Window Cleaning No Longer A Luxury Purchase

Window cleaning & other domestic help no longer a luxury service, survey finds.

One in four families hire domestic help: For centuries it was the preserve of a very wealthy households – a butler to deliver the morning newspaper and a throng of cooks to prepare a hearty roast for supper. However, a study published today suggests that the age of service is thriving in the modern era, with a new study showing that increasing numbers of ordinary families are turning to their own Jeeves or Mary Poppins for help around the home. In a sign that the Upstairs Downstairs lifestyle is no longer a luxury enjoyed by Britain’s elite, more than one in four households in Britain hire some form of domestic help.

The survey of more than 2,000 people found 28 per cent currently employ help around their home, such as a cleaner, nanny, or gardener, as families look to juggle their working and home lives. While the trend is strongest among households with children, with nearly a third of families making use of such services, singletons too are turning to domestic staff. More than a quarter of those who live alone regularly employ an extra pair of hands, such are the demands of their careers and social lives.

Echoing the survey’s findings, concierge firms north of the Border said there has been a significant increase in demand from working families with average earnings. Commonplace duties, such as cleaning and ironing, are the most routine requests. The companies are also helping with 21st-century dilemmas, like uploading songs to an iPod, or setting up broadband connections.

The survey, commissioned by a home insurance firm, found that among those who currently hire help, around one in six have gardeners and one in eight have house cleaners and two-thirds have window cleaners. On average, people pay out £45.75 a month cash in hand to their domestic helpers, although in stark contrast to the Edwardian era, the clients are not necessarily wealthy – some 40 per cent of people who use domestic help have a household income of £28,000 or less.

One in nine of those polled admit longer working hours limit the spare time they have to maintain their homes, while one in 20 stated a preference for spending free time enjoying themselves rather than doing chores. Mariella MacLeod, the founder of Dickory Dock, a Glasgow-based lifestyle management and concierge service, said she was not surprised by the findings. She explained: “Ten to fifteen years ago, concierge services were for the very wealthy, the multimillionaires, but recently, especially in the last five years, it has become much more affordable. I have a selection of customers and they are not all rich.

“Working people are needing to stay in the office for longer hours nowadays and employers don’t look kindly on them calling a joiner from work. It helps them to have someone to take care of those jobs.” She added: “The variety of jobs we have done over the past few years is amazing, and our job is to find solutions for people – if someone is heading out for work in the morning, and the dishwasher breaks down, we’re there to help. I’ve helped upholster furniture, upload songs to iPods, all kinds of jobs.”

The survey for LV= comes at a time when the UK government has floated an initiative which raised the possibility of tax breaks for people who hire domestic staff as a way of generating extra jobs and freeing more women so that they can join the workforce. John O’Roarke, managing director of LV= home insurance, said: “Employing someone to help out in and around the home is no longer a luxury only afforded to the privileged few. With millions of people working longer hours, employing a helping hand is increasingly seen as a necessity to ensure a good work-life balance.”

Servants led a repressed life with a strict pecking order. In the Edwardian era, domestic staff working in country piles would adhere to a strict, hierarchical pecking order, made up of at least a dozen bodies, and sometimes many more. They would include a dizzying array of workers tasked with very specific tasks, such as, stable boys, maids, and valets, along with those higher up the social scale, such as a chef, a housekeeper and a butler.

Such roles were widespread throughout the country. According to records from 1901, 1.5 million people were employed in domestic service at the beginning of the Edwardian era. While the great houses were also home to the domestic staff as well as the families they looked after, and sometimes provided advancement as well as employment, it was often a repressed and limited life. It was common for staff to abide by a host of rules, such as having to stand still when being spoken to.

Over a quarter of all UK households employ some form of home help, research has found.

'Upstairs Downstairs' Britain alive and well - Over a quarter of all homes in Britain employ some form of domestic help in a demonstration that the ‘Upstairs Downstairs’ culture is alive and well, new research shows. Despite the depressed economic climate, around 28 per cent of households regularly employ help on a regular basis, according to a survey by LV home insurance. People employed include cleaners, child-minders, gardeners, dog walkers and handymen. LV, which was formerly known as Liverpool Victoria, found that people pay out an average of £40 cash-in-hand to helpers, amounting to almost £500 a year.

They also include home hairdressers, baby sitters, car cleaners, window cleaners, dog walkers, and people to clean and iron clothes. However the list of helpers does not include builders, plumbers, painters or decorators. John O’Roarke, managing director of LV home insurance, said: “Employing someone to help in and around the home is no longer a luxury only afforded to the privileged few. “With million of people working longer hours, employing a helping hand is increasingly seen as a necessity to ensure a good work-life balance.” However Mr O’Roarke warned people looking to get help in the home to vet any potential worker. “When hiring someone to work in your home it is important to thoroughly vet people and check the conditions of your home insurance to ensure you are fully protected,” he said.

Window Cleaning Business Coach Book Offer Last Chance Extension

Kevin Dubrosky is sailing out of the window cleaning world & moving on to wider pastures. Kevin's " $600/hr" Official Hardcover Edition till midnight tonight - Get book now! Kevin can be contacted at kevindubrosky@gmail.com for more information on how he can help you as a private client. Or alternatively at his website here. I had to twist Kevins arm to do this, so I hope you appreciate the extension that you are given! Click picture above to buy the book - the last chance you will get.

Since Kevin leapt on to the window cleaning scene, he has changed the face of window cleaning businesses around the world. If you don't believe me, just read the credits at the end from window cleaners who have been touched by Kevin's golden touch. He has truly changed how window cleaners have dealt with their marketing efforts & made them wealthier through his insight. He will be missed at WCR where the post was taken from. We wish Kevin the best as he moves forward advising other companies how to make money!

Kevin Dubrosky says goodbye:

Hey there, It's with sadness and excitement that I say my last piece here in the window cleaning community. These past four years have been an amazing learning experience for me, and it's been a privilege and pleasure to meet you and get to know you, as a fellow member of the window cleaning & WCR community. I'm more convinced than ever that WCR is an essential resource for the serious window cleaning professional, and the fact that you're here shows that you understand that.

In this final thread, let me answer two questions:

Why am I leaving WCR & the window cleaning community in general?

After much careful thought, I've decided to move on in my professional marketing career, and expand beyond the squeegeesphere. WCR has been amazing, I've enjoyed all of it, and I'm leaving on a high note. Chris and Alex are amazing, and they will never let you down. I'm still very much in the window cleaning game, with my brand-new company Swiss & Sennhauser. We're already in 4 international markets (Beverly Hills, San Diego, Toronto, and Coffs Harbour, AUS), with plans to be in 6 more cities by the end of 2011. As you can imagine, this is big bite to chew on for me, so it requires a large portion of my time and attention.

Much more significantly, though, I'm moving into other industry's with my marketing consultancy business, and now work with companies far removed from the window cleaning world. As you know, marketing is marketing. Whether you're selling exotic sports cars, diamond earrings, 38th floor penthouses, or clean windows, it's all the same. Everything I've learned (and shared with you), can be applied to any industry out there, bar none. And my brief experiment in reaching beyond the window cleaning world has proven to me that the payoffs are significantly higher. Since I encourage you to constantly look for ways to earn more and work less, it would be hypocritical of me not to move forward and seize these opportunities.

So I am.

What's the best advice I can give you?

Understand that you are in the marketing business, not the window cleaning business. Homeowners and business owners in your target market are looking for solutions to their problems. They're looking for vendors (you) that truly understand what drives them nuts, and they're willing to pay you good money to fix it.

What's driving your target market nuts right now?

a.) Find the answer to that question.

b.) Figure out how to deliver the solution better than anyone else.

Only then should you shout it from the rooftops. Never, never, never spend a dime telling a boring story. Don't spend another red cent on postcards, web design, business cards, fliers, estimates, or even invoices, until you can figure out how your company is different in the solution you're proposing. Consumers are incredibly sensitive and grateful to companies that work hard to differentiate themselves from the rest of the stack. People say they love apples to apples, but the truth is, we like oranges, too, and plums, and pomegranates. Stop trying to out-apple your competition, and change the game, instead.

That's pretty much it.

I am still advising private clients from the window cleaning industry, and if you'd like to know more about how I can help you, then please feel free to contact me at kevindubrosky@gmail.com, and I'll be happy to give you some options.

Swiss & Sennhauser: As it stands right now, new markets are going to be made available as of October 1st or possibly Nov 1st, so send me an email if you'd like to be considered for one of these spots, and we can talk about it.

Thanks again for your support, encouragement, and good wishes these past four years! I wish you the best with your window cleaning business, and if we cross paths in real life sometime in the future, please stop me to say hello. Maybe we can grab a cup of coffee together.

Kevin

P.S. As a heads-up, my 255-page hardcover book "$600/hr - The Ultimate Window Cleaning Marketing Guide" is officially coming off the market tomorrow, September 8th, 2011, at 12:01pm (one minute after lunch). If you've been meaning to grab a copy, then do it today. After 12:01 tomorrow, it will be too late. Gone forever. EXTENDED till midnight tonight!!!

Here's a link to grab your copy: $600/hr - Official Hardcover Edition by Kevin Dubrosky in Business & Economics (And use coupon code "SEPTEMBER" to save 20%, too)

Just some of Kevin's reading material!

What people are saying (in the last few days) -

Kevin you were at the right time and the right place for me a few years back. I have appreciated your help and personal help with some of the stuff I was working on. What I most appreciated about your marketing expertise was seeing what we're all reading in real world application for a window cleaning business, not just broad theory and principle, a real first for sure. Your natural born talent combined with your learned talent will take you far in reaching your personal goals my friend.

This does not change my man-crush on Kevin.

I'd say good luck to you, Kevin, but I don't think it's necessary. With your determination and knowledge, I'm sure some exciting doors will open to you. Getting to know you has been my pleasure.

Good luck Kevin and I appreciate the time you have spent with me personally. You have taught me how to work less and earn more. Bravo...

Best of luck to you. I just purchased your book. I look foward to reading it and learning from it. Again best of luck to you. 

As always many thanks Kevin. Your many post's, and both books always made me think, (and with my block head, that's saying something).

You were more of an inspiration than you know. I enjoyed your book very much. Good luck with your new endeavors. You will be missed around here.

Awesome what you did in the industry. 

Is this ultimate example of what you encourage? Intense, thoughtful, targeted marketing leading to an exclusive brand (you), creating a need. With absolutely no sarcasm, its very smart, and its exactly what you encourage WC companies to do. Lead by example. Wish you the best.

Thank you for all your help. Though I don't think we got to visit one on one, you have really helped ones we both know. And you have been a positive influence with your posts.

Kevin, you've helped us a lot and definitely redirected my thinking more than once. You deserve to plot your future in the most feasible way to do what you encourage- "More income, less work". I'm happy to have met you in person twice and if we don't cross paths soon, I trust we will further down the road.
Thank you.

You will be missed for sure, it was a pleasure having you speak at national cleaning expo 2010.

Thanks, Kev. You've helped me out big time in this WC world.

Hey Kevin, sorry to see you leave WCR but I'm excited to see where your taking us next! You keep teaching marketing, and I'll keep learning from you.

The Luxury Glass Market

Walls of Glass

'Bigger is Still Better' in Luxury Market: Manufacturers see continued growth opportunities for high-end products. Spectacular homes often feature spectacular views. It’s no surprise that architects and owners want to maximize these views with walls of glass. Over the last few decades, door and window makers catering to this market have gone a step further, enabling owners to not only fully enjoy their views but bridge interior and exterior spaces with wide-opening door systems that can almost disappear.  

   

The luxury home market has demanded more glass to take advantage of beautiful views, with wide-opening doors systems, including these Weiland lift/slide doors.

The increased awareness and popularity of these lift/slide and bi-fold door products is still one of the biggest trends in the luxury home market, where “bigger is still better,” according to Chris Schamer, director of sales/principal at Quantum Windows & Doors Inc. in Everett, Wash. While the landscape has changed with an economic downturn that took its toll even on the healthy providers of these systems, more companies are now competing in the ultra-high end segment.

And despite the scale-back, luxury window and door business certainly didn’t disappear, reports Roy Zeluck, president of Zeluck Inc., a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based manufacturer that has long provided windows and doors for high-end homes. “Our potential market in the U.S. is probably 200 to 300 homes a year,” he states. “It doesn’t take a lot of jobs to make us happy.” This market is generally insulated from some of the ups and downs in the rest of the window and door business, but the last two years, the market have been more of a struggle, Zeluck continues. “We’ve been working hard to keep our factory busy and our people employed,” he states, attributing the challenge to a combination of market weakness and an influx of new competitors.

Weiland Sliding Doors & Windows in Oceanside, Calif., has been producing large-opening doors since 1986, primarily supplying luxury homes. For a long time, it was a very specialized business, reports Sue Weiland, CFO and owner. In 2002, the products started to gain momentum, with displays at the International Builders Show causing increased awareness. “That attention attracted more companies into the large door market,” she continues. “Then as the construction market dwindled, companies scrambled to find products and niches where they could still grow. That brought even more companies into this business.”

Popular in luxury homes, bi-fold doors such as these LaCantina Doors are moving into the broader housing market as the popularity of indoor/outdoor spaces increases.

Growth in Doors: The trend in wide-opening doors has been evident for about eight years, says Matt Power, president of LaCantina Doors, a manufacturer of folding doors with U.S.-based operations in Vista, Calif. He sees much of the company’s growth in recent years coming from the luxury home segment, and agrees this product segment is growing due to “the desire to create open spaces and enjoy the indoor/outdoor lifestyle." Doors that create large openings are fast becoming a standard feature in any luxury home, Power states. “The main demand we see about style is to maximize the amount of glass.” Noting the appeal of folding doors as a “wow” feature, he see significant growth potential both in the high end and ultimately also for the average homeowner, as the folding door is generally seen as the alternate to a standard patio slider.

Folding doors are well suited for more applications, agrees Steve Donner, GM at Weiland, pointing to remodeling. He sees continued growth for both types of wide-opening systems beyond the ultra-high-end, noting that “the pie is definitely getting bigger.” Beyond the luxury home segment, he points out that wide-opening doors provide a cost-effective approach to increasing living area. “You can take a 1,500-square-foot home and with a wide-opening door, you can add 700 square feet of living space.”

Donner also states, however, that despite the broadening of the market, lift/slide systems are likely to maintain their popularity in luxury homes. “They can better accommodate the larger and larger glass panels with minimal framing that these homeowners want.”

Walls of glass, like these produced by Quantum Windows, are standard in the luxury market, but these manufacturers emphasize the added level of service demanded as well.

High-End Opportunities: Large-opening door systems will increase in popularity among various price points, and luxury window and door producers continue to be encouraged about growth prospects in the luxury home market specifically. “We’re starting to see more signs of life,” reports Zeluck. “We’re encouraged because there are more projects to bid on.” The clientele in the luxury market has not been as negatively impacted by the economic downturn, but there was definitely some hesitation moving forward on projects over the past two or three years, Quantum's Schamer says. “We see it as a positive sign that some projects that were bid on already are coming to life.”

And despite the influx of competition, the companies that are focusing on the luxury home market are confident they will continue to thrive. “Most projects we get involved in want large expanses of glass,” notes Schamer, but the market demands more than wide opening lift/slide and folding systems, he adds. “The level of service required, the range of products delivered for these project—those are hard for the larger manufacturers to deliver.”

The larger manufacturers with R & D and other resources have been able to do a lot of things with products, but the level of customer service required in the luxury segment is still a challenge for them, agrees Weiland. “There’s a devotion to detail necessary." It’s a market that continues to grow more demanding, notes Zeluck. “People know what they want,” he explains. “They are spending more time with their plans, more time with their architects. You don’t see the constant stream of changes as the project progresses.”

Another trend these manufacturers agree on is the demand for more testing in high-end products. More jurisdictions require it before a door or window can be installed, and with custom products, it can become a challenge, Zeluck notes. Schamer agrees. “It is a real challenge for smaller companies—compared to the bigger guys—to get all the necessary testing done and make sure products meet all the changing code requirements. We have to put a lot of our recources into that.”

Donner also points to the increased emphasis on testing, but also suggests that some companies entering the market are not always equipped to meet all the code requirements. He points in particular to the flush mounted bottom track offered on his company’s doors which have been successfully tested. In the luxury market, homeowners don’t want to step over a bottom track, he explains, and meeting the test requirements with a flush track remains a key challenge for many door makers.

While wood and aluminum products dominate the wide-opening door business, Zeluck sees an increased demand for steel windows and doors in luxury homes. As a result, his company is introducing what he describes as a "revolutionary" new thermally-broken stainless steel product line. Steel is popular in both traditional and contemporary design, he reports. “Its thinner profiles—and more glass area—appeals to architects and their customers.”

Customers in this segment will continue to look for a whole array of options. “It’s not just the large-opening doors; it’s retracting screens, it’s solar panels,” Zeluck continues. His company has even supplied a door that sinks into an opening in the floor when not in use. “People like to have a special feature in the home that really stands out.”

Schamer agrees. He sees demand for switchable glasses and many other unique options in his company’s projects. Looking at the increased competition in this segment, he adds, “that’s not always a bad thing. It’s made us a better company. We’ve had to work much harder to become a more efficient organization. We now feel positioned to take advantage of a vast wealth of knowledge and experience to bring our clients greater value.”

Zeluck predicts that competition will continue to come into the upper-end segment, but says his company will focus on the ultra-high end. “You can’t get a Rolls Royce at a Buick price,” he says. Larger manufacturers can put a lot of resources into a product, but they will not be able to deliver the level of service and customization required in the top homes being built, he says.

Those companies focused on large opening doors, meanwhile, are looking at the broader market. “We see an increasing number of home designs incorporate at least one large door opening living areas as part of an indoor/outdoor lifestyle,” says LaCantina’s Power. “Our product is exciting for homeowners and often a focal feature of the home.”

In fact, homeowners will sometimes save money elsewhere on a window package just to have the large opening door, he notes. “Our product is just as appealing to create space in a home with a small courtyard as a large home with wide ocean or mountain views.”