[Davew]

I've been on this forum for several months now and picked up ninety percent of my knowledge and very grateful I am too. However I've reached a stage where it is very difficult to expand, next to impossible to pick up commercial because it's all covered. I have to compete with the dole scroungers, the established cleaners, the weather, and crappy customers. One things for sure - it ain't easy! Anyone starting out who gets tempted with the flash van and new system with a wonderful lease BEWARE. (I haven't) I was shown a system for well over twenty thousand pounds with a print off of the incredible earnings you could make with it. What a load of ****ocks. Same goes for anyone concidering a franchise.


Thats it I feel better now.

[jikwan]

dave
right on man
i think you got the right view
it aint easy  all commercial goes lightning fast because its highest earner
you want commercial--pay x3 x4 x5 monthly turnover  its modern life
and if i were a rumanian and desperate--id have a go at wc
undercut  what the hell?

[jikwan]

another thing
thers some v successfull wc out there  but its taken them years and years to get there  real success (generally, i think)
dont come easily +quickly
exept if you pay x4 for a really well priced round

[Davew]

And if the round is that good - why sell it?

[Davew]

It's my grumpy day today. I've had to work because I lost two days in the week. I've also had to do four houses in a row that were disgusting - dog poo everywhere , I've had to dissinfect my kit and hands everytime but I can't afford to bin them. Did another one that had discarded surgical gloves chucked around the back garden amongst all the other junk. People are disgusting sometimes! Then there are the BMW/Mercedes owners who haven't got two pennies to rub together and can't afford a cleaner........................ and to top it all it's chucking it down again!

[Clive McDonald]

I thought it was a good thought provoking post, not grumpy at all. We had a rash of people claiming £200 days for five hours between school collections but i think a lot of this was only if things fell right etc and they had the work.
The expansion issue is a problem, once you have leafleted everyone in your area, then what?
As you say unless you've got a sign writted van that looks the business and people see you buzzing about the area in a professional manner continually raising your profile and an awareness of both youself and what you do in your chosen area then you are stuffed.

I wanted to ask about Saturday working, I want to do this, do the customers mind?

[pylofm]

Were in the same boat Dave....I too have loads of 'spare time' in fact over the next two weeks I have 54quid of work and have 46% 'spare' capacity of work time.

Now I have just gone through my workload for the next 8weeks (I am mostly 8 weekly) and have looked at each day and area and have created a 'want' list.

So I have 2500 leaflets sat next to me which are going out in the area's/streets that I want work....and we'll see what happens...

But yes...starting is easy until you realise that the stories of 'I got 90 customers each month all paying 50quid for their 3 bed semi every 36 hours' is far from the truth....

I would imagine when you have been going for a number of years and just need to fill in the gaps during the year it is 'easy' but creating a round without 'help' is far from easy...infact I sometimes get down about it all but with that said...I too will be very busy and looking back and saying 'I am so glad I am a window cleaner' until then...its heads down and push push push

Dave

[Pat Purcell]

Davew, If you are running out of ideas on getting new customers, then why not try to offer more services to your existing customers , eg fascia cleaning, gutters, painting , anything that you can do to a professional quality

[Davew]

My vans signwritten, people tell me what a wonderful job I'm doing and say they have seen my van everywhere. I think I have only picked up one job through the van. One job with a local church directory. Maybe the wettest May and June since records began dosen't help and the interest rate going up. Windowcleaning is hardly a necessity after all.

[Clive McDonald]

Many posters on here struggle with round capacity after 10, 15, 20 years.

Think about brand awareness. They get the leaflet, then they say, oh yes i've seen him about, but for that to happen effectively you need the sign written van. £20,000 or not, that's how it works.

Forget the one job you can directly attribute to the van, I bet nearly everyone you speak to says they've seen you about. You have instant credibility and are trusted.

[jikwan]

youve had only 2 rainy days?  lucky you!
what we need is to be able express f words c words annd a few b ones too  cant do it
i got a fairly small round   10 houses up for sale
your complaints--i can match and beat
wc is a tough hard life but pays x2 x3 x4 more than the general working population
i honestly think you should go down the pub right now and down at least 10 pints
mon morning youll be bright as rain raring to go

[Davew]

Pat, good idea but I do that. Dave in Holland I always read your posts because your ahead of me and admire your persistance (I haven't even leafletted yet) Most would have cracked by now keep it up!

[Davew]

Saturday mornings - I have a few that can only be done at the weekends due to access problems - they work all week and I have to go through the house or garage to get to the back I don't mind too much but don't want it week in week out.

[pylofm]

Dave.....persistance (read - bull headed)...now whilst were talking about different idea's...has anyone created a referal scheme....now I am thinking about this but obviously we need to be careful of the wording to avoid giving away too much....does nayone have any past experiance with this type of 'scheme' and and advice...?

Dave.

[matt]

Dave, your post is about right

i spoke to some1 a few weeks ago who had a demo from a " system maker" and they told him he could be earning 500 quid a day without trying, this system would bring work in by the bucet load, the local council would phone him up and tell him to name his price to do the work

he knew me and knew i was allready WFP system user, he phoned me and after i stopped laughing we met at the local tesco's coffee shop abd had a chat

end result was he is building a van system and having his van "wrapped " and still saving ALOT of money, 22 K he was qouted fro van and system  :

i guess posts like this help others see the hype and the real world

[Clive McDonald]

Anyway you've shot yourself in the foot a bit Dave.

Haven't been going long, never leafleted, but having to work Saturdays to keep up.

Poor you.

[Davew]

      I havn't leafleted because looking at other posts it didn't look a very efficient way of gaining customers, so have stuck with canvassing. I had to work today as my earnings for the week would be worse than they are. I couldn't work for two aweful days (didn't think the customers would accept it). I'm learning.

[Clive McDonald]

 
Your original point was  what a hard game it is and how a false impression is painted of how easy it is to make a fortune.

[Davew]

Thats right.

[pjulk]

Rain Water Eco WFP Systems said -

The expansion issue is a problem, once you have leafleted everyone in your area, then what?

You leaflet them all again.
A lot of people will not respond to leaflets the first time you put them out but if you keep re- leafletting the same area's every month you will get a better responce.

Most people it takes 2 or 3 leaflets before they phone some it takes more.

keep putting them leaflets out and you will soon have a full workload.

Paul