[jeff1]

Thats a lot of leaflets Dave, for such little return, I hope the next batch is more fruitfull for you.
Your tag line give some good estamates, or they don't like clean windows in holland 

I do think the follow up Idea is the best way to go, if you post so many leaflets, and I hope you get some help, or you won't have anytime left to clean there windows.

Keep your tag line updated, it does make good reading.

cheers
Jeff

[Paul Coleman]

Hi Jeff,

 Now that you've went WFP and can sell the service on the  safety aspects, why not do some direct mailshots to offices, shops etc.. or mail all the cleaning companies in your area and see if they would be interested in your services.

Arthur

The safety aspect can work OK on commercial jobs but the average domestic customer does not appear interested in that I have found.
Commercial are interested in not being sued.  Domestic are interested in clean windows.  Over simplified maybe but that seems to be at the core of it.

[Paul Coleman]

Jeff as you can see from my tag line....I have delivered aprox 12k leaftlets and currently have 77 customers...I plan on delivering that amount again in the coming months....I am at the point that I am not starting to re-leaflet my area's

I have also used supermarket notice boards and these do not seem to have been too fruitfull but I continue to post these as it is free and any new business is good.

Leaflets combined with doorknocking has got to be the way to go, however I am just leafleting at the moment...for various reasons.

Cheers
Dave.

I used to have a job going around maintaining and updating supermarket notice boards for a company.  The first thing they told me was to remove all unpaid commercial advertising    .  The second thing they told me was to send any cards in that had a commercial ad so they could make contact and sell ad space on the board to the attempted advertiser.  Things have probably changed.  This was back in 1990 (a job I was made redundant from which led me into window cleaning).

[pylofm]

Yes Jeff 12k of leaflets is alot but my circumstances dictate that leaflets are my main avenue of getting the word out.

I am now starting to see more word of mouth customers coming along....I anticipate further growth in the spring and have set my target for a additional 100 customers by the end of 2007 (hopefully at the average rate I have at present).

I target semi's and larger type properties, I do have about 4 terraced house's and  will bump these when I am in a position to do so.

It is slow and I would dearly love to have the 100's and 100's that other w/c have but I also appreciate that this does take time and lets face it....customers come and go for various reasons...so I presume that most w/c continually seek additional customers...so it seems that it nevers ends.

Cheers
Dave.

[jeff1]

Am I right in thinking Dave, that you haven't been in Schijndel- Nederland long? I hope you do really well out there and make your fortune, keep us updated on your progress if not keep your Tag line updated, it really does make interesting reading.

Word of mouth is the best form of advertising, the more customers you get, the better your chances of customers talking.

Good Luck Dave!

[pylofm]

Yes Jeff I have not been in Holland that long and my Dutch is coming along but not enough to canvass...so at the moment I make do with the leaflets.

Will keep the tag line updated.

Cheers
Dave.

[jeff1]

That is an excellent way of doing it then Dave, make's a change for the brits to invade another country
Best of luck with it all then dave. hope the words are right on your flyers 

[simon knight]

Yes Jeff I have not been in Holland that long and my Dutch is coming along but not enough to canvass...so at the moment I make do with the leaflets.

Will keep the tag line updated.

Cheers
Dave.

I shouldn't let not being fluent in Dutch stop you canvassing. All the Dutch people I've ever met are pretty much fluent in English...and French...and German...and Italian...

Apparently Dutch is one of the hardest languages to master so hardly anybody tries. So for the Dutch to communicate with the outside world they have to learn languages. Good luck Dave...are you wearing clogs yet?

[Templar]

Plyform
What about a Dutch prompt sheet? you could canvass, usiing an ID with your photo and window cleaner on it, apologise in English for your poor command of the Dutch language, although you are trying and then using the prompt sheet which is written in dutch to go through the percieved benefits with your potential customer.

No one likes canvassing, even if you happen to be good at it and in your own language. I find that the more props I have indicating my proffesssionalism the better. Some photo's of you in action cleaning windows would also be good, as of course would having a business card handy.

Just an idea.

[Ian Lancaster]

I have two major methods  of generating new work:

          1: Yellow pages.  Works 24/7.   I advertise in two directories as the border between them is a mile to the east of me, and it costs me about £450 a year for both.  I get a steady trickle of enquiries and the adverts have usually paid for themselves by February/March (the directory comes out in November)

          2:  Leaflets FOLLOWED BY A VISIT WITHIN 2-3DAYS.  Return is about 15-20%.  Leaflets without follow up the return is 0.5-1%

People are LAZY.  They will look at your leaflet and say to themselves:  "That's good idea, I'll give him a call" and never do anything about it.  Knock on their door and they'll say:  "Oh, I saw your leaflet, I was going to call you".  - Bingo!!  You've made a sale.

It depends how much you want to expand your business.  Sit back and wait for it to come in and you'll wait forever, get off your a**e and go out to get it and the world's your oyster.

Cheers,

Ian

[Templar]

Of those that are actually in I get about 8%. I couldn't agree more with Ian Lancasters comments. I'm sure that Ian gets slapped down and knocked back too, as we all do, but the point is even if he has already got a good business, he still, like the rest of us needs the courage to step outside his comfort zone in order to achieve anything.