[Paul Coleman]

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

Matt

The typical suvvessful owner/operators earn $55/hr to $100/hr and up.

Are you talking turnover or profit?

[WCBusinessCoach]

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.

Amen.

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.

So, your advice is to find a marketing consultant that doesn't necessarily know anything about the window cleaning business, instead of trusting me?

And you would also suggest spending WAY more than I'm suggesting, for some marketing advice? The dossier works out to about $1.57/day. What marketing consultant would be willing to work for that kind of money? Know any?

This is starting to get funny, now. You are now saying that marketing advice is important, is worth asking and paying for, but you should not ask me for it, and you should pay a lot more money than I'm suggesting.

Wow. We've come full circle here...

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

Yup, and if you never try anything smart, you always lose, ALWAYS.

Oh, and of course, there you go again with the "throw money" at these crazy ideas angle. You can try any of my stuff risk-free. Free trials of everything, always.

One month free: http://budurl.com/skh7

[WCBusinessCoach]

Window cleaning coach

I for one am prepared to call uncle on this and accept that you have proven your argument so far as i am concerned.Your leaflet derivation was brilliant, addressed my target audience absolutely, and was compelling in it's content . I even feel a little inspired and uplifted for having read it.

I am glad to have had this little chat with you and thought you handled the critisism well. Thanks for the lesson.

This is the first time i can recall anyone coming on here against a very large and vociferous hostile opinion and turning it around. I don't expect everyone will have the grace to give you the nod, but i do. well done.

Thx man, I appreciate those kind words.

Now let's start making some more money for your window cleaning business.

[mark dew]

great thread

[WCBusinessCoach]

2 Or someone approachs them with a service which is going to be better than what I am giving.

...

The 2nd I am always looking at ways to improve what I offer, I have not increased my prices for some time because I have found other ways to make savings and therefore make more profit without the need for a price rise.

Your comment here is very important, insightful, and honest.

The danger exists that someone could offer your customers a total service experience that could potentially be superior to what you've got on the table.

They could make the customer feel more valuable: more empowered, smile more, laugh more, and respected and appreciated more.

Marketing is the muscle behind this dangerous threat (dangerous to your window cleaning business if your competitors figure out how to pull it off).

[WCBusinessCoach]

WE EARN VERY VERY GOOD MONEY..BUT WE ARE JUST WINDOW CLEANERS...INSTEAD OF GLAMORISING THE JOB ..USE IT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE.....

Glamorizing the benefits of anything so that people will give you money for it = marketing.

Bentleys are just cars, like Opels and VW's.

Breitlings are just watches, like Timex and Seiko.

And Harrod's is just a department store.

If you are happy with where your window cleaning business is at, and are happy with what you're currently earning, then I respect that.

If you'd like to achieve some rapid, profitable revenue growth, start looking around and realize that you can make some serious money with focused, educated effort.

It's happening everywhere around you, and it can happen to your window cleaning business, too.

[WCBusinessCoach]

I like what has been done with Kevin R's flyer,... BUT,.. I've tried a few different types of flyer an this one is the ONLY one that I've gotten real results from. Below is the front & back of the flyer. I print them on A4 160gsm card both sides (Obviously they're turned upside down to print the back, otherwise it'd be the same message on both sides!) and cut down the middle to make A5 sized flyers. I'm interested to see what improvements are suggested,.. not just from Kevin,... lets see what can be done as I'm planning to drop flyers next week!!
 

Hey Nathanael!

i was just about to get to yours on the other forum...

Cool, thx for sharing.

Can you provide more info about what kind of people you're marketing to?

Age?
Gender?
Kids/no kids?
What do they love to do in life?
What do they want out of life?

Thx!

[WCBusinessCoach]

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

Matt

The typical successful owner/operators earn $55/hr to $100/hr and up.

Are you talking turnover or profit?

That's gross revenue.

If you've watched the free video recording of my seminar down in Rhode Island, then you'll see a room full of owner/operator window cleaning business owners come to a consensus of about $75/hr for a typical owner/operator:

http://dossier-content.s3.amazonaws.com/index.htm

[Londoner]

Ah, but there is a bit of subtle strategy in having simple non glossy leaflets. Its the "I am just a straightforward tradesman, poor but honest" approach and it does work. Also, I always include my full name, address and home number.
It has worked

Have you ever tried something different from that?

If you're marketing from a pity point of view, as "just the simple, make this flier at home window cleaner", that could be powerful, but you should really tap into that more, and create a little story, and build your brand around it.

How well has your way worked? Whats your response rate? And what are your prices like, in comparison to the other local guys?

Sorry for being a while coming back on this one. I didn't say I made the fliers myself although with a computer today anything is possible.
My prices are top end of the range of prices charged locally and I do get quotes turned down for being too high. I work in the ritcher suburbs of North West London and virtually all my customers live in houses worth $1 million plus, some are worth many times that.

My books are full and we are not really taking on any new work at the moment. We only do regular cleans, no one offs.

I find generally I get a fairly good response from leaflets, 90% of my business has been built from leaflets. but you can never predict, sometimes a leaflet will result in a call years after its been delivered. Thats why I favour an A5 leaflet they get kept.
The reason my leaflets stand out in my opinion is precisely because they are not like all the glossy rubbish, pizza menus, etc that drop through every door every day.

I really think you guys are missing the point, the world is full of bland but well thought though out and cleverly worded glossy leaflets that never get read because they look like all the other bland but clever glossy leaflets. You are designing them to go straight in the bin. How many people are going to stand and read that lot?

A simple but honest leaflet, no silly type faces etc with your full name and address, if it hits the right spot sends out a very strong message about YOU and your approach to business. Thats not going for the pity vote as you put it. Its saying "I'm a regular guy, you can trust me, its OK to have me working round your house, you can leave me the keys when your away"

 Thats what people really want. Don't sell clean windows sell trust.

[WCBusinessCoach]

Ah, but there is a bit of subtle strategy in having simple non glossy leaflets. Its the "I am just a straightforward tradesman, poor but honest" approach and it does work. Also, I always include my full name, address and home number.
It has worked

Have you ever tried something different from that?

If you're marketing from a pity point of view, as "just the simple, make this flier at home window cleaner", that could be powerful, but you should really tap into that more, and create a little story, and build your brand around it.

How well has your way worked? Whats your response rate? And what are your prices like, in comparison to the other local guys?

Sorry for being a while coming back on this one. I didn't say I made the fliers myself although with a computer today anything is possible.
My prices are top end of the range of prices charged locally and I do get quotes turned down for being too high. I work in the ritcher suburbs of North West London and virtually all my customers live in houses worth $1 million plus, some are worth many times that.

My books are full and we are not really taking on any new work at the moment. We only do regular cleans, no one offs.

I find generally I get a fairly good response from leaflets, 90% of my business has been built from leaflets. but you can never predict, sometimes a leaflet will result in a call years after its been delivered. Thats why I favour an A5 leaflet they get kept.
The reason my leaflets stand out in my opinion is precisely because they are not like all the glossy rubbish, pizza menus, etc that drop through every door every day.

I really think you guys are missing the point, the world is full of bland but well thought though out and cleverly worded glossy leaflets that never get read because they look like all the other bland but clever glossy leaflets. You are designing them to go straight in the bin. How many people are going to stand and read that lot?

A simple but honest leaflet, no silly type faces etc with your full name and address, if it hits the right spot sends out a very strong message about YOU and your approach to business. Thats not going for the pity vote as you put it. Its saying "I'm a regular guy, you can trust me, its OK to have me working round your house, you can leave me the keys when your away"

 Thats what people really want. Don't sell clean windows sell trust.

Think of the amazing flier design that you could make if you used all this awesome material above!

You keep saying that your approach is simple, but you really have all kinds of embedded and meaningful motivators potentially at play, here.

How do you know it won't work, when you've never tried it?

Remember, it's all about results.

Try something powerfully different, that does not look like the boring local fliers that get tossed in the trash, and then test it.

You seriously have some amazing possibilities in your comments above, you just need to mix it up the right way, pour it in the right pan, and throw it in the oven.

[mark dew]

I like what has been done with Kevin R's flyer,... BUT,.. I've tried a few different types of flyer an this one is the ONLY one that I've gotten real results from. Below is the front & back of the flyer. I print them on A4 160gsm card both sides (Obviously they're turned upside down to print the back, otherwise it'd be the same message on both sides!) and cut down the middle to make A5 sized flyers. I'm interested to see what improvements are suggested,.. not just from Kevin,... lets see what can be done as I'm planning to drop flyers next week!!
 

Hey Nathanael!

i was just about to get to yours on the other forum...

Cool, thx for sharing.

Can you provide more info about what kind of people you're marketing to?

Age?
Gender?
Kids/no kids?
What do they love to do in life?
What do they want out of life?

Thx!

What?  
Just out of curiosity, how do you see 'what they love to do in life', or 'what do they want out of life,' as relevant to the window cleaner who comes once every few weeks?

[WCBusinessCoach]

lets see what can be done as I'm planning to drop flyers next week!!

Areas 'cut' are for anonymity purposes.

Thx for sharing. Wow, a lot of work has gone into this one.

I'm gonna give you some feedback on this one, too.

First, quick thoughts: example one (top one) has ZERO benefits listed.

Example two has some great, compelling copy loaded up with some solid benefits.

See the difference? You got way too technical, and forgot to ask yourself "why would someone care about all this stuff I'm trying to say?"

[WCBusinessCoach]

I like what has been done with Kevin R's flyer,... BUT,.. I've tried a few different types of flyer an this one is the ONLY one that I've gotten real results from. Below is the front & back of the flyer. I print them on A4 160gsm card both sides (Obviously they're turned upside down to print the back, otherwise it'd be the same message on both sides!) and cut down the middle to make A5 sized flyers. I'm interested to see what improvements are suggested,.. not just from Kevin,... lets see what can be done as I'm planning to drop flyers next week!!
 

Hey Nathanael!

i was just about to get to yours on the other forum...

Cool, thx for sharing.

Can you provide more info about what kind of people you're marketing to?

Age?
Gender?
Kids/no kids?
What do they love to do in life?
What do they want out of life?

Thx!

What?  
Just out of curiosity, how do you see 'what they love to do in life', or 'what do they want out of life,' as relevant to the window cleaner who comes once every few weeks?

Because Bentley doesn't sell cars, they sell pride and exhiliration, and the jealous looks of your neighbours as you drive by.

If you don't know, thats cool, just thought I'd ask.

Here are a few possibilities for the "what do they love?":

a. they love to watch football matches with their families
b. they love to ride their bikes and hike as much as possible
c. they love to host backyard parties with their friends

And here are a few for the "what do they want out of life?:

a. more stuff
b. more money
c. more free time
d. more fun

[mark dew]

You've lost me. I'm just the window cleaner. Going back to my question what relevance can i apply to these statements that will help with my window cleaning business?

[Londoner]

why is it that their are companies such as round builders or door knockers... that build rounds for a price?   do they leaflet or door knock?.....they door knock because while leaflets work, these companies need to build a customer base fast, to get paid for their services...why dont they leaflet?  answer IT TAKES LONGER TO GET A RETURN!

shoot me down if you like or as i expect not many answers ...as on this forum people dont like the truth.

rapid growth = door knocking

I would like to come back on this point but I'm not going to shoot you down. Door knocking results in more names on your clipboard at the end of a day but a much higher percentage of those names will end up being time wasters and getting dropped.

The reason is because when you knock you put an idea in their head that wasn't there before. they say "Oh yes, OK then" but they haven't got any long term commitment. You pick up a lot of air heads with short attention spans.

Leaflets filter out a lot of these people because it requires effort to pick up the phone and dial the number. Over time leaflets work better for me. Then when you get a few customers in a road start working on the neighbours, always say hello, speak to them, give them a smile. When they see you working in the road regularly, thats when you get accepted.

Thats why I am sceptical of these canvassing services.

[WCBusinessCoach]

You've lost me. I'm just the window cleaner. Going back to my question what relevance can i apply to these statements that will help with my window cleaning business?

We're creating a flier here, so we're first gathering information about what these people are like, and what makes them tick.

If they are a typical cross-section, than thats fine, but if there is something special and unique about them, we can use it when we develop this marketing piece.

[WCBusinessCoach]

You've lost me. I'm just the window cleaner.

No, you're not, Mark.

You're the guy who makes their life easier.

The guy who makes them feel good about their home when you clean it.

The guy who respects their privacy since you can clean from the ground, unlike the other guy.

You're the guy who gave them that cool little unexpected chocolate with the last invoice, and who makes them smile every time they bump into you.

You're the guy who helped them protect their investment, by educating them about the advantages to having their eavestroughs cleaned regularly.

You are not just the window cleaner

[mark dew]

You've lost me. I'm just the window cleaner.

No, you're not, Mark.

You're the guy who makes their life easier.

The guy who makes them feel good about their home when you clean it.

The guy who respects their privacy since you can clean from the ground, unlike the other guy.

You're the guy who gave them that cool little unexpected chocolate with the last invoice, and who makes them smile every time they bump into you.

You're the guy who helped them protect their investment, by educating them about the advantages to having their eavestroughs cleaned regularly.

You are not just the window cleaner

Yep, that sounds like me. I think the chocolate must have come from someone else, though. 

[peter holley]

why is it that their are companies such as round builders or door knockers... that build rounds for a price?   do they leaflet or door knock?.....they door knock because while leaflets work, these companies need to build a customer base fast, to get paid for their services...why dont they leaflet?  answer IT TAKES LONGER TO GET A RETURN!

shoot me down if you like or as i expect not many answers ...as on this forum people dont like the truth.

rapid growth = door knocking

I would like to come back on this point but I'm not going to shoot you down. Door knocking results in more names on your clipboard at the end of a day but a much higher percentage of those names will end up being time wasters and getting dropped.

The reason is because when you knock you put an idea in their head that wasn't there before. they say "Oh yes, OK then" but they haven't got any long term commitment. You pick up a lot of air heads with short attention spans.

Leaflets filter out a lot of these people because it requires effort to pick up the phone and dial the number. Over time leaflets work better for me. Then when you get a few customers in a road start working on the neighbours, always say hello, speak to them, give them a smile. When they see you working in the road regularly, thats when you get accepted.

Thats why I am sceptical of these canvassing services.

i agree vince, you can pick up a lot of time wasters....about 3 out of 10 can waste your time...but if i drop leaflets one week, and the follow up with a knock rhe next then they have had the time to think about it.
i,m not saying leaflets dont work, when i have little time, i use them myself, i just feel door knocking is quicker way to expand.....with experience you can get to be a fairly good judge of charachter, you will quickly discern a time waster.

[Oakley Windows]

Quite good matt,certainly a lot better than i expected and i can't think of any obvious improvements. There are a couple of syntax/ grammar errors.

I don't understand the weather part. You keep posting the forecast, i must be a bit slow on the uptake but if anyone else knows what this means could they enlighten me.

A few of us seem to shock you Clive  didnt the other Matt? Perhaps you should raise your estimations of your competition 

Typos etc arent on the finished document, I'm aware of the ones your refering to.

The weather thing is my signature.

btw thanks!

Matt