the round is sold? 

This would make sense so that any potential buyer doesn't pull a fast one and canvas the customers to avoid buying the round. 

 

[Deleted member 7446]

Ok I'm a newbie. Can someone please explain. How selling a round works. The way I see it, you are selling something that works for you!  But is not a business?  So how can it be sold on.  The customers you are selling may not want a different window cleaner, so may not go with whoever you sell them too. As I see it , a round is personal to whoever got it together and has customer relationships.  This cant just be sold on. 

That's exactly how seen it for years

Selling a virtual promise and That's about it

 

[Skxawng]

Just thought, since the tightening of the data protection laws, is there any problems that could arise from passing on contact information without their express permission? 

 

[Pjj]

Would you introduce the buyer to the customers only after the round is sold? 

This would make sense so that any potential buyer doesn't pull a fast one and canvas the customers to avoid buying the round. 

Yes after they have paid up