[paul alan]

been at it it nearly 4 years, started with a bucket off me mate and squeegee from asda all on foot. now ive got a tranny van with a 2 man set up and am employing the wife also,weve got some decent work and some not so.
problem is were in need of more cash so i'll be soon out door knocking,but i want the better work.
 does anyone have any ideas for how to go about refining my round and the best way to build it up by around another £800 per 4 weekly? what type of work is the best to look for in your opinion? im all domestic at the mo, apart from a couple of shops and couple of day care centres.
can anyone give some advice on canvassing? im not too bad at i think, i wear a uniform and present myself as a professional, but im sure i could use some tips from the more experienced.
i cant see leafleting working, and cant shell out anyways. i live in north wales and have started cleaning some caravan windows, including full cleans at £30 a pop, can anyone share some experience with caravan cleaning? is it a good option?
so i want well priced, good quality work. like the idea of caravan cleans but need advice on that one. so how would you guys go about taking up the round by £800 P4WKLY whilst avoiding all the crap work?
cheers.

[Bungle]

North Wales you say? Are you near the coast? Try the hotels?

[Smudger]

Are you in a large town/city or more rural ?

If rural then canvass small isolated villages and high end properties with long drives, leaflets rarely get dropped to these places and many people bottle it walking upto big houses, you'd be surprised how many don't have a windy and much prefer to talk to a prospective cleaner than respond to a leaflet ( they the personal touch )

You are way to low for caravan cleaning double your price and that's for a small tourer and work up.

Getting better work comes with time, experience and confidence in yourself.

You need also to get noticed - sign written van, posters in newsagents, ads in local church mags, local free paper etc...

Sometimes you need to speculate to accumulate, although canvassing is by far the best, quickest and cheapest option

Darran

[paul alan]

I'm in between rhyl and llandudno on the coast, so I'm kinda rural. There's plenty of hotels etc but they seem to be covered? Or that's my perception at least. How do I canvass these ? I've tried a few but get knocked back at the door by staff, who do I ask for? There's tons of holiday camps etc aswell, but lack confidence to ask as I'm not sure the best way to get hold of the right person and be able to tell em what they need to hear, also not sure on pricing of these.
And 60 quid start for caravans? There's GUys blasting employed down for 18 quid start price, but they are using jetwash( bad from what I hear ) I have tried washing a couple and 30 for half hour ain't bad. Do I use tfr on the vans? Caustic/non caustic?There's millionaires made on them there caravan sites.
How do I go from domestic to hotels etc?
What chemicals do I need for caravans?
What kind of realistic hourly rate should I aim for when pricing hotels, shops , and higher end work? Who is the man to talk to within a buisness, and generally what does he want to hear from me to give me the work?
Many, many thanks guys.

[dazmond]

i think you need to ask more questions mate!

motivation?a business plan?thats up to you.we cant do that for you.

as for getting more commercial thats why window cleaners use people like becci swan.all my commercial jobs have come from word of mouth and recommendation though through many years of window cleaning.

hourly rates,prices,day rates etc vary wildly across the country.the truth is charge what YOU think is a fair price for the work not another window cleaners prices whether its a caravan or a 4 storey hotel.

tfr or virosol diluted will be fine on the caravans.just make sure you scrub and rinse well.

for certain commercial jobs you ll need risk and methods statements,proof of insurance etc so make sure your paperwork is up to date.

[SeanK]

Need to talk to the manager or owners, but if the staff have been instructed to turn
away cold callers it can be hard.
If you cant get talking to somebody in charge price the hotel anyway then write a letter telling them your price
and what your offering for that price.( let them know that your fully insured to be working on their property )
Put a leaflet in with it if you have one then address it to the manager and post it.
For the cost of a stamp its worth a try.
If the hotel has an email address then sent them an email also.
Get a few leaflets printed with things like fascia cleaning, leave a space at the bottom for you to write in a price.
When your out cleaning and see a property that needs these services price it, write the price on the leaflet
then put it through their letter box.
Cleaning fascia and gutters can be a good way of getting their windows to clean especially if their frames are
stinking and you ask them do they want them cleaned also.

[dazmond]

good advice sean.

paul you could be earning more from your existing customer base if you offer f/s/g,conny roof and solar panel cleaning.

yes its harder work than window cleaning but charge more.once you ve cleaned a few you get  quicker and more confident with these add on jobs.

you could also offer inside window cleaning but they can be a pain as the customer has to be at home so you ll have to book them in but all extra work and money.

i have a list of add on services sign written on the back of my van,printed on my leaflets and "windows cleaned today" chits.it does bring in more work.

keep your eyes peeled when your out and about cleaning for dirty fascias,soffits,gutters,conny roofs and solar panels and ask them do they want them cleaning whether its a window cleaning customer or not.as sean says you could end up picking them up as regular customers.

[richywilts]

maybe contract cleaning the caravans internally for your wife not just the externals easy enough to setup, i may have some work you could rent in coming months if your prepared to travel to chester/ellesmere port

[Nathanael Jones]

Have you taken a day out recently & done a detailed SWOT analysis of your business? (SWOT = Strengths/Weaknesses/Opportunities/Threats)

Sitting down for a few hours and trying to get some perspective can feel like a waste of time when you're busy, but it can be soooooo worth it!

You need to get clear in your head what direction YOU WANT the business to take - because if it doesn't sit well with how you personally work, you're never going to give it 100% and it won't be a success. Often mediocre ideas executed with enthusiasm are far more successful than brilliant ideas approached half-heartedly.

What kind of work do you enjoy? If caravan cleaning is something that makes you smile then look into ways of getting into EVERY caravan park in your area, contacting both the park management and the caravan owners directly, using every form of marketing at your disposal.

See what marketing opportunities are out there - would money invested in sponsoring a youth sports team return more benefit than newspaper ads? Are you using social media to promote your business? Is your branding on every bit of stationary you use along with a list of your services? Can you increase the income you get from your existing customer base by promoting your add-on services more?

[paul alan]

Really good ideas, gives me plenty to think about. I've got a ideas of my own but you can't beat experience! Why waste time trying to work it all out when you can learn from others that have already trodden the path? That's why I come to the forum, you guys are a really great source of experience and I really appreciate all your help.
Don't be afraid to ask questions, it's a shortcut to knowledge. Life's too short.
Many ,many thanks.

[geoffreyspecht]

been at it it nearly 4 years, started with a bucket off me mate and squeegee from asda all on foot. now ive got a tranny van with a 2 man set up and am employing the wife also,weve got some decent work and some not so.
problem is were in need of more cash so i'll be soon out door knocking,but i want the better work.
 does anyone have any ideas for how to go about refining my round and the best way to build it up by around another £800 per 4 weekly? what type of work is the best to look for in your opinion? im all domestic at the mo, apart from a couple of shops and couple of day care centres.
can anyone give some advice on canvassing? im not too bad at i think, i wear a uniform and present myself as a professional, but im sure i could use some tips from the more experienced.
i cant see leafleting working, and cant shell out anyways. i live in north wales and have started cleaning some caravan windows, including full cleans at £30 a pop, can anyone share some experience with caravan cleaning? is it a good option?
so i want well priced, good quality work. like the idea of caravan cleans but need advice on that one. so how would you guys go about taking up the round by £800 P4WKLY whilst avoiding all the crap work?
cheers.

what r u charging for your three bed houses

[paul alan]

£12-£20 depending! we try and get around £50 per hr.
some of older prices aint so good, but im getting around them with better prices, losing a couple but usualy making up for it with the extra of the others.

[alanwilson]

Hello Paul.
Caravan cleaning etc I can't help you with, I know nothing about it.

Hotels? That I can help with - we clean 46 hotels.
First of all, never cold call in person - it's not how it's done.
You need a business information folder, 5 pages.
Page 1 - who you/your business are and how long trading.
Page 2 - details of what work you do and how it's done.
Page 3 - copies of all insurances
Page 4 - list of all other commercial work you do WITH contact details - they WILL contact them for recommendation.
Page 5 - your contact information including email address. Make sure you put beside your tele number your office hours, even if it's your home number - they will assume you have an office.

I hope this helps you.