[Clive McDonald]

does he regret selling it?

Good question.Where's he at now?

[prestige cleaners]

well it was a franchise and the guy running it was sacked, so he initially asked if i wanted to be a franchisee or buy it outright, i agreed to be a franchisee, then realised i would be tied in forever at 10% i think it was, so decided to go on my own

although i had to re-sign write the van and change the company name, most custs stayed with me, and it was fine after the first 3 months of learning on the job and teaching myself!

hes doing well for himself, he has a load of franchisees in the west country.

[Clive McDonald]

Just out of interest, if i wanted to buy your business now, without padding to look big, what figures would be arguing about?

I think 15k was very cheap, but maybe it got him out of a hole.

[prestige cleaners]

Just out of interest, if i wanted to buy your business now, without padding to look big, what figures would be arguing about?

I think 15k was very cheap, but maybe it got him out of a hole.

i spose i could sell it for more as its worth a lot more now, or just sell the round for the same price and keep the van? although its stressful being self employed, i need to remind myself of the other options i.e, call centres, shops, factories or the dole.

so no at this point i wouldnt sell for any price as even £40k is only going to last me a year, what am i going to do after that?

[keen n clean]

Mark....what made me become a window cleaner? Aged 37, morgaged upto the hilt,just married and ....bang lost my job in aircraft industry(shopfloor c.n.c machinist) which i had been doing 22 years!!!dismissed for something i didnt do(set up!!!)..an on going tribunal due next year.
Got a job in all of places a chinesse supermarket!!!! to make ends meet....3 months of pure hell!!!!! and i racked and racked my brain and bumped into an old school buddy recently back from new zealand who 6 months earlier had set up water fed pole,so i went out with him did some research,went to bank and got a loan,brought van got kitted out with purefreedom 650ltr system got leaflets printed up ,van signwritting,marketing etc etc etc ...and in january 2010 (oh yes that one with the snow!!!!)went out and started door knocking!!!i picked up 42 customers that first month and thought this is what i should have done 20 years ago.....anyhow i have been trading for 10/11 months now and have a customer base of 245 which generates me between £500/£900 a week(depending on monthly/bi-monthly etc...)i am behind my projected end of year target which was to have a soild 300 customers ,but i have been put back a bit the last couple of weeks due to being in hospital with food poisoning(horrible!!!!!)i eventually will get to 400 customers which will generate £1200/£1500 a week thats my target anyway which in my book is top wages and only money i could have dreamed of little less than a year ago.Freedom,Fresh air,own boss and excellent wages.....................regrets,should have done it years ago!!!!!!!! and i would be morgage free...oh well at least i found out eventually!!!!!!!!!

Andy  

[Jimmy Jon]

Well done Andy (keen n Clean) great story and very inspirational, It seems like the best way is to just get out there and knock as many doors as you can. I would like to think that by this time next year I could build up a similar sized round to yourself through hard work and determination. Thanks 

[Martin-Swinscoe]

4 years ago i worked as a postman,
My Mrs nagged me left right and centre to clean our windows.BECAUSE WE COULDN'T GET A WINDOW CLEANER!
whilst up my borrowed old wooden ladders with a car scraper/squeegee with a bit of foam on the back. a elderly lady walked by "OOOO a window cleaner can you come and do mine ??"
Never thought much more or how much to charge etc (charged her £5).
Then about 2 weeks later a knock on the door " you cleaned my friends windows a couple of weeks ago can you do mine please?"
Now it's 2010 i have a  regular customer base of 450+ spread over a 5 week cycle and employ 1 young lad.
thank the lord for my wife's nagging and that lady walking past at that very time
or else i could still be on the Post lugging that great big heavy red bag for £170 a week.
From little acorns great oaks grow

[ant french]

i keep hearing about the door knocking but what if u dont have the confidence to knock doors? any tips on what to say or do, i did this other day and got some old biddy say damn off if i want a cleaner id ask ya, go clean crystal palace   so that shot my confidence, i did some flyer delivering today ( 80 flyers ) no come bks on them as of yet. 

[darren clarke]

i keep hearing about the door knocking but what if u dont have the confidence to knock doors? any tips on what to say or do, i did this other day and got some old biddy say damn off if i want a cleaner id ask ya, go clean crystal palace so that shot my confidence, i did some flyer delivering today ( 80 flyers ) no come bks on them as of yet.

just knock and say,

hi, sorry to bother you, i am starting a window cleaning around and was wondering if you would be interested?

thats all i say


its like chatting up women in a club, the more you talk too the more chance you have,   i started by knocking the  roughest council estate i could find, that i knew didnt have a window cleaner,  as picked up 2 days worth of work in 1 days knocking,  with every house your confidence grows

[ant french]

i keep hearing about the door knocking but what if u dont have the confidence to knock doors? any tips on what to say or do, i did this other day and got some old biddy say damn off if i want a cleaner id ask ya, go clean crystal palace so that shot my confidence, i did some flyer delivering today ( 80 flyers ) no come bks on them as of yet.

just knock and say,

hi, sorry to bother you, i am starting a window cleaning around and was wondering if you would be interested?

thats all i say


its like chatting up women in a club, the more you talk too the more chance you have,   i started by knocking the  roughest council estate i could find, that i knew didnt have a window cleaner,  as picked up 2 days worth of work in 1 days knocking,  with every house your confidence grows

sounds like a plan, hope it rains tomora so i can wack the water proofs on and test ya theory out. 

i dont chat women up in the club i use the internet to work my charm lol

[chopsie]

I just say, hi, do you need a window cleaner, simple. must admit its been many many months since i did it. coincidentally i had my best hit door knocking in january in all that snow. I went around a large ish village (well  it had more houses than i expected!) Most people were in because of the snow, and i picked up best part of 30 customers in two days of door knocking (not full days obviously), Up until recently it was still my biggest round, Funnily enough my old home town has overtaken it, and I was not going to even bother there as I perceived it to be all sewn up with a gang that came in from elsewhere.

[Ian101]

i keep hearing about the door knocking but what if u dont have the confidence to knock doors? any tips on what to say or do, i did this other day and got some old biddy say damn off if i want a cleaner id ask ya, go clean crystal palace   so that shot my confidence, i did some flyer delivering today ( 80 flyers ) no come bks on them as of yet. 

any nasty people just smile at them and laugh in their faces then walk away as for leaflets I found people wanted to see who they are dealing with ... in the past Ive leafleted a whole road that I was doing 4 houses in and got no response .... following month went back to do the usual 4 and had another 3 people ask me to do theirs next and all 3 said "oooo you cant get a window cleaner these days" ..... "did you not look at the leaflet I posted last month" I asked them ...... errrr what leaflets they all said ..... leaflets do work eventually but too slow for me and too slow for you by the sounds of it ..... get off yer bum and start knocking !!! ... what can they say to hurt you only NO ... big deal so what no one but urself can make you do it.

You need a plan and a target you can break down monthly .... weekly ... daily.

M8 ..... just get out there and knock    simples 

[Ian101]

If i set up my 1 day seminar "How to canvass - window cleaning" I will give you a shout. 

[Dave Anderson]

Ant...leaflets....

I moved to Holland and my Dutch was appalling....so leaflets were the way forward for me...girlfriend did the phone end..

Before anyone says 'well all the Dutch speak English'...well yes most do but they would be pretty miffed if you strolled up banged on the door and expected them to chat in English whilst your were trying to sell something.

Anyhow's...my round is built entirely from leaflets and word of mouth...80 leaflets is just not going to cut it....now get 20,000 through the letterboxes and your talking...

Personally I find a success rate from leaflets of sub 0.5% to be a good figure.  From time to time you'll hit a golden seam...but that's what it will be.

Get a map, mark every street you leaflet...then keep doing this for as long as it takes...it's just a numbers game...repeat, repeat , repeat...

But canvassing will get you the results far quicker...but it can be done with leaflets alone.

Cheers
Dave.

Good luck..

[keen n clean]

Well done Andy (keen n Clean) great story and very inspirational, It seems like the best way is to just get out there and knock as many doors as you can. I would like to think that by this time next year I could build up a similar sized round to yourself through hard work and determination. Thanks 

Its like this i have found.....you get out what you put in!!!! i have no doubt you will acheive your goals marc,i wish you all the success in the world ,but you dont need wishes ,just make it happen mate!!!