Today = Epic Fail, Some Questions & Advice Required Please ........

ALL, I have just started out and made some fatal errors already,

1) Price matching without seeing the job, workload and access (steepest drive ever and nearly burnt my clutch out!),

2) agreeing to include Frames and Sills in price (They were disgusting and i ended up doing a first clean which should have been 3 times the price)

3) Not asking when the windows were last cleaned (years ago) !! and

4) Took on a conservatory clean for a friend and never went to see the job first and ended up doing it for a song but spent hours doing it....!! (It had not been cleaned for at least 5 years!!)

Any advice welcome, and if anybody has a protocol / cleaning order for Conservatories etc, please email them to me!!! We cleared the moss off of the top but could not really struggled to remove the remaining brown stains despite using UBIK 2000!!!

Admittedly i did not use a conservatory ladder (as i do not have one) so i used some steps and the WFP with a Bayersan Angle / Sill Brush (as this was the stiffest brush i had) and we also wasted so much water...!!

Today = Epic fail all round!!

HELP please!!!

Few schoolboy errors there!

Seriously - we've all made them. but you learn from your mistakes. But never give a firm price without seeing the job first - I've been caught out a couple of times like that in the past, but now always go & check out the property first. Or at least give a wide range estimate, with a max price, so at least the customer knows what the charge could be.

Those brown marks left by dried on moss can be a pain (I assume it was a poly roof). If you come across a real bad conservatory, and the customer is flexible, I tend to wait until its raining to do it. A couple hours of rain can really soften everything up. I've found that the best thing to remove those marks is Muc Off boat cleaner, or (silly as it sounds) karcher pressure washer detergent. Just let it soak in for 5 mins before scrubbing off.

i don't look at most of the work I price up, I just ask how many windows they have, and then if dirt I cif them to get them clean,

leave gutter jobs/conservators till weather is ****, or soak up with water,

when doing cons, if you can connect to there out side tap,

ALL, I have just started out and made some fatal errors already,

1) Price matching without seeing the job, workload and access (steepest drive ever and nearly burnt my clutch out!),

2) agreeing to include Frames and Sills in price (They were disgusting and i ended up doing a first clean which should have been 3 times the price)

3) Not asking when the windows were last cleaned (years ago) !! and

4) Took on a conservatory clean for a friend and never went to see the job first and ended up doing it for a song but spent hours doing it....!! (It had not been cleaned for at least 5 years!!)

Any advice welcome, and if anybody has a protocol / cleaning order for Conservatories etc, please email them to me!!! We cleared the moss off of the top but could not really struggled to remove the remaining brown stains despite using UBIK 2000!!!

Admittedly i did not use a conservatory ladder (as i do not have one) so i used some steps and the WFP with a Bayersan Angle / Sill Brush (as this was the stiffest brush i had) and we also wasted so much water...!!

Today = Epic fail all round!!

HELP please!!!

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It's called experience - not an epic fail. You learnt more today than you would ever learn reading posts.

Now you will know to never price a job without seeing it - customers won't always tell you the way it is.

Now you will know that first cleans are extra.

Now you will know that conservatory cleaning is a difficult job and must be priced accordingly.

Now you will also deduct from this newly gained experience that there are going to be some jobs you quote for at a higher rate which won't be accepted by the customer. You are now prepared for those times and you will walk away from these jobs (without getting depressed) as you won't want to experience another day like you did today. :Image13:

well put bruce

You will never stop learning.

Yesterday I cleaned a large house that a few months ago I would have quoted at half what I did, partly through wanting to secure it but mainly die to being naive.

Re conservatives, I really don't like doing them, filthy awkward work imho. However, I still take the odd one on with a long term view of improving my technique and costing properly.

Andy

Thanks guys

Agree with the others, never price without seeing the job.. Have done it before, I'm sure we all have..

I have been asked many of times for a quote over the phone, they ask how much for a 3 bedroom house?!! Or how much for 3 windows at the back 4 at the front, oh no it's 5, garage window, patio doors.. I just tell them I can't even give you an estimate as I could be off either way, if you can give me your address and a time suitable to call I can give you the proper price..

Things to consider

Amount of windows, size etc

Condition of the windows whether they need or want a first deep clean, which needs priced accordingly..

Regularity

Access and methods

Time expected to complete..

Cleaning is easy.. Pricing work is the tricky part, but will come natural with experience..

I always price without seeing the house... and im never underpriced /emoticons/tongue.png

infact ive been over priced by like £1.00 a few times lol

You just Learn with experience.When i price i think of how much i want to earn an hour (£20.00) and i think how long it takes and then just price it like that.

Just bought a WFP system a Brodex one and i am very impressed.

I always price without seeing the house... and im never underpriced /emoticons/tongue.png

infact ive been over priced by like £1.00 a few times lol

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More fool you then.. I don't know how you manage to quote jobs without seeing and never be underpriced? Lol infact, how can you be over priced by £1? Lol

More fool you then.. I don't know how you manage to quote jobs without seeing and never be underpriced? Lol infact, how can you be over priced by £1? Lol

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Cus he's talking out his rear as usual .

Google maps street view

No offence H but it seems like ignorance to me that you quote without actually seeing the house.

What about acess issues or awkward windows etc etc.

How can you overprice by a quid¿? Lol

If i didnt quote on the phone i wouldnt be doing so well and in business u gotta be ignorant sometimes to succeed /emoticons/wink.png

I dont charge via awkward windows etc, its all snout how long its gonna take me /emoticons/smile.png a 20 min house = 7/8 kwid

A house with a conservatory on the back = 12 kwid = 30-40 mins

If i didnt quote on the phone i wouldnt be doing so well and in business u gotta be ignorant sometimes to succeed /emoticons/wink.png

I dont charge via awkward windows etc, its all snout how long its gonna take me /emoticons/smile.png a 20 min house = 7/8 kwid

A house with a conservatory on the back = 12 kwid = 30-40 mins

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Google maps dosent show you all sides of the house..
You can't see the condition of the windows..

How can you determine how long it will take you without seeing the job?

I prefer getting to chat face to face, the customer can see who you are, very rarely do I go out to quote and not walk away with the job..

You may think its great getting lots of customers, but lots of underpriced houses = busy fool.. And over the week, month, year you can be missing out on £1000s and £1000s..

How much does it cost per hour to run your business?

Am happy with all my prices... if am not happy with any price ill let the customer know that i priced it wrong and it should be how much etc... but ive never ever had to do that so its all good /emoticons/biggrin.png/emoticons/smile.png

I priced a house without seeing it before and it was 12 quid... when i got their ... it should of been £8.50 but i kept it at the same price lol and she was happy to pay it /emoticons/smile.png/emoticons/tongue.png

And per hour ? hmmm it costs me 1K a month to run it lol

How many hours do you work a week?

This

Google maps street view

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How many hours do you work a week?

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about 30ish

about 30ish

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So it costs you roughly £8 per hour to go to work?