How do you deal with a customer who wants to just do bit's and pieces?

Scott D. said:
No but some people just like the outside of their car washed because the inside is already clean. Same thing.
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Think a more fair comparison would be mud was splashed up on my hood and i got bugs on my bumper... would you just clean those.

Oops pat beat me to it
 
Scott D. said:
Exactly.

Go out and be profitable. Cleaning 1 side of a house isn't the same as spot cleaning. I'd probably charge 1/2 of a whole house wash though, not 1/4. I'll be damned if I'm hiring a contractor, if I'm going to pay to get my entire house washed when only 1 side needs it.

Imagine having your carpets cleaned and the company saying "Well sir, we will only work for you if you clean all the carpets in your house. We won't clean just 2 rooms and the stairway"

That would be stupid. Clean what the customer wants, but make it worth your while.
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+1


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ANR Cleaning Services LLC
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I could care less what needs to be cleaned. If a person calls me and says they want me to just wash their bulkhead, I will tell them " my price is 225.00 to wash it, but if you pay me 175.oo more i will wash the whole house ". now, if they say " oh no no i just want the bulkhead washed and i will pay the 225.00 " I will schedule it.
 
socalkol said:
So if a customer wants you to only clean half their driveway and leave the other half disgusting youll do it? Then when people ask who did that job.... they say ur name and people think you half ... things. No thanks
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IMO if a person wants to pay me my rate, then yes I would. I have no idea why they want to clean just half their driveway and i dont really care. Of course The customer has to have all his mental facilities in order and understand what he is doing. but i would turn that into advertisement for everyone to see, heck im even getting paid 200 bucks an hour. shoot some people doit for free.

I do understand how you feel though, because i dont know how i would handle a wood customer of mine wanting to skip some parts of a restoration job.
 
Ohhhh controversial!! To clean a portion, or to not clean a portion!!

HMMM

I personally don't sweat it too much.. I give them my price, and I don't bother to convince them unless it's a whale of a house... Like Doug mentioned, this is typically an HOA bugging them about it.. So they either tell me "GREAT, LET'S DO IT!"

Or I'll never hear back from them again.

I'm starting to understand the 80/20 rule...

And I don't have time to waste on pennies! I'm chasing dollars!
 
socalkol said:
So if a customer wants you to only clean half their driveway and leave the other half disgusting youll do it? Then when people ask who did that job.... they say ur name and people think you half ... things. No thanks
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Yes. Because the half I cleaned will be a perfect sales piece for the neighbors to see.
 
Doodaa said:
Ok so I still new and have been anticipating this call but never figured what I would do,I haven't called back just yet I'll wait till the end of the day but here's the message:we want to clean one wall with algea on it (cedar shake)and a piece of roof and one other small thing.I hate to turn away small jobs but it just doesn't seem worth it to only do partial cleaning but on the other hand this person most likely has friends needing my services.Should I just set a minimum for jobs?
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Being "new" you need to do it. You need the experience and the customer contact.....I say go for it..... if you're comfortable doing what they want done....gotta start somewhere.
 
Luis Orts said:
Ohhhh controversial!! To clean a portion, or to not clean a portion!!

HMMM

I personally don't sweat it too much.. I give them my price, and I don't bother to convince them unless it's a whale of a house... Like Doug mentioned, this is typically an HOA bugging them about it.. So they either tell me "GREAT, LET'S DO IT!"

Or I'll never hear back from them again.

I'm starting to understand the 80/20 rule...

And I don't have time to waste on pennies! I'm chasing dollars!
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Exactly whats going on around here. The HOA snaps a pic of the problem area, and sends the nastygram along with a time frame to get it cleaned up. It's usually the soffits and fascia that have mold and mildew on them. These people would not have called if they didn't get the letter, and almost all of the time they only want the problem area done.
 
Guy Blackmon said:
Being "new" you need to do it. You need the experience and the customer contact.....I say go for it..... if you're comfortable doing what they want done....gotta start somewhere.
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yes yes yes,

go do the work, be careful, do a very good job and make some money. I remember when i did my first house wash, it was 2 sides and a dormer. took me 2 hours for 125 bucks. today it would be forty minutes for 175 dollars
 
When I was doing wood restoration and they would ask for me to clean "only the mossy side" I would explain to them that we are a professional company that provides professional results. To properly do the job the whole project needs to be cleaned for several reasons. 1) there are micro-organisms throughout the roof that can cause moos/mildew growth and deterioration even though you can"t see them. 2) We are in business to truly extend the life of the roof (deck, siding, etc), not just make it look "pretty". 3) I am attaching my name and my business name to their project
 
I get this all the time. You have to set a minimum. If you do not, customers will do that a lot. You are correct in saying that it could lead to other customers. I did a townhouse. She told the president of the homeowners association. I got the whole community. 38 buildings. Best job I have had in 15 years. This is a really good topic you posted. Take care.
 
Thanks for all the input,that one never called back but I have set a minimum and it's working pretty good so far,I'm getting some work just enough for me to learn and get some experience and be ready to hit the ground running in the spring.
 
I will do what the customer requests,..after all, I'm setting the price,..so it doesn't matter to me.

That said, I have seen times when someone asks to do "Just this much",..But,..they end up going with the rest. Sometimes I think they're maybe feeling you out.

*Realtors and their customers are some that will routinely get partial work done,..the curb appeal part.

First job I did for Remax was one of their agents,..I didn't know,..I did one side of the roof,..since then I've done numerous jobs for Remax and their customers. If I would've turned it down I would have lost ALOT of work.

Yea, don't turn work away,..simply because it's income and it keeps things moving. Secondly, that customer may lead to other work.

Jeff
 
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