Losing Customers

[ched999uk]

Without wishing to be rude using a trolly will be much slower than using a van mount with a constant supply of water , returning to the van/car to change barrels does  take quite a bit of time ,again speed comes with experience and practice ,I still feel that to be completely competent takes 12 months  doing the job

I do realise using a backpack is limiting in more than 1 way. I am intending to work over the winter into spring then if things are going OK I will get a van and a system. As you say experience takes time and I am happy with how things are going.

Thanks again.

 

[Pjj]

I do realise using a backpack is limiting in more than 1 way. I am intending to work over the winter into spring then if things are going OK I will get a van and a system. As you say experience takes time and I am happy with how things are going.

Thanks again.

We all have to start somewhere I started with a renault Clio and a couple of ladders and a bucket ???? I look back now and find it hard to believe the progress and changes that have been made over the years , once you get a bit of experience and a bit of money and regular customers recommending you you will  soon take off trust me , then when you get a van mount that will increase your productivity no end but by then you will have mastered the art of cleaning different types of windows and again your speed and earning potential will dramatically increase , I have been through what you are experiencing now and with drive and determination and setting realistic goals you will do well .   

 

[Jamesmarshall]

I agree with @Jamesmarshall. But water over consumption is always a major issue with a backpack. When using my son's backpack ( it's mine but he insisted I buy one for him to use), I tend to use less water overall with a slightly higher flow rate. I don't use the backpack much btw.

However, I still believe that you need more time to develop your cleaning technique @ched999ukbefore you start to think about speeding up and reducing your cleaning time.

We had a Children's centre to clean over a weekend when there was no one about. I had keys to the outside security gates. We did it once a month for 12 years until the council decided to do it themselves to save money. There was a row of windows that always got the mid morning to afternoon sun even in winter (when the sun shone.) I used that row of windows to experiment on.

I could try different cleaning methods on this row as the windows would dry while I was doing the rest of the building and I could inspect them. I would reclean them if necessary.

Do I need to wash each window with 2 passes of the brush, or can I get away with one pass?

Do I bother to do a separate rinse after scrubbing each window with a higher water flow?

If I rinse, do I rinse with the brush off the glass, or can I rinse with the brush head on the glass?

Pencil jets or fan jets?

Flocked or monofilament brush?

High, medium or low flow rate?

What about a swivel?

I found in our area on the North Sea Coast, I need 2 passes with the brush to ensure a good clean. I also need to rinse more to ensure I flush away any salt sea residue.

I also found that I needed to inspect the glass of the window before I started to clean it. This saves me time as I don't waste time over cleaning. I pay attention to any bird strikes first working from the bottom of the glass upward before washing and rinsing. I still prefer pencil jets, and I'm not into swivels.

I helped a fellow windie many years ago on his round which was well inland. His Vito van was off the road due to a broken fuel injector. His round wasn't affected by the salt sea air and was much easier to clean. What applies to me won't apply to every window cleaner.

I still feel the biggest waste of time for me is getting rid of all the muck in the gap between the sill and the window frame. I carry around a claw brush to help me, but I reckon I spend more time on cleaning out the gap than on the whole window itself. The cleaner I helped didn't flush the gap out, he just wiped the sill with a towel at the end. I wasn't happy about doing that, but it certainly sped up my cleaning time.

My suggestion @ched999ukis to count off the seconds as you clean and rinse a window (one thousand and one, one thousand and two, etc.) If it takes you 90 seconds to clean and rinse a window then try to reduce it to 75 seconds. Once you get comfortable with that then reduce the time a bit more. Just small chunks at a time. I have always believed that if you are new then taking longer to do a first, second and even a third clean will give the customer confidence that you are doing a good job. This is important for customer retention.

When we started wfp we only had those heavy brick Vikan ovals with flocked bristles. We found that rinsing off the glass was the best way with those brushes. We haven't used them for years now, but I still find rinsing off the best way unless I'm at 35' to 40'.

Rinsing off definitely for first cleans or really messed up windows definitely . Maintenance hydrophilic new style windows with the seals embedded in, rinse on.

as for the gap between sill and frame I pay little to jo attention to, especially upstairs. Downstairs only if there is green growing out of it which I will scrape out in one pull rather than scrub with brush for 30-60 seconds.

Agree with @spruce try timing it and going slightly quicker each time I did this myself. I am still learning ways to do houses I’ve done for years if your constantly thinking how to be quicker . Old flocked/cheapo brushes you can’t rinse on the glass also 100%

 

[Jamesmarshall]

I do realise using a backpack is limiting in more than 1 way. I am intending to work over the winter into spring then if things are going OK I will get a van and a system. As you say experience takes time and I am happy with how things are going.

Thanks again.

I started with a trolley which IMO is even slower than backpack it probably takes twice as long to clean a normal house if you have to go and refill it it will be substantially longer

if you have pump battery and pole all you need is a hose reel really and you have a van mount

get a claber reel they’re about 50 quid or second hand butterfly one which probably will be cheaper, brand new hose roughly 50 quid and your set. You’ll wonder why you ever used a backpack

 

[ched999uk]

I started with a trolley which IMO is even slower than backpack it probably takes twice as long to clean a normal house if you have to go and refill it it will be substantially longer

if you have pump battery and pole all you need is a hose reel really and you have a van mount

get a claber reel they’re about 50 quid or second hand butterfly one which probably will be cheaper, brand new hose roughly 50 quid and your set. You’ll wonder why you ever used a backpack

It's good to know that it's significantly quicker with a van mount, as I suspected it would be. I have thought about making a waterproof box to contain a tank to go in the back of the car to have a car mounted system but I came to the conclusion that I don't need it yet and it would partially be wasted money and not very safe, I do hope to get a van. So far I have managed to get all my customers within 1.5 miles of home, so it's easy to pop back and refill barrels if needed. I am getting on a bit (52), not very fit and have never had a physical job. So building slowly is actually a good thing for me ?. 

Thanks for the advice. 

 

[Daftoldgit]

I have this problem with some areas, mostly dodgy council estates. It was surprisingly predictable. Fine for a while at first then late or missing payments for a few months then either cancel or just ignore payment reminders and not answer the door. I lost most of the houses in those estates in less than a year.

Instead I canvass nicer estates with more expensive houses, on new estates mainly, and I rarely ever lose any except for when they sell the house. 

Exactly the same when I started out, I started out canvassing council estates as the uptake seemed good, but it was usually the same old story.. 2 or 3 cleans, then nothing.  I still do half a dozen council houses now, some rare decent ones left over from the old days, but don't take on new ones. Not being snobby- I live in one myself.. it's just the way it is.

 

[Jamesmarshall]

Thanks so much for taking the time to type all that and pass on your knowledge. You are quite right that quality must come first. I too am near the sea but so far closest to prom is about 150 meters and the guest house is parallel to prom so salt not too bad. 

I am getting a bit better with speed but more to do with positioning the trolley, brush angle, hose route etc.

I am still working on standardising my method. As at moment I do find myself rinsing twice sometimes as I'm not +ve I rinsed first time, mainly on windows with top openers, start at top left, clean and rinse opener then go on to rest of window to come back to pane below the opener, but then forget that I had rinsed the top opener so do it again ?  I think it's just I need to get into a rhythm and a routine so I have a procedure. 

As for counting while doing windows - not sure I can multi task very well to count and clean ? I have recently started looking at time when arriving and again when departing a job to see how long it takes me but not clock watching while doing the job. 

I guess I am getting a bit hung up when I read posts where people are saying 4 x 'standard' 3 bed semi in an hour! I think I am doing well if it takes me 40 mins ?. I need to concentrate on walking before attempting to jog let alone run ? 

Once again thanks so much for taking the time to assist.

As pjj said each window is different you need to learn how to clean each one

id Say technique wise you don’t need to clean each pane seperately then rinse, I clean the whole window frame then rinse in one this will save you a considerable amount of time and if you rinse off the glass a lot of effort going off and on the glass 

vented windows usually scrub all over the top of vents and vents all the way alone then rinse all along just above the vents but not on them as water running down rinses then scrub all below and rinse all below

 

[rafterys2003]

Lost another couple last week and another today due to moving house. Offered the 8 week service to former customers at higher price but no takers. This is really starting to depress me.

 

[Iron Giant]

Lost another couple last week and another today due to moving house. Offered the 8 week service to former customers at higher price but no takers. This is really starting to depress me.

Sorry to hear this, I'd get out knock doors and replace the dross 

 

[Jaygti]

Sorry to hear this, I'd get out knock doors and replace the dross 

This. 

Take control of the situation aim to replace  rubbish customers with quality ones. 
Say an extra 20 by the end of the year. 

 

[Pjj]

I think a window cleaning round is always altering , ones cancel, die,good customers turn bad , move away etc , so you need to replace them it’s just a part of the job , don’t take it personally unless they are cancelling due to something they arnt happy about with you and I doubt that's the case , we all experience this to a lesser or greater degree .

 

[rafterys2003]

This. 

Take control of the situation aim to replace  rubbish customers with quality ones. 
Say an extra 20 by the end of the year. 

I want to and have done so in the past but I go canvassing, get a whole bunch of customers and then one by one they all start cancelling. I went out about 6 months ago bagged 4 houses virtually next to eachother on the same street and I now have only 1 of them left. One texted me to say he needs to cancel because he's having money troubles, one cancelled because she claimed dust from building works over the road was making the cleans pointless and the other text today to say she's moving. It just feels like people keep inventing reasons. I'm pretty sure I know what the real reason is though it's because people agree to anything at first because their windows really need cleaning but then month after month they keep paying the money and think actually the windows are clean enough now and won't need cleaning for ages now probably and I don't want to keep paying so I'll get rid. Maybe I will have better luck canvassing offering the 8 weekly but in general it has become depressingly predictable ?.

 

[eson]

I want to and have done so in the past but I go canvassing, get a whole bunch of customers and then one by one they all start cancelling. I went out about 6 months ago bagged 4 houses virtually next to eachother on the same street and I now have only 1 of them left. One texted me to say he needs to cancel because he's having money troubles, one cancelled because she claimed dust from building works over the road was making the cleans pointless and the other text today to say she's moving. It just feels like people keep inventing reasons. I'm pretty sure I know what the real reason is though it's because people agree to anything at first because their windows really need cleaning but then month after month they keep paying the money and think actually the windows are clean enough now and won't need cleaning for ages now probably and I don't want to keep paying so I'll get rid. Maybe I will have better luck canvassing offering the 8 weekly but in general it has become depressingly predictable ?.

I am quite new to all this but I experience the same . . . the customer after the first clean is all smiles and is amazed and promises recommendations - then a short time later cancels everything, even after agreeing an annual written schedule ! I take solace in the fact that I have read posts by, and watched window cleaners on YuTbe say this is to be expected, just basically ignore it and plod on. Customers go as quickly as they come is a common theme it seems ?

 

[THL4KEL]

They probably never wanted an all year round service, just wanted them cleaning for the summer while they had a barbeque... This is the best time of year to gain customers now until March. They don't care if its chucking it down they just want a regular service no matter the weather conditions, the kind of customers you will keep for years. Just keep on going...

 

[TWC2020]

Hope everyone is well

Ive been struggling a little bit lately so I thought Id start a new topic to see if anyone could offer any advice or is experiencing the same thing. Been in the window cleaning business over 5 years now but lately I've reached a point where I'm growing concerned because I always seem to be losing customers. The reason for this I have found is that most people only seem to want one clean every now and then. Where as I offer a 4 weekly service and do a good job as far as I'm told but it always seems like I get a new customer and then a few months later they cancel. When I ask why it's always the same excuse such as "oooh I'm having money troubles". It's been going on since I started but as I say lately it's started to get me very down because everytime I feel like I'm building a bigger customer base it falls back down again. I have considered the idea of offering an 8 weekly service but that means I'd have to gain double the amount of customers I have now, in order to hold my net profit, which I can't see happening and I fear it would give alot of my customers an incentive to stop 4 weekly which would impact me even worse financially. Price wise I charge £10 for a standard 3 bedroom with 4 windows on the front and back (Inc doors) and a couple on the side. £15 if it includes a conservatory. As far as I know that's quite competitive or am I charging too much ? I have around 170 customers and have worked very hard canvassing to get there. It feels like a big victory when gain a new one so it's quite a blow when I keep getting texts saying they want to cancel.

Anyone else have/had this problem ? As always any help is greatly appreciated.

Okay I had this issue for a long whie.

'Not this time.'

'Ooh maybe quarterly.'

I stopped looking to retain all the sh**y little £10/25. I'm in London, so perhaps easier for me, but I don't even bother taking on regular resi, I look to advertise specifically geared at people happy to pay a decent fee for one off or ad-hoc schedule within a metropolitan area. Not looked back since adopting this model.

Only customers I want on a schedule are commercial - They NEED their business clean.

 

[WombatPool]

I have just been out canvassing for the first time for two hours, managed to gain 3 customers for this coming Thursday, all bungalows, at £35 each, then all 3 once a month for £20, all on the same road. I hope they don’t cancel on me after first cleans!
Also managed a one off facias clean for this Friday, which is north facing and super dirty for £150. I feel a little pleased with myself. My 1st customers !!!!

 

[scottish cleaning service]

I did a gutter and window clean yesterday. I think is one of the best houses in Glasgow. The guy is a retired businessman and he is spotless. He used to do all the cleaning himself and I cleaned upstairs for him but his back has gone now. Trying to get him to have his roof sprayed with biocide and softwash his boundary wall. We are talking about a grand and it will take two days. I think he will go for it in the Spring. I think it all comes down to trust after many years of doing bits and pieces for him. Now he and his wife can't do manual work and being OCD when it comes to cleaning means someone has to step in. Yesterday I couldn't believe what he got done to the new created sandstone wall. It was getting stained with blackspot and he couldn't get it off with PW so he decided to get them all K rend by a close friend. Only thing is the copes are still covered in lichen so doesn't look right. Hopefully I will get the job next year to bring it up like new but means fitting 6mm plywood beneath copes so nothing touches the new K Rend. There is people out there with so much disposable income that they don't know what to do with it. Sometimes you do a small job for them when others wouldn't bother. That's when I realised they are seeking workers for the future who they can trust because they know there will come a time they won't be able to do the stuff they love. Just beginning to notice more of this happening up here due to our ageing population.

 

[scottish cleaning service]

I'm sitting in van tonight at my mum's house where I clean a dozen houses. Guy asked if I could begin cleaning his up the street a bit. Got address and will clean in a few weeks. Only got it because of the signage on my van. Use a car or van with no details on it and you lose out on walk ups. You can also park the van in a busy area or supermarket carpark all day for free advertising.?