[gemmanjim]

Ive only been cleaning windows for about 10 months and my round is getting slowly bigger but i cant even imagine getting inscurance,water fed poles and im only just now paying tax on it.

Its so hard trying to make ends meet earning up to 400 a week seems a long way off i only earn half that.

[WavieDavie]

Read as much as you can on the Starting a Window Cleaning Business board too - lots of very helpful stuff over there for you. http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Startingwindowcleaning

NEVER undersell yourself - don't cut someone else's price just to get the job, or get fooled by the rascals who tell you a cheaper price than they've been charged. Time yourself on your existing jobs and see what that comes out to per hour - is that what you want to earn, or do you need to start increasing your prices? Do that on the jobs you pick up from now on.

Don't take one-offs, tell prospective customers that you provide a service, your business is all repeat work and you'll be their window cleaner for years and years. Turn up like clockwork, leave them a card to say when you'll be back, when you do come back and give them the next card, tell them to pass that on to anyone they know with dirty windows or if they know of anyone without a window cleaner.

Customers are not the enemy, or people to be screwed. You want their repeat business. Be nice to them - anyone who pays me for keeping fit is definitely on my pals list. Your old customers are the depth to your business and the new ones are the breadth - you need both.

Ooh, I think I'm starting go off on a rant here, so I'll shut up now. Let me have your email and I'll send off some stuff for you to go through, if you like. Click on my name over on the left to get mine.

[Colin_Glenn]

Hiya Jim

I think you would really do well to think about getting insurance. If you phone around the companies in the Yellow pages you will get deals of about £100 per year for £1,000,000 third party cover. It will cost a LOT more if you drop your ladders on someones car in the wind, or even if you break a roof tile while cleaning windows above a porch like I did once. (£300 just for one tile as it was right at the top and needed all the cement re-done. Insurance paid the whole lot bar £100 exess)

Also you will pick up more customers if you let people know you are fully insured. It makes them feel safe.

As far as getting more work is concerned, what I did in the begining was work on bank holidays and Saturdays so that people saw me who are normally at work during the week.

Also put on a shirt and tie and go canvassing round houses in a well off area without a window cleaner. Do it at about 8pm when people are home from work, relaxed after eating and disposed to have someone knock thier door. Tell them you are insured and will be regular as clockwork ever month. Charge extra for the first clean especially if the person approached you.

Of course the advice of WavieDavie above is also good. I am going to try a few of those ideas myself.

Hope this helped.

Colin

[elfords]

Wavie Davie said - Don`t do one off cleans? Why?

As long as you charge a premium for a one off clean why cut out another potential market, and of course do a good job and it will only enhance your word of mouth reputation and you may even get that customer as a regular one at some time in the future. We are not looking for small domestic regular jobs quite the opposite so if we can offer a one off clean at a viable price the customer is happy with then everyones a winner   don`t you agree, what you must not do is accept one off cleans at the standard regular service clean price, now that I do agree with  :-/

[libertyclean1]

Hi there
canvassing is king to building up your round, i have tought my canvassers how to get a job for nearly every 3 doors they knock on, we get on average between £40 - £75 an hour in new business so it can be done and that is quite consistent, if you would like to see how we do it then go to www.libertynewmedia.com