How can you travel to clean window. I have an account and it takes 1hr & 1/2 to travel both ways, it pays $30 for 1hr. For 1hr &1/2 I could be doing nothing if I stay home. Should I continue with this account? Any small amount add up.
Find more accounts in that vicinity or raise your price to account for windshield time.
windshield time do you mean window cleaning time?
No…he means windshield time, drive time, transportation time, vehicle usage time, commuting time…
I wouldn’t drive 5 miles for $30. Get more business in that area, raise your price, or drop that account
This is new, windshield time- How do you calculate drive time, transportation time, vehicle usage time, commuting time to make any profits.? There are companies from my area who want to take this $30 account. Are doing by the volume?
1 hr to do the acct. 1.5 hrs travel time = 2.5 hrs for $30.00, or in other words $12.00 per hour. How much gas are you using? Could you use that 1.5 hrs every week to pass out flyers in your local area? Could you contact a window cleaner in that area and sell him that acct. for $60.00? To me that is way too little money, for way too much drive time. Just my thoughts.
windowman
Very good ideas about passing flyers and resell this account, but they love the way I clean the windows. The way I see it any amount money adds up. I like the bumper cap. Most window cleaners do not wear bumper cap for safety- very good idea.
Id calculate my mpg first, how much gas are you spending for this account? Get more accounts in that area to be worth the drive. I have one resi job about 1hr 1/2 of driving time. I charge $300 for the house and $150 for my trip. Its about 70miles away up into the mountains. So I’m happy with my $450 and driving =)
How much time did you spend cleaning the windows. Real Estate Agents wanted me to clean his house windows. I charge him $10 hr he refused my offer saying that I am not charging enough. It looks I am afriad to charge enough since I am new, trying to get new clients.
$50 per hour may be more “average” for professional window cleaners with a bit of experience conducting work for real estate agents.
Enviro
The house took me about 4 hrs. So it came around $75 per hr. Don’t be afraid to charge a higher price.
I travel at times 1.5-2 hours EACH way. But the jobs are so large it warrants the travel time. I’ll leave around 5:30 am and return around 7:30pm.
If it’s more than 10 miles away I tell’m it’s to far. Windshield time just kills the profit margin. You should pay another window cleaning company $30 to do the job for you so at least you break even.
PS
Just kidding! Actually I think you could pay them a lot more than $30. Like over $100!
drive over to the account early to clean it. Then you can spend the rest of the day passing out fliers. I would walk up and down the blocks around your account introducing yourself and telling them you do “X” store down the street and would like an opportunity to do theirs.
You have to get out there and meet people…it’s called bucket hustling
Enviro,
I understand your feelings. I used to travel pretty good distances, 15-20 miles at least for small amounts of money hoping to get more. I eventually let them know it just wasn’t worth it, but it was really against my personality at the time.
Now I bid outlying jobs with the extra traveling time included and usually don’t get it. But at least it would be sort of worth it if they say yes.
No wonder you don’t want to lose this account.
[B]Listen, if you’re happy earning $12/hr, then keep the account. It sounds like you are.
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Just understand that you are earning that amount, once you factor in your driving time, not including vehicle expenses.
Work your way up to charging $15/hr for your next job, and see what happens. Then, charge $20/hr and so on.
As your skillset grows, your confidence will too.
Kevin Dubrosky
Thank you Kevin, sorry that I have previous bad opionion about your book. $600 hr is equal $15 to me. I am so happy to make $15hr. I truly enjoy making my customers happy. I am sowing very good seeds. Kevin, my energy level has increase since you reply my post.
[B]No worries, Enviro.
[/B]
We all started somewhere. I remember being very happy with $15/hr, too. We all do.
Just keep raising your prices as time goes by. You’ll be amazed at how high they can go.
I wouldn’t be surprised if you were earning $20/hr within a few months from now, and $25/hr by the end of 2010.
Maybe even higher.
I can remember when I started cleaning windows, back in the 1980’s, I pushed a cart up and down the street and did storefronts for 5 bucks apiece, the going rate for storefronts were a dollar a pane, in and out.
