How to dump customers

Residential
1

I have some jobs that aren’t as profitable, and some customers/jobs I don’t like.

How would you politely tell people you’re done with their business? I’d assume the less reasoning you give the better, so they can’t counter.

2

Just some thoughts:

  1. Can you try for some add ons with these existing customers to make them more profitable? (The cost to acquire customers is much more than the cost to retain/monetize existing customers.)
    Or just increase your prices yearly, $20-30 bucks a year until it’s where you’d like it. Cheap customers will bail and you’ll have accomplished your goal anyway.

  2. If there are those you don’t like dealing with, have you tried increasing the price of your services for them to a point you’d be willing to deal with their difficulties? That, or again if they won’t pay your prices, they’ll drop you, problem solved. Expand the top, dissolve the bottom.

  3. If you absolutely have to drop a customer, (I’ve done it, stuff happens) I’ve found simplicity to be the key. “Unfortunately we’re unable to provide you with _________ service, however you might try ________ window cleaning in the area.
    Thank you and have a beautiful spring/summer/fall”
    Simple, to the point, friendly. That’s just been my experience though, I’m sure every situation has its own twists.

7 Likes
3

Depends on the reason why you don’t want to service them.

4

I typically use a price increase. Either it raises them to where they’re worth the time, or worth the hassle, or they cancel the service. Either way, you come out ahead.

You can use generic language, like “due to the increasing costs of doing business, your future window cleanings will be $xx per service.”

You are smart to try to not have customers that are a drain on your finances or your mental health. They aren’t worth it.

5 Likes
5

if it’s profit related raise the price.
if you don’t like the job stop doing that type of job. i don’t do eave cleanout any more, i don’t remove storm windows, i won’t accept any new customers with aluminum sliders and i Started adding 20-30 PER Window ON top of the regular price of the house ( regular house that would be 200 with 2 aluminum sliders 200+40=240)
if you don’t like the customer don’t call or email anymore, if they call you tell them the price i triple and there is a 6 month wait.
ok the last one ain’t so good.

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6

“It’s not you…it’s me…”

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7

I can relate with everything mentioned above. I am at the point now where I don’t want to clean 10,000 sq ft houses anymore. I have a customer that has been with me 14 years and recently built a huge house. I just made it worth my time. It is not all that bad now. Lol

I always look forward to those houses that take 3 to 4 hours though.

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8

When they call I just tell them we don’t do that anymore and refer them to another company I trust.

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9

That won’t work in some markets as people talk. Your former client won’t want to hear “I don’t do that anymore” when they heard you working on their friends house, etc.

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10

I’m working on something like this:
“I’m simplifying my life with the Marie Kondo method.” then I reach out and shake their hand, wait for a moment and say, “I’m sorry, no zing, you do not spark JOY in my life. Goodbye.”
I’ll later drop off my non-joy producing items and children.

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11

Raise their price and see if they bail. :man_shrugging:

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12

“At my current margins, I cannot afford to clean this job at this price. Cost of living and expenses have skyrocketed through the pandemic, and we have to keep our business growing and the only way to do that is to add revenue” If they don’t understand that, they aren’t a good fit for your business. You do not have to apologise for making a living.

3 Likes
13

in using price increasing to solve the issue, “we just can’t service at that price anymore, we have to adjust the price to be in line with all our other jobs” original bid didn’t account for this or that, error in original bid, etc etc

2 Likes