[davetherave]

i went out today for the first time as a window cleaner asked a load of houses and not a single one was interested. i tried different areas but every one seemed to be already covered by a window cleaner, needless to say it was extremely demoralising. have other people experienced similar problems in the beginning. everyone on here seems to make out there is loads of potential customers out there but it didnt seem that way to me today. what am i doing wrong.   

[Moderator David@stives]

Keep trying different areas

[David 'Duck' Clare]

Hi Dave

I think the main tips are:

1. look smart when you go looking/knocking for business. I wear a shirt and jeans or shirt/trousers and my nice shoes as you may have to go through someones house to get to the rear to give a quote.

2. leaflet as you walk around as people phone back that arnt in - normally about 2 weeks later for some reason.

3. i get a local A-Z and choose an area every week when i first started and go around each one in turn - maximum coverage and in a systematic order.

4. how are you asking if they want a clean? i say " hi im a local window cleaner and im expanding my round would you like a quote for you windows to be done?"

Good luck

DC

[callum macleod]

hi you should have a try in more remote areas there tends to be more of a demand in less built up areas?

[brett walker]

Canvassing is ok if you can find an area where they need a window cleaner but the key is to make it compact, its ok picking one up here and there but they need to be good earners.  I would try and but a compact round thats already been established

best of luck

Brett

[dai]

Find out where the new developments are and get in early. It's the only way to get a compact round without buying one. I have in the past watched removal vans. If they are unloading, get in quick. You usually see new estates on the property pages of local papers. I even used to read future planning applications. If you can get to do the show house on a new estate you have hit gold dust. This is one time I would advise to go in really cheap for the show house and sales office. The sales staff will tell you when new people are moving in, some will even post your card and fly-er with their sales pack. This method has got me a round where I hardly have to move the van all day. Dai

[chris@c.m.s]

You proberly just picked an area that is well covered, I've had evenings like that and it isnt nice, but you should try another area monday eve and you may well pic up a good few houses, other than that try leaflets.   

[jinky230]

dave most areas are covered

so this is your only option

check out new areas being built
go to the estate show house and offer to clean their windows for nothing
they will jump at you . tell them you want to pick up the area for cleaning
and you will continue to clean their windows for nothing if they tell you the time the householder is moving in.

now go to the householder and offer them first  free clean as they move in free they also will jump at you - 2 years later you have a compact site


this does work and you can also get the phone number of the client from the estate show house - tell then you want to phone the cllient and clean their windows for free as they are moving in


1 you are first there
2 nobody refuses something for nothing
3 the builders will be quite happy for you to follow them from estate to estate

if it does not work I will eat my hat - it has worked for me time and time again

jinky

[gaza]

spend time driving around and walk up and down streets look for dirty windows,then canvass

  gaza

[jinky230]

did that as well gaz and got results but that was years ago, now  there is just so more window cleaners out there.But saying that I know a few lads who have built up quick by putitng the time in,something the youngsters dont want to do,they sem to want it on a plate,results only comes from hard work

the summer is here now compress your present work load to 3 weeks and spend a full week limiting areas

I go down the route nowadays targetting the customers I have by offering more services, like jetwashing driveways decking, cleaning gutters, exterior decorating, painters hate doing eaves because of the height and really put the price up, so this allows you to be competitive if you are confident up a ladder at heights hope this helps
jinky

[dai]

ow go to the householder and offer them first  free clean as they move in free they also will jump at you - 2 years later you have a compact site.
Jinky, thats exactly what I did. Other cleaners thought I was mad. In reality you only did 4 or 5 free cleans a month as the new houses were completed. As I was just starting out, it cost me nothing but the time. It would have been different if I had had a full round. That's why I don't have to move the van all day for 6 consecutive days

[born slippy]

 ive spent 17 years building my round and i started out with 1 house that was a mate now i do 657 per month its been hard work but now seeing all the benifits keep knocking you will win in the end

[jinky230]

dai ------it works all my streets have about sixty houses in them and I do on average about 55 out of each street, you always get some who wont take you on no matter how you try

so dave take heid of what dai and myself have experienced in the past

hope this helps

[matt]

ow go to the householder and offer them first  free clean as they move in free they also will jump at you - 2 years later you have a compact site.
Jinky, thats exactly what I did. Other cleaners thought I was mad. In reality you only did 4 or 5 free cleans a month as the new houses were completed. As I was just starting out, it cost me nothing but the time. It would have been different if I had had a full round. That's why I don't have to move the van all day for 6 consecutive days

dai, whats with the pink writing, you feeling a little "happy"

[davetherave]

hi thanks all for the advice i got five customers now all in one small area , i didn't do anything different i just tried other areas and eventually got lucky i guess but still getting customers seems hard. i have a very long way to go before i have a full round. i guess you just gotta put the hard work in and keep knocking. there is a bloody lot of window cleaners out there unfortnunately, well it appears that way round my end.

[rosskesava]

Dave

Just stick at it.

When we started window cleaning, getting customers seemed impossible. I think it gets easier when you wear your job like a well fitting glove, but in the beginning that is not possible as it's all new and I think the customer picks that up subliminally.

Also, probably it may be easier and more productive to leaflet. Anything simple and informative will do. Even a simple 'Window Cleaner' 'Please phone XXX XXXX'.
About 2 years ago I used to leaflet at least about 500 of them a week, week in, week out, rain or shine. It was murder on my legs and knackering but it got results.

You've got 5 customers and as you got those five, you can get five more and so on.

It is hard work starting up but then, one day, suddenly it will all start to rollerball.

Cheers