Hey guys just Fired a restaurant customer… I showed up for the(twice a month) routine clean and he told me ;NO come back next week!!!He said it like he I was just a WW… told him you could have at least called me instead of letting me show up and lose my time n gas! He said You just lost gas I have rent to pay! So I told him…find someone else…He upset me…but I think it was more than enough. I have difficulty with those type of customers.!!
It will all work out. Just replace him. I have fired quite a few clients over the years. I have always believed that the less stress you have the better!
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ya I agree…im the type of character …I want everyone to be happy …no fighting everyone friends…try n work it out…but when its too much and u start to get that feeling when ur going to service a place its best to get rid of…thxChad
Unfortunately some brick and mortar business owners don’t realize when you are doing smaller jobs like restaurants and so on, that every minute wasted knocks down profit margins significantly. If it were hundreds or thousands of dollars, a few minutes here and there won’t matter.
My standard response when it comes to the ole “they still look good, let’s skip this cleaning…”
[I][B]- “There’s a REASON for that.”
[/B][/I]I’m patient, and I’ll eat it once in a while, but…
when I stop showing up, they will remember me saying that.
Good for you. Go out and get a new one! 
Good for you!!
What an epiphany and mind opening experience it was for me when I fired my first NWI.
( that’s the label they get in my CRM Not Worth it.)
It took me awhile to adjust to the thought that they are not a customer I wish to work with and “I” could let them go.
One falls off,
Two fall in!!!
Good call !
Peace
** Belief Systems Are Fragile Things. How Will You React When Your Reality Suddenly Ceases To Exist?
Cleaning Windows is Just MyJob, Not My Life…
~ Pompous Basterd
Good for you !
I had one customer once tell me for now on come an ask me first before you start cleaning . My mind gets boggled with customers like this, and I have no tolerance for it. So I told him I’m not a school kid going out shoveling driveways it’s either you stay on my schedule or your off my schedule either way is fine by me. He went off which was cool by me. 1 year later he was out of business an now it’s a different store an it’s back on schedule
Your going to run into these characters once in While in the storefront side of this business. Trust me I’ve seen them all ,an herd it all . I had a customer just yesterday tell me I have to lower my price because someone came in an gave him a cheaper price . Not the first time someone has come up with that same bullshit. So I said my peace, an he agreed to stay with me. Hey maybe he doesn’t stay, but I was confident in what I said to him, an it wasn’t the first time I had to go through the same song an dance .
So what I’m trying to say is what happens once will happen again. Next time tell them the reason why the price is structured this way is because you have me on a 2x a month schedule . My business is run by schedules if your on for that day, and I come in , an you tell me no come back that’s time wasted I could of had someone else on for this slot. I would also say I’m going have to charge you for today so I might as well clean it. You fired him anyway so feel good as you walk out that door show him hey man this is a business just like yours. Sometimes these storefront customers mistake us for bucket bobs an don’t realize we run legitimate businesses . Jmo!
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Sometimes you have to fire a client. It’s a smart strategic move which will make you tons more money in the long run.
I once dropped a Subway because the owner wanted to pay me to do extra work for cookies instead of paying an extra $10. Is it sad I didn’t take the cookies? They do have good cookies…
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I clean 3 Subways they are by far my cheapest accounts . I was called in to do another one went there to estimate it, an the owner “Baboo” was his name says no to my price then counters with a 6 " sub, so I was like ok cool the only thing is ill need to get two of those, an its a deal he said no, so I said cool then have a good day . I wasn’t being hard I tried to work with the guy what am I going to do with a 6’ sub with two guys,an the other guy is picky he wont like what I get . I mean honestly what is he paying for that crap anyway . What a joke ! Store front work ive seen,an herd it all its so amusing its not even funny . Most of my customers are so cool then ya got that handful that blow your mind.
A six inch?!?
That’s awesome!
Maybe if you clean his bathroom, and scrub his floor he’d throw in a fountain drink. :rolleyes:
The great baboo is a mad negotiator I might have to throw in the mirrors also for that soft drink .
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It’s hard to comprehend this sort of thing, we all strive to work in with the client to the best of our ability, using logic and reason… If that line is broken, it best for both parties to go their own way. There are less stressful ways in making money. I wouldn’t worry about it.
I had a Chinese restaurant I was doing every 3 weeks, had to do it between 11-11:30am. It was one of the first accounts I got and my brother worked there so I gave them a really good price. Was good for a few months, then receive a message stating that they will contact me and have the windows done on request rather than on a schedule. I replied by stating that was not a problem however the price would not be the same for non scheduled work. the price went from $35 to $100(mainly due to me getting my pricing structure to where I liked it). They have not got me back since. but I prefer it since they would always ask me to come earlier or later and oh can you clean the toilet before you go…UM NOT A CHANCE!!.. I"M A WINDOW CLEANER!!
Very good post [MENTION=24315]Steve076[/MENTION].
Got me to thinking. (Which is rare) I may have been doing it all wrong over the years.
My approach should have gone like this:
“Good Morning! Do you have anyone cleaning your toilets on a routine basis? Does your bathroom stink? I’d be glad to give you an estimate for that service. I can put you on my schedule for daily, weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. $100 per toilet and I’ll even throw in WINDOW CLEANING! By the way, clogged toilets will be an additional fee.”
Thanks Steve.
You could always respond:
Technically making trades is illegal in the eyes of the IRS. Your subs suck anyway…
But SERIOUSLY, these kinds of people find the way to the bottom of my service list real fast.
Cheap business owners like subway owners are not the type of accounts I want. Do you know how much they pay their employees? They’re used to people working for nothing…
They want to dicker over three or four dollars… I HATE THAT…
I know man! Its like what are we talking about here, That’s a lot of money . Mean while his shit house 6" sandwich is selling for $8 dollars oh, but wait that comes with a fountain drink ,(Which they get a 1000 drinks for penny’s on the dollar) , an a bag of air.
Around here subways managers pay out of thier pocket so they can be cheapos
I got one on a call when needed basis
low pay but free lunch…
*** I’m no expert,
just been cleaning windows for a while.
" The window cleaning world is not full of fools,
It’s just lightning is not distributed properly…"
Pompous Basterd
My stomach is growling
Zacch Boyes
Z’s Window Cleaning
Office: (877) 978-0227
Email: [email protected]
Alot of these smaller businesses that wanna haggle because they have “bills to pay”. Well so do we!!! We may or may not have a fixed location, but we ARE running a business too, not a charity. If they find a cheaper price, let 'em have it. It’s probably “Bucket bob” anyways. The customer will realize the “value” they lost just to save a few dollars. Not to mention, most of these “Bucket Bobs” are un or under-insured, and when something happens, they’ll see the real “value” in hiring a REAL professional.
