Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Frequently Asked Questions & Useful Resources => Topic started by: ducky on August 13, 2006, 12:00:01 pm
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first night chaping doors.any hints or tips :)
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tonight?
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yes i think its the best time to get them in ;D
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ive never done a sunday before.I ve only done week nights.(or days)Is this your first time knocking?
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yes me and my mate are starting up hopeing to pick alot up i no it wont be easy :)
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when me and my mate started(january)we raked in untold work.But we are good at talking to people.Be confident,and get some good flyers,and it should come in nicely.However,try not to be disheartened if you go out one night and get nothing.good luck
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thanks mate flyers are done we are ready for good or bad ;D
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where bouts you from?
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glenrothes in fife scotland wher are u from :)
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gravesend kent.
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good money down ther ;D
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its never enough.let me know how you get on tonight
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Good luck ducky let us know how you get on, Im starting canvassing again, starting tomorow solid for a month every spare moment I have fingers crossed hope to get a few beauty's ;D ;D
Set yourself some targets and go for it mate.
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Same here.need to get a bit more work in.Been a bit lazy on the knocking front lately.Its not the most enjoyable thing to do
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Yea same ere FAST ONE (lazy syndrome :-\)
I need to crack on a bit its one of them things you just got to get into, I go at it sometimes all guns blazing then i might not knock on another door for a month or so.
Goals and Targets fellas stick at them, mine are set ;)
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thanks propole picket up £25 worth in two hours.we are going out tonight fingers crossed ;D ;D
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I am girding me loins to go knocking next week,have a couple of leads and want 40 jobs.Today I saw a very young WC working on a terrace and he was just cleaning glass,no detailing,tho to be fair he might have been squeegeeing so well it wasnt needed but I doubt it,no sill or frame wiping.
I leafleted a street about a month ago and didnt get a call but my quote was for windows and sills/frames but i didnt specify that and today thought anyone who had the leaflet probably thought I was overpriced.Realised today I am going to have to be specific re the price and what you get or dont get.Advantage of the cheapest option - ie glass only is quick but I like to do the sills/frames,just feel you give a better job but you have to get paid for it dont you.
So far have found you have to knock to get a start,once you get into a street you will pick up more as you go but it can be slow going,you gotta rattle them doors and ask,pain to do but thats the deal.
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Why put your price on your leaflet? Easier to explain what you do when people ring for a quote i believe.
Regards Rob.
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Why put your price on your leaflet? Easier to explain what you do when people ring for a quote i believe.
Regards Rob.
This is a way of undercutting people.
If a customer has a window cleaner and he charges £15 and someone puts a leaflet through the door for say £10, the chances are some of them will ring and say, "Hi, you put a ticket through my door for £10, I want to go ahead"
It is not the best practice as also the person putting the tickets through the door doesn't know what is involved around the backs etc....
Personally I have had this happen to me and it caused alot of problems. Luckily I managed to sort out the problems and only lost 3 jobs.
Trev
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Hi Trevor,
maybe crossed wires here as i was not suggesting to put prices on but meant he could explain he cleans frames/sills etc when people ask him to quote. This is my preferred method thats all.
Rob.
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No worries Rob,
I understand what you mean now.
Cheers,
Trev
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Why put your price on your leaflet? Easier to explain what you do when people ring for a quote i believe.
Regards Rob.
This is a way of undercutting people.
If a customer has a window cleaner and he charges £15 and someone puts a leaflet through the door for say £10, the chances are some of them will ring and say, "Hi, you put a ticket through my door for £10, I want to go ahead"
It is not the best practice as also the person putting the tickets through the door doesn't know what is involved around the backs etc....
Personally I have had this happen to me and it caused alot of problems. Luckily I managed to sort out the problems and only lost 3 jobs.
Trev
I see your point Trevor but I was not trying to undercut anyone,I had a lead which was this street was without a cleaner and they were desperate,I put the price on so that they could decide if they wanted me to do the job.I have since found out that there was someone doing that street but cheaper than my quote.If I had known there was a cleaner I would not have leafleted.
Did begin to canvass one street a couple of months ago,once again the lead was this street was desperate,no cleaner for ages etc so I go round and immediately realise there is an established cleaner and I am undercutting him,I immediately backed off and turned down the person who wanted me.
Problem round my way is am beginning to believe there are a lot of cowboy outfits doing it to supplement their benefits and they do a street here and there.Totally knacks my efforts to get a decent price.Plus you arent sure who is legit and who isnt.I suspect a lot of guys round here are not legit,just feel there are a lot of low key operators.As a resault I am thinking maybe I need a bold approach and broadcast I am legit,local,insured and reliable.
I was at a posh estate today where I had another lead-no cleaner -though one bloke i spoke to reckoned there was one,though he hasnt been for a while but I went in with a reasonable quote but cos these jokers do them for very little-then disappear-people get upset when you arent prepared to do it for nowt as well.Didnt like the estate anyway,lots of porches and difficult access (I am trad) and high gates causing problems to access the rear.Decided to leave it alone.
Went leaflet dropping in some terraced streets instead,2 phone calls and 2 jobs so far.
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Why put your price on your leaflet? Easier to explain what you do when people ring for a quote i believe.
Regards Rob.
This is a way of undercutting people.
It is not the best practice as also the person putting the tickets through the door doesn't know what is involved around the backs etc....
Trev
True though on my leaflets I do make it clear what a price is for,ie a house or quote another price for a conservatory,having said that you are dead right as you do need to go round and see exactly what is there.I mean it is ok if its a moderate conservatory but if it turned out to be massive I might be doing meself.
I have tried a mixture of approaches,quoting prices,not quoting,knocking etc.Am short of work for next week like but its not looking good on me campaign to expand though am going to try again tomorrow pm and Saturday so there is still time.Fingers crossed.
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Hi Captain,
Never walk away from an area or street just because there is another window cleaner operating. As long as when you door knock if they say they have a window cleaner then leave a card and walk away you will have no problems. I have yet to meet a window cleaner thats does an entire street, it just doesn't happen.
Go back to the lady that wanted your services and take her on your books, thats all fair game mate.
As for your prices comparing to other window cleaners, my advice would be to highlight on your literature that you are REGULAR, RELIABLE, INSURED, PROVIDE REFERENCES, CARE TAKEN WITH GARDENS, 12 MONTH SERVICE. Use bullet points to get your message accross that this is a legitimate business and not some fly-by-night.
I know it is a hard slog but keep going, the results will come eventually. Have you thought about offering your exisiting clients 25% off thier next clean if they introduce you to any of thier friends that need a window cleaner? I did this some years back and it worked well for me.
I am not convinced a price on a ticket is a good idea, thats only my opinion, if I picked that up on my door I would maybe think yeah right, whats the catch or even worse has he been in my garden?????
Keep it going and don't leave a door un-tapped.
Best wishes,
Trev
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Thanks for the advice and good wishes Trev,need them today,bad day door knocking and leafleting but I am new and learning all the time in terms of getting new customers and pricing.Up here people want it for nothing,the customers I have I feel value me,no complaints no lost customers,I am just becoming frustrated because I need to take on new customers and cant get them.Might be treading too warily as well but tomorrow is a new day,a new start and another dollar beckons so I try again.
One lady who I clean for introduced me to what she called two friends whcih gave me two good paying jobs,realised when I was there that she cleaned for them,did her next clean for nothing as a thankyou but it did occur to me that if I offered something along your lines it might pay off.My wife said I was too extravagant with that lady but I just appreciated her help you know.
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I Captain,
Have a good day today.
The lady that got you the work may be worth talking to about introducing you to people she knows need a window cleaner. I wouldn't clean her for free unless she rattled off a long list of names.
Best of luck,
Trev
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hi tam george is working for a company hes no time .i am calling it a day till november.saving very hard putting all spare money away.then i will start agin.how are u mate :) are u going to the metting in glasgow
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thanks tam u always make my day ;D
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yes i will be ther.is tam m going ;)
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Twc are you Tam K*%
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sorry guy's,
Please continue this event organising on the non related section.
Many thanks,
Trev
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Thanks Tam, much appreciated.
The thread was drifting away from its origin.
Many thanks,
Trev
Will delete these postings in next 24hrs