[Mr Sparkle]

Hi lads and lasses is it me or is it alot harder to get new customers than ever before?
Been out dropping loads of leaflets recently and my sucess rate is only about 1 new customer per 500 leaflets compared to about 10 new customers per 500 leaflets 3 years ago.
Is it just me or is everyone else finding it tough going getting new customers with leaflet dropping 

[Window Washers]

Hi lads and lasses is it me or is it alot harder to get new customers than ever before?
Been out dropping loads of leaflets recently and my sucess rate is only about 1 new customer per 500 leaflets compared to about 10 new customers per 500 leaflets 3 years ago.
Is it just me or is everyone else finding it tough going getting new customers with leaflet dropping 

it is getting harder and harder, the good thing is some will be giving up for this very reason 

[paul saunders]

I thought this was going to be a link to some cheap viagra.

[Ian101]

Not really no picked up 3 new jobs this week 60 monthly, 15 monthly and a 12 monthly

[mister bit]

Have you changed your leaflet? Are you offering promotion with each marketing campaign? Are you targeting the right areas? You've gone from a 2% return to a 0.2% return (which isn't bad) perhaps explore different media?

[Window Washers]

I thought this was going to be a link to some cheap viagra.

and is this why you clicked to read it   

[paul saunders]

I thought this was going to be a link to some cheap viagra.

and is this why you clicked to read it   

Of course.;D

[MWC]

Its because of the motto"dump em and replace with 10" 

[Perfect Windows]

I'm not finding it any harder than when I started two years ago.  If anything, I'm getting more business in from less effort out.

Vin

[wpclean]

If you follow up the leaflets with door knocking you will get a far better response.

[Sharpy]

If you follow up the leaflets with door knocking you will get a far better response.

Is this what you do?

Is it a simple case of "I left you a flyer on X day, and wondered if you were interested?" - so same as canvassing, but you've got half a foot in the door if they recall your flyer?

[wpclean]

When you call back on the leaflets dropped, is it amazing how many people say they were going to phone but forgot !

I find if you call back after leaflet drop within a few days the results are better.

[Londoner]

What you don't know is how many times they have been leafletted or canvassed in the recent past before you.

There are lots of new window cleaners out there. These are hard times, as long as you are getting some new customers keep bashing on hard at it now because I firmly believe its going to get a lot worse yet.

[roundbuilder]

Finding it as easy as ever. If you go and chase doors you will make some great catches still. With the amount of people moving, new builds going up, people dieing, window cleaner being rubbish, window cleaner stopping there is tonnes of work out there for grabs.

[C o z y]

When you call back on the leaflets dropped, is it amazing how many people say they were going to phone but forgot !

I find if you call back after leaflet drop within a few days the results are better.

Yep, works well for me too. When I follow up by knocking, I get a lot better return. It's easy to open the pitch with "Hi, did you get my flyer about window cleaning?" Whatever they say, you get a yes or no. Better than no response at all. Some people don't like phoning or don't like using e-mail etc etc. Who cares? Just leaflet and follow up.

[Splash 4 Cash]

Hi Mr Sparkle I wrote a thread a week on the same subject " Is our market over trade or is the market just shrinking. I firmly believe your observation is 100% CORRECT.Its really not rocket science. Lots of new winding coming through and more custies feeling the pinch. Some where the market must saturate.
     I do believe some are just lucky to work in area were folk are not loosing there jobs and still have disposable income.Some just started when times when were good.
      When I started I would get two customers from 100 leaflets this has dropped to 1 in 500 leaflet.
Door knocking was just amazing I could pick up 10-15 customers in on day.Its not like that any more.
The folk who have income also become afraid to spend as they have more to loose so spend less.
    All I can say stop encouraging  so many new window cleaner blindly as we have done in the past and tell the truth as to the state of your market and tell about the late payments and weather and so many other difficult days in the day of a windy.
   To the ones that will argue this fact, wait till  your market slows down and then you will wake up.
 I am waiting for the attack that will follow by the so many so call always doing great members( wunder Kint) we have on CIU.

[C o z y]

Good points made. However, a cleverer guy than me (Hard to believe I know   ) told me that when things are going pearshaped, to concentrate on what works and worry about what doesn't work later. If we have to work harder to get the same results, so be it. I doubt that many people have got onto window cleaning by just stumbling onto a forum like this. I would think that some people had the idea about getting started then may have looked online for more info and found some forums. That's always going to be the case. New pople will start this sort of thing in the future and that's the way it is.

I find it best to watch my own business and concentrate on getting it right, I spend no time at all looking over my shoulder. Takes the stress out of things, and that's why I got into this game, or one of the reasons anyway.

[Sharpy]

I think we need to be objective. It's not all doom and gloom.

Lets face facts, is anyone safe in any job these days? Even when you're under permanent employment with a successful company, theres always the threat of redundancy and the corporate axe hanging over everyones head. Because you're just a number. You can be constantly looking over your shoulder, worrying about been binned off, but isn't it better to just plough on and graft?

At least when you're self employed you're in charge of how far you want to take your work. You can decide how much or little you want to do.

Despite all of the negative points raised about people been skint, and there been loads of window cleaners. On the flip side, theres also a continually growing population, and a constant stream of new houses & offices been built. All of these buildings have windows, and many people want them cleaned. So just get out there?