[TopGlass]

Yo

What time do you guys find is best to go out and go door knocking? I've been finding evenings and saturdays are best as most people seem to be in at those times.

I've kind of come to the concluson that leaflets aren't working quite as well as door knocking, but saying that, I dropped some leaflets yesterday in these massive houses near me. Most of them have got those electric gates, and you should see the cars that these people have got!! One house had at least thirty windows just on the front, I'm hoping to get at least one reply, it could be big money!!

Daz

[PabloNeruda]

Good luck Daz!!! I'm shortly getting my first load of flyers printed up, then I'll be out knocking!!! (after my starter pack arrives and I find an A-Frame ladder!!!)

[Thecleanerservice]

Yo

What time do you guys find is best to go out and go door knocking? I've been finding evenings and saturdays are best as most people seem to be in at those times.

I've kind of come to the concluson that leaflets aren't working quite as well as door knocking, but saying that, I dropped some leaflets yesterday in these massive houses near me. Most of them have got those electric gates, and you should see the cars that these people have got!! One house had at least thirty windows just on the front, I'm hoping to get at least one reply, it could be big money!!

Daz

Hi topglass

Hope you get result but, don't always be tempted by the big fish, they don't always pay off.  lots of smaller ones bring just as good results financially, and if things don't work out with one you can stand the loss easier than a big one.
just a tip.

Pj

[Moderator David@stives]

Door knocking to me is a complete waste of time .because most people have already got a w\c and if not there is usually a reason why they haven`t .which you will usually find out why after a few cleans . Normally my cast offs ,you know the type (call back i think its about to rain  soon person and the like )also the work you pick up will be very staggered.
rounds do not sell for  x £0000 s for nothing .it is because most rounds have been established for decades and are normally compact with proven customers.
Think about it when you are well established would you like it if somebody kept taking all the newly built houses and people who have just moved into that empty house from right under your nose. in the end we will not have rounds anymore we will have all over the place thingy`s with at least 10 window cleaners on every street all cleaning 2 houses each. if milkmen did the same we would have a queue of milk floats coming down my street every morning

dave

[TopGlass]

Thats an Interesting point you make Dave, but to become well established you have to start somewhere!

I was out door knocking last night in this culdisac, (spelling?), and I knocked on one house and this lady answered and said they already had a w/c but if tried the long main road through the village they haven't got one and I'm sure to get someone! 

I've got 10 new customers and I was only there for an hour. Now I never would of found out about this road if I hadn't knocked on this ladys door!

The other good thing is that there's about another 200 houses to go!!

Daz

[Sir Squeaky]

You'll pick up far more while you're working.

I had some people come out and ask me, then realise I was the chap who called at the door recently.

Like me, they won't deal with people at their door.

Roger.

[Thecleanerservice]

Good point Squeaky

much better if they come and ask you, rather than the other way round..You get a psychological advantage.
They need you more than you need them = you set the price.
You need them more than they need you= they set the price.
Doesn't all work that way, we all have to do some touting somehow.  We're a service.
Pj

[windows_chepstow]

Today we did 14 new cleans in one street where the previous window cleaner has just dumped the round.  All small terraced houses; easy access, 3 windows with a door front and rear.

I charge each one £7.00; (yeh yeh to those with a tenner minimum charge), but I reckon we can knock each one out in ten minutes, and it's the sort of place inhabited by senior citizens who pay for their neighbors who're out getting their pensions.

However, it was one of my new customers who knocked her friends doors in this street, in the hope that if I got enough busniness there, I'd stick around.  I tried to give her a free clean but she was admant that I take the money as she'd not paid a window cleaner in months.

Now you can't get better than that; a 'self-canvassing customer'.

[Dean Taberner]

6pmish.

[deeege]

Early start or late night Dean?

[formb]

If you are getting up before 6am to trawl through 200 year old posts on CIU; something ain't right.

[Dean Taberner]

Early start,

I had 6 hot dogs and a skin full of scrumpy before I went to bed last night and woke up at 4.30am with chronic heartburn. 

[Tom White]

Early start,

I had 6 hot dogs and a skin full of scrumpy before I went to bed last night and woke up at 4.30am with chronic heartburn. 

You're going to have chronic heart problems - not just a bit of heartburn - if you carry on like that.

[Dean Taberner]

I'm back on the rails from monday tosh,

I'm starting caveman training at our local centre.



http://www.cavemantraining.info/

[Michael Peterson]

that caveman training looks quality

[PoleKing]

I know a guy who did something like that.
He's just fat.

Harder than it looks bud.
Genuinely all the best with it though.

[Philip Osborne]

Obviously not a current window cleaner, as you can see, but I used to be, and most of my mates are.

In principle, I agree with the guys saying that you get better customers from those who approach you, and you want a compact round not a few houses in each street ... in an ideal world that would be great ... but you've got to start somewhere ... you probably can't afford to spend £000s on a ready round, and if you haven't got any customers, how are you meant to get neighbours popping out to see you?  Just park the van in the street and hope for the best?

Canvassing is still the best way to get started ... and, despite making my money from printing leaflets, leaflet drops alone don't work!  Call ... speak to them ... even if they're interested, they won't agree to anything there and then because most people are too wary of that these days, but they'll remember you because they've actually spoke to you and you've (hopefully) given them a good quote ... so then leave them a leaflet with all your contact details and the quote in writing and you'll probably have an answering machine full of messages by the time you get home!

Definitely any time after the school run is good ... and not too late so that people don't want to answer the door ... from 4pm till 7pm (or possibly 8pm in the summer months) is my top time for canvassing!

[simonr]

Door knocking to me is a complete waste of time .because most people have already got a w\c and if not there is usually a reason why they haven`t .which you will usually find out why after a few cleans . Normally my cast offs ,you know the type (call back i think its about to rain  soon person and the like )also the work you pick up will be very staggered.
rounds do not sell for  x £0000 s for nothing .it is because most rounds have been established for decades and are normally compact with proven customers.
Think about it when you are well established would you like it if somebody kept taking all the newly built houses and people who have just moved into that empty house from right under your nose. in the end we will not have rounds anymore we will have all over the place thingy`s with at least 10 window cleaners on every street all cleaning 2 houses each. if milkmen did the same we would have a queue of milk floats coming down my street every morning

dave

so how did you start then?  just standing around & all these customers came legging it up to you cos you looked like such a good window cleaner ?

[roundbuilder]

Door knocking to me is a complete waste of time .because most people have already got a w\c and if not there is usually a reason why they haven`t .which you will usually find out why after a few cleans . Normally my cast offs ,you know the type (call back i think its about to rain  soon person and the like )also the work you pick up will be very staggered.
rounds do not sell for  x £0000 s for nothing .it is because most rounds have been established for decades and are normally compact with proven customers.
Think about it when you are well established would you like it if somebody kept taking all the newly built houses and people who have just moved into that empty house from right under your nose. in the end we will not have rounds anymore we will have all over the place thingy`s with at least 10 window cleaners on every street all cleaning 2 houses each. if milkmen did the same we would have a queue of milk floats coming down my street every morning

dave

so how did you start then?  just standing around & all these customers came legging it up to you cos you looked like such a good window cleaner ?

What a load of rubbish. Built all i have from canvassing apart from the odd stuff i have bought here and there.

[HampshireWindowCleaning]

I agree, that guy is talking out his arsehol, canvassing is THE only way to build a round fast.
I've built nearly an entire round in under a year from constant hard canvassing.
Yes you get a lot of crap and a lot of messers but i've dumped them as i've gone along and replaced them with good custies, I don't have much compact work but i'm still making a good daily wage as i've priced high, I do a great job, and over time i'm sure I will get my round a bit tighter as I pick up a few of my customers neighbours.