Ettore members Club Forum

Ive just added some new services to my portfolio. Gutter cleaning, Fascia & soffit cleans & pressure washing. As well as bringing in extra income, i also believe it will be convenient for my customers, to have multiple services to avail off, without having to spend time looking for these services elsewhere. They will already know me & the trust that has been built up over the years, will be beneficial to both of us. These are three services that can also be done on those wet days, when otherwise one would have to sit at home, thus they would not be earning! Do any of the rest of you provide extra services of any kind? If so, what are they & are they productive?

Hi JD,

Having just returned from the Windex Cleaning Show it was interesting to see during discussions with window cleaners that they have added extra strings to their bow as they say - quite freaky since you've posted today also on the subject !!

The general feedback I obtained was like your extras, gutter cleans, fascia & soffit cleans along with pressure washing. although another area that did keep cropping up was that they have also invested in carpet cleaning machinery, maybe so they're aren't outside in rubbish weather conditions !!

I think today it's best like you say to have a few more things to offer as part of your portfolio, it won't hurt and I bet you drum up plenty of extra trade from existing and new customers alike - especially with your reputation built up already. I know I had my window cleaner do my gutters, I wouldn't have thought of asking him but he actually mentioned it to me and as I trust him 100% I got him to do it without hesitation, these little add on services will definitely assist you at this time - good luck to you JD !!

Cheers Mark. I hope you picked up a few bargains and a few tips at the Windex cleaning show.

Hi JD and Mark,

I have been doing extra services ever since i started window cleaning, and like with most things there are pros and cons to it. The pros like you have said that on wet days you can go and clean soffits and gutters and fascias so you will be earning even on wet days. But, i have recently stopped doing fascia and gutter cleans and now pass all of my work onto another window cleaner that i know very well. This is because i found i got too busy with it and had very unhappy customers due to not getting round to doing it.

I am now just keeping my business to cleaning and maintenance and this involves:

window cleaning
conservatory cleaning
blocked gutter clearing and repairs
pvcu replacement fascia soffit and gutters
double glazing replacement windows and doors.

I agree that customers will trust you more than someone else, but just balance your work with your window cleaning as not every day is a wet day.

Hope that makes sense and i hope its of some use.

Mike

Certainly makes a lot of sense Mike, it is something that i had been thinking might happen. However, i was hoping that i would become so busy, that i could then pass this side of things onto my young nephew. He is a good little worker and would be the ideal person to help me out. We would both benefit & i could still keep up with all my current work. Do you use a gutter vacuum for your gutter clearing Mike?

Hi JD,

i dont use the gutter vacuum, when i first saw it i thought it was a very good idea and looked much easier, but when i thought about it if a customer has asked me to clear their gutters its usually because they have a leak, and this isnt always due to the gutter being full it could simply be a broken joiner on the guttering or the joiner needing a new rubber washer, so i find that its better to get up and have a look that way then cutting down on time and increasing the price to the customer. You cannot do this with the gutter vacuum. My mate has one and has bought all cameras to fix on it so he can see from the ground, sounds technical and expensive!
It is always good if you have another person to help with your extra work as you will find yourself getting very busy. If you lived and worked closer to me i would pass on my fascia cleans to you! saves me doing any!

Hi smartshine,sounds like you are overloaded with work,pity i was not nearer you i would do all your fascia cleans.
The gutter vacuum sounds a good idea but no good if its repairs thats needed to the gutter,also it is very expensive especially if you want cameras fitted to it you would have to clean a lot of gutters to make it finacially viable.

I see your point fellas, on the expense side of things. But the good far out ways the bad in my opinion. Its safer, quicker & more professional. "You gotta speculate to accumulate" as they say.

Might be safer jd but you need a few grand to throw around to buy the gutter vac with cameras etc.

I pay for these things by credit card. I purchase a card offering Free purchases & pay it off interest free, over the free purchase time. I find it a good way to but the bigger things, and i never have to pay extra, in interest or charges.

Thats the only way i can pay for bigger thing also jd but i have no plans to buy a gutter vac in the near future as i will be concentrating on building up my wfp system in the next couple of years.

Hi jd, fish4fun,

yeah am very busy with work and did a gutter clean and clear yesterday in the rain and hated it! i can now see why i give all my fascia cleans to others now! Oh and also, jd, get waterproofs, ones that actually are waterproof unlike ones i got that arent as i found out yesterday! If you get a guttervac let me know what you think of it once you have used it a few times, like me fish4fun i think its too expensive and think that the best way on domestic properties is to use a ladder, however i think if you get alot of industrial gutter clears to do then it will pay it off in no time. How do you guys charge for guter clears cleans and any other extras you do?

On just about everything smartshine, whether gutter cleaning, window cleaning, fascia cleans, i go on how long i feel it will take me. If i think something will take me an hour, then ill charge a minimum £20 plus vat.

Agree with you on the subject of the gutter vac smartshine,if you are doing domestic work better doing with a ladder,if you do get commercial work a guttervac will pay for itself.

I like to have these gadgets, just in case i get that one big contract. It'll probably sit and gather dust for most of the time though

did you get the cameras with the gutter vac jd,hopefully you can get some good contacts with your new gadget..

Im looking into a camera next fish4fun, so hopefully have that sorted shortly.

Tell me how you got on with guttervac once youve tried it out jd.

Will do fish4fun

Well fish4fun, ive had my guttervac a couple of months now & im finding it a good asset to my business, mainly from my current window cleaning customers. I have to say though, im using it more as an outside hoover than a gutter vacuum! I find it easier to use my pressure washer & gutter lance to blast the dirt from the gutters & suck up the dirt with my gutter vac.

Always done mine from a ladder jd and usually can clean out a gutter in about 20 minutes.
Would buy a guttervac if i had big contracts but all my guttering jobs are houses.