[roundbuilder]

Spruce - Fantastic info there. Much appreciated!

Daz - do you just write down the sold properties then go back and canvass them or canvass them when there's a sold sign outside?

Cheers!

Mate its simple.
Cover a 10 mile radious from your chosen area, go out with the mrs or your kid or even a mate as it saves a lot of time than doing it yourself, simply note down all the houses with sold board signs up on houses that you would like as customers. After going out 5/6 times you would have built up a list of around 100 decent houses with sold board signs on which when the new home owners move in they will 9 times out of 10 bite your arm off to be there window cleaner as no one spends 250k plus on a house and not have clean windows when they want to show all there mates and there family there new home.
A simple pitch to use is "hi i notice you have nust moved in,  im a local window cleaner and do many around here and im guessing you would like me to put you on the books aswell" that is all that needs to be said as it puts the words yes go on then in there mouths.
After gaining the list of 100 plus sold boards you will need to drive round them every 2 weeks waiting for the sold board to come down when it does pounce at the house and say your stuff and gain another customer. Within a year of doing this you would have built up such a cream round with decent houses and decent prices that life will be easy. Dont take my word for it just go and do it! Dont waste time canvassing every single road and house think out of the box and target your new work another way( the sold board way).

[Jim Waugh(Albright & Shiny)]

Don't lose sight of this little sum.

There are 13 4 weeks periods in a year.
320/4 weeks  x13 = 4160

Each £10 customer you find is another £130 a year in turnover.
You only need 7.7 new £10 customers to make another Grand in turnover..

or  another way to look at it is 77 customers is a potential 10k in turnover..

Don't focus on the small number that you see staring at you.. Look at what  its worth over the year and chuckle as each new customer gives you a pay rise which in percentage terms is waaaay more than the average person receives in these troubled times..

[C o z y]

I agree with Colin Birds comments.

To start with you need to eat, sleep, talk window cleaning.

I think it is more difficult to start a business in this economic climate no matter where you are.

But with hard work there shouldn't be any reason why you can't make it. It's been said many times on here before - put in a good days graft canvassing, clean as you go and when finished, go canvass some more. Be prepared to canvass and clean on a Saturday to start with, working people are more likely to be home and see you working.
To the world you are just a window cleaner. But to you, you aren’t just a window cleaner, you are also a salesman (selling yourself and your services,) a business proprietor, an accounts controller and a telephone receptionist. You are also a maintenance engineer and business planner – one person with lots of hats.

Make each door knock count. Work areas systematically. You are expanding your business. Keep a record of each house in the area you are working in a try to build up a little profile. Each household will go into one of three categories - not home, already have a window cleaner or do their own/don't bother.

Be courteous, polite and get as much info as possible, even from those who have a window cleaner. You aren't there to steal another cleaner's business, but as you appear to leave, just ask what their window cleaner's name is. Some won't know, some will lie, but some will say his name is John for example. When you get outside then write that down with the street name, house number and window cleaner's name. One day in the future you may hear that John has stopped window cleaning - now you have a whole list of houses to canvass.
If they do their own, that's fine as they are still potential customers and the ones not home can be knocked later and when found moved into one of the other remaining groups.

Obviously, if you are canvassing an area and get no response, move to another, but always make it your goal to get back one day. To start off it may be slow going, so try a few areas. Hopefully it won't be too long before you hit the magic jackpot - a whole area needing a window cleaner. Don't be afraid to speak to other window cleaners you see and introduce yourself. Once they see you aren't a threat to their business, they may even point you in the right direction.

Set yourself achievable goals, ie. How many new customers you need by a certain time. You need to know how many doors you knocked that day and how many new customers you gained. This is important sales info. In time you will find that your average works out at say 25 door knocks to one customer for example. This helps you in tougher days as you will look forward to the no's and unanswered doors as you will shortly get a yes - a new customer. If you achieve more don't take your proverbial foot off the gas. Fear of rejection is major reason why many give up canvassing. Learn to love rejection as it brings to closer to that magic ‘YES’.

When you get a new customer, make it you goal to knock a few doors each side and over the road. Tell them that you have started to clean for the Gibsons at number 10 and ask them, maybe again, if you can clean their windows for them.

If you see someone cleaning their own windows, stop and canvass them. If you see an older one up the steps cleaning her windows, I mention that it is a dangerous thing to be doing as we get older. Ask your new customers for referrals who live close by. Don't make small talk about the weather etc, talk window cleaning and nothing else. If you are cleaning a house and have already canvassed the neighbours and you see one of them in the garden - greet them, comment about the weather etc. If they get to know you, they may contact you, sometimes after many years. And don’t forget to occasionally ask them for their business.

It also never ceases to amase me how often friends discuss their window cleaners - do a bad job, and everyone knows, do a good job, be polite etc and everyone will also know that as well. You will also be surprised who your customers know, so try not to fall out with anybody, even if they turn out to be messers.

It is too easy to get swept along by chatty homeowners who have nothing else to do, but they will waste hours of your valuable time if you let them. Limit that time and turn the conversation into asking for a referral.
Some new cleaners canvassed homes on the back-roads just out of town and did quite well with the response. The problem was the houses weren't close together, but they commanded a higher price to compensate.

Remember the add-ons. Why not offer conservatory roof cleaning, gutter cleaning etc even although they have an existing window cleaner. We do several customers conservatories as their own window cleaner won't do them. Promote indoor window cleaning as well. Most windies, including myself will only do inside windows under duress. But if you are still growing your round, every little helps.
Being new to window cleaning then you will be more prone to pick up other cleaners rejects. As very few messers change, they will tend to become your rejects as well.

In the early days you have to proactively build your business, which means collecting the debts as well. In time you will get to know your genuine customers and the time wasters. Although we now have a two clean rule, this doesn't extend to new customers. They also have to build their credibility with us. Someone on here started the 3 c's - canvass, clean, cull. You will have to decide how much nonsense you will take from new customers whilst you are building your business.

Each time a customer messes around it costs you money - cancelled cleans, locked rear gates when they promised to leave them open, dogs muck, delayed payment, repeated collection calls - so don't hold onto them. They will take up time that would be better used finding new customers.

Your customer base will always be 'fluid' - rental customer’s move, customers die, sell etc. most that you have little control of.

Go Well!

PRINT THAT OUT AND STICK IT ON YOUR FRIDGE DOOR.

Fantastic help there.

[A & J Owen Window Cleaning]

I know its a tricky subject for some but canvassing is the only way sustain regular customers and ditch a few. its what I call a recycle 1 in 1 out.

[Spruce]

Don't lose sight of this little sum.

There are 13 4 weeks periods in a year.
320/4 weeks  x13 = 4160

Each £10 customer you find is another £130 a year in turnover.
You only need 7.7 new £10 customers to make another Grand in turnover..

or  another way to look at it is 77 customers is a potential 10k in turnover..

Don't focus on the small number that you see staring at you.. Look at what  its worth over the year and chuckle as each new customer gives you a pay rise which in percentage terms is waaaay more than the average person receives in these troubled times..

Hi Jim,

This is also a little gem. There is a big difference between a monthly clean and a 4 weekly clean.

In the early days of trad, we also pushed for a 2 weekly cleaning cycle. There is a large cleaning company operating in our area with cheap per clean prices but on a 2 weekly basis.

We have found that customer's soon changed to 4 weekly when we introduced wfp.

[Scott92]

Got a good 35 sold signs noted down today and tomorrow will be canvassing.

I'm going to try both sold signs and canvassing see how it goes

Thanks for all your replies guys

 

[C o z y]

Got a good 35 sold signs noted down today and tomorrow will be canvassing.

I'm going to try both sold signs and canvassing see how it goes

Thanks for all your replies guys

 

Good man.

[HampshireWindowCleaning]

I've had a fair few from the sold signs over the years.
Can be a waiting game though, sometimes takes many months before the sign goes down.