"not this time please"

[spruce]

Really pissed off today. I always text my notifications through letting people know I'm coming the night before. Its time to do a newly canvassed round, worth around £120 or so (OR SO I THOUGHT!!!). When I wake up in the morning I see, "sorry but I wont be there"............"Hello, could you leave your business card as not needed tomorrow"......"thanks but wont be needing a clean tomorrow".
These people were all made aware they were signing up to a monthly round and I feel like I'm being completely pissed around. I take things to heart and I worked bloody hard to make sure they got an excellent job the previous month (the first cleans)....im tempted to drop them all and tell them to sod off if they try to call me.

I wouldnt react like this if I got 1 messer but 3 in a day takes the biscuit.

I wouldn't react like this if I got 1 messer but 3 in a day takes the biscuit.

There are some areas where everyone talks. We have an area like that. One says something and then the others think that's a good idea and changes the agreed terms. It could have just been a stupid comment one of them made such as the windows are still clean after 4 weeks so they don't need doing as often. If you are soft with one then you set a precedent for the others.

If you set your 'stall out' clearly and understandably when negotiating at the beginning then its easy to refer back to what you said. Many times a customer won't remember the detail of your conversation - £20 initial clean, £10 4 weekly or £15 8 weekly thereafter. A firm but polite reminder sometimes changes their mind.

See the rejection positively. It the only way to finding genuine, loyal customers.

-

 

[Trev81]

My bad.. I meant cleaner planer.
Also I adopted from @Trev81 the 'first clean' charge.

If it's a £10 house first clean is £20. If it's £12 still £20.

Of course if it's £45 then more like £80

This really does eliminate time wasters.

I thought thats what you meant /emoticons/biggrin.png

Yes always go in with a much higher first clean, that way you aint lost anything, I don't know how anyone could trust the word of a new customer to say there defo going regular, as there a minority that will just seek a yearly deep clean but know how we work to get a cheaper deal.

Even on ones I take on that have had a previous windy they have got rid of get a fist clean premium, good customers wont think twice of paying more for the first, I like to see it as a joining fee /emoticons/biggrin.png

 

[simon]

Through GoCardless texting 30 customes takes 30 seconds. Same for 40, 50 or 1000.
Automation is a beautiful thing.

how do you mean green pro, i use go cardless but didn't know you could txt with it

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

^^ @simon see above

 

[simon]

got ya

 

[Green Pro Clean Ltd]

Happens to us all, I rocked up at 9 am to do a decking clean only to hear, 'oh we changed our minds, we're just going to buy new decking instead'

Well that's £160 I lost for the morning. Pissed? Yes - Bothered? Nope, this stuff happens. Off to the next one.

 

[Tuffers]

Happens to us all, I rocked up at 9 am to do a decking clean only to hear, 'oh we changed our minds, we're just going to buy new decking instead'
Well that's £160 I lost for the morning. Pissed? Yes - Bothered? Nope, this stuff happens. Off to the next one.

That takes the biscuit

 

[C Rose Cleaning Services]

Welcome to the world of unreliability and no binding contracts.

As you grow you'll soon realise who the time wasters are - if someone tries to avoid me going more than once in a 6 month period without a legitimate reason (building work, extended holidays etc) then I just don't go again. I'm here to earn as much as I can in the very little 'hot' or decent days we get in the UK - I don't want to be losing £15 here and £30 there because someone changes their mind. My customer base is set on 4/8/12 weekly cleans and that's it. If I get the whiff of a one off or a changeable frequency then I don't go and do it. That stature has earned me 12 years with about 85% attachment rate of regular and reliable people who I've gone to month in, month out. The other 15% paid me an additional fee for a one off and now I don't do those at all.

I text people the night before if I need specific access but other than that I just go and do it, leave a card and catch them later/they transfer me a payment. Don't text everyone as it just gives them an opportunity to say no.

You'll get there mate, keep plugging.

 

[C Rose Cleaning Services]

Happens to us all, I rocked up at 9 am to do a decking clean only to hear, 'oh we changed our minds, we're just going to buy new decking instead'
Well that's £160 I lost for the morning. Pissed? Yes - Bothered? Nope, this stuff happens. Off to the next one.

The big jobs cancelling piss me off beyond belief. I had a £1000 gutter refit to do, rang them to confirm the order amount for parts and they told me they're going to wait until next year. Goodbye extra money on a weekend.

 

[Taxlossloz]

Yes I had a £750 roof clean cancel this week - downer

On this texting business - I text most customers day before although to be fair I work alone on larger property - they often ask for extras, insides , gutters etc - no one misses cleans - but I do it all 6-8 week so they are ready and appreciate the text-

it's professional !

 

[adamangler]

What you have described is perfectly normal woth canvassed custies. Not so long back I canvassed about 8 new custies in one day. First cleans came I cleaned them all got the money and told them how I work etc. On the next clean 3 messed me about. 2 not today's and one ignorant cow who didn't unlock her gate and ignored me.

The point is you have to go through loads of ***** ti get to the good ones. Don't think you can canvass 300 customers and have 300 non messers who pay on time and never cause you a problem. You might have to canvass 2 or 3 times that amount to get there but that's the reality of it.

 

[Poles Apart]

In my opinion you need to protect yourself from exploitation. I have a quote book in triplicate, one copy for the customer, one that stays in the van and one in the book itself which stays in the office. When I quote, the customer has a choice of service listed in front of them, first clean price, 4 week price, 8 week price, 12 week price and one off price. As far as I am concerned and I am only speaking for myself I can not organise a business without some sort of calling or texting, this is for two reasons, 1. Access 2. Arranging some payments. If they say leave it this time and you turn up for the next clean in 8 weeks it's down on paper what the 8 week price so charge them accordingly if they argue the toss bin them. When I get replacement Quote books the first clean price will be pooled with the one off price so both will be priced the same. As for door to door canvassing it will bring in more work but it will also bring in more messers, with leaflets they're knocking your door and more likely to be serious and stay with you.

 

[Poles Apart]

I used to get really down on texting and being shunned and even refused to do it. I don't let it get to me now as most thank me for the notice and it means I can organise my round easier Aworker helps as you can print off a job sheet and get into a routine by setting aside half hour a night contacting people.

One more thing concerning customer retention, I've only got 6 on Go Cardless but I'm only really pushing it on to busy working families or working young couples it's £72 worth so far every 4 weeks also I have about £200 who do bank transfer, sometimes people just haven't got the cash but they won't use that as an embarrassing excuse and use another, 'leave em this time their not that bad' or whatever? I'm pushing Go Cardless as an option to all new customers now as if they have a regular monthly income they probably don't even notice the money coming out just like bills.

 

[Clisty1989]

I alway ask why politely and depending on the excuse i react accordingly. If its no money then ill just say they can pay me either next time or on payday. If its anything else then its 3 strike rule, unless its 2 in a row then bin. Obviously if theyve had a death in the family or something else like that i wont put a strike on there file

 

[Markyboy 50]

I cleaned 17 houses this morn. None were notified that I was coming. Got paid off of 16 of them!

 

[Trev81]

I cleaned 17 houses this morn. None were notified that I was coming. Got paid off of 16 of them!

Must be small houses if you did 17 in the morning.

So you text none, what is your method of locked gates then? I decided from the off I'm not been one of them jump the gate types, just not professional at all, like others here say genuine customers really appriciate the text notice, when I was picking up newbies it was one of the most picked up on points by them, most saying I like that idea so I can unlock the gate and know my windows are been cleaned the next day etc. The other one they love is multiple payment options, with now around 45 on GoCardless, and around 150 BACS payers per cycle.

 

[Poles Apart]

Must be small houses if you did 17 in the morning.
So you text none, what is your method of locked gates then? I decided from the off I'm not been one of them jump the gate types, just not professional at all, like others here say genuine customers really appriciate the text notice, when I was picking up newbies it was one of the most picked up on points by them, most saying I like that idea so I can unlock the gate and know my windows are been cleaned the next day etc. The other one they love is multiple payment options, with now around 45 on GoCardless, and around 150 BACS payers per cycle.

I didn't ditch ladders to climb gates, I do have a telescopic ladder but that's only for Con roofs or dor getting on flat roofs. You can't climb a ladder to go through some ones house either, what if there isn't a gate?

 

[Trev81]

I didn't ditch ladders to climb gates, I do have a telescopic ladder but that's only for Con roofs or dor getting on flat roofs. You can't climb a ladder to go through some ones house either, what if there isn't a gate?

If theres no gate then of course it's cool, I'd say 98% of my customers have gates with the vast majority padlocked unless they get a text.

One guy has a really smart padlock that once he see's me turn up (as he works from home) he can pop the padlock open from his iPhone, I thought it was proper smart that.

Got me thinking about supplying all customers a iPhone ready one that I can unlock as I turn up lol.

 

[Markyboy 50]

Must be small houses if you did 17 in the morning.
So you text none, what is your method of locked gates then? I decided from the off I'm not been one of them jump the gate types, just not professional at all, like others here say genuine customers really appriciate the text notice, when I was picking up newbies it was one of the most picked up on points by them, most saying I like that idea so I can unlock the gate and know my windows are been cleaned the next day etc. The other one they love is multiple payment options, with now around 45 on GoCardless, and around 150 BACS payers per cycle.

Yes trev they were small houses/bungalows. None have locked gates as they were all in except for one. And they haven't got a gate.

 

[Danfire]

The reason I text or call the night before is to prevent wasting time collecting. I believe the reason my money is always ready on the day of the clean is because the customer has been notified. If a customer starts skipping cleans I renegotiate the frequency and rate with them.

 

[adamangler]

Thats a good point about getting the money @Danfire

i only ever text for access, but maybe if i text them all i will get a higher % of cash so save on chasing for money..OR maybe i will get a higher % of not todays?

never get not todays when i just turn up, except once and i never went back