[Davo]

Probably one of the most important aspects of running and building a successful business, however it seems, for many, the part they disslike the most.

What do you find helps you achieve success in this part of your business?


I find that attitude plays a very large part, being relaxed and friendly. Nothing puts off customers more than someone who is nervous and unsure of themselves on the door.

Preparation, know what you need to say, know what your customers want, and make sure you let them know you can provide what they want.




Mark

[bluez]

I would really love to be able to hand this side of my business over to an outside company but There are none that I am aware of in Ireland and there are lots of issues with how it is done for you.

I hate canvassing, but when I have to I only do it when I am feeling very confident.

[simon knight]

It's a funny thing canvassing. When you do a bit because you just fancy replacing a couple of crap accounts then 1/2 an hours worth of door knocking usually does the trick.

When you really need the work (ie: you're just starting out) then it seems so much harder to get people to sign up.

Perhaps they can smell the fear and desperation.

I suppose it's a confidence thing.

[xxmattyxx]

Yea, too true, I have work coming out of my ears at the mo, but am looking to take on some more as once Ive down my round once with WFP for the first time, which'll take another two weeks Im going to need some more.

Ive taken the day off today, as Im knacked  and was just coming home going down a country lane, passed a small very inconspicuous entranceway to a property and thought Id go have a lookie.

Anyway there was a nice looking property down there, in lovely grounds, old gamekeepers cottage it looked like, and obviously no window-cleaner.

I knocked and enquired if she had a cleaner, to which she said they used to but he only came the once and charged £10.00, I commented about the fair-weather brigade and beer-money boys.

So I gave her my card and asked if it was okay to look around. Had a little saunter around the place, nice, pool and grounds etc; told her it would be £35.00 every 5-6 weeks. Confidently. Its an hours work. She said fine, Id rather pay the going rate than not have someone come back.

Happy days 

Got another £40.00er 2 days ago, same approach, confident, no room for compromise, just believe in me, my system, and my standard of work.

Picked up £300.00 since the New Year

Matt

[Davo]

Good to see everybodys very busy with more customers than they know what to do with  and dont have any problems door knocking.

Or is it a subject not many people know much about??, or dont ya care??






Mark

[Londoner]

Being a real window cleaner is about getting customers, managing the customers you have already got and keeping control of the finances.

Actually cleaning the glass is virtually a side issue.

If you want to get the business you have got to get out there and do it.

[Stephen Dwyer]

I have a stutter so am terrible at door knocking.  I usually canvass by putting cards through letter boxes. 

[jonah]

Its all about being confident , and sometimes the thought of it can fill you with dread !  If you can deal with rejection and carry on after a few no,s you can really get some good busines .   I helped a friend canvass and because I was relaxed I got him £150 worth of business within a couple of hours .    When it comes to myself I need dynomite to get me started  :         

[geefree]

Can somebody please answer this dilemma for me?


I leaflet drop constantly, and i have an idea who may ring as i see the state of the windows,

but they dont ring... and they are well to do houses.

but i carry on , and doing ok from leaflet drops in general ,

but i find that most of the time the glass is gleaming no matter where i go, ( we are pretty saturated with w/c in my area)

but i still carry on.

i even run my fingers on the nearest window as i drop the leaflet. to see if its filthy, in the dark i must add .

back to my original question. sorry lol.

i hate canvassing as we all do,  so if i knocked on all the doors above instead of leafleting , would i get more work?

gleaming windows, no matter where i leaflet drop,

would canvassing make that much difference,?apart from the customers who clean their own?
it would take so much longer to do too.

I read on here how people canvass and pick up ££££££ of work in one evening and i try and try and its no better for me than leaflet dropping .

i must add i have a sales background involving door knocking sales too. and i was half decent at it.

but my area is saturated as i have said.

does anyone else have the same dilemma ?

[jonah]

If you are an ex salesman you would remember that you need to keep going ! Eventually you will find the area that the last wc gave up , and then you find the customers  ( I am doing the same mate and know how hard it is ) Now stop blurting and get back out there 

[geefree]

shurrup 

[jonah]

Gary am feeling fed up lately with your negative comments so if you want me to come to your patch and help you get some more business then just say the word ! And if you wanted to come over here and help me out a bit that would be good also !

[paulscotney]

Once when I leafleted I wrote down the numbers of all the dirty window houses in the road. About thirty. There were about 150 houses in total. I have since picked up 4 houses from it and all the windows were cleanish on the ground floors, at least, because the owners had been doing them.  I knocked all the dirty houses a few days later and didn't get one.  So now I don't go looking for the dirty houses only anymore. Clean houses are often a better prospect  IMO.

[d s windowcleaning]

Gary am feeling fed up lately with your negative comments so if you want me to come to your patch and help you get some more business then just say the word ! And if you wanted to come over here and help me out a bit that would be good also !

thats the spirit 

[geoffreyspecht]

once canvassed a 100 shops and got 1 job  12 months  my work consisted of shops, banks, hotels ,houses

[Londoner]

I used to work at Kodak with a Sikh bloke called Mohan. In his spare time he was a door to door double glazing salesman working on comission only.

Believe me, if you think canvassing for window cleaning is hard you can't imagine what its like trying to sell double glazing door to door. Even more so because he was an Indian with a turban. This was twenty five years ago! He got every type of abuse imaginable.

By his example he taught me a lot about working door to door. You just have to keep on going, the business is there, you just have to find it. Mohan would go weeks without getting a customer but he never gave up or got disillusioned.

Knock on enough doors or deliver enough leaflets and you CANT fail.

And just an observation from me, the houses with the dirty windows never do want their windows cleaned. 

[pingu]

Have to admit that whether canvassing or leaflets it is just a numbers game...I only managed to put out aprox 5k leaflets last year but got 111 new customers...this year I aim to get out 10k leaflets but I only leaflet in 10 area's....so every 3months each area get leafleted...and this I intened to do for the next 18 months to fill up the round....it is also a very good way of gauging what is happening in the area's i.e house sales....extentions, building work....I find I see more when on foot.

But when I first started not that long ago...many people said it was a numbers game...this seems to be a mantra for me now  .

Cheers
Dave

[Davo]

Yes it is a numbers game, but you can give yourself more chance if you knock the right way, no point knocking 500 doors if when you speak to someone you dont tell them what they need to know, you dont present yourself / business properly.

To me thats wasting your time and valuable resources, it also has the add on effect of creating the mindset that says " door knocking doesnt do my business any good, for the effort involved therefore i wont bother door knocking, i can pick em up with an ad or when they see me working etc etc"

I suppose it depends on how quickly you want to grow.


Mark

[geefree]

Gary am feeling fed up lately with your negative comments so if you want me to come to your patch and help you get some more business then just say the word ! And if you wanted to come over here and help me out a bit that would be good also !

negative comments,?
i dont do negative lol

[suds window service]

still p/t but have week off ,so from tomorrow it will be door knocks galor,is it possible to pick up the 120 customers i need to go full time...what has been your best weeks canvassing?