Get listed in the Spick and Span Directory

Starting a window cleaning business - Equipment you need, suppliers to use and trade organisations to join, etc.

New Customer Cards

Posted by Silly_Philly (Philip Hanson  [Silly Philly]), 23 February 2004
If you are just starting up, and getting stuck into canvassing, here's a tip I have found works quite well:

Once you have spoken to a customer and arranged to clean the windows, its nice to give the customer something so that the arrangement is 'concrete'

I use a small card (10cm x 15cm) folded in half to make a little 'menu' style shape with "Welcome!" and our company logo on the front.

Inside is a little bit about our service, answers to commonly asked questions (such as "what if I'm not home?" etc)

Finally on the back there is space to jot down the details of your arrangement like so:

Price £...............
Frequency .................
Special Instructions ........................

Its nice to give your new customers something to show you're a proper business, and they will appreciate the solidity of the arrangement.

Philip

PS if anyone is interested I could send you the template.  (But not if you are in Bristol!)
Posted by sc (sc), 23 February 2004
Hi,

I'd like to have a look please. I'm not in Bristol.
scwindowcleaning@fsmail.net

Thanks.
Posted by denzle (Denzle), 23 February 2004
Phil,
I'd like to take a look as well.
 enqs@premierwindowcleaners.co.uk
I'm from Worcester  Wink
Many thanks
Denzle
Posted by WavieDavie (WavieDavie), 23 February 2004
Phil, I'd be grateful for a look at your card.

If you have MS Publisher, I can send you a copy of our cards. The front won't be of interest, but the back lets the customer know who did their windows, acts as a form of receipt, and lets them know when we'll be back for the next clean.
Posted by Silly_Philly (Philip Hanson  [Silly Philly]), 23 February 2004
Gosh lots of interest in these little cards, they're on their way to you all!

Tell me what you think, any feedback is appreciated.

[If anyone copies our logo I will NOT be amused.  

But none of you fellow pros would do that!  Please dont forward these templates to anyone, get them to ask me persoanlly and I'll send them myself.]

Philip
Posted by sc (sc), 23 February 2004
I've looked at your cards and think they are a good idea and will do something similar.

Do you always leave a postage paid envelope. How much do you pay for them. I charge £4-£6 for the average semi and I wouldn't like to increase my expenses.

Then again I bet you never have to spend a friday night money collecting, which is 2-3hrs not actually earning money. Do you clean windows fortnightly, I wouldn't think customers would be bothered to have to write a cheque every two weeks, then you'd have a problem chasing them up.

Steve
Posted by Silly_Philly (Philip Hanson  [Silly Philly]), 23 February 2004
Quote:
Do you always leave a postage paid envelope. How much do you pay for them.


Yes.  Our work is now in so many different areas, it would not be practical to collect.  The costing is as follows:

Envelope : 2.5p
Stamp : 20p (2nd class)
Printing : negligable

so about 23 p per envelope, we use about 12 per day.

So thats extra cost of £2.76 per day, for 5 days is £13.80.  I'd spend more than that on petrol if I were to collect, and not to mention the time it takes.

You have to educate customers with this method, and introduce it gradually.  I don't miss collecting at all.

All of our work is monthly or other monthly, so they've nearly always got around to paying up before you call again.

However, this bit of the card is peculiar to our business, if thats not what you do just delete that bit and put something else, like you'll call again at teatime or the weekend.

Philip


Posted by Pete_Riley (Pete_Riley), 23 February 2004
Could you please send me a copy phil cheers.
peteriley@fsmail.net
Posted by sc (sc), 23 February 2004
Phill,

envelopes sound cheap enough and I'll give it a try, but i don't think customers will be wanting to write a cheque every two weeks, and by the time 2nd class post gets to me I'll be cleaning the windows again. I think i'll try it with my monthly customers to begin with.

money behind the plant pot has got to be the best (when customers remember).

Steve.
Posted by WavieDavie (WavieDavie), 23 February 2004
Envelope : 2.5p
YOU PAID HOW MUCH?? Chech this link . . .
http://www.viking-direct.co.uk/(xx3jj3qvli0sek45kyteawrp)/catalogSku.aspx?id=1B02  Hmm, somehow the link doesn't come over complete, but just cut + paste it.

That's for a box of 1000 envelopes, there's dearer ones, but why bother. We use the DL window envelopes for sending out invoices and they're a tenner a thousand. Plus vat and P+P right enough, but you can claim it all back anyway.

Davie - Tight Scot, and proud of it!


Posted by Sunshine (Sunshine), 23 February 2004
This sounds like a brill idea....sent me a copy please to me messenger on this site.

Thanks

Sunshine
Posted by mickeyfat (VGC), 23 February 2004
HI can i have a copy plaese
Posted by shinebright (shinebright), 23 February 2004
Hi Phil,

please send me a copy.

I tell my customers that if I miss them after the second clean I will leave a S.A.E. this seems to work OK.

This is my script along with an S.A.E.

SHINEBRIGHT CLEANING SERVICES

Dear Customer,
We seem to keep missing each other when I call. Could you please forward a cheque for £     to cover the last    cleans in the stamped addressed envelope provided.

Please make cheques payable to “A. BRIGGS” and write your address on the back of your cheque so that I can allocate it to your account.

Many Thanks,

Adrian.


Regards,

Adrian.

Posted by trunk (trunk), 24 February 2004
Could you please send me a copy phil cheers.

ultracleaning01@hotmail.com
Posted by highwash (highwash), 24 February 2004
HI PHIL - THAT'S MORE LIKE WHAT A FORUM SHOULD BE LIKE-SHARING WELL WORKED IDEAS , NOT CRITICISING EVERYBODY ELSE. LIFES TOO SHORT TO BE NEGATIVE.WELL DONE! I LIKE TO THINK THAT I'VE POSTED SOME CONSTRUCTIVE COMMENTS. I DON'T DO MUCH RESIDENTIAL WORK BUT WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOUR CALLING CARD. THANKS  -  TERRY
www.highwashsystems.co.uk

Posted by Silly_Philly (Philip Hanson  [Silly Philly]), 24 February 2004
Remember, I can only send these by email as they're Word documents.  

If your email address isn't on your profile, you'll need to send me a private message with your email address, and you must be able to download attachments from it.

Philip
Posted by MB (Mark Betts), 24 February 2004
Phil

Can you send me one.


Thanks


Mark


Posted by mickeyfat (VGC), 24 February 2004
                                  Grin Grin GrinTHANKS FOR THE CARD SILLY
Grin Grin Grin
Posted by WavieDavie (WavieDavie), 24 February 2004
Likewise.

An excellent job - thanks Phil.
Posted by As-New_Cleaning (As-New_Cleaning), 24 February 2004

Hi Phil, can you send me one as well. Grin

Thanks

Darren
Posted by james44 (james44), 24 February 2004
hi  phil  i would like to have a look at your cards as well if you don`t mind  
Posted by james44 (james44), 24 February 2004
silly     thanks for the e-mail  the card look ideal  well thought  out
Posted by mickeyfat (VGC), 24 February 2004
could you send to me again silly
the file you sent me didnt seem to have anything on apart from a blue loga star thingy
thanks

might be me
but if you could se if in your heart to do it one more time it would be great as they seem to sound good

thanks again

VGC
Vince
Posted by WavieDavie (WavieDavie), 28 February 2004
A follow up to the postage side of things - just had a flyer in from Royal Mail which states . . .

1st class stamps remain the same, but 2nd class are going up from 20p to 21p on 1/4/04

What's a penny on the price of a stamp? 5% that's what!

So, if you go through a lot of stamps and want to be a bit sneaky/tightfisted, buy in your stamps, before 31/3/04, which are marked 2nd class and don't have the price on them.

A pound's a pound, and every penny's a prisoner!!

This page is a thread posted to the cleanitup forum at www.cleanitup.co.uk and archived here for reference. To jump to the archive index please follow this link.