[kiral1404]

I've been w/c for 5 months got about 60 customers but only started concentrating solely on w/c last month.

Recently started canvassing week or 2 back ave. pick up 2-3 customers for 1 or 2 hours between 5-7pm once got 7 customers in 1 hour.

So how many customers has everyone got??

Wondering cos I'd like to get about 300 wanted too know if thats realistic or not

[windows_chepstow]

Kiral,

It's not how many customers you've got, but how much income you get from them.

One-hundred accounts that produce £1000 is the same as two-hundred accounts that produce £1000.  The end result in exactly the same amount of income.

But 300 accounts is extremely realistic.  I've been window cleaning for 2 years and seven months and have 319 monthly accounts, but I must've lost or dropped another 150 accounts on top of that.

As your round grows, you'll end up dropping (pass them onto other window cleaners) accounts where you only have one or two accounts and never seem to expand.

Not only that, the bigger your business gets, the easier it is to get new business as you have more customers that refer you other potential customers.  You're also cleaning windows for longer and longer periods, so you're more visable and get 'nabbed' more regularly.  And if you've invested in advertising in the phone books; you'll receive some calls from those too (But phone books is another thread).

But my aim next year (now I'm WFP) is to get higher paying customers and have LESS accounts.

I'm going to head out into the countryside and target the 'posher' end of the residential market.  Those who want a top service and willing to pay for it; or who're just desperate to get a window cleaner!

[Paul Coleman]

Kiral,

It's not how many customers you've got, but how much income you get from them.

One-hundred accounts that produce £1000 is the same as two-hundred accounts that produce £1000.  The end result in exactly the same amount of income.

But 300 accounts is extremely realistic.  I've been window cleaning for 2 years and seven months and have 319 monthly accounts, but I must've lost or dropped another 150 accounts on top of that.

As your round grows, you'll end up dropping (pass them onto other window cleaners) accounts where you only have one or two accounts and never seem to expand.

Not only that, the bigger your business gets, the easier it is to get new business as you have more customers that refer you other potential customers.  You're also cleaning windows for longer and longer periods, so you're more visable and get 'nabbed' more regularly.  And if you've invested in advertising in the phone books; you'll receive some calls from those too (But phone books is another thread).

But my aim next year (now I'm WFP) is to get higher paying customers and have LESS accounts.

I'm going to head out into the countryside and target the 'posher' end of the residential market.  Those who want a top service and willing to pay for it; or who're just desperate to get a window cleaner!

It sounds like we're at a similar place Tosh.  I have about 260 accounts - mostly 6 weekly though.  They range from a fiver to £70.  I intend to canvass the posher end once I've got more used to my WFP setup.  I also intend to get a larger percentage of commercial work.  I used to have about 360 but lost quite a few when I was ill last year.  I now earn more from the 260 than I did from the 360.
Happy hunting !!

[windows_chepstow]

Shiner,

I had a chat this evening with a window cleaner of a similar age to myself, but he's been cleaning windows for twenty years, as opposed to my two-and-a-half years.

He's no 'softy'; he has muscles on top of his muscles; a body builder. 

He confided in me that he's been struggling to make £500 per week because of the bad weather.  I felt pretty smug about that; since he's undercut me twice or thrice to win accounts; and some other trivial stuff (such as he wouldn't show me his squeeging tecnique (honest) when I first started; just in case it helped me!!).

I haven't earnt under £500 a week this year, apart from one occassion when I was waiting for my WFP gear to arrive and I lost the will to climb a ladder on a regular basis.

Yesturday, another local window cleaner told me he had a £300 day!  DAY!!!  He said it only happens once every eight weeks, but that's not bad at all!!!

It was five accounts and £300 exactly.

So it's not quantity; It's what I tell Wor Lass; it's quality!

PS.  Don't get the impression that I earn wads over £500 per week.  I don't.  Say £XXX average.  Just under £XXX on a good week.  I've never hit the £XXX mark; yet!

Maybe I'll reach and breach that with WFP once I get some experience.

You'll have to guess the 'XXX'.  That's between God, Wor Lass and me. 

[simbo]

i am in the same position also, having just over 100 accounts most over ten quid. What worries me now is, will my business keep growing now that the bad weather has arrived? I have had to drop a few lately for messing me about, one today actually didn't want clean as was supposed to rain. I don't mind telling you that this really got to me but am trying to stay posative and just replace her, which i did today.
ps hopefully once i have got through this winter i will gain enough customers not to worry.
cheers simb0

[marc al]

  Simbo

   You willbe amazed at how many customers you pick up through the winter, and most of them are good ones too.

[simbo]

i hope so marc,
at his moment i am seriously considering doing some sort of pt work, i do some carpet cleaning work in dribs and drabs but am without machine at moment, has cost me dearly in the last few weeks. I know your right about the winter customers though all my feb march pick ups are still with me i just look forward to the day i won't need the summertime customers
cheers simb0

[Andrew McCann]

  Simbo

   You willbe amazed at how many customers you pick up through the winter, and most of them are good ones too.

VERY TRUE MARC!!

Last January I set myself a target of £2000 per month of new business. I got it all and a bit more by knocking doors like crazy every night including weekends sometimes in foul weather etc. All the "summer cowboys" had given up for the winter and people seemed to repect the fact that they were dealing with a serious window cleaner.

I should say that there were 2 of us doing the knocking so you could say 1 person got over £1000 per month new business in the deep of winter.

And I have to agree that it's not the number of customers that counts. It's what your customer base is worth that really means something.

Cheers

Andrew

[windows_chepstow]

  Simbo

   You willbe amazed at how many customers you pick up through the winter, and most of them are good ones too.

Simbo,

I've only lost four accounts because they asked me to stop cleaning them in the winter and to return in the Spring.  Of course I never did.

Most customers have enough sense to realise that if want to retain a good; honest window cleaner, they've got to look after them.

I've just picked up quite a few new accounts, but it does generally go quiet from now on till about March, unless you're actively seeking new work.  But I've read on window cleaning forums, such as this one, about guys who've went canvassing in deepest darkest winter and done well from it.

But, as I say, you won't lose customers just because it's winter.  The odd odd-ball maybe; but not in general.

[simbo]

i just want to get through the winter trying to keep busy. In the long term though i have not had a week where i did not pick up at least one new, on 100 odd now without canvassing or anythingeg referal , looking at having around 2 hundred this time next year alone on this basis so just a short storm  for me to weather
cheers simb0

[Easyclean Windows]

I dropped 300 small hosues to concentrate more on my larget clients.I do mostly large blocks of flats,schools,cleaned windows for a known horse trainers stables,a racing car teams offices,and the only residential i do know is the very large mansion houses,nursing homes.Less jobs but financially more rewarding.

[kiral1404]

Cheers all, its nice too see the range of accounts people have i'm mainly gonna concentrate on residential for now with a view to doing commercial later. Think you're right about picking up customers this time of year.

In the last 2 nights done about 4 hrs canvassing picked up 13 cutomers + at least a dozen very interested said they'd call.