[david.e]

Im starting up a window cleaning round in a few villages in Lincolnshire and really need some advice on the following...
1) Having looked at Tuckerpoles is approx £3500 a reasonable amount for a DI based system for a small van including poles and brushes
2) Is leaflet dropping sufficient or does canvassing yield better results
3) If a house is out of the way can you charge a premium .for eg a farm?

Would really value everyones opinion

Thanks

[Philip Hanson]

Hi David, and welcome.

I'll try to answer your questions as best I can:

1) Having looked at Tuckerpoles is approx £3500 a reasonable amount for a DI based system for a small van including poles and brushes

I dont know much about tucker's systems.  From what I hear some people like them, some loathe them.  That seems about average, maybe a little expensive to me for a small system.  Here are some other suppliers:

http://www.window-tools.com/
http://www.pure2o.co.uk/
http://www.ionicsystems.com/english/index.html
http://www.brodexbms.co.uk/

2) Is leaflet dropping sufficient or does canvassing yield better results

Leaflets are definately easier, but only get about 3% results.  (From 100 well worded leaflets you'd get maybe 3 calls)

Canvassing is vastly more effective, but also more difficult.  Try to only canvass houses that have dirty windows.  This will make the best use of your time.

3

) If a house is out of the way can you charge a premium .for eg a farm?

Yes.  I would do that, depending on how far away it is, and how good the job will be.  Eg if the price would be £50 for some huge mansion of a farm house, then you could add £5 and it wont make much difference.  However, add £5 to a £10 house and they'll probably tell you to clear off.

Hope it goes well for you mate

-Philip

[james_day]

I tend to target clean windows (as much as dirty ones). ....simply because the owner obviously wants the windows to be clean ...the sell then is to convince them that you can do it better, and give value for money! ...especially if they are hard/difficult to do. Look for the dirty patches that the owner cannot reach, and start on that window only if that is what it takes to get the sale. Find out if they clean themselves or have someone else do it ....and your in, in either case!

[replacement]

Another water fed pole company that Philip has missed is....

OMNIPOLE They are very good company, i got my stuff off them and i am very pleased, well worth giving them a call if i was you. Have a good look round before you buy thou and dont take just one persons word for it.

2) Is leaflet dropping sufficient or does canvassing yield better results

Yeah i ahve found leaflets very good repsones. Put i use 3  - 6 ( new flyer has 6 ) Pictures in the flyer and this gets a good up take. Paper advert has done me wonders thou cost me £150 for 6 week advert run and i got over £500 plus business from it. The first week alone i got an conservatory clean worth £150 so it paid for the whole six weeks.


3) If a house is out of the way can you charge a premium .for eg a farm?

Yes i have a small block of flats takes me 1hr 15 min but 40 mins there and back so i charge for my travel time and petrol. I also have an farm house takes me 1 hr there and back and petrol so i added £30 just for that, total job for the farm house is £90, thou i have reduced this down to £80 now as i have 2 more near it. FarmHouse is 1hr 45min Job.
Justin

[Ian_Giles]

As I am only just purchasing my first WFP system, (a trolley one from Broxburn cleaning products £1351) I cannot really offer much info as yet on WFP, but I certainly can on starting a business.

By far and away the best method is to get out there and sell yourself and your service by knocking on doors, combine that with a well written flyer, and like Justin, add some photo's too and you will be well away.

Adverts in local papers may well work, but can often lead to work spotted around all over the place, though if and when you do advertise, when you do pick up work from it, follow it up by knocking on all the doors you can find nearbye and post your flyers into the letterboxes of the houses that have no one in.

Where I live, and where the majority of the domestic work I had (all commercial now) it was very rural.
Knocking on some of their doors could often lead to them looking at you like you are a burglar casing the joint, but these areas rarely have window cleaners due to their relative remoteness, but darn worth it to pick them up, and you can charge good money for your service too.

Where possible try and cover at least your travelling expenses, not always easy if the house is just a straight forward semi though!

Best of luck!

Ian (ISM CLEANING SERVICES)

[david.e]

Thanks guys for your advice it has definitely helped really appreciated thanks

Dave

[snooper]

hello there davie,

I live in lincolnshire as well, (holbeach) and finding the same problem as you with farms. I don`t know where you live but if you see some of the mansions on farms I see then you would understand why I find it difficult to price? What on earth do you do?