Welcome to waste of my timeville! RANT WARNING

Conversation
1

So I had a customer call me.
Them: Hello is this Alex?
Me: Yes
–intro–
Them: Well you have an out of state number, so tell me about yourself?
Me: College/Texas etc (Didn’t know we were on a date at this point)
Them: So you do homes?
Me: Yes
Them: Umm…ok… how much do you charge for a one story home?
Me: I’d have to quote it for free, I can check on Saturday
Them: Oh…umm…well I will think about that. So once again we are xxx xxx and we are located at xxxx drive…
Keep in mind at this point I never asked for them for an address and we haven’t discussed any cleaning…
Me: …ok so would you like me to come by and take care of the windows on your store?
Them: Yeah but not today just maybe sometime next week because we are good today
Me: Ok, sure I can take care of it next Tuesday.
Them: The price is $12 for all the windows
Me: Well that’s $12 for all the outside and inside door
Them: Oh…well I thought it was for all
Keep in mind that on my cards it has spots for All inside and outside and just outside cleanings…I marked the outside
Them: Well we get it done for $21
Me. Well for all windows I would double the price $24 but I would match in this case
Them… ok well we will keep it in mind.

STOP FREAKING WASTING MY TIME YOU IDIOTIC PEOPLE!

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Sounds like you really don’t appreciate dealing with potentials

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3

I’m working two jobs…she keeps me on the line…and I’m not rushing her. I don’t mind potentials, I don’t like people who wanted dirt cheap services.

4

How long cleaning windows?

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I’ve cleaned windows currently for a little over a month in the city am I at. Earlier with a family business I was working as a pre-teen to young man about 7 years.

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6

One thing about residential work to bear in mind is, the customer is letting a complete stranger inside their home. Some don’t give it a second thought, but a lot of your customers are going to approach you with a certain degree of skepticism.

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I wasn’t so much frustrated about the residential as the commercial.

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For $24 in and out I would hope he is talking commercial account here.

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It’s commercial. It’s just been a sucky day…I lost a residential customer because her son cleaned all her windows for her on mother’s day. I’m battling for another acct…it’s hard.

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  1. Get a local phone number.

  2. Your conversation log does not make any sense. Didn’t you identify your business the moment you picked up your phone? (so-so window cleaning). You were not in control of the conversation at all. The customer says they need windows cleaned, you ask their address and tell them you’ll go estimate. You then ask do they want in/out and other stuff. Then tell them when you’ll have the estimate done. Get their name and phone number. Say goodbye.

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11

Do i understand correctly, you left them a business card with $12 Out only and she was calling you off that connection?

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Don’t let it get you down, Alex. In the beginning every job feels critical, but with patience and persistence you’ll have enough to not stress over the ones that don’t work out. As for the storefront, you never know…their current cleaner might quit one day and they’ll remember you and that you took the time for them. And even if not, you gotta sift through a lot of weeds to get the wheat, but when you do, that’s money you’ll be consistently making.

I know you’re under mega-stress, but see if you can grant yourself a total, guilt-free day off. Remember to get rest as best you can and take some time every day to relax. You gotta stay balanced if you don’t wanna burn out. Hang in there!

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Commercial is not store front…

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storefronts are commercial

What are you thinking they would be?

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All storefront is commercial, but not all commercial is storefront.

Thus the differentiation.

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16

I think you handled the call incorrectly, here’s how…

"So I had a customer call me."
Them: Hello is this Alex?
Me: Yes
You should have answered your business phone as a business
–intro–

Them: Well you have an out of state number, so tell me about yourself?
Me: College/Texas etc (Didn’t know we were on a date at this point)
None of that means anything, they are calling about your business

Them: So you do homes?
Me: Yes
You should have covered this in the “tell me about yourself” moment

Them: Umm…ok… how much do you charge for a one story home?
Me: I’d have to quote it for free, I can check on Saturday
Each job is different so that is why I offer free estimates. I can swing by with an address and see what it will take to get your windows cleaned, then give you a call back, or meet you there, to see if you are good to schedule (Or something similar that gets them engaged in your services)

Them: Oh…umm…well I will think about that. So once again we are xxx xxx and we are located at xxxx drive…
*****Perfect. I can stop by on May “fill in the blank at XX:XX time” to get your free estimate done.

Keep in mind at this point I never asked for them for an address and we haven’t discussed any cleaning…

Me: …ok so would you like me to come by and take care of the windows on your store?
I have Thursday this week and Tuesday next week to do the Store windows, do you want to schedule one of those days?

Them: Yeah but not today just maybe sometime next week because we are good today
The above response would have solved this.

Me: Ok, sure I can take care of it next Tuesday.
**Ok, sure, I can clean the outsides for $12, or in and out for $24 next Tuesday

Them: The price is $12 for all the windows
*The above response covers any misunderstandings

Me: Well that’s $12 for all the outside and inside door
Them: Oh…well I thought it was for all
See above

Keep in mind that on my cards it has spots for All inside and outside and just outside cleanings…I marked the outside
Always assume people skim read or try to work you

Them: Well we get it done for $21
Me. Well for all windows I would double the price $24 but I would match in this case
My service call is $24 in and out, but as an introduction to my services I will do your price of $21
Them… ok well we will keep it in mind.
Might have turned out differently if you handled it differently.
I don’t mean that to sound too harsh, just try it differently next time.

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I shy away from store front but have many commercial accounts, they are 2 entirely different aspects of window cleaning storefront is regular weekly/monthly work, while most commercial is quarterly/bi annually or even yearly.
You can box them into the same category if you choose, but as a whole there are 3 categorizes that I quoted above.

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18

Well put Daniel!

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what i like to do if i get the sense theyre not going to be a good fit is introduce my brother into the conver . hes handling all the one offs and anything tricky well thats his department. doesnt charge a penny more either . how about i tell him about you in the morning and he will be in touch fit you into his schedule?

this goes down a treat

course he never gets in touch [mainly because he lives in France and works in an aircraft factory ]

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:joy::joy::joy::sweat_smile: Priceless!!!
I’m gonna have mine call your brother too.
Ha Ha Ha

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