Good insight Keith. I had a guy that wanted a gutter clean on his almost 10k square foot home filled with pine needles and clogged downspouts. I had the customer tell me my rates were a bit high and he'd get back. When I called up, he told me someone was willing to do it for about a 30-40% discount.... I didn't even try to win the job, i was respectful and said that's a good deal I would certainly go with him... he told me "but i like you..." I just chuckled and said well thank you for your time and let me know if anything else comes up in the future. Liability.... if i get a strange vibe, i walk away, if it seems to difficult or costly, the price goes up... Better to land 1 out of 3 jobs on a higher bid than 2 out of 3 barely scraping by.
We did one similar to your story. They had windows so God dam high its almost impossible to reach them. They had a spiral staircase and at the very top there are windows and you would have to put a ladder on the stairs which is impossible. Stay away from these jobs there's to much liability and takes way to much time to make it worth it
I recommended a good cleaning service to my relative whose house was filthy dirty and had not been properly cleaned in years. My relative complained that the cleaning service did not properly dust all of the ceiling fans. Then, my relative refused to pay full price for the service. I never recommended another service to that relative. I apologized to the cleaning service.
There's no being a dick about it, as you mentioned around 9 minutes or so, it's the absolute truth. I know quite a few wealthy folks in my town and I've seen them absolutely BLOW money on all kinds of play shit because they WANT to. Hell it's nothing for some of these people to go out with their group of "friends" and blow in ONE night on adult beverages and food, what most average folks pay for rent each month, and they'll do it several time and it's no big deal. But getting them to pay RESPECTABLE prices for things such as lawn care, window cleaning, vehicle maintenance etc always seems to be a big deal for them. Why? Because it's not what they WANT to blow money on, it's just part of "keeping up appearances" so they fell obligated to do so. So the way they see it is, "this has to get done, so lets find the cheapest SOB out there and be done with it, but we want TOP quality" instead of realizing the quality/care and professionalism they COULD be getting by paying what they SHOULD be playing, instead of low balling and haggling on trivial things such as service work. Not all are like that, but even when I ran a small personal training business, the ones who always bitched and moaned about the price the most, were the people who had the MOST money by a long shot. My regular guys and gals that were determined to get a certain level of service, as well as results ALWAYS paid up front and on time, even if they had to save and cut out spending on other things. The folks who are well off, (most of which just wanted you to be a part-time, cheap therapist so they could bitch and gloat about their life) shit I had to chase some of them around for money and outright refused to work with many because I knew after about a minute of speaking with them, (after they pull up in their porche, BMW, Mercedes, audi's, range rover etc) that they were really going to have the gumption to try and low ball me. All the while, they would spend the entire session, in one way or another gloating about their "problems" which some how or another resulted in passive bragging about money. "Oh my wife or husband wants to buy the new Tahoe, but I want the new Suburban!" or "Ugh, I need to get my kid to buckle down in school, we're not paying for her to go to HARVARD to mess around" etc, etc. Oh the HORROR to be financially stable and have an abundance of money!!! (I know right?) Then they'd bitch and moan and try to haggle me on MY price. No thanks. I've got all of the necessary equipment to start a lawn care business, (zero turn, walk behind, 2 edgers, 2 weed eaters, 2 blowers, all kinds of other equipment for tree trimming, hedges, etc etc) I just need a trailer, but I'm on the fence as to if it's even worth it or not. They seem to be a dime a dozen around here, although not every crew is a "top" performer and most look to barely be getting by judging by their setup/appearance. Although that's not always the determining factor. But when I see you 2 years later and you're stilling rolling around in that POS pickup held together with duct tape and fix a flat, as well as the same shotty looking equipment, it makes me wonder. Regardless if that's popular opinion or not, appearance DOES matter. A thought I wish I would of entertained back when I was younger, and I decided to get these tattoos everywhere. No matter how well I dress, how articulate I am etc, I feel some people just view me as an ex con (which is not the case.) However, that's just society and as they say, you made your bed, now lie in it. I try not to let it hold me back, but that's life. The window cleaning looks enticing, I admit. I went back into the "workforce" a couple of years ago as a local truck driver after I closed my PT business and these 14-16 hours days for 800-1000 bucks a week is for the birds. Maybe I have a problem with authority, but I've always been they type to create my own way, and make my own decisions, hence my watching of these sorts of videos. Just trying to find my niche to do my own thing.
Brother! I appreciate the knowledge. I am a war vet and it's hard for me to deal with bs. But you just helped me out about having the proper mentality towards business. This will be one of my favorite videos man. 👍👍🤘
Rich customers are the worst in a domestic situation. I'm a marine engineer. Most of my business has been commercial fishing vessels and I rarely have problems getting paid. Occasionally I have to work with yachts and sailboats and it is a nightmare trying to get paid! You will be sitting on a yacht worth more than my house and they're arguing over a £200 invoice. Their hobby and plaything costs more than everything I own in the world and they're trying to haggle the price. Then they always ask you to waive the tax! Like, yeah. I'm going to get a £10,000 fine from the government so as you can save £40!
Loved this. I founded an in home cleaning business and did that for a while but was often depressed and I got out of it. Fast forward till a couple weeks ago when I recently started a window cleaning business (not fully licensed and insured but hope to be soon -really enjoying the work). I’ve found it so much more fulfilling already. My times mostly consisted of speaking with local residents and handing out cards but I’ve nailed 3 jobs so far and they have all been worth it. But my rent needs to get paid so we don’t get booted. I’ve got to ramp it up. 😵 I’ll try commercialproperties next, I live in a very affluent area so I’m hoping it goes decent. Anyway I really enjoy your videos. My partner was raised in Troy MI and I find that y’all have a similar realism in the way you speak at times it’s interesting. Hope all is well thanks for posting and creating this Chanel I’ve found it very helpful especially when the industry’s 2024 media market is more rainbows-roses-$10,000 a day -click-bait and feels more gimicky than this
I totally agree! I have a company in Baltimore Maryland called AAA Cleaning. I tell people this about my high end customers all of the time. I could tell you some stories. I had to learn early on , do a great job and know your worth (price the job for what it is worth)! I had never had one bad review until I did Groupon(I was expanding to add more crews). This is a tough business but I love it.
I hear you. After having a cleaning business in the uk now Ireland. The rich always expect that extra bit, mirrors & shower glass. Then you invoice them through one of there buisnesses claim back the VAT & get a complete clean for nothing. wekeepitclean.ie
💯 true. I was laughing in agreement with you. I myself have been driven crazy also asking and obsessing with customer approval before and them not knowing how to answer or they themselves also have " the eye for detail" jeeze! Do simple quality work you and your company can be proud of and if there's the knit pickers, address them accordingly! Lol.
The worst part is when you text a customer and are stressing for them to text back and it takes them like 30 minutes to text and it ends up not being a big deal
Love your videos, thanks for putting them out there. I own a housekeeping company and went to an 8,000 sq ft home at 7:30 pm, after cleaning all day, and the customer wanted to pay $125 for ALL THREE FLOORS! LMAO. AND, we were highly recommended to her due to our detailed level of cleaning. Even though I was desperate for new clients, I declined her offer! LOL... Another customer stated "don't charge me just because you think i have money" LOL, while I stood in her 1,500 sq ft foyer with a 12 foot statue and two story walls of wood I was suppose to polish, yea, she didn't respond to my quote and I didn't follow up... LOL... so yes, I'll take a smaller to mid-size home over a larger one as they appreciate the work and even tip!
I’m 23 years old and I own a carpet cleaning & repair company here in Colorado. I understand you so well, I have customers that are just not worth the time . Time is money
this is a brilliant story but spot on. I used to work for a cleaning contacter and we done outside windows mainly. but always one odd customers who would come out and say your missed a bit. so you would go inside with them and they point it out then you would say emmmm that's the inside of the glass then slide your finger across the glass to show them how dirty it was hahaha never gets old. good videos though 💪
some customers are crazy ,ive dropped tons of customers because of what your dealing with,then the ones nit pick like crazy and scraping the cills and trim like we are a full out house keeping service and pretending to scrape dirt thats not even there .in boston we have storms old windows over 100 yrs old +victorian house with 100 yrs of dirt and they want it to look like there was never dirt there and get dirt out that needs to be pressure washed there crazy
Hopefully this helps someone out there. I have been a top producer in door to door sales for over 8 years making only full commission and the best tactic I have found to overcome this objection and usually still get the sale and to be twice is to say this..... Customer: yeah we have someone that does our house for just 500 bucks You: yeah I have seen cheaper I know a guy that will do this size house for 200 now the reason most of you neighbors have givin us a shot is because..... (list your main angle why people love you) if you don’t know your angle or what sets you apart from your competitors you will lose clients! This week alone in our new window business I have taken over 10 clients and got them to pay more for there service. Keith has got that right to prequalify them it saves a lot of time.
In business we have to leave emotions out as much as possible. This doesn't mean you can't care about people or your customers, it just means when things get hard like this, it can't destroy your day. I still have a lot of days that get destroyed because people are ruthless. But we've gotten a lot better at disconnecting ourselves from the problems. Its helped me in being more business focused and less " i have to make every single customer happy " focused. We still want to make every customer happy, but its the few customers that make your life hell that we evaluate whether or not doing business with them is worth it or not.
Cant tell if thats sarcasm or not lol. But I found myself getting way to emotionally involved and taking everything so personal. It was crippling for me and my business
i understand now hey Keith don't stress on them. You don't need all that crap from them. And besides they ain't even being dependable. And it's going to be harder and take more time to clean the windows again and i bet they won't pay anymore to catch up with it.
I found this video pretty late but wow... what a story. Sounds like a super stressful customer to have. I had a recent experience kind of similar to this I thought I'd share.. I met up with my co-worker at a residential job a few months ago for an in/out cleaning with steel wool including screens and tracks. I'll save price for the end.. So we get there and get started right away. Everything is mostly going smoothly and most of the glass is cleaning up decently well but a good chunk of this front glass has some bad hard water stains as well as weld-pits. After about 4 hours we get finished up and my co-worker goes to get a signature and payment while I begin packing up all our equipment. About 5 minutes later he comes outside and tells me to get all the equipment back out - she's unhappy with the windows. So she points out the hard water stains and weld-pits (we had already told her at the beginning that we wouldn't be able to get those out), and she says "No no it needs to be done right so do it again." So my co-worker sighs and out of politeness begins re-cleaning the glass while she walks me around to the other side of the house to point out some other minor imperfections that were also hard water stains. I explained to her again that we got what we could but if she wanted us to try other methods like razor blading or acid treatments it would be an extra cost. She replied "Well that's not right. I was told that the glass would be perfect and like-new." (Nobody ever told her that). I told her that we could come back with the equipment needed for a restoration but that it isn't free and would be expensive. She rolled her eyes and just said to get it done right or she isn't paying. So after about an extra 2 hours or re-cleaning glass that isn't getting any cleaner (for free), she finally lets out a big sigh and agrees to pay us. But she makes herself clear that she expects us to come back soon to finish the job that was guaranteed to her. All in all, I made about $70 off that job. Yup. Swore on that day that I will NEVER let a customer walk all over me ever again, even if it means losing their business. Not worth it. We agreed after we left that we are never going back there again no matter how many times she calls us.
man I can so relate to everything you said. been cleaning windows for 15 years and know exactly what your talking about. you are one funny bloke! keep making ya videos bro Luv them all. legend!
Yea let that customer go. I have dealt with the same thing. You work so hard, do an amazing job and they want to short you in the end. I don’t understand how some people can be that way. Anyway, you do a great job Keith. Keep doing what you’re doing. The Lord will bless you. You have a kind heart.
I'm in the same business in the UK Keith. I can tell you from first hand experience that the rich people with the mansions did not get that way by giving it away. They want the best job humanly possible because they do have absolutely gorgeous homes but they want it for as close as possible to nothing. I have also learned that the fairly big £25 houses aren't really worth the time either. Houses and flats that pay about £15 and will take you 10 minutes to complete seem to be where its at. Please bare in mind that window cleaning in the UK is very different from what you have in the US. Our customers have their windows cleaned between every 4 - 8 weeks. We also don't have screens and cleaning the insides is extremely rare and will be charged at 3 times the normal price. This does two things. 1. It discourages the customer from wanting the inside done. 2. It makes the extra time worth it when they really want it done. I love watching your videos man, keep up the great work brother.
I enjoy these videos thanks. Ive been cleaning widows while for the fire department and i just retired from fd and im taking it to the next level. i get satisfaction from cleaning Windows my experience we are loved more than landscapers ect i believe in giving them a show we get paid to work out thanks
in and out keith its the key. Ive been in construction remodel for 4 years on my own and 15 years in the trades. Ive had my mentors always say to me take the 500 to 800 dollar a day jobs you never make money on the jobs that take weeks. I now after learning the hard way see what they were talking about. Good vid by the way. Another hit from dr. proctor. lol
If a couple of us companies show up with Keith to that place and help him do that job he could possibly get the money he feels is worth it. Just for one day we could help him accomplish that even more with that kind of support
lol I heard of a salesman who would use the clients money ideals against them. Especially if he qualified a problem client who has tons cash. He'd seriously say messed up stuff like "come on. you're telling me that you don't have the [service price] dollars and can't afford this?". It would be little the client and their sucess and then they would buy the service just to prove their status out of pride.
The same s*** is everywhere man, I work in graphic design and have the same exact experience you're talking about haha.. 50Mil$ clients ready to have a full day of discussion on 50 dollars. Here we have a saying that this is how these people make their money. Some people apparently have the inherent ability to really be stingy as ****, whether they're taking or giving work... A few times I 'dropped the towel' myself, just thought 'this isn't worth it, even if i end up losing all the project's money'. Not so nice on your pocket but feels veeeery nice to just give them a taste of their poison. They act like you really need them and keep ****ing you for it, while you can do exactly the same thing in the middle of the project: 'I've had enough of this, goodbye', just watch how some of them beg and give u what u want haha. I've had one client who was seriously the stingiest I've ever dealt with, to crawl back to my feet and give me 200% of what I asked for initially. (Just cause it's not the same as at the beginning, when you're in the middle of a cleaning job to just leave the place all wet and slippery and furniture out of its place :D) But I think once you have a good client base and know how to keep getting more work, you can easily be way more stingy in your prices with clients, so you wont care about every single one of them in comparison to when you don't have as much clients in hand. I think the essence of working is realizing that a whole lot of people are s***, but thankfully there are plenty of manipulative ways to deal with them and get what you want.
Work still from the heart but not as we truly as we work always. They don't got love just looking for that 99 cent guy. And trust. they will let you go for that guy. But you can still do job after he's done. It will be there but even lower now... Sorry Keith i just had to let some feelings out much respect to you. You've done Alot for me thank you for your videos. Awesome👍
hey keith its because we do our job right. And we love it. we make them happy. Even if we don't get paid the right price but hey we work from the heart.
Another problem with the mansions is the time it takes to get on a ladder and clean a window thats 3 story's high or climb a roof because the freaking house builder built the window above the roof and off to the side so there's no way without getting on the roof, it's little things like this that makes you appreciate the 1-2 story homes, I don't do 3 story's unless I charge an insane amount and they agree to it. It's not worth the headache and the risk of getting injured
If I price a job at £60 and end up getting it for £40. They get £40 worth of clean. That's the rich ones slow payers, if a good customer is always happy I go above and beyond 👍🏽
I used to deliver pizza in a very upper class area, go up to the doors(cuz most had 2 doors)give them the food, it was like $35.55...they give me $40 and ask for $2 back....OMG I wanted to punch them!!
Hilarious. Relatable as a cleaning business owner. But you never finished mentioning the quality split between customers experience. Was looking forward to hearing about that
I've had my business for 27 years and it took the first few years to learn a line that I always say when a potential client would say well the last guy did it for half or a third of my bid. I'd say, "Wow! That's a great price! Call him back and have him do it for you." They always say well they went out of business or quit returning my calls or something else. Then I'd say, "Well that's too bad because I'd like to hire someone that took care of you for so little money. I could keep them working full time 5 days a week all year because my price is what I charge and that's the going rate around here for this job. I understand you have an unrealistic view of what window cleaning costs. Feel free to shop my price around and you'll see. It's not the highest and definitely not the lowest. It is by far the best value for the type of cleaning you'll ever get again." Then there's what I call the Ass hat charge that I only charged one client. About 15-20% more. It was a huge mansion that took a two man crew about 36-40 man hrs. The point is always make it worth your time and effort. The only time you ever under charge is in the beginning if there no other way to make money.
Dude I work for a really rich guy with a house like this. The UTILITIES on a house that size are around $2,500/month. The payment on his Ferrari F12 is $5,700/month. I can't believe how some people in that class are sometimes over an extra hundred dollars for a quality service (my boss is not like that at all btw)
Rich peoples obsession with saving money/being cheap???? It's not their job to care about your overhead, business expenses and personal bills. Yes, depending crappy clients who can afford 1.2k and haggle your rates does suck.
So many window cleaners charge way less than they should and skip many inside windows, don’t clean screens, don’t clean tracks........ give us bad name. Thing is customers don’t even know any better.
I feel you. You pay for what you get. You pay higher you get quality, you pay low you get half ass work. I have my own residential cleaning business and I get that a lot. I just tell them you can find someone cheaper...lol
The problem is the last guy gave them the idea that the house was worth $650 when in reality he was a cheap ass. Now they are mad cause you seem overpriced to them and they need it done
I have a vending machine business and I can pretty much tell within 15 or 20 minutes of meeting the decision maker as to whether we are going to do long term business or not.
your story reminds me of my one customer that I did a deal with I said I will do his driveway in the winter the whole season for 100 dollars but he just went on trying to lower the price and I straight out told him 100 dollar flat and I got the job
Enjoyable and informative. F bombs and all. If you wouldn't mind Keith, what would you suggest for start up gear(bare bones).Planning on a crack at this occupation. Your zaniness is refreshing. Cheers from Ontario.
I don’t know what some rich people expect though. Only people that I ever encounter acting like you should get $10 an hour cleaning windows for them. Well, the ones that have 3-4 stories. Like 5 times a year I deal with some rich guy that called around getting quotes everywhere and is blown away everyone is charging at least a grand. Yesterday this guy was like it’s not like we’re building steps or something. Having a little attitude basically like no way window cleaners should be making that kind of money in a day. I almost asked him what he did for a living to live in the kind of house he’s in. I just told him it is what it is that maybe he could find someone uninsured and not registered to do it for that price. I said it all in the nicest way possible, which wasn’t very positive. I left it at that. I felt like Keith in that short video he made recently about no longer taking disrespect from customers.
If they are payin you to clean windows they expect perfect. like someone who wants to get a car repainted but want it cheap they say just do a quick cheap paint job but then when its not perfect thats the rep you get.
The bottom line is that you don't want EVERY JOB. Yes you want good relationships with your customers. Yes you want good follow up and an ongoing customer base but half the relationship is what they can do for you also. A too shrewd or nickel and dime customer can seriously affect not only your bottom line but your quality of life and they are really not good long term prospects anyway. They will always be looking for a cheaper price and will think nothing of leaving you. Hard lesson for me but you have to know when to hold em, know when to fold em, and know when to walk away. Peace.
Just let them go. You've already acknowledge that they aren't paying enough. The frustration that they are giving you isn't worth it. Thier trying to rob you. Haggling is fine, until the deal is done. When you agree on a price, that's it. You do the agreed upon work and they pay the agreed upon price. They may as well have thier hand in your wallet.
Guys, get out of the truck... Come on, come on! dude I lost so much money working so many nights past dark lol why the fuck was I so happy about it ?? I can't stop laughing because I did the same thing for the same reason so many times
Lol , I am can't stop laughing man , I hear you, i use to do residential carpet cleaning , it is not easy to deal with residential customers , i currently only working comercial , it gets you crazy ,
4:40 I’d get angry too. Man they tried to hustle and finesse you n that would have made me angry too. I would have stood my ground and told them no that’s not the deal
So True, I clean and condition chandeliers in the Bay Area, multi-million dollar homes and buildings. Its funny how I seriously can't touch anything and wear gloves and shoe covers.
I have a funny one that cheap customers say to me come on do it for my price im going to get you a lot of work and they never do i find really rich people are the worse jobs and i do a lot of work in Princeton NJ
Though I don't clean windows for a living, I can relate to what you go through because I deal with the same BS as a hairstylist. Being in the service industry, we both deal with the same types of client's who want your blood, sweat and tears, they make your life miserable and they don't wanna pay. They are the cheapest assholes ever, which is exactly why they are rich! Well I don't want 'em...unless they were poor first!!! ; ) I'll stick with my humble clients who I adore and appreciate what I provide for them. Those are the clients I wanna take care of.
is it possible to arrange a meeting with these clients, tell them here's the deal we want to do a great job and paying 650 isn't in anyone's best interest, explain a comprensive plan to maintain there windows and tracks and why it' cost dollars and explain that this is what my professional company can offer and if this doesn't work for them then we can't help you.?? maybe its just not worth the time but from my expereience you can close more sales by explaining and giving reasons they subconsciously buy into it..
+VIheavyequipment Very wise observation. In this case I deal almost exclusively with an full-time "on-site property manager". The owners have isolated themselves from the contractors. I've tried to explain and create the value, but they won't entertain the conversation. Haha. I like making videos about the difficult customers. I should make some videos about the super happy fun customers who pay well to create balance
thanks for the response balance is so important I enjoy your videos because of that fact most people only tell the possitive stories which are nice but its these stories that I and everyone can really learn from and no one usally tells.
I'll bet you the guy doesn't haggle with a freaking Mercedes dealer or the Porsche dealer whoever it might be when they charged him $4,000 for a service
you crack me up, I feel just like that , I am most likely going to sink because I feel that people would rather wipe there ass with money instead of helping the small business guy make it
This video is Gold!
Good insight Keith. I had a guy that wanted a gutter clean on his almost 10k square foot home filled with pine needles and clogged downspouts. I had the customer tell me my rates were a bit high and he'd get back. When I called up, he told me someone was willing to do it for about a 30-40% discount.... I didn't even try to win the job, i was respectful and said that's a good deal I would certainly go with him... he told me "but i like you..." I just chuckled and said well thank you for your time and let me know if anything else comes up in the future.
Liability.... if i get a strange vibe, i walk away, if it seems to difficult or costly, the price goes up... Better to land 1 out of 3 jobs on a higher bid than 2 out of 3 barely scraping by.
Very true. Thank you for sharing.
Man dropping customers feel soo good! I love saying no to customers. Its so empowering!
We did one similar to your story. They had windows so God dam high its almost impossible to reach them. They had a spiral staircase and at the very top there are windows and you would have to put a ladder on the stairs which is impossible. Stay away from these jobs there's to much liability and takes way to much time to make it worth it
I recommended a good cleaning service to my relative whose house was filthy dirty and had not been properly cleaned in years. My relative complained that the cleaning service did not properly dust all of the ceiling fans. Then, my relative refused to pay full price for the service. I never recommended another service to that relative. I apologized to the cleaning service.
There's no being a dick about it, as you mentioned around 9 minutes or so, it's the absolute truth. I know quite a few wealthy folks in my town and I've seen them absolutely BLOW money on all kinds of play shit because they WANT to. Hell it's nothing for some of these people to go out with their group of "friends" and blow in ONE night on adult beverages and food, what most average folks pay for rent each month, and they'll do it several time and it's no big deal. But getting them to pay RESPECTABLE prices for things such as lawn care, window cleaning, vehicle maintenance etc always seems to be a big deal for them.
Why? Because it's not what they WANT to blow money on, it's just part of "keeping up appearances" so they fell obligated to do so. So the way they see it is, "this has to get done, so lets find the cheapest SOB out there and be done with it, but we want TOP quality" instead of realizing the quality/care and professionalism they COULD be getting by paying what they SHOULD be playing, instead of low balling and haggling on trivial things such as service work.
Not all are like that, but even when I ran a small personal training business, the ones who always bitched and moaned about the price the most, were the people who had the MOST money by a long shot. My regular guys and gals that were determined to get a certain level of service, as well as results ALWAYS paid up front and on time, even if they had to save and cut out spending on other things.
The folks who are well off, (most of which just wanted you to be a part-time, cheap therapist so they could bitch and gloat about their life) shit I had to chase some of them around for money and outright refused to work with many because I knew after about a minute of speaking with them, (after they pull up in their porche, BMW, Mercedes, audi's, range rover etc) that they were really going to have the gumption to try and low ball me.
All the while, they would spend the entire session, in one way or another gloating about their "problems" which some how or another resulted in passive bragging about money. "Oh my wife or husband wants to buy the new Tahoe, but I want the new Suburban!" or "Ugh, I need to get my kid to buckle down in school, we're not paying for her to go to HARVARD to mess around" etc, etc. Oh the HORROR to be financially stable and have an abundance of money!!! (I know right?) Then they'd bitch and moan and try to haggle me on MY price. No thanks.
I've got all of the necessary equipment to start a lawn care business, (zero turn, walk behind, 2 edgers, 2 weed eaters, 2 blowers, all kinds of other equipment for tree trimming, hedges, etc etc) I just need a trailer, but I'm on the fence as to if it's even worth it or not. They seem to be a dime a dozen around here, although not every crew is a "top" performer and most look to barely be getting by judging by their setup/appearance. Although that's not always the determining factor. But when I see you 2 years later and you're stilling rolling around in that POS pickup held together with duct tape and fix a flat, as well as the same shotty looking equipment, it makes me wonder. Regardless if that's popular opinion or not, appearance DOES matter. A thought I wish I would of entertained back when I was younger, and I decided to get these tattoos everywhere. No matter how well I dress, how articulate I am etc, I feel some people just view me as an ex con (which is not the case.) However, that's just society and as they say, you made your bed, now lie in it. I try not to let it hold me back, but that's life.
The window cleaning looks enticing, I admit. I went back into the "workforce" a couple of years ago as a local truck driver after I closed my PT business and these 14-16 hours days for 800-1000 bucks a week is for the birds. Maybe I have a problem with authority, but I've always been they type to create my own way, and make my own decisions, hence my watching of these sorts of videos. Just trying to find my niche to do my own thing.
Brother! I appreciate the knowledge. I am a war vet and it's hard for me to deal with bs. But you just helped me out about having the proper mentality towards business. This will be one of my favorite videos man. 👍👍🤘
i can relate %100 mate.
"you think a professional is expensive?
wait until you hire an amature".
i stick to my prices. they soon ring back!
+hungrybarry haha very true
Yuuup! it takes a month, or a year... But they always call back lol
LOL!!! I was like busting up laughing through the video knowing exactly how you feel. So true
+Superb Shine lol
Rich customers are the worst in a domestic situation. I'm a marine engineer. Most of my business has been commercial fishing vessels and I rarely have problems getting paid. Occasionally I have to work with yachts and sailboats and it is a nightmare trying to get paid! You will be sitting on a yacht worth more than my house and they're arguing over a £200 invoice. Their hobby and plaything costs more than everything I own in the world and they're trying to haggle the price. Then they always ask you to waive the tax! Like, yeah. I'm going to get a £10,000 fine from the government so as you can save £40!
Loved this. I founded an in home cleaning business and did that for a while but was often depressed and I got out of it. Fast forward till a couple weeks ago when I recently started a window cleaning business (not fully licensed and insured but hope to be soon -really enjoying the work). I’ve found it so much more fulfilling already. My times mostly consisted of speaking with local residents and handing out cards but I’ve nailed 3 jobs so far and they have all been worth it. But my rent needs to get paid so we don’t get booted. I’ve got to ramp it up. 😵 I’ll try commercialproperties next, I live in a very affluent area so I’m hoping it goes decent.
Anyway I really enjoy your videos. My partner was raised in Troy MI and I find that y’all have a similar realism in the way you speak at times it’s interesting. Hope all is well thanks for posting and creating this Chanel I’ve found it very helpful especially when the industry’s 2024 media market is more rainbows-roses-$10,000 a day -click-bait and feels more gimicky than this
You're welcome.
I totally agree! I have a company in Baltimore Maryland called AAA Cleaning. I tell people this about my high end customers all of the time. I could tell you some stories. I had to learn early on , do a great job and know your worth (price the job for what it is worth)! I had never had one bad review until I did Groupon(I was expanding to add more crews). This is a tough business but I love it.
I so happy I'm not the only crazy person on this earth. Keep up the good work thanks.
+David Dubson 3231 lol
you have the right attitude and knowledge for this business my friend, keep it up
I hear you.
After having a cleaning business in the uk now Ireland.
The rich always expect that extra bit, mirrors & shower glass.
Then you invoice them through one of there buisnesses claim back the VAT & get a complete clean for nothing.
wekeepitclean.ie
Contracts, bud. Everything in wrighting. Or, I carry a body camera at all times. If you ever talk to me, you'll be recorded. Lol
I thought about doing that do you store the footage after? And for how long?
@@four-x-trading5606 It's stored on a server and my computer. I keep it at least 6 months - 1 year.
Love your videos because you tell the dam truth and help people starting out in business
💯 true. I was laughing in agreement with you. I myself have been driven crazy also asking and obsessing with customer approval before and them not knowing how to answer or they themselves also have " the eye for detail" jeeze! Do simple quality work you and your company can be proud of and if there's the knit pickers, address them accordingly! Lol.
This one was a good video! Speaking the truth about how business really is.
You missed a spot. where here?, no over there...Get the ladder back out Haha. Very funny video and true.
+Chad Faulkner lol
Work for the masses and eat with the rich or work for the rich and eat with the masses.
Jeez. I nearly fell off my step ladder with the spot sketch!
i have been cleaning glass 19 yrs.i dont agree with your methods but i enjoy your stories!keep it up!
TRUTH AND HUMOR DUDE!!! loved the vid!!! FUNNY SHIT!!!
The worst part is when you text a customer and are stressing for them to text back and it takes them like 30 minutes to text and it ends up not being a big deal
It's usually never a big deal... but it takes like 5 years to figure that out. Lol
Love your videos, thanks for putting them out there. I own a housekeeping company and went to an 8,000 sq ft home at 7:30 pm, after cleaning all day, and the customer wanted to pay $125 for ALL THREE FLOORS! LMAO. AND, we were highly recommended to her due to our detailed level of cleaning. Even though I was desperate for new clients, I declined her offer! LOL... Another customer stated "don't charge me just because you think i have money" LOL, while I stood in her 1,500 sq ft foyer with a 12 foot statue and two story walls of wood I was suppose to polish, yea, she didn't respond to my quote and I didn't follow up... LOL... so yes, I'll take a smaller to mid-size home over a larger one as they appreciate the work and even tip!
D Paquette Hey I just subscribed to you would you please subscribe Thank you! 😊👍🏼
this is one of the funniest videos you've ever done, I was in tears!
+cooper08071985 lol. Thanks.
I’m 23 years old and I own a carpet cleaning & repair company here in Colorado. I understand you so well, I have customers that are just not worth the time . Time is money
I know exactly how you feel man, it kinda feels good knowing other people are out there like me with the same exact issues
this is a brilliant story but spot on. I used to work for a cleaning contacter and we done outside windows mainly. but always one odd customers who would come out and say your missed a bit. so you would go inside with them and they point it out then you would say emmmm that's the inside of the glass then slide your finger across the glass to show them how dirty it was hahaha never gets old. good videos though 💪
When Keith goes crazy at the end....so good.
Keith I could not stop laughing.
+Richard Borowski lol
Richard Borowski Hey I just subscribed to you would you please subscribe Thank you! 😊👍🏼
some customers are crazy ,ive dropped tons of customers because of what your dealing with,then the ones nit pick like crazy and scraping the cills and trim like we are a full out house keeping service and pretending to scrape dirt thats not even there .in boston we have storms old windows over 100 yrs old +victorian house with 100 yrs of dirt and they want it to look like there was never dirt there and get dirt out that needs to be pressure washed there crazy
Love this video! This has been on my mind for days, exactly what I’ve been obsessing about!
Haha. Awesome
Hopefully this helps someone out there. I have been a top producer in door to door sales for over 8 years making only full commission and the best tactic I have found to overcome this objection and usually still get the sale and to be twice is to say this.....
Customer: yeah we have someone that does our house for just 500 bucks
You: yeah I have seen cheaper I know a guy that will do this size house for 200 now the reason most of you neighbors have givin us a shot is because..... (list your main angle why people love you) if you don’t know your angle or what sets you apart from your competitors you will lose clients!
This week alone in our new window business I have taken over 10 clients and got them to pay more for there service. Keith has got that right to prequalify them it saves a lot of time.
So what set you apart?
In business we have to leave emotions out as much as possible. This doesn't mean you can't care about people or your customers, it just means when things get hard like this, it can't destroy your day. I still have a lot of days that get destroyed because people are ruthless. But we've gotten a lot better at disconnecting ourselves from the problems. Its helped me in being more business focused and less " i have to make every single customer happy " focused. We still want to make every customer happy, but its the few customers that make your life hell that we evaluate whether or not doing business with them is worth it or not.
+Service Industry Coach ahhh. Very very well said and calibrated. Phenom comment
Cant tell if thats sarcasm or not lol. But I found myself getting way to emotionally involved and taking everything so personal. It was crippling for me and my business
i understand now hey Keith don't stress on them.
You don't need all that crap from them. And besides they ain't even being dependable. And it's going to be harder and take more time to clean the windows again and i bet they won't pay anymore to catch up with it.
+Jimmy V true dat. Thanks for the kind words
Gold, Ive have been through this s*&t when cleaning windows as well. Glad I know I'm not alone!
I found this video pretty late but wow... what a story. Sounds like a super stressful customer to have. I had a recent experience kind of similar to this I thought I'd share.. I met up with my co-worker at a residential job a few months ago for an in/out cleaning with steel wool including screens and tracks. I'll save price for the end.. So we get there and get started right away. Everything is mostly going smoothly and most of the glass is cleaning up decently well but a good chunk of this front glass has some bad hard water stains as well as weld-pits. After about 4 hours we get finished up and my co-worker goes to get a signature and payment while I begin packing up all our equipment. About 5 minutes later he comes outside and tells me to get all the equipment back out - she's unhappy with the windows. So she points out the hard water stains and weld-pits (we had already told her at the beginning that we wouldn't be able to get those out), and she says "No no it needs to be done right so do it again." So my co-worker sighs and out of politeness begins re-cleaning the glass while she walks me around to the other side of the house to point out some other minor imperfections that were also hard water stains. I explained to her again that we got what we could but if she wanted us to try other methods like razor blading or acid treatments it would be an extra cost. She replied "Well that's not right. I was told that the glass would be perfect and like-new." (Nobody ever told her that). I told her that we could come back with the equipment needed for a restoration but that it isn't free and would be expensive. She rolled her eyes and just said to get it done right or she isn't paying. So after about an extra 2 hours or re-cleaning glass that isn't getting any cleaner (for free), she finally lets out a big sigh and agrees to pay us. But she makes herself clear that she expects us to come back soon to finish the job that was guaranteed to her. All in all, I made about $70 off that job. Yup. Swore on that day that I will NEVER let a customer walk all over me ever again, even if it means losing their business. Not worth it. We agreed after we left that we are never going back there again no matter how many times she calls us.
man I can so relate to everything you said. been cleaning windows for 15 years and know exactly what your talking about. you are one funny bloke! keep making ya videos bro Luv them all. legend!
Hahahah that ending was fantastic. Thanks for your vids man they’re helpful 👍🏻
Haha thanks bro
I love your mind bro, we have sooooo much in common! Good stuff!
skip to 16.00...that's when it gets good and funny!!!
+Bellis Lawn & Gardens haha
Haha
Yea let that customer go. I have dealt with the same thing. You work so hard, do an amazing job and they want to short you in the end. I don’t understand how some people can be that way. Anyway, you do a great job Keith. Keep doing what you’re doing. The Lord will bless you. You have a kind heart.
I'm in the same business in the UK Keith. I can tell you from first hand experience that the rich people with the mansions did not get that way by giving it away. They want the best job humanly possible because they do have absolutely gorgeous homes but they want it for as close as possible to nothing. I have also learned that the fairly big £25 houses aren't really worth the time either. Houses and flats that pay about £15 and will take you 10 minutes to complete seem to be where its at. Please bare in mind that window cleaning in the UK is very different from what you have in the US. Our customers have their windows cleaned between every 4 - 8 weeks. We also don't have screens and cleaning the insides is extremely rare and will be charged at 3 times the normal price. This does two things. 1. It discourages the customer from wanting the inside done. 2. It makes the extra time worth it when they really want it done. I love watching your videos man, keep up the great work brother.
I enjoy these videos thanks. Ive been cleaning widows while for the fire department and i just retired from fd and im taking it to the next level. i get satisfaction from cleaning Windows my experience we are loved more than landscapers ect i believe in giving them a show we get paid to work out thanks
Thank you for sharing your story. It was useful!
in and out keith its the key. Ive been in construction remodel for 4 years on my own and 15 years in the trades. Ive had my mentors always say to me take the 500 to 800 dollar a day jobs you never make money on the jobs that take weeks. I now after learning the hard way see what they were talking about. Good vid by the way. Another hit from dr. proctor. lol
If a couple of us companies show up with Keith to that place and help him do that job he could possibly get the money he feels is worth it. Just for one day we could help him accomplish that even more with that kind of support
lol I heard of a salesman who would use the clients money ideals against them. Especially if he qualified a problem client who has tons cash. He'd seriously say messed up stuff like "come on. you're telling me that you don't have the [service price] dollars and can't afford this?". It would be little the client and their sucess and then they would buy the service just to prove their status out of pride.
+Ryan Quintana haha
Ryan Quintana haha
Haha
The same s*** is everywhere man, I work in graphic design and have the same exact experience you're talking about haha.. 50Mil$ clients ready to have a full day of discussion on 50 dollars. Here we have a saying that this is how these people make their money. Some people apparently have the inherent ability to really be stingy as ****, whether they're taking or giving work...
A few times I 'dropped the towel' myself, just thought 'this isn't worth it, even if i end up losing all the project's money'. Not so nice on your pocket but feels veeeery nice to just give them a taste of their poison. They act like you really need them and keep ****ing you for it, while you can do exactly the same thing in the middle of the project: 'I've had enough of this, goodbye', just watch how some of them beg and give u what u want haha. I've had one client who was seriously the stingiest I've ever dealt with, to crawl back to my feet and give me 200% of what I asked for initially. (Just cause it's not the same as at the beginning, when you're in the middle of a cleaning job to just leave the place all wet and slippery and furniture out of its place :D)
But I think once you have a good client base and know how to keep getting more work, you can easily be way more stingy in your prices with clients, so you wont care about every single one of them in comparison to when you don't have as much clients in hand.
I think the essence of working is realizing that a whole lot of people are s***, but thankfully there are plenty of manipulative ways to deal with them and get what you want.
Work still from the heart but not as we truly as we work always.
They don't got love just looking for that 99 cent guy.
And trust. they will let you go for that guy. But you can still do job after he's done. It will be there but even lower now...
Sorry Keith i just had to let some feelings out much respect to you. You've done Alot for me thank you for your videos. Awesome👍
hey keith its because we do our job right. And we love it. we make them happy. Even if we don't get paid the right price but hey we work from the heart.
Another problem with the mansions is the time it takes to get on a ladder and clean a window thats 3 story's high or climb a roof because the freaking house builder built the window above the roof and off to the side so there's no way without getting on the roof, it's little things like this that makes you appreciate the 1-2 story homes, I don't do 3 story's unless I charge an insane amount and they agree to it. It's not worth the headache and the risk of getting injured
If I price a job at £60 and end up getting it for £40. They get £40 worth of clean. That's the rich ones slow payers, if a good customer is always happy I go above and beyond 👍🏽
Man spot on with the type of homes to target, $225-250, 2.5 hrs to do...easy money!!!! I'll take those all day long!!!
Freaking love it!!! The process is real
Haha.. This video addresses exactly what I asked you in a comment on another video of yours.
I used to deliver pizza in a very upper class area, go up to the doors(cuz most had 2 doors)give them the food, it was like $35.55...they give me $40 and ask for $2 back....OMG I wanted to punch them!!
I always say why, do u need ones for tipping
Hilarious. Relatable as a cleaning business owner. But you never finished mentioning the quality split between customers experience. Was looking forward to hearing about that
I've had my business for 27 years and it took the first few years to learn a line that I always say when a potential client would say well the last guy did it for half or a third of my bid. I'd say, "Wow! That's a great price! Call him back and have him do it for you."
They always say well they went out of business or quit returning my calls or something else. Then I'd say, "Well that's too bad because I'd like to hire someone that took care of you for so little money. I could keep them working full time 5 days a week all year because my price is what I charge and that's the going rate around here for this job. I understand you have an unrealistic view of what window cleaning costs. Feel free to shop my price around and you'll see. It's not the highest and definitely not the lowest. It is by far the best value for the type of cleaning you'll ever get again."
Then there's what I call the Ass hat charge that I only charged one client. About 15-20% more. It was a huge mansion that took a two man crew about 36-40 man hrs. The point is always make it worth your time and effort. The only time you ever under charge is in the beginning if there no other way to make money.
Dude I work for a really rich guy with a house like this. The UTILITIES on a house that size are around $2,500/month. The payment on his Ferrari F12 is $5,700/month. I can't believe how some people in that class are sometimes over an extra hundred dollars for a quality service (my boss is not like that at all btw)
Hahahahaha, "there, and there, and fucking everywhere " lmao 😂😂😂😂😂
16:28 hes going insane. lol. a madman.
Rich peoples obsession with saving money/being cheap???? It's not their job to care about your overhead, business expenses and personal bills. Yes, depending crappy clients who can afford 1.2k and haggle your rates does suck.
So many window cleaners charge way less than they should and skip many inside windows, don’t clean screens, don’t clean tracks........ give us bad name. Thing is customers don’t even know any better.
Appreciate the videos and your honesty! #Bawse
I feel you. You pay for what you get. You pay higher you get quality, you pay low you get half ass work. I have my own residential cleaning business and I get that a lot. I just tell them you can find someone cheaper...lol
bro. this is too relatable lol. i appreciate your vidz. i subscribed lol
The problem is the last guy gave them the idea that the house was worth $650 when in reality he was a cheap ass. Now they are mad cause you seem overpriced to them and they need it done
I have a vending machine business and I can pretty much tell within 15 or 20 minutes of meeting the decision maker as to whether we are going to do long term business or not.
your story reminds me of my one customer that I did a deal with I said I will do his driveway in the winter the whole season for 100 dollars but he just went on trying to lower the price and I straight out told him 100 dollar flat and I got the job
Enjoyable and informative. F bombs and all. If you wouldn't mind Keith, what would you suggest for start up gear(bare bones).Planning on a crack at this occupation. Your zaniness is refreshing. Cheers from Ontario.
I don’t know what some rich people expect though. Only people that I ever encounter acting like you should get $10 an hour cleaning windows for them. Well, the ones that have 3-4 stories. Like 5 times a year I deal with some rich guy that called around getting quotes everywhere and is blown away everyone is charging at least a grand. Yesterday this guy was like it’s not like we’re building steps or something. Having a little attitude basically like no way window cleaners should be making that kind of money in a day. I almost asked him what he did for a living to live in the kind of house he’s in. I just told him it is what it is that maybe he could find someone uninsured and not registered to do it for that price. I said it all in the nicest way possible, which wasn’t very positive. I left it at that. I felt like Keith in that short video he made recently about no longer taking disrespect from customers.
Haha
Keith you crack me up man! lol
If they are payin you to clean windows they expect perfect. like someone who wants to get a car repainted but want it cheap they say just do a quick cheap paint job but then when its not perfect thats the rep you get.
they're fucking everywhere! lmao
+nick phire lol
nick phire Hey I just subscribed to you would you please subscribe Thank you! 😊👍🏼
ok i'm scared....love this guy tooooooo funny!!!
The bottom line is that you don't want EVERY JOB. Yes you want good relationships with your customers. Yes you want good follow up and an ongoing customer base but half the relationship is what they can do for you also. A too shrewd or nickel and dime customer can seriously affect not only your bottom line but your quality of life and they are really not good long term prospects anyway. They will always be looking for a cheaper price and will think nothing of leaving you. Hard lesson for me but you have to know when to hold em, know when to fold em, and know when to walk away. Peace.
Just let them go. You've already acknowledge that they aren't paying enough. The frustration that they are giving you isn't worth it. Thier trying to rob you. Haggling is fine, until the deal is done. When you agree on a price, that's it. You do the agreed upon work and they pay the agreed upon price. They may as well have thier hand in your wallet.
+Mower Man maybe so
Mower Man Hey I just subscribed to you would you please subscribe Thank you! 😊👍🏼
Holy shit that was funny
You should be a comedian
Thank you for the funny story
I’m adding a magnifying glass to my belt
Lol
It's sounds to me that this client was hustling you. It's the day before halloween and I click to hear a perfect horror story.
Love this story! We have all been there. Stick to your guns!!
so right. cleaning is about 30percent of the product you sell. the rest is customer service and peace-of-mind. go get 'em dAWWWGGGGHH
Guys, get out of the truck... Come on, come on! dude I lost so much money working so many nights past dark lol why the fuck was I so happy about it ?? I can't stop laughing because I did the same thing for the same reason so many times
+Green Cuts lol
Lol , I am can't stop laughing man , I hear you, i use to do residential carpet cleaning , it is not easy to deal with residential customers , i currently only working comercial , it gets you crazy ,
4:40 I’d get angry too. Man they tried to hustle and finesse you n that would have made me angry too. I would have stood my ground and told them no that’s not the deal
Yikes. You went all Taxi Driver on us buddy. Lol
So True, I clean and condition chandeliers in the Bay Area, multi-million dollar homes and buildings. Its funny how I seriously can't touch anything and wear gloves and shoe covers.
C Wise Hey I just subscribed to you would you please subscribe Thank you! 😊👍🏼
Hahaha
So funny
Then grandma gets off the couch
+Darren Tomlin lol
Lol
Great video's! Funny guy & very informative.
I have a funny one that cheap customers say to me come on do it for my price im going to get you a lot of work and they never do i find really rich people are the worse jobs and i do a lot of work in Princeton NJ
Though I don't clean windows for a living, I can relate to what you go through because I deal with the same BS as a hairstylist. Being in the service industry, we both deal with the same types of client's who want your blood, sweat and tears, they make your life miserable and they don't wanna pay. They are the cheapest assholes ever, which is exactly why they are rich! Well I don't want 'em...unless they were poor first!!! ; ) I'll stick with my humble clients who I adore and appreciate what I provide for them. Those are the clients I wanna take care of.
hey man this was funny as hell I own a power washing company in New Jersey and I have done this to myself many times WTF
is it possible to arrange a meeting with these clients, tell them here's the deal we want to do a great job and paying 650 isn't in anyone's best interest, explain a comprensive plan to maintain there windows and tracks and why it' cost dollars and explain that this is what my professional company can offer and if this doesn't work for them then we can't help you.?? maybe its just not worth the time but from my expereience you can close more sales by explaining and giving reasons they subconsciously buy into it..
+VIheavyequipment Very wise observation.
In this case I deal almost exclusively with an full-time "on-site property manager". The owners have isolated themselves from the contractors. I've tried to explain and create the value, but they won't entertain the conversation.
Haha. I like making videos about the difficult customers.
I should make some videos about the super happy fun customers who pay well to create balance
thanks for the response balance is so important I enjoy your videos because of that fact most people only tell the possitive stories which are nice but its these stories that I and everyone can really learn from and no one usally tells.
I'll bet you the guy doesn't haggle with a freaking Mercedes dealer or the Porsche dealer whoever it might be when they charged him $4,000 for a service
you crack me up, I feel just like that , I am most likely going to sink because I feel that people would rather wipe there ass with money instead of helping the small business guy make it
Dude you're fucking hilarious!🤣
Lol
video is great ❤❤ my favorite is the skylight one lol
Lol thanks man
This sh*t is fu*king GOLD!! Hahahahaha