Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: James Styles on June 22, 2019, 05:57:42 pm
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Had a window cleaner knock at you’re door canvassing or had window cleaning leaflet through the door?
Was just wondering as I was canvassing today and one door I knocked the lady said she had a window cleaner he lives next door, I already knocked that house to no answer and posted a leaflet hahaha.
It made me think, would it annoy you to receive a leaflet or have someone canvass you’re road?
Wouldn’t bother me to be honest as I know I do a good job and don’t rush jobs.
Further up the road I picked up a few customers who said he doesn’t turn up regularly and leaves the garden a mess, I don’t actually like taking customers but they were both adamant they wasn’t happy with him, was I right in taking them on?
When a person says they already have a window cleaner I just say ok thanks and move on but these two wanted quotes straight away and made it clear they wanted to be took on as customers before then telling me they have one but don’t like him.
Seems there’s loads of window cleaners in every area I canvass haha, I still do pick up customers though so my round is building steadily.
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Always worth knowing about your competitors. If you research it you will know where they live to avoid the embarrisment of not understanding your market well enough. Some will fall through the net and maybe off the grid, but they are not nothing to worry about and who cares if you knock their door if they make themselves invisible.
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It wouldn’t bother me but I would think what a stupid tw@t . I have a window cleaning van on the drive and someone knocks on my door asking if I need a window cleaner 🙄. Besides, all the other window cleaners know me and know where I live so there’s a slim chance it would happen anyway
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Yea. I had one approach me for my custom while I was doing a resin change on my driveway with some bits of equipment out. I looked at him puzzled. And asked if he was taking the pea. Think the penny dropped and he went as white as a sheep.
I was probably out of order but it just got my goat.
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I was cleaning on a road once and some lads posting flyers then I went round the back and once I’d finished and posted a payment card I seen they’re flyer in the porch!!
They’d come back while I was round the back and posted it through😂
Doesn’t bother me as I know I provide a great service even though I’m not the cheapest and if anyone ever wants to jump ship I’ll always replace them!
Being a local makes a big difference I find, my area of Stockport we get lads coming from as far as Oldham Bolton Wigan even liverpool and I get they’re jobs all the time not through advertising or knocking as I don’t but just word of mouth.
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Had a newbie starting up knock on our door a few years ago. He wasn't to know as both vans on the drive had no sign writing on them.
I spoke to him, had a nice chat, offered him any help if he needed it with wfp but I have never seen him in the area we work since. Often wondered what happened to him.
I suggested he dump the starting up sentence of "I'm a new window cleaner looking for work. Do you need a window cleaner?" to,
"I'm a window cleaner looking to grow my round and I would be happy to price up a regular window clean for you."
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It wouldn’t bother me but I would think what a stupid tw@t . I have a window cleaning van on the drive and someone knocks on my door asking if I need a window cleaner 🙄. Besides, all the other window cleaners know me and know where I live so there’s a slim chance it would happen anyway
There was no van or anything like that, if I seen a window cleaning van or even a car with signage saying window cleaner I obviously would not of knocked lol
he must of been out working as nobody answered so I posted a leaflet
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Bit off topic. But who would post a leaflet of knock a door still if the windows looked really clean and clear they have a good wc?
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When I first saw the title to this thread, I thought you were starting a Saturday night drinking game ;D ;D
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Bit off topic. But who would post a leaflet of knock a door still if the windows looked really clean and clear they have a good wc?
Guilty lol I still post a leaflet if nobody answers even if they look clean, maybe I shouldn’t, waste of a leaflet lol
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Never happened in my current house.
But when I was 20 odd and still living at home, my Mums husband answered the door to a window cleaner.
He said ‘do you need a window cleaner?’
Mums husband said ‘no, my wife’s son is one’
He looked at the windows, paused, and said ‘ok, does he ever clean them?’
😁
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I setup shop in 2003 but I had been working as a window cleaner before then as well. Over the years and esp when trad, I used a car for work, so nobody new to the area would know that I was a window cleaner. Didn't bother me neither, as I never work on my doorstep. In short, I've employed many a window cleaner to clean my own windows. It's the last thing I want to do before starting or finishing work and it stops the wife from asking me when I'm gonna do the windows again 😂.
So it's no skin of my nose if a shiner knocks on my door
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When I first saw the title to this thread, I thought you were starting a Saturday night drinking game ;D ;D
Absolutely, many a time it turns out the customer has been doing them because they can’t find a window cleaner or the current windy will not do sfg cleaning or they are trad and the windows over the Conny get missed.
NEVER JUDGE A POTENTIAL PROPERTY - leaflet and knock them all!
Darran
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It has never bothered me when I have seen other window cleaners canvassing (that's how most of us started), or had leaflets through my door.
I met one guy some years ago who was canvassing where I was working. He was very apologetic when he saw me, but I told him not to worry as there's enough work out there and to carry on regardless. I even pointed him to a house across the road who had approached me but rejected my quote.
John
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had 2-3 over the years canvass my house(s)
Funny how you notice every little thing when you are starting out.
Once you are full you dont care what others are doing as you have enough on trying to keep up with what you have got and the stress of not having enough turns into the stress of having too much and running yourself ragged trying to get round it all.
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I was leafletting when the lady of one house came down the drive so I gave her the leaflet....turns out her husband was a window cleaner......I now do the 2 houses either side.....guy has pulled up a couple of times on his drive whilst I have been doing his neighbours but he doesn't speak.......this is in Birkenshaw if anyone knows him.
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Think the penny dropped and he went as white as a sheep.
I was probably out of order but it just got my goat.
I'd have rammed his leaflet down his throat if I were ewe.
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i had a guy screech to a halt in front of one of my leafleters and threaten him if he carried on leafleting, then when the chap told him he worked for me, but wasn't Richard, the chap gave him a leaflet for his window cleaning business, and told him if we worked in his area he would come around my house and set my van on fire. ::)roll
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I was thinking about this thread today whilst working and I recalled a rookie mistake I made when I first started out as a young lad whilst in college.
I went canvassing and gained a few customers and so the next day I went round cleaning them and in the evening did some door knocking to get paid.
This big chap gave me a right mouthful! I had only gone n wrote the wrong number down and cleaned a chaps house who was a window cleaner! I couldn't apologise enough in between his cursing n shouting. I'm thankful that, that was all I got ;D
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i had a guy screech to a halt in front of one of my leafleters and threaten him if he carried on leafleting, then when the chap told him he worked for me, but wasn't Richard, the chap gave him a leaflet for his window cleaning business, and told him if we worked in his area he would come around my house and set my van on fire. ::)roll
Bloody hell thats very aggressive and over the top. Did you work round there or hear of him again?
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Think the penny dropped and he went as white as a sheep.
I was probably out of order but it just got my goat.
I'd have rammed his leaflet down his throat if I were ewe.
Why? Just tell him you are a window cleaner and don’t need him.
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Think the penny dropped and he went as white as a sheep.
I was probably out of order but it just got my goat.
I'd have rammed his leaflet down his throat if I were ewe.
Why? Just tell him you are a window cleaner and don’t need him.
I don't like crooks trying to pull the wool over my eyes and trying to fleece me >:(.
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Tell him to flock off.
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i had a guy screech to a halt in front of one of my leafleters and threaten him if he carried on leafleting, then when the chap told him he worked for me, but wasn't Richard, the chap gave him a leaflet for his window cleaning business, and told him if we worked in his area he would come around my house and set my van on fire. ::)roll
Bloody hell thats very aggressive and over the top. Did you work round there or hear of him again?
Yep we still work there.
I called the police and reported him. As he’s given us a leaflet we knew exactly who it was.
The police called him to the station and he had to write a letter to me apologising and saying he wouldn’t do it again. Funny eh!
I never heard from him again, but it was on the Wirral and when we started there we got quite a few windies calling us up moaning or shouting. His guy was the worst tho. What a plonker!
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I would have thought that the best place to canvass is in another windies street
I have always refused to poop on my own doorstep , too much grief
It’s funny as I now clean a fair few houses at my previous address!
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I've knocked a fellow windy's door canvassing before. Awkward but we laughed it off with a 'if you're too tired when you get in give me a ring' type of thing.
I've never had much in the way of 'turf wars' that you sometimes hear about as I always had the mindset of never stepping on another window cleaners toes and when I'm asked for a price I always ask do you have a window cleaner before giving a quote and politely declining if they do.
You'll be amazed at how many people are still out there who need one but don't, new people moving into the area, younger people who after spending their money on nights out, kids etc settling down and signing up to a service to keep the house in order like windows, gardening.
The people to avoid like the plague are the ones who tell you they had a window cleaner who mysteriously disappeared, 9 times out of 10 they're complete messers.
All part of the fun James, just remember to keep at it and don't give up as it'll take a good few years to get a round to where you want it to be, even then you'll need to replace customers moving away or older folks going into homes or deaths.
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Superb post Windy Miller , I totally relate to that , I’m 14 years in and still learn now and again .
I fear not though as I don’t need to actively seek new work now .
It’ll drop into place James , I am just remembering your first night on here ;D
Stick at it matey
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Thanks for the good advice guys, yeah my first night on here was bad :o, I feel I’ve came a long way in a short space of time, I did misread people, I was in a bad place in my life (still not fully out of it) and I took everything people were saying too defensively, I’ve learnt though there’s a lot of great people on this forum who have helped me so much, I don’t even use the other forum I just use this one, I like it a lot more.
My round is building nicely, nearly at 50 customers now, work is scheduled so much neater, I’m organised well and I feel I’m getting more confidence ;D