Why don't small business storefront owners do their own windows?

[mrwindow]

They have us why would they need to do it themselves?

[Chris]

My lawn takes 3 hours to mow with a big professional set up machines each week.

I pay someone one to do it each week because:

I dont want to buy the equipment, and I can certainly in that 3 hours each week make way more money running my window cleaning business or WCR than what I pay out to my lawn guy.

–

I dont plow my parking lot at work or have my guys shovel it each week when it snows because its more efficient to hire someone. My guys will be out making way more money cleaning glass then they would shoveling snow.

–

The same theory applies to all these store front owners… Concentrating on their business is much more lucrative and productive than concentrating on maintenance tasks like window cleaning.

–

I will also mention my lawn guy leaves these really awesome lines in my grass that I could never replicate…

So he does a better job, in less time than I could.

[dfw2020wc]

@Chris

I will also mention my lawn guy leaves these really awesome lines in my grass that I could never replicate…

Just takes a bit of practice Chris.

[Chris]

[MENTION=1203]dfw2020wc[/MENTION]

But I dont want to practice… I just want it done right the first time…

And thats exactly why many many store fronts pay to have there windows cleaned

[jkim]

@Chris

My lawn takes 3 hours to mow with a big professional set up machines each week.

I pay someone one to do it each week because:

I dont want to buy the equipment, and I can certainly in that 3 hours each week make way more money running my window cleaning business or WCR than what I pay out to my lawn guy.

–

I dont plow my parking lot at work or have my guys shovel it each week when it snows because its more efficient to hire someone. My guys will be out making way more money cleaning glass then they would shoveling snow.

–

The same theory applies to all these store front owners… Concentrating on their business is much more lucrative and productive than concentrating on maintenance tasks like window cleaning.

–

I will also mention my lawn guy leaves these really awesome lines in my grass that I could never replicate…

So he does a better job, in less time than I could.

Great points! Now I know why store owners don’t do their own windows. it took me 2 hours to do a dry cleaners that hadn’t done theirs in 4 months! I am noticing that when I use a razor to scape each window, they literally take almost a month before you can detect any dirt. I don’t know if that has been any of your experiences but seems using a razor keeps them too clean by not allowing any dirt to attach

[mrwindow]

@mrwindow

They have us why would they need to do it themselves?

I thought I had a great point, what did I miss?

[optimumaintenance]

I am surprised this thread is 3 pages

[coutanth1]

“… too clean…” ???

Short story for ya: I was flyer-ing a neighborhood this past Saturday and got to talking with a lady that lives in the community, but whom I didn’t land as a client last year because she cleans her own windows. First thing she did was comment on 2 of her neighbors’ windows that I did do last Fall, saying that she was amazed at how the windows still glowed a full 2 months after being cleaned. Then she said “I don’t know what you use but I want you to save a spot for me on your Spring schedule. I want you to clean mine from now on.”

Oh, and while I was in that community on Saturday, she made sure to introduce me to 4 new clients in 15 minutes, all are business owners, and one is the President of the HOA. They’re all scheduled in the upcoming weeks.

To paraphrase something I’ve seen written on this forum in the past: “Satisfied customers pay their invoice. Amazed customers tell their family, friends, and every stranger they meet about you.”

Too clean??

You just go on ahead and do what works for you.

Meanwhile, my clients (and every person they talk to) know they’re getting solid gold, thru and thru.

[coutanth1]

@optimumaintenance

I am surprised this thread is 3 pages

Bet you’re rubbing your forehead like me for even replying. LOL!!

[Chris]

@coutanth1

“Satisfied customers pay their invoice. Amazed customers tell their family, friends, and every stranger they meet about you.”

Herschel I LOVE this quote!

[coutanth1]

@Chris

Herschel I LOVE this quote!

Thanks! I’ll try to find the original post in the WCR archives and copy it to this thread. It’s well worth the time to read.

[optimumaintenance]

@coutanth1

Bet you’re rubbing your forehead like me for even replying. LOL!!

THIS!! Haha

[Tony_C]

@jkim

it took me 2 hours to do a dry cleaners that hadn’t done theirs in 4 months! I am noticing that when I use a razor to scape each window, they literally take almost a month before you can detect any dirt. I don’t know if that has been any of your experiences but seems using a razor keeps them too clean by not allowing any dirt to attach

If it took you two hours, I hope there were 60 or 80 panes of glass. Four months is too long for a storefront to stay clean, but it isn’t that bad. You’re over-thinking (or possibly under-thinking) everything you do here. There is no need to scrape every window, every time on a storefront.

[Jersey]

Simple…

Thier time = T?
T x (how long it would take them to clean windows)=Y.
is y greater or less then how much you charge?

And then to get fancy there is another factor called Z This is the “I hate cleaning windows as much as eating lava rocks” factor

[Steve]

I just got a call from our Buffalo Wild Wings account who cancelled service because they are going to do it themselves. The manager said they have plenty of time in the mornings and he can train the staff to do it because that’s what they did when he was at TGI Fridays. Poof! $480 a year gone…

[ChrisTripleC]

@jkim

Great points! Now I know why store owners don’t do their own windows. it took me 2 hours to do a dry cleaners that hadn’t done theirs in 4 months! I am noticing that when I use a razor to scape each window, they literally take almost a month before you can detect any dirt. I don’t know if that has been any of your experiences but seems using a razor keeps them too clean by not allowing any dirt to attach

4 months? Most dry cleaners I serviced in my storefront days hadnt been cleaned in 15-30 years

[michaelmole]

@SqueegeeNinjaNJ

4 months? Most dry cleaners I serviced in my storefront days hadnt been cleaned in 15-30 years

dry cleaners aren’t doing so well since Reaganomics ended, apparently?

[Justin_Monk]

@jkim

Hey Guys, I have always wondered why small business owners don’t wash their own windows? I can understand if they are in a midrise building and/or highrise but for single story stores, if I was a dry cleaner, I would go to Home depot, buy my own squeegee and do my own. It’s like when I go out to eat, I try to eat something I cannot make at home so why should window cleaning be any different?

A lot of them do their own. Have you ever gone face to face marketing. IMO - 60 - 70% clean their own.

[Provost_Services]

This is a funny thread. I had a client one time tell me their housekeeper was going to start doing their windows. I knew that would not last long. A month later she called to get back on my schedule.

There is a reason we charge what we charge… WE ARE WORTH IT!

[ChrisTripleC]

@Provost Services

This is a funny thread. I had a client one time tell me their housekeeper was going to start doing their windows. I knew that would not last long. A month later she called to get back on my schedule.

There is a reason we charge what we charge… WE ARE WORTH IT!

Watching housekeepers do windows is like watching a dental hygenist do a root canal. The 2 fields are similar, but the skill level difference is completely different.