So the other day I saw the big red and white FISH van cruising through my town, small town mind you, so I decided to follow the guy. He stops to do a couple store fronts downtown. I watched him, he was slooooow as heck, and in one case, didn’t notice a customer trying to get around him, so the customer of the business had to stop and wait for him to finish.
I have only done residential, but am having some brochures made up this week, so I can beat the streets next week for some storefront action. The only thing I am scared sh*tless on my pricing, I have talked to a few guys, and I think I am inline. I would like to chase FISH out of my small town, most the shops here are owner operated, and they like to reciprocate with other local small businesses.
Here’s my question -
Does anyone know what FISH is quoting these jobs for? Or even roughly? I have this underlying feeling that they actually send a guy out in a 1 ton van for $5 worth of work. I don’t want my new prospective clients to feel sticker shock when I walk in the door.
Any advice would be great. Thanks!
I have fought the same named company in my area for almost two years now. But, I still do more work than he does.
I’d found out what the deal with that particular franchise is. Are they locally operated in your town, or are they doing work there and going back to another town to their office? Talk to the owner. Find out what all they do. I’d get a good feeling of how they are going to react to you by their reaction to you. Of course my opinions are based on a not-so-good experience with a local franchise.
My suggestion to you is to stay on your game. Don’t get sucked into any of their ways of doing business, if they are not up to par. Don’t be too concerned with the pricing game as you can beat their cheaper prices with more services and much better services, especially since you saw how that particular guy works. Also, don’t be afraid to pass out your cards, get your name out there. Join the chamber of commerce if you haven’t yet.
More than anything, don’t get down about it, get going to fix it. I know how it is when FISH suddenly and unexpectedly finds their way on to your turf. But you have a business to run. You’d better get started running it. Don’t let them run you out of your small town like you want to do to them.
Hey dormatex,
Around here they are real cheap and try to take all the shopping centers. I know this because they have taken some of my jobs by under pricing me.
I thought my prices where low until they showed up. For example, I had a radio shack and I charged $10, 8 windows and 2 doors, exterior only, doors where done in and out, they came by and bidded $15 in and out. The manager said he would keep me if I could do $10 inside and out. But I had to just walk away, I wasn’t going to start a bidding war with these guys. Last time I checked their windows were real dirty. I guess FISH stopped showing up.
My advice is if the stores are not that big give a free first time cleaning if they hire you as their regular window cleaning company. Let the customer see how much better you can make their windows shine. I’ve also talked to some places that used FISH before and I straight out tell them that the guy that cleans their windows is just an employee, not the owner of the company, I am the owner and operator of my company so I am going to take pride in my work, an employee doesn’t care he just works by the hour. Everyone agrees and says they leave streaks, that they don’t wipe the edges, that they rush through the job, and the list keeps going.
I have found something else about FISH: they “1099” anyone they hire so these so called “employees” are really low payed subcontractors which I think should be illegal. But I guess they get away with it in the sense they say that they don’t provide the tools for them. Doesn’t make sense but o’ well.
They got a whole strip here in Vegas that I canvassed last week and were doing these small storefronts for 50 cents a pane or $1 a window. Ridiculous to say the least. I am going to check back though since there quality probaly stinks! I would never bow to them or their stupid franchise. Not worth fighting over chump change.
Funny you mention that, the guy looked like he was using tools that you can pick up at Home Depot - his extension pole looked like it was from Walmart (china junk)
That’s the other thing - I’m not about to start a bidding war, or fight over chump change. I’ve got an interesting approach I’m going to try out next week, and I will let you guys know how it works out.
I like a little “shock & awe” mixed in with my marketing…hopefully it doesn’t blow up in my face.
Fish just moved back into my town after a one or two year leave. Must be a new franchise owner. They got them a storefront building on the busiest road in our area. EXPENSIVE. Which to me does not make since with their business model. I don’t want to rip on Fish more than needed but they are notorious for coming in and cutting prices to pennies. I do not do storefronts because there are too many guys doing to many windows for nothing. Fish is king at that. Anyway it will be interesting to see how this all plays out now that they are back in town.
I have had the same problem here where I am too. Never lost an account to them, but have lost plenty of bids for sure! You can win these accounts back by using thier weakness against them. Streaky windows, not showing up and invoicing anyway, half done jobs etc… on your flier or word of mouth approach, try to keep your irritation under your hat and show them the value of having YOU do the windows opposed to another company who does not care about how their business is seen by the public. Always stay positive, and dont try and make another company look bad, because it makes the person saying it look bad to the prospective customer. If money is the issue, well, who needs them anyway? Let another company take care of the penny pinchers because if you cant convince a business owner that a dirty unkempt appearance shows customers that they dont care about THIER business, then that owner or manager is in error. Would you go and do an estimate or do a job with a dirty truck? No way right? The customer will surely think, if he cant clean his own car or truck, how is he gonna clean my windows!
How many Fish window cleaners are reading these posts, or even the Big Tuna himself. I remember reading a post from someone who meet the creator of Fish Window Cleaning. He mentioned that he was great company, an interesting guy to talk to. I respect someone going out and creating a window cleaning franchise. Do I like it? No , but I think some of the men and women who buy into these things dont know or dont care that they are low balling at first. I would love for current Fish workers to come on here at tell there side of the story.
I use to work for a FISH franchise and its funny how wrong everyone is about FISH. People seem to think that every FISH is the same. We were not 1099 employees and we were not poorly paid. Its easy to generalize FISH because they are all under 1 name, but you have to keep in mind that although they share the same name they are all each individually owned and operated. Once they complete their franchise training package in St Louis and a week in their hometown they are completely on their own. So if you are trying to run FISH out of your town you will have to do some work to find out their pricing. People here say they are super cheap and low ballers. The FISH I worked for was completely on the other end, we were 1st or 2nd highest price in a city of 750,000 and also had the most business in town.
I currently own and operate my own window cleaning business in another city and I talk to the owner and operations manager of the FISH I use to work with all the time. They always help me with any questions I have and I would not be in business today if it wasnt for them.
Thanks for your post. I see far worse “bucket bob” window cleaners out there than FISH. What I dislike mostly is, a FISH owner has to pay a certain percentage of there earnings to the corporation. Am I right? I’m not down with that. Too many people try to take my money.
Why work YOUR arse off, under a corporate name, just to pay the fees, and grow a corporate business? I’ve never liked the franchise concept - sure it works, but I feel as if the people who buy into the franchise idea, are not that business savvy to begin with. They would rather write out a check to a corporation, than to go and collect a check themselves, and then they have to go out and do the work.
the FISH concept is great, shoot…I’d love to create a WC franchise and cover the US with them. FISH has like 50 franchises in my state. Window Gang has maybe 30, Window Gene maybe 20 and some smaller up-and-coming franchises account for another 30-40…really too many WC franchises.
How hard would it be to run a franchise company like FISH out of your area?
I’m thinking really hard. The people that buy into it would probably fight to the death and then some… but I’d really like to take the local FISH bros out of my area.
Thats great that not all of them are the same, but the 2 in my area are both the same, and they play cut throat. Whatever, it really dont matter. It just makes me have to work harder.
Fish tried to come back into Raleigh last year for the second time. They have now gone out of business for the second time in a row. I have a friend who does most of the storefront business in town and he said he lost about 1/3 of his business to them last year. They SEVERELY undercut his prices with a view to raise them all a year later. They even tried to hire him in exchange for his routes. Thank goodness he refused. Their business model is based on retaining enough customers after the price increase to justify the initial low-ball. I’ve heard enough of this crap about Fish franchises to know that if yours was different, IT WAS THE EXCEPTION. So, stop defending them and move on.
