How low do you go?

[adamangler]

Good luck with the knocking bump. I too tend to knock a few then end up just leafletting.

I'm still waiting for the refferal stage too. One thing I read about marketting recently was to generate a lot of activity in your chosen area so leaflet the same houses regular get notices up in all local shops get a really stand out van and be active in your local area this way people see your leaflet they then see your ad In local shop and see your van. Overtime this all adds up subconsciously and if they ever need a cleaner they'll think of you.

I've just printed out some notices for shops going to get those out Monday. There's only so long you can sit around passively waiting for work to come in I feel like it's going so slow you just have to say enough is enough and being relentless.

 

[Diwrnach]

Hi @MrBump :thumbsup: To be honest I ask myself this on a daily basis :laugh:. All I can pass on is my experience since starting, I probably knocked on roughly around 80-120 houses and leafleted many more in the first couple of weeks and yes I gained a few customers but if I'm honest with you I absolutely hated the door knocking part so I found myself aimlessly walking around just putting leaflets through doors and hoping for the best, but I found I got very little return regarding the hours spent posting. You see I have the utmost confidence and belief that "I WILL" make this work, that I struggle coping with the face to face rejection when knocking on some random door trying to sell what I believe to be a fantastic product "MY SELF and MY POLE" /emoticons/wink.png.
So I went with plan B, now plan B consists of many small flakes but when combined has seemed to have created one hell of an avalanche, well for me anyway.

I created a Facebook business page and got all my friends and family on board with that, so every time I posted something they would share it and all their friends would then see it /emoticons/wink.png this then started generating enquiries. I politely ask all my new customers that if on FB that it would be very much appreciated if they would be so kind and like and share my page and "BOOM" massive coverage :thumbsup: I joined every community FB page in my area and regularly post scouting for new customers, also its great to see my existing customers offering recommendations when someone posts looking for a window cleaner.

I spent many years working for VW/Audi in the after sales (Not Sales) sector

and the one main thing I took away with me was these three words:

"Communication,Communication,Communication"

I spent a lot of time reading threads on this great forum regarding contacting customers prior to the clean and the pro and cons attributed to doing this, and I think the main consensus was NOT to do it through fear of cancellations, but I chose to do the opposite (As a customer this is what I would expect) and commit to each new customer that I would ALWAYS let the customer know the night before each clean that I would be coming.

If for some reason I cant carry out the clean on the day ie rain,wind ect then they are told asap on the day. I always send a personalized Thank YOU text on the same night as I've done the clean, customers seem to love this /emoticons/smile.png

I made the decision that I would answer all enquiries within five mins whether Im working or not,having my tea or even in the bath LOL AND I DO :thumbsup:

Trust me its a lot of work but I get lots of great feed back from the majority my customers regarding the above.

I also Joined a National but community based website called STREETLIFE, have a look and see if it operates in your area????? Twice I paid around £17 to advertise on it for a month and picked up loads of new customers from it /emoticons/smile.png and the great thing is I rarely go on it now but still get loads of recommendations if someones looking for a cleaner.

Always do what you say your going to do, if you say Ill clean all doors and frames every clean then do it, no missing those small bathroom windows around the shed side where nobody ever goes LOL

I know I've said I'm slow and I am compared to a lot of the lads on here, but I have a theory and its "YOU NEVER KNOW WHO'S WATCHING" people are inherently nosey and you can bet a pound to a penny that every time you clean a house 2 or 3 people across the road will be hiding behind the net curtain seeing what a great job that window cleaner is doing on old Dorothy's house and thinking how thorough he is???? "GET THE PEN ARTHUR, WE NED THAT IN OUR LIFE" :laugh:

Finally and most importantly " IF YOU CAN MAKE PEOPLE LIKE YOU, THEN THEY'LL BUY FROM YOU" sounds soooooo corny I know but sooooooooooooooooooooooooo true.

As I said above a fantastic product "MY SELF and MY POLE" /emoticons/wink.png

I always make time for customers if they want a chat, make a note of the kids,husbands even the dogs name and drop it into conversation if someone going on hols or going to a wedding ect, I always make a note when back in van and mention it again on next visit.

If anyone personally recommends me and I win the business then they get a £2.59 box of Maltesers left on the front door with a thank you written on one of my business cards next time I'm in their area, I don't advertise this I just do it.

Good luck next week @MrBump and keep smiling buddy /emoticons/biggrin.png

This is almost the same as if I had written it! the only thing I don't do is text after a clean, I may start doing that now though /emoticons/biggrin.png

 

[Dave B]

Offer to clean the local newsagents and offy and chippy for free if they keep your flyer in the window

Takes a couple minutes every couple of weeks to clean them and how many people see your ad?

As for door knocking mr bump lower your minimum a touch and see how much work you get

If it works you're on a winner and try creeping it up bit by bit until you find your ideal price range

20 new custys from a week of canvassing will be easy if you have the right pricing and attitude

I thing i don't do is say "sorry to bother you" i was told this by my niece who is a sales genius

You are not sorry you are offering a good service which they either need or don't

No sales patter just "hi/hello/morning..do you need a window cleaner..I'm working down the road and thought I'd give everyone a knock"

Then you get a yes..no..how much response

 

[MrBump]

Lower my minimum, how very dare you /emoticons/tongue.png

I always say "sorry to bother you" if I ever catch anyone in the front garden, always thought opening with an apology isn't a great start but I figured it does at least show that I have manners. But maybe I'll just say it at the end if they say no instead and just open with something directly related to windows :thumbsup:

 

[Dave B]

If i get a no i usually say "no worries..if you don't ask you don't get" type of thing

Most people are quite happy and cheerfull

 

[Jimroot]

I've had a handful of grumpy ones open, I usually act even more cheerful then what can they do /emoticons/biggrin.png

99% are polite even if you've woken them up I've found, they sometimes even apologise to you for not needing you.

It's still a downer getting fifty straight rejections, best thing is to see each one as inviduals which they are, and reset your count to zero after each one.