Commercial window cleaning. Any tips or tricks

[Sunrise]

I am just about to start a little window cleaning round, I live very close to a town centre and thought I would start canvasing shops in the centre of town as a way to start. Mainly as I can start to build a round with traditional tools while saveing for a WFP system
I am betting its quite competitive Price wise but I know I can do a top rate job.
Is there any advice anyone would give to a new windy looking to get into commercial work of this type?

 

[Part Timer]

I am just about to start a little window cleaning round, I live very close to a town centre and thought I would start canvasing shops in the centre of town as a way to start. Mainly as I can start to build a round with traditional tools while saveing for a WFP system
I am betting its quite competitive Price wise but I know I can do a top rate job.
Is there any advice anyone would give to a new windy looking to get into commercial work of this type?

Sorry for being negative but that type of work in my area is either for beer money or done on national contracts.
Commercial work has now become less profitable than residential. So the only advice I'd give you is try and build a residential round as well as trying to get established in the commercial sector

 

[Sunrise]

Sorry for being negative but that type of work in my area is either for beer money or done on national contracts.
Commercial work has now become less profitable than residential. So the only advice I'd give you is try and build a residential round as well as trying to get established in the commercial sector

I dont see it as being negative, This is just the type of advice I need. Why in your opinion has this type of work become so poorly compensated?

 

[Cghwindowcleaning]

You can always try but from experience it’s all nationals and long standing window cleaners.
Cleaning one or two shops isn’t really that profitable you need a few to make it work.

 

[Part Timer]

Sorry for being negative but that type of work in my area is either for beer money or done on national contracts.
Commercial work has now become less profitable than residential. So the only advice I'd give you is try and build a residential round as well as trying to get established in the commercial sector

As it's usually done by someone that's done it for years, small independent shops, and don't put their prices up regularly.
The big national contracts are done at a price where you would definitely earn more doing residential.
I'm also going off experience in my area, yours might be different

 

[DansClearView]

This is another vote for residential. There are a couple of long-standing window cleaners on my High street so I've got only a couple of commercial. Some of the prices they are charging are not worth me getting out the van.

 

[ched999uk]

It won't harm to try and get the high street work, but it will teach you to have a thick skin, i.e. get used to knock backs. That way if/when you canvass domestics you won't be bothered by the number of knock backs you get.

Canvassing is just a numbers game, keep going as the next one could be a new customer. Maybe target bungalows that can be done trad nice and easy.

 

[Mattymarske]

Be aware of late opening shutters/grilles and poor payers.

A mother and daughter walking past a shop I was cleaning mid afternoon (but usually it's 8.30am weekly on the dot) and they asked if I could clean their "beauty/nail salon" 2 doors down. I said what time do the shutters usually open and they ummed and ahhhed said about 10-11am. I said I'm sorry it wouldn't suit my round. The fact the daughter was smoking a joint in the high street middle of the day with massive trout pout lips put me off tbh as well.

I've cleaned a hair salon, beauty salon and reputable undertaker's and only one of those I still clean after 6 years as the other 2 owed me cleans even after chasing and emails.

Like others say residential will be your bread and butter with bigger commercial jobs the cream on top. Good luck in your endeavour @Sunrise

 

[Mattymarske]

Be aware of late opening shutters/grilles and poor payers.

A mother and daughter walking past a shop I was cleaning mid afternoon (but usually it's 8.30am weekly on the dot) and they asked if I could clean their "beauty/nail salon" 2 doors down. I said what time do the shutters usually open and they ummed and ahhhed said about 10-11am. I said I'm sorry it wouldn't suit my round. The fact the daughter was smoking a joint in the high street middle of the day with massive trout pout lips put me off tbh as well.

I've cleaned a hair salon, beauty salon and reputable undertaker's and only one of those I still clean after 6 years as the other 2 owed me cleans even after chasing and emails.

Like others say residential will be your bread and butter with bigger commercial jobs the cream on top. Good luck in your endeavour @Sunrise

Meant to add it's the hair salon that's been punctual payer and no chasing all these years.

 

[Gadgetfox]

In my area the Romanian's have the town centres sewn up, between £5 - £10 per shop. I would rather clean residential because I can earn a lot more per hour... In some areas it can be like taking on the mafia! You either get threatened by the windy or they will drop the price to silly money just to keep the work. Not for me...

 

[mattybondi]

Most shops are looking to save money these days.IF i wanted to get serious id go round and offer a every 6 week or every 8 week service,some would go with that im sure.If it put out the nose of old sam so what .I only do 1 shop now,the factory shop,i do this on an as and when basis i did it last Feb and they are a chain. Get public liability ins soon as its a real risk someone falls near youll be in for it. Years back i did local tescos,banks,costa And kebab shops i was Always waiting for my money 3 months as a rule.

 

[Pjj]

Most shops are looking to save money these days.IF i wanted to get serious id go round and offer a every 6 week or every 8 week service,some would go with that im sure.If it put out the nose of old sam so what .I only do 1 shop now,the factory shop,i do this on an as and when basis i did it last Feb and they are a chain. Get public liability ins soon as it’s a real risk someone falls near youll be in for it. Years back i did local tescos,banks,costa And kebab shops i was Always waiting for my money 3 months as a rule.

Most shops want a daily or weekly service depending on location 6-8 weeks isn’t any good to them

 

[mattybondi]

Most shops want a daily or weekly service depending on location 6-8 weeks isn’t any good to them

Round my way most are fortnight or longer. Tesco / phone was fortnightly as was local Greggs.Pharmacy monthly .Everywhere is different pal

 

[Cghwindowcleaning]

Single shops aren’t worth driving into town for.Some of mine are twice weekly,some 2 weekly and a couple monthly.I wouldn’t drive into town for one it’s hard to make it pay.Some pay weekly,some monthly and some will try it on and pay every 60-90 days.

You may get lucky and pick up the odd one but it won’t be viable and unlikely to grow.I’ve been cleaning in my town for a long time it’s very rare anything new comes in now.

You also have to realise that pretty much every major well known high street store is national now and that’s unlikely to change. 20years ago retail window cleaning was always cream work but not anymore.

 

[mattybondi]

watch out if you ever get a phone call offering you schools and/or post offices for miles around,i used to get that call most every year for several yrs running im still not 100 per cent who that was .At the time id more employees than i do now,nontheless wed not have coped if id said yes please sir. Not without calling time on the domestic route.Think somebody told me that unless youv got an insider in the education authority you risk not being paid for the schools at least

 

[Pjj]

watch out if you ever get a phone call offering you schools and/or post offices for miles around,i used to get that call most every year for several yrs running im still not 100 per cent who that was .At the time id more employees than i do now,nontheless wed not have coped if id said yes please sir. Not without calling time on the domestic route.Think somebody told me that unless youv got an insider in the education authority you risk not being paid for the schools at least

We do a local post office and they pay cash on the day , and we do several schools through the local education authority hub and payment is bank transfer usually within 28 days , been doing this many years and only once did I have to chase payment. We also do a local university once a year 3 weeks work for 5 guys payment again is always within 28 days .

 

[Pjj]

Round my way most are fortnight or longer. Tesco / phone was fortnightly as was local Greggs.Pharmacy monthly .Everywhere is different pal

All the shops round here are usually weekly some every day depending on the weather ,we still have a lot of privately run shops apart from national chains ,Tesco isn’t what I would class as a shop it’s a supermarket and the do there own down here probably twice a year or when senior management are doing a visit