[dazmond]

I tell them to text me their address.I leave it up to them.if their interested they will contact me!if not I don't care anyway.their obviously not serious about having a window cleaner.

[paul alan]

I tell them to text me their address.I leave it up to them.if their interested they will contact me!if not I don't care anyway.their obviously not serious about having a window cleaner.

seems to me like "you dont care" about techniques and tactics to grow your round anymore.
As you are from reading your posts" doing realy well" for yourself regards your round.
Some in here like me are still in the growth phase and will benefit from sound advice, and not from someone who"doesnt care".
After all this forum is designed to a source of "useful" information and advice, not for the blowing of ones own trumpet.

[dazmond]

It's just what I do mate.yes true I don't care whether I get a new job or not really if their not going to text me their address.I give them a card and it's up to them to contact me IMO.

Whether you think it's sound advice or not it's up to you to decide.

[nathankaye]

A mix of advice on here, though not read everyones posts, so apologies if this has been said.
Most people who have asked me in the street etc for a card, may honestly be needing a window cleaner etc but it was on the offchance that they may have bumped into me. Therefore it can be put in a bag and forgotten and these thoes of people i very rarely hear from.  For me though, i dont mind this as my work is established and any extra is a bonus. But apart from quality of my work etc etc, i like to give a professional appearance of myself and my work and so the business card is an expansion of that and i would hate to say, "sorry i dont have any cards to hand out".
From speaking to new customers who ive done additional work for ie power washing for,  they have said they asked a couple of people for a business card but they didnt have one and if they dont have a basic contact card, then how serious is their work.   So for me if they dont call, its no worry to me, but atleast its not down to me that they havent called. If that makes sense 

However i have had ones who have come out of their way to get a card from me and these ones have contacted me and taken up on my services.
When i have canvassed in new areas that i have expanded into, i have left business cards with potential new clients and thats part of the professional package in my personal opinion. A lot worse than not having one to offer

[robbo333]

I don't bother with cards (perhaps I should) I just keep leaflets in the van. If someone asks for a card, I give them a leaflet with all the info on. If I like them, i'll spend a minute having a chat with them and if I'm not bothered I just give them the leaflet, say "thank you and feel free to give me a ring. " Some call me back, some don't.   

[Johnny B]

I often get asked for a business card. I ran out of them quite a while ago and haven't got around to getting some more made up, so I tell that to anyone who asks and write my name and number out and give it to them. No-one ever seems to have a problem with this.

I am in a small town in Ireland where most of the locals know or are related to one another, which makes an excellent natural grapevine for recommendations, For example I often get walk ups who seem to know things about me although I have never met them!

I am of the same line of thought as Dazmond. If they call I will follow up, but don't give a second thought if they don't. If they give me their address though I will arrange to call on them when I am in their area. If they don't, how serious were they about our service in the first place?

Dazmond and I are not trumpet blowing. We all had to start somewhere and have been in the game long enough to have established our reputations in our respective localities so as not to be having to chase work.

So if you are new to window cleaning, canvassing, leafleting, handing and out cards and following up is what you will need to do until you are established enough to be in the position where work will find you.

Best wishes,

John.

[no way Jose]

Not handing out business cards when asked is nothing to do with looking professional or not .it' s about what works and what doesn't !
It's all about setting the ball rolling! And that system works wonder with me!
Today again while working on the glass a customer's neighbour asked me for my business card, I said I didn't have any but would be happy to give her a quote here and there. I did so £50 first clean front and back and offered to do it straight away . Accepted! Job done! No faffing about!  I get a positive rate of about75 % to 80%. ! Last year from June to end of december while on the job I was asked for a business card 92 times ( I really kept track of it) and heard  from no more than 4 of them! 2 of them even asked me for my business card twice! No more of that! Believe me that's the best way to do it!!!!

[nathankaye]

Not handing out business cards when asked is nothing to do with looking professional or not .it' s about what works and what doesn't !
It's all about setting the ball rolling! And that system works wonder with me!
Today again while working on the glass a customer's neighbour asked me for my business card, I said I didn't have any but would be happy to give her a quote here and there. I did so £50 first clean front and back and offered to do it straight away . Accepted! Job done! No faffing about!  I get a positive rate of about75 % to 80%. ! Last year from June to end of december while on the job I was asked for a business card 92 times ( I really kept track of it) and heard  from no more than 4 of them! 2 of them even asked me for my business card twice! No more of that! Believe me that's the best way to do it!!!!

Obviously if a walk up or enquirey is in the vicinity of where you are working as in a neighbour or someone on the street. Obviously its best to sort out there and then. However if they live a little further etc and want a card, as i said, to me its professional to have them. To me it shows your not a cowboy etc etc or a cleaner who may hang up his equipment within the next couple of months. So to me, it makes no difference if they call or not, i dont card, but im glad i have them to hand. Lets face it, there not a great expense to have, even if you just print a hundread of.

[no way Jose]

yes, I truly believe people mean to call you when they ask for a business card but they just don't get round to do it! if they live a bit too far from my patch I'm not interested . I suppose my position is different from yours. I work  in London and still work on consoliding my round . Nevertheless it's great to get to hear different opinion. That's the whole point of this forum.

[paul alan]

I often get asked for a business card. I ran out of them quite a while ago and haven't got around to getting some more made up, so I tell that to anyone who asks and write my name and number out and give it to them. No-one ever seems to have a problem with this.

I am in a small town in Ireland where most of the locals know or are related to one another, which makes an excellent natural grapevine for recommendations, For example I often get walk ups who seem to know things about me although I have never met


I am of the same line of thought as Dazmond. If they call I will follow up, but don't give a second thought if they don't. If they give me their address though I will arrange to call on them when I am in their area. If they don't, how serious were they about our service in the first place?

Dazmond and I are not trumpet blowing. We all had to start somewhere and have been in the game long enough to have established our reputations in our respective localities so as not to be having to chase work.

So if you are new to window cleaning, canvassing, leafleting, handing and out cards and following up is what you will need to do until you are established enough to be in the position where work will find you.

Best wishes,

John.

Aww..... thats cute "dazmond and I" bet he feels much better knowing your here to stick up for him like this x

But seriously if this forum is for people seeking knowledge on how to NOT grow your round anymore and would just like to know how well everyone else is doing then yes its good advice to no longer care about getting more work.

But ....... if people would like to know if buisness cards work or not with regards to gaining more custom then the answer has to be if your handing them out without a follow up then its a NO.

If you are in the buisness to go further then you should absolutely NOT just hand them out and expect someone to call you.
It may happen occasionaly but not very often.

If by chance you ARE looking to grow your buisness then you MUST be proactive and one way to do this is by instead, taking their number/address and following that up yourself by dojng it this way you are making things happen not waiting to see if things happen.

I understand that some people are happy with their situation and wish not to explore further, and I am happy for them!

By saying i wish to grow in no way means i am unhappy with my situation, quite the opposite is true! But we all have different goals in life and each to their own i say.

But in the context of giving advice lets assume that at least some of us are looking for more helpful hints and to those people i say take in everyones views and opinions but carefuly decide which you let affect your thoughts and actions. As some of the "advice" i see on here would sink most ships.

[nathankaye]

From most peoples comments on these threads, its by people who have been cleaning windows for quite a number of years, myself included. We have perhaps tried purchasing rounds, leaflet dropping, canvassing and now the internet world has taken off more so with smart phones etc, have invested alot of time and money into building reputable web sites. Theres at least one member who has branched out with tv commercials as well.

Therefore reading between the lines of what is being said, regardless if many dont care less about expanding (due to having enough quality of work for their personal needs) or not. The use of business cards to expand your business isnt the way to go. Yes it helps and also adds to the image of your business to be able to hand them out. In reality you will not get many to follow up on actually contacting you and so its best to be proactive if asked.
So to conclude, it doesnt hurt (not even the pocket) to have business cards. Just dont expect it to produce alot of business

[dazmond]

business cards have always worked well for me.lots of people DO PHONE/TEXT ME with their details when they ask for a card.

also i offer them a card and ASK THEM TO TEXT ME THEIR ADDRESS if i get walk ups while im working.its easier and i have their contact details and address all in one then.simple.


its common sense.