[keithc]

Hi, im looking at starting a window cleaning round as an add-on to my existing cleaning business. I have noticed alot of very experienced people speaking here about window cleaning so would appreciate any advice anybody can give me on starting out.

i was thinking about using traditional methods for now to save on costs, then when i have a pretty good round i wanted to introduce the WFP.. but im really unsure what ways would be best to get customers in the first place, i know canvassing is a good one but know from experience how time consuming it can be and most of the time to no avail.. so is their any other way which is best to generate new window cleaning customers?

how long would it take roughly to get sayyyy 100-200 regulars on the books from experience?

so how long did it take for your business to take off? are commercial contracts easy to land? annd also i think it would be a good question to ask what things did you learn when starting out that you wish you would have known before hand?

really any experience you can share with me would be really appreciated, im not looking to start a huge business i just want a steady stream of income which is going to prevent me from signing on the dole!! because my pressure cleaning isnt pulling its weight at the mo..

thanks, keith

[Johnny B]

Hi Keith, and welcome to the madhouse.

Ways to get yourself and your business known are either by door to door knocking, having leaflets produced and distributed, or a combination of both.

Door to door knocking is the fastest way to get customers. When I started up, I was tooled up and ready to go as soon as I found my first customer, and was earning straight away. Others canvass in the evenings (tbh better for finding people in) or weekends and go back and clean. Which way you choose it up to you.

It took me around 6 months to get my first 100 customers, but then I only canvassed during the daytime. If you do evenings you may well achieve this in a shorter timespan.

Realistically, you need to be determined and motivated, but I always try to apply the rule of 4 P's when canvassing. Be Presentable, polite, professional and positive.

It is a numbers game. every door you knock will find you closer to your first (next) customer. Do this for the next 2 years, and you should have a decent customer base.
     
Just a thought, have you thought about telling your pressure cleaning business customers that you are adding window cleaning as a service?   

Best wishes,
John

[keithc]

thanks for your reply john

ive thought about that tbh yes, only problem is all the pressure cleaning customers are one offs, driveway & patio cleans ect so some customers i may only see once in 2 years :/ so its hard to build up a good customer relationship, plus all the jobs i have done have never been local, not local enough for a condensed round.

do you have customers on your round which require alot of driving to get to or have you been lucky enough to get them all close by so you can just park up for most of your daily round and get them done?

ive heard of people reaching 1000+ customers working alone full time, is that even possible    that could be like 5k per month 

[Johnny B]

I started off by canvassing my local estate and working outwards.

I got customers here and there, nothing was compact, but as time has gone on I have picked up some houses that are close to each other, either by being seen to be regular, or by word of mouth recommendation.

Most of my work is in my town, but I have gone further afield and found good work in villages 10, 15, 25 miles away.

I am actually in the process of building my work up after moving to Ireland 15 months ago. I currently have 317 customers, and am looking to have a customer base of 500. It is entirely possible to end up with 1000 customers if that is your goal. It is obviously better to get as compact a run as possible, but when starting up you take whatever you can get and build from there.

Best wishes,
John