[WCBusinessCoach]

Apologies Kevin if it was misinterpreted.

Sorry, my mistake

[williamx]

Here are a few FREE marketing tips that I can guarantee will work, and if you follow them, you will double the size of your business in 1 year or I give you double your money back.

•   Have a professional approach and look to your business, try a uniform, company name, landline telephone which diverts to your mobile so you can be contactable all the time.

•   Look at you prices and what the competition is charging, if they are charging more than you then increase your prices, for new business that comes your way, try increasing this amount even higher, just don’t get too greedy and the easiest way to know that you are pricing to high is when the majority of these potential customers start saying they will let you know, rather than signing up as a customer.

•   Organise who you want to target as your “New Customers” because even though you have not met them yet, they are already on your books.

•   Work out what work you want, is it domestic, commercial or both.

•   Domestics are easy, drop cards or leaflets’  and always follow up with a home visit about a week later (how many times have you had a leaflet though the door and thought yes I’m interested , then you have put the leaflet in a drawer and then you have forgotten all about it?)

•   Commercial is different but not impossible, normally every commercial contract will come up for review every couple of years or so, what you need to do is get your “name brand” known to all of these companies.  That way you will be invited to tender for these contracts more often and the more tenders you do the more you are likely to win.

•   Try to break the commercial sector down into separate parts (nursing homes-pubs-shops-schools-offices-apartment blocks etc) and then go after then in turn.

•   Send each company you want, with a simple letter at first, follow this up will a telephone call about a week later (always get the name of the person who answers the phone as well as the person who responsible for window cleaning and always use them, with the follow up calls you will be making, until you get the opportunity to submit a quote, never ever give up)

•   If you are “Trad” think about going WFP, it has been proven it earns you more.

•   Door-knock new areas, once a week for at least 2 hours.

•   If you don’t like door-knocking , which many including myself, hate, is to look on each household as a customer already.

•   Drop leaflets to 5 houses on each side of the customers you already clean for when you have cleaned them, saying that you already do so and so and to contact you, if they need a reliable cleaner.

•   Advertised you business on every free web-site that you can.

•   Get some leaflets printed that advertised your services and fix them on the back of every toilet door in all the pubs in your area, most landlords will allow you to do this.

•   Also place a leaflet on every shop window that you can do for free.

•   Ask all of you customers for 3 recommendations from their friends or family, in return you will give them a free clean on every one who takes on your services.

•   Send 50 letters to businesses every week.

•   Ask all of your friends and family to help promote your business.

All of these methods have worked, so feel free to try them.
Remember to more your “name” is known the more business you will attract.

[WCBusinessCoach]

Business Coach

You asked in a provious reply what major contract that I have ever got, well when I was 22 I started up a carpet cleaning business, within 6 months I had the following on contract Edgbaston Cricket Ground, Newman Collage, Birmingham University, The Inland Revenue Service as well as various Resturants, Clubs and other assorted businesses, I then approach an Insurance Company and after a few intense meetings with their directors I got their Flood and Fire Damage contract, this was worth in excess of £250000 per year.

This is not window cleaning revenue, so it doesn't matter in the context of this discussion, but it is very impressive, don't get me wrong. VERY impressive, in terms of your business acumen. I had lunch last week with a friend who makes MANY millions of pounds a year in the financial services industry. He's a business genius in many ways, but he doesn't know as much as we all do, about window cleaning marketing.

The marketing approach I used was quite simple, I just went into their head office and asked to see their managing director responable for this work, no flashy letter or gimmick just a straight forward approach.

I have seen the sample leaflet you have done, yes it does look very nice and professional, but it does not shout out from it, that you are a Window Cleaner, which is what needs to be expressed.

Because you are Canadian you will be unaware of the domestic window cleaning market we have over here, at the moment and always in the past there has always been a shortage of good window cleaners, many of my customers have been trying for years to get a cleaner but they couldn't until they came across me.


Then I wish I was you, you have an ideal situation, and anyone with a squeegee and smile could make a killing. Sounds like taking candy from a baby. If thats the case, then you can make a bazillion pounds in 2009. If you also apply yourself to marketing, you will make 2 bazillion pounds.

I wish I lived where you do, and could make money so easily, with almost zero marketing effort.

This information is primarily for window cleaning business owners who face a competitive marketplace, and/or want to charge more for the same human effort they exert now.

Because of this, marketing the domestic market does not need the flash bang and bling that other businesses need to use, a simple direct approach is all that is required.

Again, you are fortunate that your local market conditions are so favorable. Even so, you could charge more, if you worked at your marketing, and you'd get away with it.

The commercial sector is different, here everyone is scrapping for the same contracts, and different marketing ideas must be used, there is no simple one-fix-it-all method which can be used.

You may ask what do I know of this?, what credentials have I got?, well in the last 4 years I now have a turnover of what a company director earns working 50 hours a week.

Yet I only clean windows 3 hours a day, 4 days a week, and according to my George Programme I have dropped over £30000 per year worth of business.

Congrats. Very solid numbers, and again, sounds like you have an uncontested market space. I wish I was doing business in your town. Maybe I should move! Where are you again...?

[WCBusinessCoach]

Sorry But I think the second leaflet is nothing special it's ok but not spectacular.
        
This isn't a dig at you just my observations
       

I wish I had time to address all this stuff.

I think we should do a conference call or something, for real.

I kept your first sentence and last sentence above, simply because I wanted to make the point that it doesn't matter what WE think or even what I think.

All that matters is results.

Everything else is ego stuff.

1000's of books and examples have established proven marketing strategy as being effective.

Use more of this proven stuff, and you'll make more $$

Like I said, I have a TON to say in reply to this post...wish I could...

[Oakley Windows]

To me the above spells it all out (above but one)

Market forces are inherently dramatically different to how things function on the other side of the pond.

Yes!! of course the more marketing effort you apply to your business the more returns you are likely to get; BUT it seems to me we dont NEED to market so aggresively over here to achieve the same as what might be achieved over there.

Its our good fortune.

Ive always thought that to be honest as we have an entirely different window-cleaning ethic in this country compared to over there. Essentially we go out and clean a customers windows and go out and re-clean them 4/6/8 weeks later. They on the other hand only get to clean them once a year perhaps, you NEED a pro-rata higher level of customers quite obviously to fill all your days. Thus the more aggressive need for marketing.

Matt

[williamx]

Business Coach

You asked in a provious reply what major contract that I have ever got, well when I was 22 I started up a carpet cleaning business, within 6 months I had the following on contract Edgbaston Cricket Ground, Newman Collage, Birmingham University, The Inland Revenue Service as well as various Resturants, Clubs and other assorted businesses, I then approach an Insurance Company and after a few intense meetings with their directors I got their Flood and Fire Damage contract, this was worth in excess of £250000 per year.

This is not window cleaning revenue, so it doesn't matter in the context of this discussion, but it is very impressive, don't get me wrong. VERY impressive, in terms of your business acumen. I had lunch last week with a friend who makes MANY millions of pounds a year in the financial services industry. He's a business genius in many ways, but he doesn't know as much as we all do, about window cleaning marketing.

The marketing approach I used was quite simple, I just went into their head office and asked to see their managing director responable for this work, no flashy letter or gimmick just a straight forward approach.

I have seen the sample leaflet you have done, yes it does look very nice and professional, but it does not shout out from it, that you are a Window Cleaner, which is what needs to be expressed.

Because you are Canadian you will be unaware of the domestic window cleaning market we have over here, at the moment and always in the past there has always been a shortage of good window cleaners, many of my customers have been trying for years to get a cleaner but they couldn't until they came across me.


Then I wish I was you, you have an ideal situation, and anyone with a squeegee and smile could make a killing. Sounds like taking candy from a baby. If thats the case, then you can make a bazillion pounds in 2009. If you also apply yourself to marketing, you will make 2 bazillion pounds.

I wish I lived where you do, and could make money so easily, with almost zero marketing effort.

This information is primarily for window cleaning business owners who face a competitive marketplace, and/or want to charge more for the same human effort they exert now.

Because of this, marketing the domestic market does not need the flash bang and bling that other businesses need to use, a simple direct approach is all that is required.

Again, you are fortunate that your local market conditions are so favorable. Even so, you could charge more, if you worked at your marketing, and you'd get away with it.

The commercial sector is different, here everyone is scrapping for the same contracts, and different marketing ideas must be used, there is no simple one-fix-it-all method which can be used.

You may ask what do I know of this?, what credentials have I got?, well in the last 4 years I now have a turnover of what a company director earns working 50 hours a week.

Yet I only clean windows 3 hours a day, 4 days a week, and according to my George Programme I have dropped over £30000 per year worth of business.

Congrats. Very solid numbers, and again, sounds like you have an uncontested market space. I wish I was doing business in your town. Maybe I should move! Where are you again...?

I live and work in the Birmingham area of the UK and you are most welcome to come, I will give you as much help as I can and I already do for other cleaners in my area which there are quite a few.

[WCBusinessCoach]

Whoa. I'm not that successful. 

The point i'm trying to make is that with the domestic market we are trying to convert the converted. Most people might want a window cleaner but i need them to want me as their window cleaner. This is where i can learn from threads like this.

Exactly! Also known as "competition". You need effective marketing to motivate people to change window cleaning companies.

I'm not giving up. I have been working in a comfort zone for the last 3 years, but not giving up.
I have used this leaflet since i started. I write which day i will be back. (Normally the next day, so it's still fresh in everyones mind.)

Good for you, man. Don't give up, you can do this.

I use this to try and fill gaps in my round. I have had quite good returns with this in the countryside. But I leafletted an area of my home town 3 months ago with this and got nothing.

[WCBusinessCoach]

Marketing in the domestic side of window cleaning here in the uk is pretty easy. We don't need to do that much to attract new domestic customers because it's considered normal to have one.

Eating is considered normal, too, but new restaurants are always opening up to try and lure you away from your old choices...

Don't shortchange yourself, you're giving up.

If you are truly in a market where anything you do means you succeed, because everyone wants a window cleaner, anyway, and you have ZERO competition, then I wish I was in business where you live!

You will earn a zillion pounds in the next year if you wanted to.

However, if you have ANY competition, or stiff competition, then you pay a high cost for marketing complacency.

Whoa. I'm not that successful. 
The point i'm trying to make is that with the domestic market we are trying to convert the converted. Most people might want a window cleaner but i need them to want me as their window cleaner. This is where i can learn from threads like this.
I'm not giving up. I have been working in a comfort zone for the last 3 years, but not giving up.
I have used this leaflet since i started. I write which day i will be back. (Normally the next day, so it's still fresh in everyones mind.)
I use this to try and fill gaps in my round. I have had quite good returns with this in the countryside. But I leafletted an area of my home town 3 months ago with this and got nothing.

Thx for posting this example.

Question: How many features of your services are listed on this flier?

Answer: Many.

Question: How many benefits are on this flier?

Answer: ZERO.

Focus on how your services will help people, and it will instantly become more powerful.

[WCBusinessCoach]

Here are a few FREE marketing tips that I can guarantee will work, and if you follow them, you will double the size of your business in 1 year or I give you double your money back.

•   Have a professional approach and look to your business, try a uniform, company name, landline telephone which diverts to your mobile so you can be contactable all the time.

•   Look at you prices and what the competition is charging, if they are charging more than you then increase your prices, for new business that comes your way, try increasing this amount even higher, just don’t get too greedy and the easiest way to know that you are pricing to high is when the majority of these potential customers start saying they will let you know, rather than signing up as a customer.

•   Organise who you want to target as your “New Customers” because even though you have not met them yet, they are already on your books.

•   Work out what work you want, is it domestic, commercial or both.

•   Domestics are easy, drop cards or leaflets’  and always follow up with a home visit about a week later (how many times have you had a leaflet though the door and thought yes I’m interested , then you have put the leaflet in a drawer and then you have forgotten all about it?)

•   Commercial is different but not impossible, normally every commercial contract will come up for review every couple of years or so, what you need to do is get your “name brand” known to all of these companies.  That way you will be invited to tender for these contracts more often and the more tenders you do the more you are likely to win.

•   Try to break the commercial sector down into separate parts (nursing homes-pubs-shops-schools-offices-apartment blocks etc) and then go after then in turn.

•   Send each company you want, with a simple letter at first, follow this up will a telephone call about a week later (always get the name of the person who answers the phone as well as the person who responsible for window cleaning and always use them, with the follow up calls you will be making, until you get the opportunity to submit a quote, never ever give up)

•   If you are “Trad” think about going WFP, it has been proven it earns you more.

•   Door-knock new areas, once a week for at least 2 hours.

•   If you don’t like door-knocking , which many including myself, hate, is to look on each household as a customer already.

•   Drop leaflets to 5 houses on each side of the customers you already clean for when you have cleaned them, saying that you already do so and so and to contact you, if they need a reliable cleaner.

•   Advertised you business on every free web-site that you can.

•   Get some leaflets printed that advertised your services and fix them on the back of every toilet door in all the pubs in your area, most landlords will allow you to do this.

•   Also place a leaflet on every shop window that you can do for free.

•   Ask all of you customers for 3 recommendations from their friends or family, in return you will give them a free clean on every one who takes on your services.

•   Send 50 letters to businesses every week.

•   Ask all of your friends and family to help promote your business.

All of these methods have worked, so feel free to try them.
Remember to more your “name” is known the more business you will attract.

Good advice.

What should the fliers/leaflets look like?

How should you market differently to different kinds of people in different places and different industries?

What should the letter say?

What should you say when you knock on the doors?

how do you create a competitive commercial window cleaning tender package? What should be in it? How should it look?

These are all pretty and vague suggestions, but they don't address how to implement marketing strategy into real-world tools.

[matt]

Why not try this both on odd and even numbers as a test?

thats a good call, i guess to fairly judge it, i could do 1 side of the road with type 1` and the other with type 2

[matt]

Why not try this both on odd and even numbers as a test?

thats a good call, i guess to fairly judge it, i could do 1 side of the road with type 1` and the other with type 2

[WCBusinessCoach]

I live and work in the Birmingham area of the UK and you are most welcome to come, I will give you as much help as I can and I already do for other cleaners in my area which there are quite a few.

Thx!

Sounds like no help would be needed at all!

Just fields and fields of low-hanging fruit, and not enough window cleaners to gorge themselves on it.

Cash in while you can. I might be coming to town...

[WCBusinessCoach]

From Matt:

"To me the above spells it all out (above but one)

Market forces are inherently dramatically different to how things function on the other side of the pond.

Yes!! of course the more marketing effort you apply to your business the more returns you are likely to get; BUT it seems to me we dont NEED to market so aggresively over here to achieve the same as what might be achieved over there.

Its our good fortune.

Ive always thought that to be honest as we have an entirely different window-cleaning ethic in this country compared to over there. Essentially we go out and clean a customers windows and go out and re-clean them 4/6/8 weeks later. They on the other hand only get to clean them once a year perhaps, you NEED a pro-rata higher level of customers quite obviously to fill all your days. Thus the more aggressive need for marketing."

The need for marketing only exists if you have competition, or want to earn more money from your efforts.

Both of these currently apply to you, it sounds like.

[Oakley Windows]

Kevin, is marketing your drug?

Does the acquisition of a new contract validate who you are?

Do you feel a need for balance or is it all or nothing?

[WCBusinessCoach]

Kevin, is marketing your drug?

Does the acquisition of a new contract validate who you are?

Do you feel a need for balance or is it all or nothing?

No, and I measure my self-worth by far more important things.

Teaching marketing is one of my two primary business interests, however, and I understand it and enjoy unraveling and using it to support the people and things I actually love.

My other business interest is my actual window cleaning business.

I spend 3 days a week working on both of them together, and two full weekdays every week on neither.

The better I get at implementing proven marketing, the more weekdays I can stop working all together.

I'm hoping that my window cleaning business won't need me at all within the next 2 years, and keep growing more and more profitable along the way, using the marketing and business systems that I've built in.

I am passionate about how well this marketing stuff can work, though, it's true.

You caught me Matt

K

P.S. try calling or emailing me during on any Wednesday or Friday and you'll never reach me, I don't even answer the phone unless its a friend calling.

No work at all on those days.

Not for around 16 years, now...basically...but I'd like to get it down to one day a week, and still make the money I'm looking to earn.

So far so good.

[matt]

Kevin, is marketing your drug?

Does the acquisition of a new contract validate who you are?

Do you feel a need for balance or is it all or nothing?

No, and I measure my self-worth by far more important things.

Teaching marketing is one of my two primary business interests, however, and I understand it and enjoy unraveling and using it to support the people and things I actually love.

My other business interest is my actual window cleaning business.

I spend 3 days a week working on both of them together, and two full weekdays every week on neither.

The better I get at implementing proven marketing, the more weekdays I can stop working all together.

I'm hoping that my window cleaning business won't need me at all within the next 2 years, and keep growing more and more profitable along the way, using the marketing and business systems that I've built in.

I am passionate about how well this marketing stuff can work, though, it's true.

You caught me Matt

K

P.S. try calling or emailing me during on any Wednesday or Friday and you'll never reach me, I don't even answer the phone unless its a friend calling.

No work at all on those days.

Not for around 16 years, now...basically...but I'd like to get it down to one day a week, and still make the money I'm looking to earn.

So far so good.

watch it WCBC ( kev ) according to a few on this forum, if you dont work full time, your a slacker who is a disgrace to the world of window cleaning

[williamx]

I live and work in the Birmingham area of the UK and you are most welcome to come, I will give you as much help as I can and I already do for other cleaners in my area which there are quite a few.

Thx!

Sounds like no help would be needed at all!

Just fields and fields of low-hanging fruit, and not enough window cleaners to gorge themselves on it.

Cash in while you can. I might be coming to town...

Great, welcome to Blighty and I look forward to the day when you approach my customers with you pricing struture, one of them I charge £175 every 6 weeks, I can't wait to see their faces when you quote them £875 or another one who is charged £55 every 2 weeks, I bet they can't wait to start paying £275, or the lowest on my list who pay £10 every 4 weeks, what joy they will have paying £50.

All of these customers have been targeted in the past and they will be targeted also in the future, but they choose to stay with me, why, well I would like to think that its all about the service I give them and it cannot bettered or it could be they like me, bacause I like every single one of them, or as the one who pays £175 and was approched by someone at half the price "its better to stay with the devil you know rather than one you don't" andthey already know I ofer a ultra 1st service and they get presents every christmas as well my other customers.

[Oakley Windows]

Kevin what would in your estimation be the average hourly income for a window cleaner in Canada?

Matt

[williamx]

Matt apparently Duncan Bannatyne only works one day a week, maybe if you work one day a week you can compare yourself to him!

Or maybe it would be better to compare like with like.


Key thing about people like WC Business Coach is that they can save you a lot of time, for a small amount of money for his products. Although you can eventually source the same information for free it will cost you more.

There is a big difference between being cheap and saving money.

This is very true, but it is also stupid to waste it on siomething that will not be of benefit to you.

The business coach has books that he sells which might be a good bargain, I don't think that you will lose out in the long term though having them, but to sign up for a package that does not take your business on a one to one basis, then this is a waste of money.

Marketing is worth its weight in gold, providingly it is applied correctly.

If someone wants to really market their business and they feel they don't have the knowledge, then they should go to a company that marketing is their main occupation and full time career, they can then tailor the right package to fit your individual business.

It is very easy to throw money at these packages, but sometimes it dosen't stick and you lose.

[David Slater]

I live and work in the Birmingham area of the UK and you are most welcome to come, I will give you as much help as I can and I already do for other cleaners in my area which there are quite a few.

Thx!

Sounds like no help would be needed at all!

Just fields and fields of low-hanging fruit, and not enough window cleaners to gorge themselves on it.

Cash in while you can. I might be coming to town...

Great, welcome to Blighty and I look forward to the day when you approach my customers with you pricing struture, one of them I charge £175 every 6 weeks, I can't wait to see their faces when you quote them £875 or another one who is charged £55 every 2 weeks, I bet they can't wait to start paying £275, or the lowest on my list who pay £10 every 4 weeks, what joy they will have paying £50.

All of these customers have been targeted in the past and they will be targeted also in the future, but they choose to stay with me, why, well I would like to think that its all about the service I give them and it cannot bettered or it could be they like me, bacause I like every single one of them, or as the one who pays £175 and was approched by someone at half the price "its better to stay with the devil you know rather than one you don't" andthey already know I ofer a ultra 1st service and they get presents every christmas as well my other customers.

Hydro,

Have you ever changed banks?

Have you ever changed gas/electric suppliers?

Have you ever changed insurance companies?

Have you ever changed suppliers for cleaning equipment?

Have you ever bought a different van from the one you're using?

Judging by your answer above, I presume you've been quite happy to stay with the same suppliers no matter what extra benefits/new inovations/reduced prices/special offers were offered by the competion?



....resting on your laurels springs to mind