Silly,
The first thing to realise is that almost certainly there will be a window cleaner already under contract. Its very rare that a formal contract will exist but thats what you'll be told. In many respects its a numbers game, the more contacts you make the greater the chance of picking up work. Timing is important also, contracts are often reviewed in January or April so getting a mailshot out in Oct or Nov is important or you'll miss the boat. Timing is also important from the point of view that your letter could land just after a dispute between client and contractor, but this comes down to luck.
You need to be polite, acknowledge that they probably already have a window-cleaner but you would like to be put on the Tender list so would they kindly keep your details on record. Include a short paragraph about an important aspect of your business, a safety feature or something about quality control or supervision. Mention one or two of your bigger customers. If possible try to get some letters of reference from these customers and include photo copies with your letter. I went as far as having a presentation folder printed in colour, with lots of photos it is really eye catching, this is important so that your letter ends up in the filing cabinet rather than the round file.
If you send out 100 you may get 2 replies, but if you phone and speak to the person within 7-10 days you will push the response rate up to 10-12. A 10% return is good, more importantly you have made an impression that will last. I do this every year and now when I make the follow up calls people know me well enough and we have a little chat. People do business with people they know and like, gentle persistance pays off in the long run and I have won numerous contracts because I was recommended by one of my contacts even though I did'nt clean their windows!
Remember also to include local cleaning companies in your mailings, most window cleaning contracts are handled by contract cleaners who then subcontract the work out. You can land big volume work this way but as with all commercial contracts your price has to be right, by that I mean low. If your used to house cleaning money you have to make a mental change to the way you price up work. Commercial customers see their cleaning bills as an expensive overhead that does'nt earn them anything in return, so they are looking for good value for least money. You can make a hansome profit doing commercial work, but you have to be good at what you do. This means having the right approach to the job, you have to clean to a good commercial standard and reserve your best quality work to the most important areas, reception, bosses office, the accounts office and anywhere that you find ladies working! You have to be fit, fast, and motivate your staff well, always be on the watch for safety and for ways to work more efficiently. Window cleaning is a great business, so many in our business are complacent and live in the past. Its easy to win business at their expence, but thats down to you.
regards
Tom
