[groundhog]

I was invited to join a breakfast club recently... £500 per year!! I said 'No thanks!!'   

[Chris Galloway]

thanks for all your help.... whats a breakfast club/meeting 

its a bit like a boys club ( though i believe girls can join )

you go along, met others who take about how successfull they are and what new BMW they are going to get next

the idea is to network and exchange details and get work from it, it rarely happens like that though

next step up is the masons, bigger and better and you do get results

Basically like the rotary or round table clubs? Social events for fund-raising but obviously a place to mingle.

[foxy]

hiya, going back a few posts. what is TFR? cheers 

[geefree]

traffic film remover ... mainly used for washing trucks.... but we use it on con roofs. 

[foxy]

thanks, not heard of that before. do you dilute it in the bucket? does it bring a shine? cheers 

[seandyer2003]

I was invited to join a breakfast club recently... £500 per year!! I said 'No thanks!!'   

£30 a month where i am i looked it up last week, bit steep, but you get breakfast, but it'd make me late for work

[Tosh]

I reckon you've got to get an add into the phone books (Yellow Pages and the Thompson Local) and keep it there for at least three-or-four years to get commercial work; and be patient.

However, within six months of starting window cleaning we picked up the Hilton Newport from a Local Pages advert (but that's another story).

Anyway, we've picked up two nice jobs this year, both into a three-figured-sum (okay I'll say, 'cos that could mean £999); one at £130 and one at £140 from previous years entrys in the phone books.  I've also got a third commercial unit 'in the pipeline', but that is from a contact from Wor Lasses running club.

I stopped advertising in the books about two-years-ago, things were financially tight at the time, but will start again.

And there's always the element of luck; I picked up a nice £70 pub not so long-ago; just by wearing a sign-written T-Shirt and was asked to quote while I was shopping in Tescos, and also my local Spar at £15 a week which is a 'gift'; very quick and easy.

I also did the 'mailshot' thing a few years ago; it was quite a lot of effort; but received only one quote from it, and I didn't want the job.

The phone books are the best bet though.

[seandyer2003]

I reckon you've got to get an add into the phone books (Yellow Pages and the Thompson Local) and keep it there for at least three-or-four years to get commercial work; and be patient.

However, within six months of starting window cleaning we picked up the Hilton Newport from a Local Pages advert (but that's another story).

Anyway, we've picked up two nice jobs this year, both into a three-figured-sum (okay I'll say, 'cos that could mean £999); one at £130 and one at £140 from previous years entrys in the phone books.  I've also got a third commercial unit 'in the pipeline', but that is from a contact from Wor Lasses running club.

I stopped advertising in the books about two-years-ago, things were financially tight at the time, but will start again.

And there's always the element of luck; I picked up a nice £70 pub not so long-ago; just by wearing a sign-written T-Shirt and was asked to quote while I was shopping in Tescos, and also my local Spar at £15 a week which is a 'gift'; very quick and easy.

I also did the 'mailshot' thing a few years ago; it was quite a lot of effort; but received only one quote from it, and I didn't want the job.

The phone books are the best bet though.

Just got my new phone book (yellow pages) through the post, and although im only a one liner in it, theres only a handful advertising, so wait and see what happens now

[Oakley Windows]

I think ecover is the corgies conkers

The what         

that is a new phrase to me, I promise to use it regularly 

[seandyer2003]

I reckon you've got to get an add into the phone books (Yellow Pages and the Thompson Local) and keep it there for at least three-or-four years to get commercial work; and be patient.

However, within six months of starting window cleaning we picked up the Hilton Newport from a Local Pages advert (but that's another story).

Anyway, we've picked up two nice jobs this year, both into a three-figured-sum (okay I'll say, 'cos that could mean £999); one at £130 and one at £140 from previous years entrys in the phone books.  I've also got a third commercial unit 'in the pipeline', but that is from a contact from Wor Lasses running club.

I stopped advertising in the books about two-years-ago, things were financially tight at the time, but will start again.

And there's always the element of luck; I picked up a nice £70 pub not so long-ago; just by wearing a sign-written T-Shirt and was asked to quote while I was shopping in Tescos, and also my local Spar at £15 a week which is a 'gift'; very quick and easy.

I also did the 'mailshot' thing a few years ago; it was quite a lot of effort; but received only one quote from it, and I didn't want the job.

The phone books are the best bet though.

How much were you paying the yell tosh?? looking in my local yellow pages there are only about 7 decent ads, but only 2 inches big, how much is about a half page? too much??

[Tosh]

I think I paid about £20 per month for a small ad, probably about three-centimeters long; and not flashy at all; but a fellow member of this forum informs me that he has a big ad for £160 per month and does well out of it, for big commercial jobs.  Big companies will phone the big ads I guess; they look more professional and able to carry out the big jobs.

Now, I couldn't afford £160 on an ad, without making some cut backs on other areas, like food and beer; so I'll just stick to a little ad.

But I think the real secret is to stay in the books for year-after-year.  People and companies get new books and they end up in the bin, and they keep on using their old books.  I've done the same.

But after about three-or-four years, you'll be in every book that everyone has; if you know what I mean.

[Chris Galloway]

Yellow Pages or Yell.com?

which is the best to be in nowadays?

[AJ]

yell for commercial
yp for domestic

[Tosh]

yp for domestic

In my limited experience; YP Book has a massive distribution for any given area, and I was receiving phone calls asking to clean small terraced houses from places an hour away by car.  I can't think of any domestic work I've got from the YP Book.

For domestic houses, I know where to advertise, and it isn't in any of the main books.

[geefree]

yp for domestic

In my limited experience; YP Book has a massive distribution for any given area, and I was receiving phone calls asking to clean small terraced houses from places an hour away by car. I can't think of any domestic work I've got from the YP Book.

For domestic houses, I know where to advertise, and it isn't in any of the main books.

where lol

[seandyer2003]

my wife reckons im wasting my money putting a big ad in yellow pages, but i reckon you would get work, but enough to justify 160 a month?? be good if that was the case but that would be a 160 a month job just to break even!!

[mark dew]

yellow pages called me up last week and eventually after lots of one sided talking she eventually asked me if i would like to be in there.
I told her i wasn't interested in it as my catchment area is quite localised.
After several more minutes of bumpf which i left the speakerphone on and made a cuppa, she told me that the add would cost me £190 for the year. A 3 line advert i think she said.

As for getting commercial work, approach cleaning companies and ask if they have any work they can sub out to you. If not now then in the future.
I do some work for 1, they have window cleaner subbies already but occasionally they have jobs come up that doesn't fit in any area there subbies will travel to.

I think with these it is a case of getting your feet in the door first. Then doing a good job and reliability will see them offer you more.

[seandyer2003]

yellow pages called me up last week and eventually after lots of one sided talking she eventually asked me if i would like to be in there.
I told her i wasn't interested in it as my catchment area is quite localised.
After several more minutes of bumpf which i left the speakerphone on and made a cuppa, she told me that the add would cost me £190 for the year. A 3 line advert i think she said.

As for getting commercial work, approach cleaning companies and ask if they have any work they can sub out to you. If not now then in the future.
I do some work for 1, they have window cleaner subbies already but occasionally they have jobs come up that doesn't fit in any area there subbies will travel to.

I think with these it is a case of getting your feet in the door first. Then doing a good job and reliability will see them offer you more.

I have written off to loads of contrsctors recently, i dont particarly want to work for someone who will take a chunk of the price, but i theres is inflated enough then it might be worth it?? but its a foot in the door like you say, and might be able to pick them up for ones self then later when you get to know management etc...alls fair

[mark dew]

sean, i felt the same way.
They did approach me 3 years ago asking me to employ someone to do my work and subcontract myself full time for them. I hated that idea though.
Although there wasn't a wage or salary involved, it was all price work.
But, since the beginning of this year i was asked again to quote for a job  for them.
How they worked was for me to quote and give them the price. They add on their bit and submit quote.
Also, i have done a couple of jobs which they held the contract for, so the price was already set. And i have to admit the price was better than what i would have quoted.
I have known the family well for 30 years they told me that the window cleaning side is just to keep all the cleaning under 1 roof, so as to keep the cleaning contracts.
They don't have window cleaners on their books but sub all the work out.
They are in east anglia with work all over the region.
It has been good for me as i look on it as bonus money. However, my domestic work is my priority and still wouldn't want too much of their work.
I would be too accountable for my time and movements. So i just get a call every now and then to quote or to clean.
I prefer it this way.

[seandyer2003]

sean, i felt the same way.
They did approach me 3 years ago asking me to employ someone to do my work and subcontract myself full time for them. I hated that idea though.
Although there wasn't a wage or salary involved, it was all price work.
But, since the beginning of this year i was asked again to quote for a job  for them.
How they worked was for me to quote and give them the price. They add on their bit and submit quote.
Also, i have done a couple of jobs which they held the contract for, so the price was already set. And i have to admit the price was better than what i would have quoted.
I have known the family well for 30 years they told me that the window cleaning side is just to keep all the cleaning under 1 roof, so as to keep the cleaning contracts.
They don't have window cleaners on their books but sub all the work out.
They are in east anglia with work all over the region.
It has been good for me as i look on it as bonus money. However, my domestic work is my priority and still wouldn't want too much of their work.
I would be too accountable for my time and movements. So i just get a call every now and then to quote or to clean.
I prefer it this way.

i have a similar arrangement with a chap in the cleaning game, however i got in with him late, he already has a guy who does all the big stuff, i get the stuff he wont touch, but its usually an hrs worth of work, so i stick 40-50 in and the manager bangs a tenner on, everyones a winner, but wouldnt mind some of the bigger jobs!!