[Crystal Clear Window Cleaning]

Hi all,

im just after some info on how i go about getting shop fronts windows to clean, im thinkin of writing a letter to the manager, any advice on what i could say in the letter would be great.

Cheers.
Roger
Crystal Clear Window Cleaning

[Ian_Giles]

got to be the toughest thing of all to get into, unless you buy a round, letters to managers won't work, and they rarely change window cleaners once they have a regular one.
Hard to get the sort of money you would want too, shop fronts are often only a couple of quid, and most are done every week, so it can be tough to have to travel into town just for a couple of quid.
Once you have a load of them they are worth their weight in gold, which is why it is so hard to get them.
Don't bother writing, walk up through your local town, introduce yourself to the manager, hand him your leaflet and ask to give you a call if their window cleaner lets them down.
Don't try and undercut the opposition, it'll come back and bite you on the a r s e.

If you are a relative window cleaning newbie, it will be tough to get a handhold without a decent track record.
Most window cleaners doing shops have been going a long time.

Best of luck though!

 Ian

[windows_chepstow]

I agree with Ian.  Our small Chepstow Town Centre is just about zipped tightly up by Ian_Giles and another window cleaner.

The only ones they haven't got, are those large chainstores, like Woolworths who contract their window cleaning out to one firm. 

I thought if I did our Woolies in Chepstow (sub contracted to me) I would get a toe hold and get other shop business. 

I got nowt apart from a Second Hand Charity Shop - one window and door.  I do it for free, as I can't be bothered to write them out a receipt for £3.50.

Oh, and a Manager of a large cleaning company once advised me to stay out of City Centres.  He reckoned they're normally zipped up by 'gangster-types' who wouldn't take kindly to you attempting to poach their patch.   I can't verify this though.

[rosskesava]

We now have about 45 commercial jobs which is quite good considering 2 years ago we had none.

To start with I got jobs by walking into every shop around where I live. Fortunately, where I live has a shortage of windows cleaners and an incredible amount of shops.

Now I watch out for shops whose windows do not seemed to get done for months on end. Some of those who are now customers said originally that they had a window cleaner already to which I would reply tactfully that the windows aren't being cleaned and then I'd call back every month. A lot of times the window cleaner was still  charging them for weekly cleans but not doing the windows at all. About 50% of our commercial work has been got that way.

Also, I keep my eyes open for new shops or shops that are changing hands.

With regards the 'gangster types', we've yet to find that a problem even in the middle of the city although I heard of others that have had problems ..... so they say.

[Ian_Giles]

My god Tosh is that all you charge
I was charging a fiver for that 10 years ago.
You won't mind if I put my tongue in my cheek at the thought of you doing it for free though will you?
Ross is right though, you have to keep your eyes peeled for new shops, or old ones closing down and wait for someone to open a new venture and give them a price.
You will probably have 3 or 4 others pricing for the work too
you will need a good slice of luck too.

Ian

[windows_chepstow]

Ian Giles - do not confuse the Red Cross Shop, which I charge, for Barnados (I think it's called that) for which I do for free.  It's the shop about five shops up from Woolies!

Doubter!  I do do it for free!  It takes longer to write a receipt than to clean the thing.

Ask the manager if she wants a window cleaner.  She'll tell you where to go!