Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: shaun Collier on April 21, 2008, 07:07:31 pm
-
hi all,
last time i cleaned windows was over 7 years ago, however business is not so good these days so back to the ladders (sorry guys but traditional really is the only way to keep domestic customers happy, this has been apparent when i knocked on doors of customers on prospective rounds i was intending to buy (all 3 converted to wfp 12 months ago but punters still not sure)). as i am struggling finding a satisfactory round, my question is, can a round still be canvassed or am i wasting my time printing flyers? has anybody recently successfully flyered a round up?
cheers
shaun
-
Hiya Shaun, welcome back to window cleaning ;D
Personally I don't think that fliers is the quickest way to build up a round from scratch. Far better IMO is to door knock (business card in hand) with your ladders around the corner....sort of canvassing and earning at the same time.
Tons of guys on this forum swear by wfp...and I'm sure that in many cases it's the dogs-nuts. But you're right when you say that customers take a while to get used to the concept...and some will never be converted...ever!
I think there's still a whole load of untapped biz out there, but it's a case of street pounding, door knocking and perseverance.
Good luck mate.
-
don't get me wrong guys, i'm not dissing wfp as i was one of the pioneers 8 years ago, couldn't afford (or wouldn't) to pay over £30,000 which is what they were charging in them days. i had an unger alloy pole and brush with two vw car washer jets on top a small 12v pump and an omnipole ro unit (which the bloke who owned omnipole was really nice, took pity and sold me a unit cheap from a stall at the nfmwgc show in blackpool) and two recycled 40 gallon blue tubs and a knackered series 2 landy, was great on commercial but domestic punters just wouldn't accept it. this is obviously still the case as the rounds i have looked at HAVE lost a lot of customers to traditional, so i did a bit of door knocking on existing customers and lost customers to find that they just was not happy about wfp at all, maybe its different in different parts of the country but it seems they are only happy to look out and see a brilliantly clean squeegeed window than looking in with a reasonable window but clean frames...i know...but that was the general consensus and seems to be a reasonable argument for why there are so many systems up for sale dirt cheap. another question guys is it reasonable to be expecting to earn £150 a day as 7 years ago i was doing on average £90 to £100 a day
cheers guys
-
were are you from shaun
-
rossendale y?
cheers
-
try going in to browns ladders in brierfield window cleaners addvertise there rounds for sale there
-
Excuse me ::)
Most of my customers have excepted WFP. Maybe the houses you have knocked, had a bad WFP user.
If you believe some of the post on here you will see you can earn gazillions every day WFP but not trad ;D
Bob
-
I`m not knocking you in anyway but in not to long i can`t see people wanting to work traditionally,anyone new coming in to our job would never consider using ladders allday long not anymore.I use my squeeggee daily but i can`t ever imagine just using ladders again,you can convert or build a round of mainly WFP but it might take you a bit longer,just think how much easier it would be once you`d established a customer base of mainly WFP customers.Working trad allday month in year out takes it`s toll on you and your body,as omnipole say in there adverts i now get home pleasently tired and not dreading tomorrow.
-
Hi Shaun
I started about last July/August. I had some regular 'call me if you need a cleaner' leaflets made up and put a few out. The response was abismal. Another user on this forum suggested I try a different style of leaflet. Basically the customer leaves it in their window within 3 days of you dropping it if they want a cleaner.
I have had a fraction over 10000 dropped, covering the same areas twice and I now have a round of 210 monthly customers with about 15 bi-monthly. I got a total of about 250 new accounts altogether but dropped about 15, was dropped by about 20 with the difference moving house. I would suggest you will keep about 80% of any new business upto the 6 month mark. I cannot comment any further than that yet.
I would have probably got the round together more quickly if I doorknocked but I didn't really want to go that route.
-
been into browns and that one in blackburn but they want 18:1 fortnightly 10:1 monthly and they are dog5hit rounds,i.e., what they picked up as they went along...no serious rounds
thanx tho
-
Leaflets no, doorknocking yes.
Really, that's THE way to build up your round.
-
davids3551,
thanx for that it sounds like there is a chance so it seems worth the risk. i too don't want to go down the door knocking route as i do look like a big bold grumpy git and this does come across when people are making first impressions but people do get over this first impression.
cheers
-
Stuff window cleaning! I reckon there's a market for giving courses in canvassing ;D
-
Shaun
If your customers don't like wfp and only want ladder cleaners and you are happy and safe with this then why not.
As for earning £150 per day, if you charge a minimum price of £10 per house, then £150 is quite realistic.
If my customers wanted me to clean with a ladder instead of a wfp system then I would charge them more.
The reasons I would tell then is firstly a wfp system is quicker than ladder work, and if you want to be earning on the same level, then you need to charge more for the slower method.
Secondly, ladder work is more risky than wfp cleaning and if window cleaners who abseil or use cradles can charge more for the risk factor, then why not ladder cleaners.
If the customer is interested in your safety, then paying a premium shouldn't be a problem.
-
thats a fair point but in reality customers are pretty thoughtless and probably wouldn't see it that way
cheers
-
A pal of mine's been door knocking for two an a half months and already has a trad round worth 200/week. So it's still possible.
As regards the WFP issue, I've had numerous people ask me to clean there windows because I'm using it both for the safety issue and the excellent job in does in cleaning fromes and windows. Just last week I had a customer tell me she's watched the 'Guys over the road' (Trad) and decided she'd rather have the WFP method. Filthy frames came up a treat. She was well happy.
-
perhaps you guys are right and the guys who are doing the work are doing a bad job, therefore a bad job can be done by both ergo a good job can also be done by both or perhaps lancastrians in particular are not ready for it... judging by the other posts on here this is not an easily settled argument and i don't really want to get into on this post. with regards to guys answering my original question thanks.
cheers
shaun
-
Shaun,
I was unsure but have just invested in a sill brush and watta difference. I could see the dirt coming off the window sill and I thought I had been doing them good untill then DOH.
I do the bottoms Trad so always look good but the tops i know now are also good. Technology improves and therefore we can do a better job then we could do years ago.
As for building up a round still door knocking for me
I drop leaflets in a couple of streets then follow up the next day
Hope it goes well for ya
regards J
-
I'm pretty much in the same position as you are. building up my round.
I don't know that it's the best way, but it's getting results.
I spend about 30 to 40 minutes a day leafleting most mornings.
The Lion's share of the day is spent cleaning windows.
The evening is spent going back to the houses I've leafleted 2 or 3 days previosly and canvassing for the next few days work.
Every day is spent with some time working IN the business and some time is spent working ON the business.
So, yes, rounds CAN be canvassed.
Also, spend a little time with people. They WILL tell their friends and you WILL get more business from them.
-
All depends if you want to be earning from day 1 or not
-
i started again in june last year after years not w/c and i have built a round mixture of trad and wfp and i never canvassed i just leafleted but it took time and if i was doing it again i would door knock. also took as many free listings on the net as i could find and this still brings business in regulary
-
I don't know how much a newbie's advice is worth, but here goes anyway:
Get out canvassing and aim to earn from day 1 or 2.
Don't spend too much time thinking. It's called analysis paralysis. You keep on thinking up new ideas and forseeing problems.
Just get out there and do it. Then do it some more. It's a learning process and no-one knows it all. What works for one won't always work for another. What works in one street will bomb in another.
* Find out what works very well and do more of it.
* Find out what works quite well and improve it so it works very well.
* Find out what doesn't work and stop doing it.
I bought a trolley and then spent almost a month planning and thinking. A whole bl**dy month wasted when I should have been out there getting the job done.
Now I'm out every day doing it, I'm making loads of mistakes and getting in a right mess, but it's better every single day.
(One day, I left my Caution sign at one house, left my broom at another house and my hard hat at a third house. Now I have a check list taped to the inside of the van door. Not left anything behind since.)
As you're starting from scratch, there should be no question about trad or WFP. You choose and you'll get the customers. For myself, it's wfp or nothing. Prospect likes what you offer? Becomes a customer. Prospect doesn't like it? Don't sweat it, just go on to the next prospect.
Don't think of it as canvassing - think of it as prospecting. You've got to shift a whole load of base rock to find those few nuggets. The faster you shift the base, the faster you'll get to the gold.
-
A very good post Michael....
But please, if this thread turns into a trad v WFP it will be locked.
Ian
-
I'm canvessing mine, been going 5 weeks now and I'm really pleased. Door knocking really works. Yes it takes longer and you dont get round too many (well I dont) but up to now Ive had a 10% + conversion rate. Have never done trad, am WFP and everybody seems to be accepting no complaints or problems yet (although one or two commercial jobs are now asking for insides as well, which I did trad method - again no complaints or problems)- mind I appreciate its early days yet.