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Canvassing in autumn?

slippy

Active member
Messages
840
Location
Bournemouth
I am part time, but may well lose my other job so have been canvassing quite hard recently. May lose other job in September and I canvass from 5pm - 8.30 in the evenings. It's light so people aren't scared. Is it impossible to canvass and get new customers once the nights start closing in? Am I doing the right thing.

I worry also that some customers will drop off in the winter so am trying to get as many as possible. Some I can't do for another 3 weeks. they seem ok with that. is it ok to put customer off for 3 or 4 weeks?

 
After 8:30pm it's just a bit late time wise mate. It's not normal to get called on that late without appointment.

Keep going though, if you do that every night, you'll soon be covering your bills. I try not to put off new cleans more than a week or two unless they say. Although you can always ask them "do you want them doing more urgently or can it wait until we are normally in that area?"

Or what I do is, if you have a 4 week cycle, I do them immediately and then every 5 weeks until they fall on the week they should be and then proceed as normal. If that makes sense.

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Ive never canvassed on an evening, just cant muster going out at that time lol

during daytime on an average day, i would pick up 1 an hour, happy enough with that tbh

prefer just doing an hours knocking or leafletting when ive finished for the day rather than go home, sit down then go back out, feck that lol.

mind you ive not knocked for months, i find facebook and local magazine/website picks up the odd one, glad i dont really need to canvass anymore, picks up all sorts of messers,. Prefer leafletting tbh much better quality customers on the whole.

but yeah daytime is not problem for canvassing

 
if you sit at home worrying "what if...." guaranteed youll get no jobs

best to canvass long n hard to build your round , at all times in all weather no excuses or youll fail

 
I'm finding ten in morning when the kids are at school as all te mums are home and bored by then watching jezza and between 4 and half 6 are proveing to be the best times to canvass for me personally and leaflett for a hour at lunch time I personally haven't been stoping as just building a round I'm only rele working 4 to 5 hour days and canvassing all day on a sat doing ok for me ATM

 
When they come to you, you do have the "upper hand" in pricing etc, but it's a slow way to grow. I found its only when you get past the 3k/4k mark that you have enough of a presence to get enquiries every day or other day etc.

Quickest way is always knocking.

 
I agree but some do find it daunting I did when I started but now I knock chat my patter and always flirt abit if it's the woman of the house home love the dress bet ur loveing the weather load of patter to make them feel comfortable around you and 75% are yours don't be shy make them feel comfortable and that you are approachable and it's easy you no if thay need your service or not ie mingin windows or weeds growing out the gutters I think personally if thay are comfortable talking to you half the battle is done

 
When they come to you, you do have the "upper hand" in pricing etc, but it's a slow way to grow. I found its only when you get past the 3k/4k mark that you have enough of a presence to get enquiries every day or other day etc.
Quickest way is always knocking.

3k or4k, what does this mean?

 
I'm finding ten in morning when the kids are at school as all te mums are home and bored by then watching jezza and between 4 and half 6 are proveing to be the best times to canvass for me personally and leaflett for a hour at lunch time I personally haven't been stoping as just building a round I'm only rele working 4 to 5 hour days and canvassing all day on a sat doing ok for me ATM
Basically I have been fretting about getting new customers when the evenings close in. Ok so canvass during the day, any day of week hey? 10 am onwards. Do you get customers in December/January?

I don't have a problem knocking on doors, quite good at it; I do worry about dogs though.

 
I can't honestly answer that as I've only been bashing dopers myself for the last month I worked for somebody else before I as u no it will slow down a bit in the winter months but if the job needs doing should it matter if it's December of July people still have family round in December and want there windows to be seen out of and conservatory if it needs cleaning should it matter when it is all customers I've got no it's a all year round service or I won't do it and find the nxt 1 who does I can't afford to only work in the summer so need customers who want all year round

 
I can't honestly answer that as I've only been bashing dopers myself for the last month I worked for somebody else before I as u no it will slow down a bit in the winter months but if the job needs doing should it matter if it's December of July people still have family round in December and want there windows to be seen out of and conservatory if it needs cleaning should it matter when it is all customers I've got no it's a all year round service or I won't do it and find the nxt 1 who does I can't afford to only work in the summer so need customers who want all year round
Youll find that christmas and january your pickup rate will slow as people tighten the purse strings after spending loads, its countered by all the xmas tips though

 
it cant be stressed enuf, you Must overdo the canvassing effort ,to get a proper toehold

im sure every one of you has heard stories of people whov been out canvassing for something [e.g. avon, kleeneasy ,a gym ] and then shortly after gave up cos the results werent good. in most every case they gave up and got the losers card because they werent giving it a 100% effort , 100% means a followup secondary 100%

and then another 100% over and above the original targetted plan

at that point [300%] results suddenly miraculously and pleasingly start to look promising.

i stopped ruthless canvassing[by leafletting] once id got to 3 employees , i put the brakes on my biz at that point-but hav since wondered where id be right now if id carried on leafletting. would i now have 5 vans? be in deep doo doo up to my neck ? flying high with a gin palace ? i wont know cos i stumbled and stopped leafletting at the 5yr point [im now at yr 9 ]

 
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I think day and Saturday canvassing surely can't be as good as evenings because people are working that's why I am going for it massively through August and into September. Anytime I am away from kid and work etc

 
People are home in the day as kids are off school I have found anyway but it's your choice each to there own I guess I'm just giving u my personal experience and at the moment it's paying off for me go walk down a few roads and there's kids all out playing so people must be home

 
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