Newbie...not the best time to start but lets do this!!

[scottish cleaning service]

Of course a site needs to look good but many get lost in the design and flashiness. 

Best site in the World is Amazon. That character Bezos is a genius. I have never came across a site that's easier to use than Amazon even when one is sending something back, its simple, they even send you a label to print. How can any site compete with Amazon? I'm on their Prime which is worth every penny. If you can't beat them then you have no choice but to copy them. Anyhow, I just bought a new 18 Extreme pole so I better get out there to pay for it!

 

[Chris34]

Best site in the World is Amazon. That character Bezos is a genius. I have never came across a site that's easier to use than Amazon even when one is sending something back, its simple, they even send you a label to print. How can any site compete with Amazon? I'm on their Prime which is worth every penny. If you can't beat them then you have no choice but to copy them. Anyhow, I just bought a new 18 Extreme pole so I better get out there to pay for it!

I hate Amazon, hate the site, never use them, hate everything about them ?  just shows how everybody's different ?

 

[Tango]

Wix sites or free sites on services like that never really rank that we'll and often the sites are slow to load.

WordPress is the best way to go, however it's still very easy to miss the simple things for SEO. 

The only way a site will rank is by having good SEO. That said SEO isn't just one thing it's a marketing strategy you constantly work at. It's never a set and forget thing. 

Funny you say that as my window cleaner said they had theirs done on one of those services where you put pics into a pre-designed template - not sure it was wix though), put in some keywords and set it live.

4 years after putting it online it's still at the top of the google results - and they openly admit they've not touched it for years - even asking me if it was still online cos they had no idea themselves.

Google is a quirky beast. If it was me i'd literally tinker with the SEO every day and still have half the luck lol

 

[Gavin]

Funny you say that as my window cleaner said they had theirs done on one of those services where you put pics into a pre-designed template - not sure it was wix though), put in some keywords and set it live.

4 years after putting it online it's still at the top of the google results - and they openly admit they've not touched it for years - even asking me if it was still online cos they had no idea themselves.

Google is a quirky beast. If it was me i'd literally tinker with the SEO every day and still have half the luck lol

Yeah there are cases like this but not all is down to the site itself. Ranking takes in many other factors, what competition there is (if there is none then any rubish site will probably rank) how old the domain is, what backlinks it has etc etc etc. 

 

[scottish cleaning service]

I hate Amazon, hate the site, never use them, hate everything about them ?  just shows how everybody's different ?

Obviously you have never lived the Amazon dream. ?

 

[Tango]

I hate Amazon, hate the site, never use them, hate everything about them ?  just shows how everybody's different ?

Can't say i hate them as like ebay you can find almost anything on amazon (including stuff that you can't find on ebay lol) but i stopped using amazon when the tales of their mistreating of staff started to surface. The moment that happened i closed my account and binned them.

I've worked for awful employers in the past, it's horrible and soul destroying. I won't support them where i have a choice.

 

[Shaun70]

Thought i'd say hello as been reading and following advice on the forum for awhile. My brief story: ive had a very manual job for 19 yrs after various operations over the years i was told to change careers by the surgeon. After thinking about it for a long time, finding out everything about it, talking to a window cleaner friend i decided to hand my notice in, got myself all set up, practiced and practiced with wfp and gutter vac and im good to go. First day doing this will be tomorrow. Bit nerve racking with all this covid stuff happening right at the same time but am going to do everything i can to make this work, no going back. Have asked all friends and family and got a few window and gutter jobs from them then i will be canvassing, canvassing, canvassing. All set up on social media but i know you guys say canvassing is the best way. Will be gloved up when door knocking, keep my personal distance and have a card machine or offering bank transfers if customers prefer to cash. Any advice welcomed ?

Thanks for all the advice! Just thought I'd update you where I'm at....so after working for 3 days in March we decided to put new business venture on pause and joined the millions in lockdown. Took advice from you guys, got facebook, Instagram page all sorted, got spreadsheets setup ready and got a plan of action ready. We asked everyone we know, family, friends, neighbours,old friends on facebook, wife's work colleagues, hairdresser, plumber about having a quote and got a list together ready for starting. Got leaflets, business cards sorted. Started on 13th, quoted lots of houses on our list and got cracking. I have worked 9 hour days, quoting, cleaning, canvassing. Wife has, as well as her own NHS job,  been pushing us on social media, juggling the diary to squeeze quotes in, contacting people on our list. I haven't had a day off yet (although finished early on 1 or 2 days which was nice). We have 25 regular clean customers on the books now. Majority are 4 weeks, 4 are 2 weekly. Got a full diary for next week, a mixture of quotes and conservatory n fascia cleans. We have asked customers to put reviews on our page. We are getting people contact us from recommendations or seeing me working and asking for a quote.

Every day I hear "I can't get a reliable window cleaner" . Well, you just got yourself one now.

Money wise...we came up with a money plan in stages,  first stage, we want me to earn X amount in regular cleans (not counting one off's like fascias,gutters etc) so that my earnings plus wife's will cover our Bill's without continually dipping into savings. We are well on our way to hitting this first target. 

It's hard hard graft, shoulders are aching I'm very sunburnt and one or two customers are a***holes  but it's so so worth it. We are just going to keep doing what we are doing.

I don't work long 12 hour day and night shifts any longer like I did in my old job. I actually see more of my family than I did before and I have met some very nice customers and I only answer to my wife not a boss!

Hope I haven't bored you with my update!! 

 

[Part Timer]

Thanks for the update, many newbies ask for advice, very few let us know how they get on. This is also helpful for the next wave of newbies as your experience is fresh and relative to their situation.

Well done on your progress and hopefully after your first "proper" 3 months you'll be at a point where you are at, or past, your first target.

 

[High-tower]

Every day I hear "I can't get a reliable window cleaner" . Well, you just got yourself one now.

That old chestnut, always sets my messer alert off! They almost always end up being, unreliable, bad payer, complainer, 'can you just?', or generally a PITA customer....

Congratulations on all your hard work ?

 

[Suhrly]

It's hard hard graft, shoulders are aching I'm very sunburnt and one or two customers are a***holes  but it's so so worth it. We are just going to keep doing what we are doing.

Once you get a decent customer base and those customers are confirmed a-holes...just bin them off mate it's something none of us need in our lives and we don't have to put up with anything we don't want to that's why most of us got into self employment in the first place. There's nothing worse than dreading a clean with a customer you can't stand. Get rid.

 

[Davit]

We asked everyone we know, family, friends, neighbours,old friends on facebook, wife's work colleagues, hairdresser, plumber about having a quote and got a list together ready for starting.

If every new startup simply took this step I reckon a lot more would get up and running much better, well done ?

 

[Tango]

That old chestnut, always sets my messer alert off! They almost always end up being, unreliable, bad payer, complainer, 'can you just?', or generally a PITA customer....

Congratulations on all your hard work ?

Not sure i'd agree..

I heard that from many of my custys. They've been superb with me.

In contrast, I had one custy who had her previous windy for over 20 years. I sent a text saying about not attending due to lockdown and looking for a replacement vehicle being difficult and i got binned. The rest of my custys have been supportive including her son!. To be fair i wasn't enjoying her house and it was undercharged too but it was regular work.

Had another one about 8 months ago.. came to me from another windy. I spoke to her "Yeah you'll never have any problems with me mate, i always pay, not fussed who does it as long as they get done, i'm the easiest sale you'll ever have". Binned me after 3 cleans and 2-3 reminders for payment each time. Her house was a pain anyway involving a 10 minute walk to get to the back (and then back to the car after that).

 

[High-tower]

Not sure i'd agree..

I heard that from many of my custys. They've been superb with me.

In contrast, I had one custy who had her previous windy for over 20 years. I sent a text saying about not attending due to lockdown and looking for a replacement vehicle being difficult and i got binned. The rest of my custys have been supportive including her son!. To be fair i wasn't enjoying her house and it was undercharged too but it was regular work.

Had another one about 8 months ago.. came to me from another windy. I spoke to her "Yeah you'll never have any problems with me mate, i always pay, not fussed who does it as long as they get done, i'm the easiest sale you'll ever have". Binned me after 3 cleans and 2-3 reminders for payment each time. Her house was a pain anyway involving a 10 minute walk to get to the back (and then back to the car after that).

wait until you’ve dealt with hundreds, possibly thousands of customers over a decade or more. Get a far better picture of things then.