[steve bell]

Well folks, I'm a newbie.
Just left the Navy and set myself up doing the Home Information Packs. Boy did I pick a wrong time in the market!!!

So, Mate of mine sugests a partnership thing with his window cleaning. Great idea, only hard to pin him down to what sort of percentage split etc etc. So decided to try it on my own.

Got a 200gpd roman system, a trolley and a 18ft brodex. Also a second hand 35ft pole from ebay. Also doing bottoms with traditional.

It's harder than it looks. Not the window cleaning, that's the easy bit. I'm cleaning every window like it's my own. Theory being do a good job and you don't get complaints. The hard bit is getting the business.

I'm spending most of my time knocking on doors, leaflet dropping and generally talking to people than cleaning windows.

I don't want to be greedy, or step on people toes. I just want to survive the current financial carry on. Reckon 300 houses, average £10 per house in a month. So after tax and the insurance and the fuel and wear and tear on vehicle should be comfortable.

Any idea's how to boost the business???

[gsw]

Hi Steve,

its all about number crunching and you have the right idea, stick with it..... knocking is by far the best way to get business and will be much faster than leaflets.

At the minute I would suggest taking on all business then as your round grows you can drop (or sell) the worse jobs and replace them with more profitable work.

use this forum for advice by searchin old posts, its a gold mine.

its a marathon  not a sprint, and if you keep your standards high the work will eventually start coming to you. Ask your customers to recommend a friend if they are happy with your work.

greg

[LSB]

do some of the few customers that you already have on staurday morning , so that the neighbours will probably be in and see you !
never fails , especially when youre only working sat to catch up and dont really want any new ones at that time !

[Alex Gardiner]

One of the best methods to promote yourself is to clean the windows in the centre of a prosperous village. You could approach the local PO, shop, pub etc and offer to clean their windows on a busy day for free, perhaps once a week until business grows. Choose pension day and perhaps a Saturday at newspaper time. Make sure that you are wearing a logo sweatshirt and perhaps park your logo'd van nearby. People always presume that you must be reliable if you are doing the local shops! Make sure that you do a very thorough and slow job so you are there for as long as possible as mobile advert. It beats knocking on their doors.

The other point is that the businesses may well get used to having their windows done and when you stop the promotion may ask you for a price.

[cvdewsbury]

if you are now happy doing the job its time to invest in yourselves to push the business forward,empty yr piggy boxes or if not get a loan and buy some more work....you will never lose on your initial investment it will only go up, as long as you clean to yr high standard and show yr face on a regular basis.

[Clive McDonald]

Hi Steve,
I think you're on a winner. Your back story is great. From the customers point of view you are perfect; ex forces, keen to make a go of the business and do a good job, spent all that time boneing on the home info packs but now giving window cleaning everything you've got.

The general public loves to see people like you succeed, they love triers, and they like a story, so I think you've pretty much got it all.

I'm a bit older than you, and it's surprising how far a forces work ethic can take you .

Good luck.

[Clive McDonald]

Forgot to say you will be tempted to tie up with your mate but don't, get up and work every morning. Start leafleting at eight, windows at nine.

[steve bell]

Thanks guys for the support. I'm really appreiciative of that. It is getting harder and harder to keep the smile on my face. Especially after yesterdays encounter with a really negative person I had the misfortune to knock on their door. "No mate, already got a window cleaner and so's all this street, stop wasting your time" followed by numerous expleetives. Wasn't best impressed, but smiled and carried on regardless.

I reckon I'll need to get a part time job in the meantime to try and make ends meet. Buying work is a good idea, but I guess already I'd be buying a load of old poope that someone else doesn't want. There are a few people out there that are into windows in this area and I'm dreading the time I canvass an area that someone already covers and they come looking for me.
I'm not in it to step on toes. If they did a good job then what have they to worry about? I certainly aren't going to undercut them, that's just cutting each others throats. I'll work all day and all night but I aren't going to be a busy fool and work for nothing.

Anyway, thanks again for your support.

P.S. anyone got any work in Selby York area? Would travel a bit if need be.
Steve.

[DASERVICES]

My advise is do a good job and people will recommend you, I never canvassed all my work came from referrals. A good tip is head out in the rurals and charge for your petrol. You will find a huge market there if someone is not there yet.

[Clive McDonald]

You've got to play route one football- kick it up the field, then hit it for goal. You haven't got time for fancy play.

The starting part is horrible I hated it. Nobody referred me.Have you got a leaflet? You can find some on here.

Be prepared to travel.

[Londoner]

I agree with all the advice on here. This is the sink or swim stage where you have a few but don't seem to be moving forward.

If you deliver enough leaflets and knock on enough doors you HAVE to succeed. Its an absolute mathmatical certainty. So just keep on going and don't get demotivated.

[Jewel Cleaning]

One of the best methods to promote yourself is to clean the windows in the centre of a prosperous village. You could approach the local PO, shop, pub etc and offer to clean their windows on a busy day for free, perhaps once a week until business grows. Choose pension day and perhaps a Saturday at newspaper time. Make sure that you are wearing a logo sweatshirt and perhaps park your logo'd van nearby. People always presume that you must be reliable if you are doing the local shops! Make sure that you do a very thorough and slow job so you are there for as long as possible as mobile advert. It beats knocking on their doors.

The other point is that the businesses may well get used to having their windows done and when you stop the promotion may ask you for a price.

That's a really good piece of advice Alex! 



Advertisng nearly always costs something, but your method sounds like it would be a really good investment of time and energy.



Regards,



Jay.

[jaykie]

When you canvass youll find that 99.9% of people are fine and thank you for

asking, ive not had one bad person, I always go out smart, logo top, pad and

pen, business cards, i right the name of street down and mark off each house i

knock on with either a cross for a no thanks, out if not in and i also put a star

next to the house who out that look like they havent got a cleaner then return

to them houses on another day, when i knock i always say " hello sir/madam

sorry to bother you but i was just wondering if you have a window cleaner", its

then yes, no, or yes the husband (they laugh when saying this as they think

youve never heard it) and also the best one "ive just bought a jet washer, if you

was to say do you need a window cleaner this is when theyll ask how much and

they may already have a cleaner and you could find your under cutting without

knowing. Ive canvassed on streets when cleaners have been working but i

always go up to them and introduce myself and ask for the numbers they do so i

avoid them, youll find if you get on with other wc they will pass work onto you,

me and another cleaner are in the process of buying work off another cleaner

and we are going to split some of the roads in half and hes going to do half one day and

im doing the other 2 weeks later so then were in the area every 2 weeks,

good luck and theres loads of people in similar positions on this forum so youll

have answers to any questions you ask.

Chris

[Ravensford]

if you was to say do you need a window cleaner this is when theyll ask how much and they may already have a cleaner and you could find your under cutting without knowing.

Steve,

there is no such thing as someone else's patch or area. Also you can't unwittingly undercut. Don't ask if they have a window cleaner - ask if they need a window cleaner. There's a big difference. Just as you might review your outgoings for gas & electric it is the custies perogative to review their window cleaning outgoings. If you've knocked on their door & they ask for a price state what you consider to be a price you are comfortable with & stick to it. Undercutting is where you give a price - let's say £15 - they say they already have them done for £12 so you go £1 or £2 lower to get the job & they accept. THAT is undercutting & can be annoying to the existing w/c.

Also be prepared to walk away - it works!

My price is £15
Can you do it for £12?
No - £15 is the price that I think is right & I've given you my best price first time. If I had said £20 & reduced it to £15 you would have thought I was chancing my arm!
Thanks anyway but £15 is too much
OK that's fine ... let me know if you change your mind & start to walk away.

Very often you will get "OK let's do them this once & see how they come up"

Everyone's happy then. You've got the price you wanted. The custie hasn't beaten you down but now has the knowledge that you were honest & gave your best price & was prepared to walk away for anything less. Hard as it may be sometimes but you do have to.

Dave

[Niall McAllister]

the advice so far is good advice, but also get a couple of the local papers for the area you want to work, and see of any window cleaners advertise. if they  don't then find the cost of advertising. I did this for the last 4 weeks, it has cost about £20 a week, but so far it has brought in about about £200 a month work. when you feel it not cost effective anymore, cancel it, you will still have the work it generated.
 also the thing about buying a round. all that is, is an expensive list of names and no garentees.
niall

[pingu]

Hi Steve...loads of good advice on here for you...

Whatever you do...do not give up...do not even think about it for a second...I like many on here, started a couple of years ago and believe me that within 2 years of now if you put in the leg work you'll be laughing at the other people you see day to day leaving early for work coming home late......I would guess you may well be earning more than them...now thats the future...

Today...

Write you self out a plan for the next 4 weeks...when, where, what, what, what....

WHEN - When are you going to do this = TODAY = 6 hours
WHERE - Get a map out and look at some area's around you, decide where you want to work
WHAT - are you going to do today leaflets& canvassing - SEE ABOVE ITEM
WHAT - what is the number of new customers you want this week/today
WHAT - do you want to earn this week

Above all - plan, execute the plan and revise where require...review the plan weekly, monthly...if you do not know what it is that you are trying to do...how can you achieve it?

DO NOT LOSE FAITH...

Dave.

[jaykie]

I also take a map with me and mark off the roads ive dropped leaflets, canvass these areas a couple of weeks after youve dropped leaflet, theres also a leaflet going around on this site that the custy leaves it in there window if they want a quote. Also just remember when your working keep a smile on your face, i say hello to anyone walking past so i can be easily approached and remember that every job your on youll be noticed by other neighbours, I wear a logo top with company name and telephone number on back, these cost about £9 each so good advertising.

Chris

[steve bell]

Great advice guy's, I am now stepping away from the razor blades!!!lol.
I have been doing the leaflet drops as suggested and got some logo'ed tops. The keeping a smile on my face is tricky, but I'm getting there.
I know it will come, just need to keep plugging away.
I think that I need to knock on some more doors on saturdays when people are in. Mid week I'm only catching a small percentage of people.

[pingu]

Keep pluggin away...as someone said on here success is a mathmatical certainty...if you knock on enough doors, put out enough leaflets ....do a good job and you will build yourself a profitable business you can be proud of....

Good luck Dave

[dai]

Look in the local paper property pages, Are there any new estates being built within 20 miles of you?
If so keep going back as people move in, this can be an excellent way of building a compact round.
You are starting out at a bad time, the present economic climate being what it is.
Hang on in there mate, at least 3 people a week tell me they can't find a decent window cleaner, I'm trying to wind my business down, so won't do any work if I'm not working that street anyway, unless it's a £50 job and worth the travelling.