Which do you find being the easiest way to do your estimates per window or per pane?
ummm…per time 
I’ll tell you the way I NOW estimate.
I’m an “A” window cleaner, meaning I’m good and very fast.
People that just learn are an “F” window cleaner and most never get past a “D” or “C”.
I bid my job on time. I count panes and measure time to formulate a price…
I bid the jobs as if a “C”-“B” window cleaner were doing it; “C” represents medium quickness and thoroughness. I bid it this way because my employees will not be an “A” window cleaner most likely. Maybe a “B” and probably a “C”.
If I knock out a job in 15mins they may take 20-25mins and they maybe truly busting, so I bid on the time I see my employees taking.
It’s changed the way bid, for the better
Feel like my head gonna bust wide open!
Bid based on what you want to make per hour x the number of hours the job will take to do. I charge $64 an hour whether Im doing a home or simply a couple of windows, that my lowest charge and $90 an hour for post construction.
In time you will know how long a job takes and this is easy and quick. Hell I can bid a home inside and out in under a few minutes these days and have only been off by 1 hour this year on a large residential home. It takes time but personally estimating per hour works and is much easier to do.
I use a modified version of Jim Willingham’s factor bidding. Pick a factor price. Then add a factor for things like ladder sets or 2nd story or other access issues. It is as flexible a system as you need it to be. We will have a discussion of this bidding system at the MWCC in July.
DUDE!..that’s what she said 
Timin’, a ticka ticka timin’… if your old enough to remember. I never count windows.
I still count windows but I count per pane, but i can estimate the time it takes too when i see the house, so I consider both when I give an estimate. But when i usually drive up to a house I can almost give the estimate without walking around the property by the type but the 1st time i do that im sure the entire back will be made of glass
When you submit a bid do you submit it with a per hour charge or just a flat rate for the entire job? If customer asks how you charge do you tell them you bid per hour? If so how do they feel about that? I try and stick to the $50 per hour but do not bid that way. I bid per window. I have found when I mention to a potential customer a per hour charge they are cool with it, but once you mention $50 per hour to clean windows they freak out. When I mention per window they are cool with it, even though they can’t run the math fast enough to see it’s working out to $50 per hour for the whole job. Just wondering anyway.
I charge per pane. (vrs per window). In a customers mind they may tell you they have [I][I]a window[/I][/I] in the bedroom. You show up and see they have a window set with [I][I]2 actual panes[/I][/I]. Another customer tells you the same thing and you show up they have 5 window panes in that window set. Per pane is more accurate. I’ll also add extra for tougher situations, tricky ladder work, excessive dirt, etc.
Your per pane price should add up to desired hourly goal of your business, not you personally. If you tell potential clients you personally make $50/hr or $70/hr they might freak out. IT"S JUST WINDOWS! But looking that a business needs to bring in a certain amount, customers can usually relate to that.
I’ve had some clients accept the bid and then ask how long it will take. Some want to know so they can plan their day around it. Others you can see their head cock to one side as they calculate how much that is per/hr. :rolleyes:
It’s all about time. Knowing the number of windows or panes are just one of many elements that I think you should know in order to calculate how long the job will take.
For instance, does the home have interior ladder work? Are the windows casement, sliders, etc? Do the screens come off from the outside or inside? Are they located on the outside or inside? and on and on and on.
Not to detract from the conversation but… I just wanted to share an annoying call I had the other week
[COLOR=“black”]CALLER: Yeah so how much do you charge to clean windows?[/COLOR]
[COLOR=“green”]ME: If you want I could come out and look at your windows and give an estimate.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=“black”]CALLER: Can’t you do this over the phone?[/COLOR]
[COLOR=“green”]ME: Alright, what size and style of home do you have?[/COLOR]
[COLOR=“black”]CALLER: I don’t know… ahhh 3000 sq ft maybe, a 2 storey.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=“green”]ME: Do you know roughly how many window panes you have? Sometimes it’s easier to visualize your windows looking from the outside.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=“black”]CALLER: What, you want me to count my own windows?[/COLOR]
[COLOR=“green”]ME: Well ya, it would help me to know how much work is involved.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=“black”]CALLER: If I have to count my own windows I may as well clean them myself, geeez![/COLOR]
[COLOR=“green”]ME: Well I did offer to come out and look at them myself.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=“black”]CALLER: What ever. CLICK![/COLOR]
:rolleyes:
Just bid per hour x the amount you want to make, in my case $64 an hour. If asked by customer how I came up with the price, I simply tell them the amount of ladder work needed, condition and style of windows etc I pay my main guy these days $15 an hour and the 2nd guy $12 and each time give them the jobs and the amount of time allowed. Much easier and quicker than counting panes once you have done this for a few years.
Also, given my 2 other LLC businesses 21stCenturyGutterProtection.com and JoCoMag.net I can often sell them on my other businesses assuming they have their own business or are in need of guttering, especially if they are an attactive housewife, lots of peaks to this job I LOVE IT!!
Some things are better left unsaid
Sounds Like a Prank Call to me.
I have this estimate form on my website
http://cleanwindowaz.com/Quote%20Form.html
I tried to make it very accessible and easy and i still have people messing it up all the time, it started to be very annoying.
does anybody care to take a look and see if there is any difficult about this form?
I think you just need to be a little more explanitory on the size issue. IE you have listed “large” “medium & small”. I think a customer would get confused in knowing what is large and what is small? Where do you draw the line? I see you have it stated at 1 large pane would = 15ft squared. Thats roughly the size of a picture window. But I think most people are not smart enough to understand that. I would toss some measurements in so the customer can get a ball park. IE small window = 1ft x 1ft to 2ft x 2ft. Medium 2.5 x 2.5 to 4.5 x 4.5 etc. Also I dont know why the home sqft needs to be in place. Are you bidding on home size or per pane? According to the online quote your bidding on per pane so once again what does the size of the home have to do with anything? I can see asking if the home has 2 or 3 floors but not the sqftage. You also have placed advanced clean and light clean. What’s dirty? That’s a subjective term. What you might consider dirty someone else might not consider dirty. And the last thing I would do is place my email or phone under right after your comment on how they can email you or text the images to you. I would just try and make it as though the customer was really really stupid.
thank you for helpful input,
the size of the home has been informative in the sense that I know what to expect, so far i had cusomers telling me how many windows they have not panes, so i can just check if they have 2000 sq ft house and 10 window panes
thats not very likely. unless they have huge windows most of houses out here that are 2000 sq ft have about 20-30 panes.
As to the cleaning i agree i didn’t explain it right. Light cleaning would be just vacuuming dead flies and light dirt. advanced would be scrubbing the tracks with solution.
If you expect me to fill out that form, I may as well clean the windows myself. Pfffft…whatever!
Juggs has some valid points on the form.
Ideally the quote was designed for people that like to do things on the computer and are awaiting multiple quotes. If they want their windows cleaned quick and don’t care about anybody else they can call me and I can read into their mind without any questions and present a quote. Cuz I read mind and beautiful mind should learn from me so he wouldnt have customers hang up on him.
