[andy east sussex]

finally phone has started ringing not to much but has started so from now on should have to work coming in also the more carpets jobs i do the more windows i could possibly pick up so long as the jobs keep coming out great

[Sunshine/Cleaning]

It can often take 5-6 exposures to any advertising to start to notice it. Repeat advertising is the key.

I would seed an area 4 or 5 times, then you will notice better results. Also park your sign written van in that area while you leaflet drop and at any other times you can.

[Ian_Giles]

If you really want to pick up window cleaning ten bite the bullet, get up off your arse and start knocking on doors, you ain't going to build a business just on leafleting, no way no how.

Don't believe anything anybody says, you will NOT build a worthwhile business with just leaflets.

If you can pluck up the courage - and I presume it can only be because you dread the idea of knocking on doors and getting constantly rebuffed all the time - and get out their and canvass properly you can build the basis for a decent round in just a few months.
When I first started, within 3 months I had a fair size round, within 6 months it was a 2 man round......and NOT A SINGLE LEAFLET USED.

Get out there and start selling yourself!!!!

Better still, if you are married or have a girlfriend, take her with you too, one does one side of the street and one does the other, make it a competition to see who can knock on the most doors and pick up the most work!
The knock backs are much easier to take when you have someone with you.

I always hated that first hour or two of the day, but after that I couldn't wait to take on a new street or area.

Leaflets are like seeds, they need watering, and for leaflets that means nurturing them by following up with knocking on doors, otherwise, just like seeds sown on barren ground, they wither and die/get screwed up and chucked in the bin!!

Ian

[Steve CM]

well said Ian

[Ian101]

Totally agree with Ian.

I have leafleted a street which had filthy windows - result no calls nowt nothing nill zilch zero ... u get the idea

Went there for the 1st time to do a couple of houses (bought the work in hence the 1st time I had personally cleaned there) and had 3 seperate people come up to me asking for theirs to be done next .... all said cant find a windy "what about the leaflet I posted last week thru your door ?" all gave blank looks ... can only guess its the herd instinct or people like to see what you look like ??

[Craig 72]

Sorry but disagree with the statement that you can't build a round on leaflets alone.I've barely knocked on any doors since I started about 16 months ago and am more than pleased with the how things are going and the amount of customers I have got.I would agree with what Gazzasp8 says-too much info on one leaflet.Change the leaftlet and keep it simple with a big 'WINDOW CLEANER' title.Thats not to say you won't get better results with door knocking,just using myself as an example of somebody who has built a reasonable (and growing constantly) round primarily with leaflets.

[Steven Shoreditch]

What a load of rubbish!

If you ain't established by now, you never (or unlikely in the extreme) will be as this is a game that most successful people got into five years ago.

Forget knocking doors - that's another losers game.

And forget about being a supplier of w/c products either, as that's a game well and truly over now Omnipole etc have taken the market.

Try envelope stuffing instead - at least you can have  few beers while doing that.

[Steven Shoreditch]

He's an expert w/c you know!

[Ian_Giles]

SSWC is correct...I AM an expert in window cleaning (Even if he was sticking his tongue in his cheek with his condescending reply) and if I'm not then I should be after 27 o years in this game.

I am not dismissing leaflets, they can work, but even the very best designed ones will have a relatively low return unless followed up with a knock on the door.

I hated with a vengeance knocking on doors, I did so initially to build my round and got very good at it, when I was doing it all the time it was fine, but as time passed my enthusiasm for it waned to the point where the times arose when I should have gone out knocking on doors (such as when taking on someone else and needing to expand a little) I took the easy route and tried a major leafletting method, then because returns were so low went back to door knocking.
Don't get me wrong, if you don't do it right you won't get much work door knocking either!
Go out unshaved, scruffy, fag hanging out the corner of your mouth, dour expression and exuding a total lack of belief in yourself then you will fail miserably, deservedly so.
I haven't the time this morning to try and detail the bits that I personally know that work (gotta clean some windows to try and earn a living!)
In my previous guise as a decorator, at one point I tried the leaflet route to try and get work (in a dry spell) with very little success.
Then paid one of the lads that was working for me at the time - he had more chops than a flock of sheep  - to go out knocking doors as he delivered leaflets....BOOM! He got me about a dozen leads after just a single morning of canvassing this way....unfortunately he was a useless decorator so had to sack him anyway.

When I was out knocking doors building my round I knew within seconds whether I had a shout of picking up a customer, if the husband answered the door and shouted back over his shoulder to ask the wife if she wanted a window cleaner I was half way back down the path before she'd even replied....but a different ball game if hubby answers the door to a pretty, smiling face and a heaving bosom! (and no, not Tosh in full drag either!!)
Hence why I mentioned having the wife or girlfriend along with you.

Out of time, work beckons.

Ian

[Dave Anderson]

Normally Ian is bang on the money...but as always there are exceptions to the rule...our business is healthy and doing well...not a single door knocked..all leaflets...not the most effective use of time agreed but it can be done...but it's a sub 0.5% success rate, the odd lucky strike but very low success/hit rate.

I moved to Holland and didn't speak much of the lingo so doorknocking was out of the question...so leaflets it was with the g/f taking calls.

Dave.

[steven ainger]

i also have built my round over 4 yrs, with virtually no leaflets dropped at all, or any doors knocked on..
 just word of mouth, website( homemade) and people see me and ask.
 it just takes longer this way.

[LQQK]

I would seed an area 4 or 5 times

'Seed'?

You inseminate your customers as well?

[Ian101]

Leafleting can work but takes a long time to get a decent sized round IMHO.

Ive tried just leafleting and get very few calls - about the 1-2% that most of us tend to mention in the various posts I have read on this subject.

My situation dictates that I need to get a round together and get it together very very very quickly.

Started June 19th  with 7 customers that I had put together part time bought about 21 off Bob to get me going and been canvassing / leafleting since last month.... now on 61 customers with only about 2 or 3 of them from a leaflet.

Also got a few by them seeing me out and about which is a catch 22 situation as you need customers to be out and about window cleaning but thats like a snowball effect again takes too long for my situation.

Door knocking works for me as my background was car sales for 23 years so Im used to talking to strangers from cold.

Canvassing does work but too slowly for me maybe right for others as not everyone wants to canvass strangers ..... whatever works for you personally is the right way

STOP PRESS ...... as I was typing last paragraph just got a phone call from a leaflet I dropped last week wants a conny clean quote and a window cleaning quote for a regular clean 

so like I was saying whatever works for you personally and also what time scale you need to work too.

Me personally I need a round of about 250 customers before the end of the year ... will I get there ?? yes I believe I will .... why ... cos I will do what needs to be done to get where I need to be by when I need to be there ... otherwise cant pay my bills and my reserves will have run out ..... cant beat motorvotion like that ! 

Its like the WFP v Trad debates we see from time to time both ways work as does Canvassing v Leafleting but its more to do with whats right for you and your situation.

Oh and a good mental attitude / outlook is the most important thing in fact without it you will not progress in this business. You gotta keep going even when youre down. I went on holiday to Jamacia last year these people will starve unless they get off their backsides and make things happen from selling fruit at the roadside, catching fish to sell / eat, to getting customers into their taxi's etc etc but they always smile and are always happy ... thats when i realised just how many oppertunities are out there and how easy we have it compared to others.

In summary if you want it / need it bad enough then you will get it .

Right spent far to long on here need to get out door knocking..... target for July was 30 new customers only on 19 at the moment so would love at least 2 today to get it down to single figures but fingers crossed for 4 or 5  ... KEEP GOING KIDDER as Les my 83 year old forecourt washer from my old employment would say ... now Les theres true inspiration but thats for another time !