Just Starting Out Any Advice Appreciated

[apc]

Hi guys my names Andy and i'm from Lancashire,

I am thinking about starting my own window cleaning business but dont know which would be the best method to use, trad or wfp? I dont have a massive budget and would like to spend as little as possible as I fel there is no need to spend money unnessicarrily if I dont have to.

What is the best way to get customers? Is knocking on doors the best way? Also how do you price a job up? I have lived at my current house for 7 months and have never seen a window cleaner around or had any one clean our windows, I have checked yell.com and similar sites for window cleaners and there doesnt seem to be anyone doing it in my area. What would be a realistic set up cost for equipment etc? I have a vehicle already so thats not a problem. Does it cause problems with other window cleaners if you did knock on their customers doors? Any advice would be appreciated as this is a completely new thing for me.

Thanks in advance Andy

 

[David@Aqua]

Hi Andy

I live in morecambe, i am a trad window cleaner and just started a few weeks ago i just got 5000 fliers and started delivering them, yeah knock on peoples doors for a better result i will be doing that in the next couple of weeks, you could start as little as 200 quid investment or £600 for everything and get more equipment as you go on.build your round up and your skills then speed will follow, for pricing i work it from time but if your new you should work of the £1 a window rule.

 

[MikeJP]

Hi Andy and welcome! You'll find loadsa usefull info on here.

where abouts in sunny lancs are you from?

the best way to gain new customers is to simply canvass, canvass, canvass. most would recommend leaflet drops aswell. the best technique ive found already is to post your leaflets then follow them up with a knock on the door 5-7 days later. this is great because it also allows the customer to put a face to the name as well as allowing you to give them and instant quote.

get some clothing that you can get printed with your name and number etc aswell and wear these when you canvass so you look more professional.

pricing is tricky at first because of the fear of undercutting yourself or overpricing yourself out of custom. a good place to to start is by using the £1-a-window method or deciding on what you want your hourly earnings to be.

i'm only a few weeks into the biz myself so don't know too much about the other window cleaners bit. i just stick to telling the customer my price and if they like it then great! i stay away from undercutting others. so far not had any bother but ive heard a few stories about turf wars etc! lol. wouldnt worry about it though...........competition is a good thing right!?

oh and good luck with it all!

 

[apc]

Thanks for the quick replies guys, Im in Clitheroe Mike we moved down here earlier on in the year as it has the best schools in the area and my little girl is ready for school next year so we thought we'd make the move. I dont know if you know Clitheroe but its a really nice place and " apparantly a well off place" according to evryone round here. I really think there is a need for a window cleaner and would be prepared to put the work in, I was in the army previously so early starts getting wet, rain etc doesnt bother me. I have applied for hundreds of jobs but dont even get a reply so thats the reasons behind me wanted to do this. Im thinking about going knocking in doors today just to get a feel for it, i just know i'll get tongue tied when people answer their doors, is there a specific way to go about canvassing that gets results?

Thanks

 

[Paul]

Hi mate welcome to the forum nice to see the northerners here

 

[Dodger]

Hi Andy welcome to WCF...

 

[MikeJP]

yea been once before and Clitheroe is a nice part of the country for sure. if there seems to be very few windies in the area at the moment then you might be onto a good thing there mate!

best thing when canvassing is to just be polite and friendly. just be clear about what your service is and be prepared to quote there and then. hey, some people even go prepared to clean there and then!! i suppose you could say theres a knack to it but once you get your confidence then you'll be reet.

welcome back to civvy street

 

[harunh]

welcome to the forum mate

as a newbie you must knock on doors otherwise your round will take a very long time to build up /emoticons/smile.png

i got 145 customers in 4 months /emoticons/smile.png and if i never door knocked i would have less then 15 customers ! /emoticons/ohmy.png

Concentrate on door knocking then think about the flyers mate its the way forward /emoticons/smile.png

 

[mark m]

Welcome Andy

 

[rshorland]

Hi Andy,

I printed out some leaflets and on the bottom if they weren't in i would simply write the front side quote for the front of their house, this way if they like your price they will call up. i had great responses from this method.