I think that is more of an assumption than a true observation.
As I stated before, I’m just baffled by the economics. I live modestly, and can pay all my bills, food, etc. just by taking home $600/week. But I don’t think I could afford to pay myself even that modest salary after taxes and other business related expenses if I charged the prices listed on that flyer. Hence the question: how low can you go?
At what point do you begin to price yourself out of business?
Look…I don’t want this to become a price war thread. But if I’m correct, you are in NY. I lived in the city for years - your market is one of the more expensive places to live on the planet. Taxes, cost of living, fuel - it’s all considerably more expensive. And as November '16 taught us all - large portions of the country aren’t like NY. In fact, we couldn’t be more different. So naturally, our prices will be very different. Most of us could not live where you do, charging what we do. By the same principle - you could not make it here trying to charge your prices. The guy is basically charging 3.75 a pane. Many on here are charging 4-5. The guy is in the ballpark, albeit the low end.
Finally, when was the last time you did a house that only had 20 panes? I bid and scheduled three houses today with 47,52 and 247 panes. The first two seemed small. He probably makes his money on the add on windows. The 75 price just gets him in the door.
Just my thoughts on it.
Does a flat window have tracks and screens? I assume a “flat window” would have to open in order to, but a roll out casement window gets dirty on all four sides of the interior portion of the window frame/track and he is advertising that for FREE.
One could say it is just leaving money on the table for 20 windows, but it is dirt cheap still. $3.75 inside and outside, screens cleaned, tracks or casings(?) on 20 windows.
I am in no hurry to chase anyone’s prices to the bottom. Upsetting the prices in the industry doesn’t seem like a great marketing strategy to me, but I haven’t made my first 1/2 million yet, so what do I know?
Desperation can cause one to devalue themselves. Just not there yet.
It’s actually good marketing. The customer thinks they’re getting an astonishing deal because of the 20 windows coupon. But then it’s charged at any window over that gets charged at a high premium rate.
Say 20 windows for $75 = $3.75 per window
Then anything after 20 is charged at $12.
So say the house has 35 windows
20 windows $75
15 windows $180
= $255 for 35 windows
Average $8.50 per window.
Please note I have no idea of prices in the US. I’m actually from the UK. I just believe it’s good marketing because the customer sees that and they don’t realise after 20 windows it’ll be premium.
I suppose that’s a legitimate business practice, but not one I would be eager to imitate.
Besides which, that still leaves the door open for a customer to say “OK, just do THESE 20 windows and we can get to the other ones some other time.”
Can just say it’s an offer for houses with over 20 windows and tell them you only do the full house.
That is not how the flyer reads.
It doesn’t have to say it. It gets someone on the phone and you can just explain to them.
Idk about over there, but here you are required to have T & Cs on the advertising material
If he has some sort of gimmick after the 20 who knows, seems like this would target highly budget minded people and overall sets a price in some people mind about how much window cleaning should cost thus devaluing our industry as a whole.
$75 for 20 windows + 3 fans and mirrors
I’d be at $260-300
The flyer does say “starting at 75” maybe there is a loophole in here.
Somebody should call him. Or if he’s lurking here on the site, enlighten us. I think we’d all be curious.
I have been there to Sarasota Fl. Gorgeous place! 1 in 6 people living there are millionaires, I ran into the same freaking dude and lost my mind at the stupidity of it…He is running a dollar tree business model in one of the wealthiest places in the country. I refused to compete with it plus I didn’t have the time. We went down there for the winter to earn extra money and stay warm till spring…He put a chill on the working vacation.
Maybe he is a millionaire retired wc. Its just a hobby
Ooooorrrr, maybe he keeps profit by using @thorSG1 recently swiped gear… Too soon?
He very well could be living in moms basement, and gettin a note a day is more than enough. Profit to you or you or me or him is completely up to the person. You guys are just accustomed to what you make,or try to . he is too, so if hes not a hustler, or focus his time in the projects and whatnot, maybe thats all he needs.
Im giving him a buzz tomorrow, ill tell em hes caught the attention of wc’s worldwide and just wtf does he think hes doing … Lol … Stay tuned for an update.
That is his goal… “to chill out any competition.”
But that did suck for your “working” vacation plans…bummer! Hope you enjoyed the warmth though.
One story house first 10 windows (20panes) $7.50 each.
Two story house first 10 windows (20 panes) $10.50 per window
How long can take you to clean 10 windows on 1 story house? Let’s say 45minutes. If he’s happy make $75 bucks in 45 minutes then good for him.
It’d be fun to see what he has to say if somebody calls him to see what’s up.
Go for it SwissMike
Notice he DOESN’T state PANES, he states 20 WINDOWS( that is a minimum of 40 panes.)
But if you can do in and out inc tracks frames and screens of 40 panes in 45 mins… wanna job LOL
CExactly … he is saying windows not panes, An he is doing , tracks , sills , screens . He is giving it away !!!
This type of marketing don’t work . It’s a groupon offer the only difference is he don’t have to split the $75 with someone 
He will still attract the coupon type customer that hasn’t cleaned there windows in 15 years . The type that has 40 windows, an will say naaaa just clean the 20. The type this will never call back , or bite on any of his up sell tactics.
Been there done that . I actually have 2 repeat customers out of the 75 I did that one time I did it many years ago. One is a really good customer gets her house , An deck power washed every year. Windows 2x a year at a great price , so ya for every 75 you do there will be a golden nugget in there for you. Good luck !!!
I’ll never forget to the day this one customer I did had 50 windows An she says to me just do 15 of the upstairs windows I was like your downstairs windows need it more than the upstairs. The maid will get those. Lol. I was out side, An she opened up one of the windows , An says oh yeah here is your money crumbles it up , An threw it to me. I swear I looked at her, An was going to go there , but kept my Cool , as she drove off in her $100,000 car with her little tennis outfit on goin to meet her rich little friends for a round of tennis at the club . Grrrrrrrr… 
So ya good luck to this guy … if he is still in business 10 years from now he will have some good conversation pieces 
Another thing that is so wrong with this Marketing piece is he doesn’t put a experation date . He says it’s good forever , so ya people call me when I’m busy making money … I’ll be more the glsd to come by An give you 3 hours of free service.
After scanning through the reviews on their website and google, it’s obvious that there’s more to the story here.
He’s obviously doing something right. A couple of factors to consider:
Many of the reviews mention their efficiency and speed. He’s working on high volume, with little wasted time. He doesn’t move furniture or nick-knacks. It sounds like he’s taken the Aldi’s approach to window cleaning. (For those who have never shopped at Aldi’s: they stack most all of the goods in boxes, so much less labor for stocking product. You bag your own groceries (byo bags, or use empty boxes from the aisles). The shopping carts have little coin deposits, so you don’t get your quarter back unless you return it to the corral. The checkout clerks move at .9x the speed of light - it’s unreal.)
He provides other services, including power washing. Maybe the window cleaning is sort of a loss leader to get them in the door for more profitable services?
“20 Flat Windows” might actually mean panes. I know for most of us here, a window is 2 panes. But if that were the case here, why not say “standard” or “regular”?
And this is why YOU (all people) have to show value in your service from the way you talk, to the way you dress, to the way you do your job. There are those folks out there who view service workers as less than equals on the Planet. I don’t mind them leaving to go play or whatever, but they must treat me with the same respect I do them.
Thanks for posting this Alex it saved me the me the time, I’d like to add I think he has his plan and he is executing his plan “almost” flawlessly.
