[thewindowcleaner1]

Here's a copy of an e-mail I recieved 27/7/05 Ive told the sender to put BIG red crosses on the customers doors and I'll avoid them houses,I also sent a list of the area's that I work so that he would know were to drop his leaflets
 if any one would like to try and explain the free market place to the sender please feel free to do so, I tried for about an hour, can't grasp the concept of business growth.

Benj2427@aol.com


My husband has bean window cleaning in the Cannock area for 20 years and has built a round of 800+ custumers, but he is getting fed up of you sticking flyers through there doors in many areas.
Could  you please respect him and no doubt other window cleaners around Cannock and concentrate on your own customers not theres otherewise he will start doing the same on your round.
  Many thanks

[Sir Squeaky]

Yes.

We should mail him asking him if he minded if we canvassed for more work in the Cannock area, as we're branching out!

Oh, and we're a team of 5

[Thecleanerservice]

He's built a round of 800+ customers!!!
That's approx 40 customers a day, 5 days a week, all year!!
Tell him take a holiday.  It's about time he let someone else have a share.
sound's like he has a greedy attitude..It's not as if you are deliberately poaching on his enormous empire.
Pj

[Philip Hanson]

I think that's rather sweet to be honest.  A concerned wife who's trying to look out for her husband, who might be getting stressed about losing some work.

I wonder if he knew she sent the email, probably not I would think.  I bet he does his nut when he finds out.

-Philip

[easycleanwindows]

ive had other cleaners put leaflets through my customers doors......so what they either bin them or tell them no? i wonder if estate agents email each other telling them its not fair that a million other agents have set up right next door.

[Ian_Giles]

Mail him and tell him you are not trying to take work off him, but you want everyone to know they have a choice, and of course you are not to know who his customers are, any more than you are likely to know which ones he doesn't have!

If he is any good he won't lose more than a handful to you anyway.

Build up your business, but whatever you do, DON'T UNDERPRICE!!
Don't bother trying to undercut the opposition, thats a lose lose situation, no one wins.
Don't beat them on price, beat them on the service you offer instead.

Regards,

Ian

[danny mckim]

did u manage to pick up any customers in this guys area

[simbo]

what is it with this "my area" sfuff, it does not exist, for whatever reasons you will rarely do every house in a  given area. It is an area that you have customers that is all, nobody starting out should not leaflet a area just because another window cleaner does some of the houses, that is just rediculous.Having leafletted a street last  week of 200 house picked up 5 customers, there are at least 5 diferent cleaners doing this area and i would bet stll 100 house do not have a cleaner for whatever reason (lose customers, so what if you are any good you will get more anyway) good luck to all "good" new starters, as for the cowboys "hang them out to dry"

[Davindo Cleana]

Why don't you invite him onto the forum - or suggest that he looks at it to get a feel of what is happening in the wider world,
which, you ought to point out, is round, not flat

[QED]

I find the best way to get work is by word of mouth or advertise in the local paper. Or nock on the door then they will soon tell you if they have a window cleaner. Most of my work came from nocking its simply the best way. face to face

[baldeagle]

"If a man write a better book, preach a better sermon, or clean a window better than his neighbour, tho' he build his house in the woods, the world will make a beaten path to his door"

With apologies to Ralph Waldo Emerson
1803-1882

Baldeagle - in a part of Staffordshire that is not Cannock

[windows_chepstow]

I didn't just send him the following e-mail (or did I?):

WINDOW CLEANING IN THE CANNOCK AREA - DO YOU REQUIRE A WINDOW CLEANER?

Dear Sir or Madam,

We are a large window cleaning company that carries out discount pricing window cleaning on a 4 or 8 weekly service and we are rapidly expanding into the Cannock area.

We offer highly professional service and payment can be made by cash, cheque, pay pal, nochex or standing order. 

We promise to slash your current window cleaning bill by upto 50%.

You can visit our website by clicking the link:

www.windupwindowcleaning.co.uk

We hope to see you there.

Regards

Windows Chepstow

Have I done anything illegal?  I love a good wind up!

[thewindowcleaner1]

Update on e-mail warning....

My reply to the original e-mail was as follows.

Please feel free to drop as many leaflets as you like, Myt area,s are Cannock, Great wyrley, Huntington,Heath Hayes,Rawnsley,plus many more will let you have complete list later, as a developing businee operating in a free market-place I have NO intention of stopping leaflet dropping, door knocking and any other way I think of of getting aditional business,and for your information I have been window cleaning in the cannock area since 1991 and it is my intention over the next couple of years to have at least 6 vans operating in this area alone....
Ps . watch out for press adds comming soon, Yellow pages(already in it), and next year car park marketing,
as regards not leafleting your customers if you could arrange to have a large RED cross on thier doors I will avoid those premises..

to which I recieved the reply..

well my husband has never had any need to advertise & push leaflets through doors.
He works 6 days a week, not spending half his time poaching others


we've had several other exchages in which I gave the link to this site, one of the better replys I got was that I must be the profeshional window cleaners Nightmare , he to which I replied call me Freddy then,
on the whole its getting a little silly, the only thing that bugs me is that I can't find out who it is and I hate faceless bullys.

Alan

[thewindowcleaner1]

Have I done anything illegal?  I love a good wind up!

I love it...

[24-7 S C Services]

Hi Alan,

You may want to tell this fella to get a life and his wife needs a reality check, she obviously wears the trousers in that house.

Try inviting him out for a one to one meeting, if he has been in the business as long as he says and he has such a vast customer base, what is his problem? Perhaps he is scarred of a professional coming in and providing a better service.

At the end of the day mate, keep doing what you are doing and don’t get stressed over it.

Good Luck

Andrew

[baldeagle]

The best thread for weeks!!!!!!

Next episode please!!!!!

Baldeagle

[thewindowcleaner1]

More replys I'll let you work out what I sent,

CANVASSER. thats how desperate you are. All my husbands work comes from recomendations

no your fliers are littering the streets around the cannock area. We have our bins emptied every 2 weeks now, your rubbish could fill our bin in 1 week

hey be careful, aint you learnt your lesson with all your kids.
IVE BEEN TOLD A LOT ABOUT YOU
     This last one concerns me (not)

It is now my goal to find out who he is and go after his trade, not by undercutting but by offering extra's like cleaning frames, checking gutters,and anything else I can think of...
I also will e-mail him with daily updates of area's being canvassed (so that he can red cross the doors) and new accounts gained (hopefully some of his). I might even post his e-mail on my web site and explain that I don't operate restrictive practices and will help any one that wants help, there's always more windows than window cleaners...

thank for the support so far its what makes this forum so good you feel that you are part of something bigger than the area you live and work in.

Alan

[thewindowcleaner1]

Next episode please!!!!!

Baldeagle

Caution aparently he also works in stafford and Lichfied,

At the end of the day mate, keep doing what you are doing and don’t get stressed over it.

Good Luck

Andrew

Stressed... its the best bit of fun I've had in a long time..

[baldeagle]

As quite a few people on this forum know, I'm only a part time W/Cleaner, [I'm "sort of" retired].

I don't need the income like the younger sprogs, so........if it gets to an advanced stage, may I extend an offer?

I'm no good at canvassing, [not a honest face!], but I've a good pair of legs and I'm prepared to give you a day, free of charge, sticking fliers through for you if you want, just to show him!!

I'm only up the road in Stone, and I quite fancy a day out around your part of Staffs.

Good exercise, and anyway, I believe in a good bit of "boggeration factor" now and again.

Baldeagle.

[Paul Coleman]

Update on e-mail warning....

My reply to the original e-mail was as follows.

Please feel free to drop as many leaflets as you like, Myt area,s are Cannock, Great wyrley, Huntington,Heath Hayes,Rawnsley,plus many more will let you have complete list later, as a developing businee operating in a free market-place I have NO intention of stopping leaflet dropping, door knocking and any other way I think of of getting aditional business,and for your information I have been window cleaning in the cannock area since 1991 and it is my intention over the next couple of years to have at least 6 vans operating in this area alone....
Ps . watch out for press adds comming soon, Yellow pages(already in it), and next year car park marketing,
as regards not leafleting your customers if you could arrange to have a large RED cross on thier doors I will avoid those premises..

to which I recieved the reply..

well my husband has never had any need to advertise & push leaflets through doors.
He works 6 days a week, not spending half his time poaching others


we've had several other exchages in which I gave the link to this site, one of the better replys I got was that I must be the profeshional window cleaners Nightmare , he to which I replied call me Freddy then,
on the whole its getting a little silly, the only thing that bugs me is that I can't find out who it is and I hate faceless bullys.

Alan

O alright then.  When she gets in I'll get the wife to write to you and apologise.  She's just gone out to buy some red crayons to make those crosses on the doors.  It has to be crayons because she's not allowed any sharp objects.