happy 2007! bringing in a new year is always a great time to look at new opportunities and create sound resolutions. whether you're already in the window cleaning business or not, now is the time to anticipate the upcoming new cleaning season by utilizing the latest profit enhancing strategies.
during the course of this article, i'm going to show you how you can dramatically increase your window cleaning business profits by teaching you 4 hot business building tips!
i hope you've resolved to make 2007 the year to make serious window cleaning cash because...
i'm going to show you how to:
raising your price for your window cleaning services may sound like an obvious way to make more money now but, for many window cleaners, the thought of raising there price brings up 1 very important question...
"how do i raise prices without losing customers?"
most good customers realize:
every business must adjust their prices for goods and services on occasion. and, if your window cleaning business has been providing quality work and great customer service, your customers shouldn't mind an occasional price increase.
the fact is...
...you must raise your price periodically -- even if you lose a couple of accounts because of it! not only will you make more money but, you'll avoid losing your "purchasing power" in the future. sure, you may lose a few customers with price increases but...
think about this for a moment...
every day the cost of living goes up. inflation slowly creeps forward making every dollar, euro, yen, pound you make less valuable! so, in order to maintain your purchasing power...
...it's essential to conquer the fear of losing a customer -- and start raising your prices periodically.
as you can imagine, most customers do not want you to increase their window cleaning price every year, let alone every time you visit to clean windows. so, what i've found to be effective is to...
..."freeze" a customers price for 3 years, then "bump" up their price by 10%.
for instance:
if your customer's window cleaning job is priced at $300... clean their windows as often as they'd like at the $300 price for 3 years from your initial offer. then, start charging $330 for the next 3 years, then $363 for the next 3 years and so on.
this is a killer strategy that won't annoy your customers with frequent price increases and will help you:
waiting 3 years to increase your customer's price will help greatly lessen any negative impact and, most customers will expect you to increase their price after such a long period of time.
this (3 year / 10% model) is bases on an annual united states inflation rate of 3% to 5%.
over 3 years, a 10% increase is very generous on your part; a 10% increase is offering your customer the lowest price increase possible without losing your purchasing power. this method will help inflation proof your business but if you'd like to...
...simply increase your customer's window washing price by more than your country's annual rate of inflation. if your country's rate of inflation went up 4% this year; simply raise your window cleaning price by 5% or more, to make more money for each account.
here are a few "sample price increase models" you may want to incorporate into your business:
wow!... how would you like a 20% increase in profits this year!
as an example...
...if you made $60,000 last year window cleaning and raised your price on every account by 20 % this year... you will make and "extra $12,000" this year by performing the exact same amount of work as serviced last year!
make sure to apply rate increases to all customers. -- don't give into the urge to give certain "groups of people" a price break and others, perhaps just the "rich folks" a huge price hike...
...this is a big no - no!
all customers, regardless of gender, age, race and especially financial status must be have equal treatment and equal price increases. equality across all customers in regards to price increase is, in my opinion, the only way to operate an honest business.
so, keep your business pure by establishing an equal price increase model that's right for your business. next, let's take a look at how to...
every time you drive to a home or business to clean windows you will not be paid for your drive time unless...
...you add a "fixed amount of money" extra into every new window cleaning estimate to accommodate your drive time.
as an example, every time i bid a job that is less than $500, (my daily minimum), i'll add $20 to my estimate to cover the time it takes to -- drive 1 way -- to a job location.
why "$20" for drive time?
$20 represents the money needed to make up the lost 15 to 20 minutes it takes, (on average), to drive to each job site.
$20 will cover your loss if you regularly make between $60 and $80 per hour window cleaning.
first...
1) average drive time - guestimate the average time it takes you to drive 1 way to your customer's homes and businesses ( ___________ minutes). this average is for all your customers, not each individual customer.
2) calculate percentage - calculate the percentage of drive time per hour by dividing ( 60 minutes in an hour (by) your average drive time )
3) find appropriate drive time fee - find the appropriate drive time fee for your business by dividing ( your hourly rate (by) the percentage of drive time )
using these calculations will give you an exact number which you can an add into your estimates for drive time. to further illustrate this process, here's an example:
if your average 1 way drive time takes 18 minutes and you normally make $80 per hour then you should add $24 to each new customer's estimate for clean windows.
60 minutes divided by 18 equals 3.33333333
80 divided by 3.3333333 equals...
$24
if you don't add money to your estimates for drive time, you'll be losing money and will soon be looking to fill your business with large jobs only.
naturally, with large jobs you'll be "on location" for greater lengths of time. and, your business will not suffer financially because of the lack of time spent driving between locations... but,
the problem with going after large accounts only is:
you'll miss out on many good paying homeowner clients. and... many of these homeowners own businesses and other buildings that they'll also hire you to clean.
one of my competitors only does commercial accounts. since my business caters to all types, i'm able to clean a customer's home windows and acquire their commercial account as well. the old saying, "don't burn your bridges", applies here.
small accounts are also great for, what i like to call, "filler meat"!
when you've got a couple of hours left in a day with nothing scheduled, it's nice to have a few small accounts waiting -- you can instantly fill out your day with. as a result, they are a great way to maximize your daily window washing earnings.
so, including quick jobs into your business will help fill holes in your schedule and may lead you to larger commercial accounts. and, you can make them as profitable as large jobs by adding the appropriate fee for drive time into your estimates.
a drive time fee is a worth while pricing standard which will make you more money by paying you for otherwise lost time! click here to get the inside scoop on all of my most profitable window cleaning business building secrets by clicking here:
increasing your earnings can be as easy as applying the latest speed window cleaning techniques into your bag of tricks. here's a few tips that will shave time off each window you clean:
minimize glass scrubbing
why scrub any longer than necessary to produce a clean window. try making only 1 pass with your strip washer, then squeegee dry to check results.
if the glass is smeared, still has marks, you'll know you'll need to scrub glass longer at that particular job location. but, if the glass comes out clear, repeat the 1 pass method, save tones of time and increase your dollar per hour rate as well!
use a glass scraper to remove everyday insect deposits and food particles
insect deposits, especially glass with heavy fly droppings, can be cleaned faster using a glass scraper than by scrubbing and scrubbing with a strip washer. in order for this technique to improve your time and make you money faster, the glass has to be free of fabricating debris and not be coated with a tint or mirroring effect.
insect deposits are common in high interiors residences where the customer has often left a window open during the summer. other areas i'll use a razor blade for speed is during greasy kitchen window glass cleaning.
just say "no" to excessive detailing
in most cases, if you've squeegeed the glass with advanced techniques like the "super swirl" or the "x" method, detailing the body of the glass will not be necessary.
and, only detail or "dry towel" window glass top and side edges -- if -- you suspect they'll release leftover water into body of window glass.
if you want to detail...
...save time by detailing priority glass only! what i mean is...
...touch up glass edges with a dry micro fiber towel or chamois on residential "view windows", "kitchen windows" and "master bedroom windows" -- windows that are really important -- that have to be absolutely perfect.
learn how to use speed window cleaning techniques like the super swirl, and when and where to use the "x" squeegee method
speed squeegee techniques can produce cleaner windows up to 5 times faster than using straight or side strokes!
if you are still using straight squeegee strokes to clean glass, learn how you can produce faster window cleaning results with my super swirl window cleaning videos.
if you've been cleaning low rise commercial and residential windows and have maxed-out your earning potential...
...window cleaning via aerial platforms, (manlifts), will allow you to earn as much as 166% more than what you are making for work using ladders, extension poles and water fed poles! * this estimate is based on a $50 an hour average for ground and ladder work.
combining the ability to safely operate man lifts and the -- lack of competition -- allows you to approach building managers and owners with the expertise and knowledge to tackle jobs others in your area can't.
as a result...
...the sky's the limit on pricing your services!
think about it for a minute -- how often do you see a window cleaner cleaning windows on a 3 - 6 story building via a man-lift?
not very often -- right?!
right! but, how can you get into this high profit niche service?... by learning...
start by looking for --- 3 to 6 story buildings --- that are:
there are many buildings in your area that fit this profile. and, if you keep an eye on their glass, you'll notice many of these buildings go without window cleaning for years!
their glass is really dirty!
this is because window cleaners in your area haven't thought about using man-lift's to solve these building owner's "dirty window dilemma". using a man-lift might be a new idea for you?! most folks think manlifts, also known as boom lifts or aerial lifts, are made just for the construction industry.
this misconception is what makes...
...using manlift's in the midrise window cleaning market truly -- the last great "extremely profitable" window cleaning market!.
very few window cleaners go after these accounts and therefor, many building owners are eager for you to solve their building's "access issue".
many of these buildings house residential and commercial tenants who have been screaming for clean windows for years! as a result, their building manager has been under a lot of pressure to provide window cleaning but has never found anyone who could safely and effectively clean his building's glass.
this is where you step in, provide the solution, and save the day! and the best part is...
you do not have to own a manlift, just rent one and apply the rental fee to the customers invoice! to learn all my insider secrets on how to make up to $133 per hour using manlifts for window cleaning.
there are tons of ways to produce greater profits for your window cleaning business -- these 4 tricks are just the tip of the iceberg. although, employing just 1 of these profit building techniques can produce astounding result over the course of a year.
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