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lucymulligan

  • Posts: 84
canvas and they will call
« on: February 10, 2007, 05:07:15 pm »
today went out canvassing ..got loads of possitive responce but no one asked me to do it there and then (like i was all geared up to )
when can i expect the snowball to start rolling . one good thing though the welfare officer said they were going to put my card in the forces magazing that goes out to ALL the houses ...woo hoo free advertising ....yeah anyway anyone got any hints .....oh yeah how many scrim cloths do you take out on a round  ?
better to risk my neck for myself than break my back for some one else !!

dai

  • Posts: 3503
Re: canvas and they will call
« Reply #1 on: February 10, 2007, 05:20:16 pm »
oh yeah how many scrim cloths do you take out on a round  ?


I get through 6 a day, and that's if I'm doing bottoms only trad.

lucymulligan

  • Posts: 84
Re: canvas and they will call
« Reply #2 on: February 10, 2007, 05:23:41 pm »
DONT LAUGH ... i took one out today ... had to go home to get more (wont be doing that again)
better to risk my neck for myself than break my back for some one else !!

brett walker

  • Posts: 1943
Re: canvas and they will call
« Reply #3 on: February 10, 2007, 05:36:07 pm »
Hi lucy

welcome to the wonderful world of window cleaning, i use microfibre cloths for detailing keep 10 dry ones in my van and just change them over when they are wet.
Also keep a few spare scrims its always better to have too many rather than not enough

all the best  :)

Brett

pjulk

Re: canvas and they will call
« Reply #4 on: February 10, 2007, 07:52:41 pm »
Quote
today went out canvassing ..got loads of possitive responce but no one asked me to do it there and then

Maybe its you sale patter.

Put on here what you say when you canvass and maybe some of the chaps will be able to fine tune it for you.

You will get through a load of these every day as you are just starting up.

When you get the hang of it 3 a day should be enough.

Paul

lucymulligan

  • Posts: 84
Re: canvas and they will call
« Reply #5 on: February 10, 2007, 08:09:47 pm »
imagine a nice big street of brand new houses all occupied by army families

PITCH
knock knock
hello i live over there in arakan crecent , i am just looking to extend (got this tip from here ) my window cleaning round
i just wondered if you had a window cleaner ?
ANSWER 1.... LOOK LOVE I CLEAN ME OWN WINDOWS
ANSWER 2 ... YEAH GREAT CAN YOU LEAVE YOUR CARD
ANSWER 2 ...YEAH WE HAVE A WINDOW CLEANER ,HE CAME ROUND THREE MONTHS AGO, NEXT TIME HE COMES I`LL TELL HIM WE GOT SOMEONE ELSE.
ok thanks well heres my card ,you can always give me a shout at home or just call
card says that i am fully equipt fully insured friendly reliable regular and reasonable ....

better to risk my neck for myself than break my back for some one else !!

mike richardson

  • Posts: 259
Re: canvas and they will call
« Reply #6 on: February 10, 2007, 08:16:26 pm »
have you tried using old towels get then from the charity shop cheap,when i wwas trad cleaning i used about 40 per day now only use about 10 odd down odd door odd bungalow, get urself a wfp, its far better tahn a ladder,

WavieDavie

  • Posts: 951
Re: canvas and they will call
« Reply #7 on: February 11, 2007, 11:18:05 am »
ANSWER 2 ... YEAH GREAT CAN YOU LEAVE YOUR CARD
Of course. (hand over card) When would you like me to start? That's when you find out if they're just being polite to get rid of you!
If your question has Who Where What When Why or How in it, they have to respond. If you give them a choice of two dates they'll go for the second one nine times out of ten

ANSWER 2 ...YEAH WE HAVE A WINDOW CLEANER ,HE CAME ROUND THREE MONTHS AGO, NEXT TIME HE COMES I`LL TELL HIM WE GOT SOMEONE ELSE.
Didn't he leave his contact details? . . .  Three months? Between you and me, I don't think he's coming back, do you? You'll get a yes or no to that. When would you like me to start? . . .

Track down your local chamber of commerce and ask for details of any sales training courses coming up or hunt about here http://tinyurl.com/2jsrhb seems to be loads for free.

Corny but true - Good salespeople don't worry about getting a No, it means they're closer to the next Yes

You're a Scottish window-cleaner? Licensed or not, get yourself along to www.slwcn.org right now !

Davie Park
Dalzell Window Cleaning Service - Edinburgh www.windowscleaner.co.uk

Mike_G

  • Posts: 1500
Re: canvas and they will call
« Reply #8 on: February 11, 2007, 12:08:12 pm »
It is not often I use more than one scrim a day, in fact the only time I grab a dry one out of the van is when I drop it in my bucket. I have got about 3 in there just in case I leave one on a job and cannot be bothered to go back.

RO-Sheen

  • Posts: 1308
Re: canvas and they will call
« Reply #9 on: February 11, 2007, 01:36:32 pm »
Hi Lucy,
Before your advert goes into the Forces Magazine make sure it refers in it that you live on camp. I think this might help to get you biz.
In my case, I live in a housing estate and when I canvass I always mention that I live in the next street. Customers always seem to light up when I mention this. I dont know if it is because they feel safer with a neighbour doing their windows or is it that they just like to support a local business...
I also find that with me being Irish (Dubliner) If I knock on a door of a fellow countryman I will always get the Biz. I suppose it might be just a case of 'looking after your own kind'!!
Formerly known as GARGAAX

Re: canvas and they will call
« Reply #10 on: February 11, 2007, 03:24:10 pm »
You must be doing well RO-Sheen i hope your doing as you were told lol

williamx

Re: canvas and they will call
« Reply #11 on: February 11, 2007, 04:44:28 pm »
Lucy

Without being sexist, I think the main reason that you are not getting more work from door knocking is because you tell the householders that you are the window cleaner.

Even though today's society is supposed to be free from any form of bias to who you are, you will find that this is not the case.

Window cleaning has in the past always been done by men and that is what most house holders have ingrained in their brains.  So you could be the best shiner around, but because you are a women, this will put off a lot customers off, until they have tried your services and found that you can do the job, just as good or even better than any man.

The same apples to a lot of customers with regard to wfp cleaning. (because it a new method it can't be any better than my old cleaner with his scrim and bucket of water)

What you need to do is camouflage who is the cleaner, instead of saying on the door that you are the window cleaner say instead that you represent a window cleaner who is looking to expand into their area, then when you turn up to do the job, your workmanship should shine and sell you expertise  to your customer.

Tosh

Re: canvas and they will call
« Reply #12 on: February 11, 2007, 05:52:35 pm »
today went out canvassing ..got loads of possitive responce but no one asked me to do it there and then (like i was all geared up to )
when can i expect the snowball to start rolling . one good thing though the welfare officer said they were going to put my card in the forces magazing that goes out to ALL the houses ...woo hoo free advertising ....yeah anyway anyone got any hints .....oh yeah how many scrim cloths do you take out on a round  ?


Lucy, I'm ex-army and when I left I targetted the 'patch' where I used to live.

I've never met such a miserable bunch of customers in my life; as infantry squaddies and their daft wives.

They're rude, thick and weren't quick to pay.  Okay, they weren't all like this, but I experienced a greater percenatage of 'bad customers' than from my civilian areas.

In the end, I dropped the lot.

I hope you have better luck than me.


jeff1

  • Posts: 5855
Re: canvas and they will call
« Reply #13 on: February 11, 2007, 06:38:41 pm »
Lucy

Without being sexist, I think the main reason that you are not getting more work from door knocking is because you tell the householders that you are the window cleaner.

Even though today's society is supposed to be free from any form of bias to who you are, you will find that this is not the case.

Window cleaning has in the past always been done by men and that is what most house holders have ingrained in their brains.  So you could be the best shiner around, but because you are a women, this will put off a lot customers off, until they have tried your services and found that you can do the job, just as good or even better than any man.

The same apples to a lot of customers with regard to wfp cleaning. (because it a new method it can't be any better than my old cleaner with his scrim and bucket of water)

What you need to do is camouflage who is the cleaner, instead of saying on the door that you are the window cleaner say instead that you represent a window cleaner who is looking to expand into their area, then when you turn up to do the job, your workmanship should shine and sell you expertise  to your customer.
William I'm sorry dude, but I have to disagree with your statement, most of our customers are the lady of the house, and when I take my boss(wife) out with me, we tend to pick up more work, than I do when I'm on my own, women feel more safer if a woman wc approaches them, than some of us ugly buggers ;D.

Lucy, Tosh, is right were he says about getting your money from MOD customers, I do an estate of them by me, I have had problems in the past were they have asked me to do a final clean, before they move and these are the buggers that try to do a runner, if you do any finals on MOD's get your money up front, if you cant get your money up front and you go ahead with the clean, and you find they have done a runner on you, then your first port of call is the DHE on the estate,
explan what they have done, and I promise you they don't take lightly to it, I had it happen twice to me and ended up getting double my clean price, I had to wait a while but the DHE will sort it for you.

Were about in Hampshire are you? I'm sure there are a few guy's in your area willing to give you help and advice

Ian Lancaster

  • Posts: 2811
Re: canvas and they will call
« Reply #14 on: February 11, 2007, 06:40:47 pm »
Lucy: If you like you can e-mail me and I'll tell you how I do it - (nearly 40 yrs in the trade)

Ian

www.ianlancasterwindowcleaner.co.uk

lucymulligan

  • Posts: 84
Re: canvas and they will call
« Reply #15 on: February 11, 2007, 07:15:54 pm »
yeasterday i canvassed all day after doing some cleans, like someone said ,it is good that i live close by ( i have been mentioning it ) i got a possitive response but no bookings... should i follow this up with a call next week saying that i had been before and would they like to book a clean ....... as for being a female ....yeah bad in some bits but i think i could monopolise the old lady market as i think they may prefer a sweet girl like myself than some 6 ft bloke . anyway as someone already sussed (cough cough) i am in marchwood  ... this job for me is a choice , i dont actually have to work i just want to ,so if by the time i have made my money back that i have invested ,i am doing really bad i will just have to get another part time job ...BUT ireally have a good feeling that if i stick with it VERY SLOWLY it will start to snowball
better to risk my neck for myself than break my back for some one else !!

jeff1

  • Posts: 5855
Re: canvas and they will call
« Reply #16 on: February 11, 2007, 09:53:06 pm »
Lucy, stick with it, and you will get more work than you can handle, but you  have to work at it, as I'm sure you will. and it does take time to build up any sort of decent round.

Good luck I hope it all goes well for you, we are getting more and more Lady wc, so its not a mans trade anymore. ;)

Allways Cleaning

  • Posts: 216
Re: canvas and they will call
« Reply #17 on: February 11, 2007, 10:14:55 pm »
Lucy,
it may be worth spreading your wings and trying hythe, dibden etc. well woth a look.
Regards

lucymulligan

  • Posts: 84
Re: canvas and they will call
« Reply #18 on: February 12, 2007, 08:17:28 am »
husband says car is not insure for business purpouses ... guess i will have to start saving ( my hubby god bless him is a health n saftey ambassador  ) if thing go well then yeah will beach out ...definatley
better to risk my neck for myself than break my back for some one else !!

Customers4u

  • Posts: 165
Re: canvas and they will call
« Reply #19 on: February 12, 2007, 08:36:57 pm »
Hiya Lucy, its Paul Bass from doorknockers, i have employed lots of women and even my partner Karen still comes out, all the women who have doorknocked have found it much harder than the men, as Williamx has said.

I dont know if it will help you but the pitch we use is Hiya, just wondered if you have a window cleaner at the moment??

If they say yes i have, make your excuses and move on, if they say no, we generally say"would you like one??"

Another reason could purely down to how many window cleaners you have in your area, or how good they are or both!!

Our rule of thumb is move yourself every hour to a different zone, if you are struggling, Villages are generalling good hunting zones, best hours to call 4pm to 8pm.

Good Luck!!

Paul Bass

'Doorknockers'
Window cleaning rounds built to your exact requirements