Signing new customers up

[mumofone]

I just wondered how in advance you do contracts and deposits and sign new customers up? Lots of my queries are for the future but is this just the way it is?

[chris goodyear]

I never do more than 3 months ahead and that's the absolute maximum time. Used to tie myself in knots guessing what might happen in the future so now I take it as it comes.

[AliceK]

If I know I will have a space at a certain time then I will sign someone up with a deposit. I already have someone who knows I will have an early years space NEXT Sept due to a current child moving to school and they have booked that space.
If I have a current space then the probability is that I cannot afford to keep it open unpaid for very long so I would want someone who can start within 4 - 6 weeks max.

xx

[BallyH]

The shortest time is 3 weeks before start and the longest is 1 year before starting. Both families known to me.

[samb]

I have mixed feeling about this as I always say if longer than 4 weeks in advance I will charge a retainer to keep the space open but I never do as most of the time I am signing contracts for when someone is due to naturally leave my setting. However something always seems to happen like a current family wish to change their hours which means I cannot accommodate the new ones hours or the one I think will stay with me those 8 months or so til they start school suddenly announce they are moving house and off they go. Can't really turn around to one who isn't paying anything and say you need to pay now as someone has left. So I am wondering about just not signing any sort of contracts until at least 6 weeks before. But then so many people want to know that they have their care lined up so would surely go elsewhere to someone that can guarantee the space? Really tough. It is a risk.