Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: Kwackers on November 28, 2007, 06:08:08 pm
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Hello,
Just wondered what peoples experiences are this time of year.
I've done a couple of Leaflet drops that i didn't really get much from to be honest, so thinking of laying off it untill end of january.
I've got a part time job to cover expenses etc.
Thanks
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The phone is dead, the weather is bad, not much hope of new custom until march in my experience. People have more pressing financial pressures like xmas and then In January/ february paying back the credit card. When the sun sits low in the sky at he end of march/april then they will notice the state their windows are in and then the phone will ring and of course canvassing is more than worth it. Thats for residential work commercial work seems to come whenever no rhyme or reason.
Thats my experience of course. ;)
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Leaflets and canvassing can be done anytime of year.....IMHO.....I will be out tommorow putting out leaflets...aprox 200...
The thing about leaflets is that you never know who or when they will call...
Leaflets\word of mouth have brought me 104 new customers this year alone (I do not canvass)...I suppose the quick answer is ...leaflet and canvass all year long.
Dave.
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we still put them out aswell at this time of year I pick up loads of new work,
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Delivered 200 leaflets last week, cos the weather was too cold to be out...
Got 4 new customers and have had another 5 call me from word of mouth in the past week.
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In my experience there are customers out there all year round!
Doorknock, don't just leaflet!
Andy
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In my experience there are customers out there all year round!
Doorknock, don't just leaflet!
Andy
Andy I do very well from leaflet alone, dont have time to doorknock
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Andy I do very well from leaflet alone, dont have time to doorknock
We probably all have our favourite methods... I built my entire round by doorknocking.
Andy
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door knocking is definatly the quickest way to build up but i always have a steady trickle of work coming in from other various media.
always found it ok this time of year for canvassing just becareful of the one off clean brigade just before christmas ;)
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I also think door knocking is the quickest way to get custom (not always good custom) leaflets are slower than doorknocking but gives good results IMO.
I also get work from my websites, word of mouth ect etc.
Xmas brigade always get charged more this time of year regardless if I think they will cancel after christmas or not, if people do not pay the premium at this time of year they can wait 5 weeks and pay standard rates I do give them the choice, either way is fine with me.
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Last year when I hadn't long started I was putting out leaflets this time of year and got these new customers
Oct 19 new
Nov 18 new
Dec 9 new
Jan 17 new
Feb 14 new
Just around the Christmas week it dried up a bit but this was leaflets only, if you knock then you'll certainly get more but I prefered to just leaflet, don't even leaflet now and they still come in.
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i'm in my 4th year and the winter time has seemed the best time each year for me to pick up new work.
I do probably get more work the rest of year but the winter customers have been dedicated and better quality jobs.
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I've always found december's the worst time for new customers, I'd wait till january if I was you, otherwise you'll have to go back and target the same people again...
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Leaflets work best if you can find an estate that doesn't have a window cleaner or a very bad one and then post the leaflets through on a really sunny Saturday or Sunday late afternoon when the winter sun is highlighting the dirty windows. You do get more from door knocking though.
Simon.
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You never know how things will go with leaflets. Thats why I prefer them to door knocking. You can deliver a load of leaflets now and get a response weeks, months or even years later.
The best approach with leaflets is to deliver constantly a certain number every week say 250 or 300 and just keep banging away week after week. Don't worry about results, that will come.
Leaflets don't have to be flashy of expensive. I think they are better if they are not.
I find with door knocking you get more customers who say yes initially but a lot of them are air heads who lose interest or lack the commitment or the money and mess you about later.
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doing pretty good at this time of year with leaflets, as all the dole boys shiver and hibernate until spring, so i get and keep all their customers. ;D
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I have picked up loads of work in the past few weeks from door knocking, leafletting (weekends) and phone calls......this is a good way to get customers at \this time of year. Just open the phone book and start from a, 2 hours evry evening 6-8pm and believe me , you will have plenty of customers/quotes and referrals to keep you going til the spring.
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lol gazza
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just put out about 30 flyers without canvassing around my road this morning and got 1 so far- the guys says he doesnt know what to get his mother as a present, so he wants me to do her windows for a year or so.
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hi matt , what do you say on the phone to potential custies , i usually door knock but have often wondered how it would work with telesales cheers alan
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I have picked up loads of work in the past few weeks from door knocking, leafletting (weekends) and phone calls......this is a good way to get customers at \this time of year. Just open the phone book and start from a, 2 hours evry evening 6-8pm and believe me , you will have plenty of customers/quotes and referrals to keep you going til the spring.
Make sure you are on one of those phone tarriffs that gives you free calls after 6pm
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Another way is to ask your customers if any of their friends need a good window cleaner. We have picked up a fair bit with referrals.
Spruce
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hi matt , what do you say on the phone to potential custies , i usually door knock but have often wondered how it would work with telesales cheers alan
Hello Alan ,
Just say " Hello this is alan calling from a window CLEANING company called(name of your company) just calling to see if you need a w/c. If yes take their address and go and quote at the weekend , if you do it every night of the week you should have a list of quotes to do on a sat/sun.
Even though this is very much a scatter gun approach i have found it to be really successful , when you get a bite canvass the rest of the road ;D
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Hi All.
Jim here. I get customers all year round, even in winter. I find that the wording on the leaflet you drop through doors has a big impact on whether you get customers or not. Make the invitation seem urgent that they ring you right away-it works. If I run low on work I usually find guttercleaning goes down well in winter. I'm currently writeing a manual on the subject.
Every success
Jim :-X
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Hi All.
Jim here. I get customers all year round, even in winter. I find that the wording on the leaflet you drop through doors has a big impact on whether you get customers or not. Make the invitation seem urgent that they ring you right away-it works. If I run low on work I usually find guttercleaning goes down well in winter. I'm currently writeing a manual on the subject.Every success
Jim :-X
??????????
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I have tried both, and the door knocking is much more succesful. We are picking up about 3/4 a day at the moment, and quoting a number of others which hopefully will contact us in Jan.
Leaflets are worth doing, but following it up with door knocking works a treat.
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Leaflets work best if you can find an estate that doesn't have a window cleaner or a very bad one and then post the leaflets through on a really sunny Saturday or Sunday late afternoon when the winter sun is highlighting the dirty windows. You do get more from door knocking though.
Simon.
agree that sat, sunday late morning early afternoon is best time to leaflet, giving the letter box a little extra help closing so they come to the door for the leaflet.
Ian
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i found that local shops are a great place to put up a leaflet you know newsagents hairdressers etc. one leaflet goes a long way worked a treat for me got to the point that i had to go back and ask for them to be taken down in some areas
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i posted about 600 flyers today- took all day - lets see what happens
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I used to door knock but you never know if the side gate is padlocked when you do that (obviously you can't try it before you knock). So I drop leaflets instead these days. On the back of the leaflet I have the following:-
r we acknowledge that a good, reliable customer
deserves a quality, reliable service. Some
customers have been with us since the early
1990s. Let our record speak for itself.
the cleaning would normally take place at
approximately six weekly intervals
there would need to be reasonable access
around the outside of the property without
needing to make an appointment
it is the customer’s responsibility to ensure that
payment is made within fourteen days of the
clean as we do not return to make doorstep
collections
in order to supply the service in a reliable
manner, it is sometimes necessary to clean in
inclement weather
we take our responsibilities seriously and
endeavour to work in a manner that is safe for
both ourselves, the customer, and the public.
We also carry a public liability insurance
policy in the unlikely event that a problem
occurs.
The "r"s are bullet points on the flyer but it hasn't translated very well onto here. Note the third item down regarding access.
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Couldn't you sleep Shiner?
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Couldn't you sleep Shiner?
Woke up really early. Pottered around for an hour or so. Went back to sleep OK afterwards though. I find my sleep pattern can be quite erratic when I'm under stress - which I have been lately. It settles down again when I'm more relaxed.
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The "r"s are bullet points on the flyer but it hasn't translated very well onto here. Note the third item down regarding access.
Oh, right I see, I fort u woz troin to zound wezt counttree loike ;D
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i posted about 600 flyers today- took all day - lets see what happens
1 new customer so far through posting these flyers in 2 days - they used my flyer by going through my website to get a quote.