Struggling to make end meet

[johnny bravo]

Well Harun has been in touch Who said he has packed in well he hasnt . Still going strong.
The post i put on is out of context and i do Appologise to Harrun Full respect to you buddy . You have done very well with your bussiness . Takes a lot to get to how far you have developed your bussiness here in the North East .
Good Luck. Good to see you back

 

[adamangler]

I’ve just started using FB and have joined about 30 groups which range from about 10k members to about 1k members. I’ve posted in all of them and not one phone call. Only had one message asking if I do trad.

Are you posting in local community groups or buy and sell groups ?

 

[johnny bravo]

Luke still hasnt said where from . May be able to help . If not needed i wont bother

 

[Part Timer]

Luke still hasnt said where from . May be able to help . If not needed i wont bother

Durham, but that covers a big area.

 

[johnny bravo]

No worries Luke. If you lived near Middlesbrough id have been able to help you out Good Luck

 

[Scots lad]

Are you referring to the bell end with the Indian sounding name? ?

That would be the very same person

 

[Poles Apart]

A lot will cancel now we have to be prepared for that October will define the severe inpact.

 

[AndyD]

Are you posting in local community groups or buy and sell groups ?

Both. Picked up one so far and have got two quotes to do today. I think it’s just luck of the draw tbh. I have a professional looking poster with website, email address etc and I won’t get a bite, yet I scrolled through the posts back to February and a women (on behalf of her husband) just posted ‘got some slots available if anyones interested’ and every man and his dog was asking for a quote! I tried door knocking on Saturday but quit after a while as it was obvious that the people answering the door weren’t comfortable with it (which in turn was making me feel uncomfortable). Just posted leaflets in the end.

 

[Yogi1872]

Unless you buy work from someone it's really really hard to get a compact run. I used to stop any window cleaner I seen and said I'm not meaning this to be cheeky but could you take my card, and if whatever reason you have to shift some work I'd happily buy it. That's how I ended up getting most of the work.

 

[Dave B]

I never buy work
How much work you have is determined by how much shoe leather you use
Also how much you are willing to bash doors no matter how uncomfortable it feels
It soon becomes water off a ducks back
Simple “alright sweetheart do you need a window cleaner?”
Yes = great
No = no worries see ya

 

[Luke97]

I never buy work
How much work you have is determined by how much shoe leather you use
Also how much you are willing to bash doors no matter how uncomfortable it feels
It soon becomes water off a ducks back
Simple “alright sweetheart do you need a window cleaner?”
Yes = great
No = no worries see ya

Very true mate
Best way of gaining customers and fastest is nocking doors.

 

[Yogi1872]

I never buy work
How much work you have is determined by how much shoe leather you use
Also how much you are willing to bash doors no matter how uncomfortable it feels
It soon becomes water off a ducks back
Simple “alright sweetheart do you need a window cleaner?”
Yes = great
No = no worries see ya

Unless there's new houses going up then there's usually a window cleaner in that street. I know some on here say its fair game but I wouldn't chap anyone's doors. If I get a call from someone to go do there's I don't knock it back but I'd never actively go into a street where I know someone else does the majority in there. We both know the only reason we will go into a street for one or 2 is on the off chance we might pick up more.

The people who say it's fair game would be the first moaning about it if people was going round there work.

People say if he was doing the windows right they wouldn't have lost the customer. If anyone genually believes that every customer is happy with the job they do then there in cloud cuckoo land. Like I said if they call me then I've no problem taking the house but I won't chap doors initiating it. People who do that are wrong uns imho.

 

[Jaygti]

Nothing wrong with buying work.
Yes there’s some rubbish out there. But you can get some cracking work , that you’d never be able to canvas in a 100 years.

I bought some last year. Half of it was 2 days work in one very large cul de sac.
I have 38 houses out of about 100 or so ranging from £20-35.
There’s probably about 10 window cleaners work up there. They come in do a house or two and then clear off, mean while my van barely moves all day.
Yes I earned nothing for 5 months, but I’m doing a lot better than the rest of them up there.
I’m full now, but I’d still buy more work if it was top quality and cut down on my travelling.
By the way I happily canvassed too.

 

[Jaygti]

Very true mate
Best way of gaining customers and fastest is nocking doors.

No buying is the fastest. You could have 400 customers by this time next week.

 

[JohnDoeWindows]

Unless there's new houses going up then there's usually a window cleaner in that street. I know some on here say its fair game but I wouldn't chap anyone's doors. If I get a call from someone to go do there's I don't knock it back but I'd never actively go into a street where I know someone else does the majority in there. We both know the only reason we will go into a street for one or 2 is on the off chance we might pick up more.

The people who say it's fair game would be the first moaning about it if people was going round there work.

People say if he was doing the windows right they wouldn't have lost the customer. If anyone genually believes that every customer is happy with the job they do then there in cloud cuckoo land. Like I said if they call me then I've no problem taking the house but I won't chap doors initiating it. People who do that are wrong uns imho.

Where do you draw the line then exactly?

Should we not post a Facebook advertisement in a geographical location due to other window cleaners working in that area? Canvassing is just another form of advertising. Being a top geezer doesn't pay the bills and I would bet the house that the same window cleaners you're bending over backwards to please would not extend the same courtesy to you. This is business.

 

[scottish cleaning service]

I was offered a windy round 5 years before I set up but my relatives all mocked me becoming a windy cleaner. The old guy eventually sold his massive round and retired, I think he was wanting £8k for it. The new company only wanted his care homes and dumped the rest which was domestic. When I eventually started up I picked up all his old customers in my area but the money was rock bottom. 4 years later and its worked out well for me but it was hard work to get to where I am. People think you just grab a ladder and a bucket and away you go and make money but it couldn't be further than the truth. Talking to a guy who has a van system and he said hotwater is just an added expense, I said you are right but I think he doesn't understand the logic to it.

 

[Jaygti]

Where do you draw the line then exactly?

Should we not post a Facebook advertisement in a geographical location due to other window cleaners working in that area? Canvassing is just another form of advertising. Being a top geezer doesn't pay the bills and I would bet the house that the same window cleaners you're bending over backwards to please would not extend the same courtesy to you. This is business.

I could give you a list of all my customers, and I bet you’d be lucky to pick up more than a dozen.
If you do a decent job, are reliable and above all friendly, most customers will remain loyal even if they could save a couple of quid a month.

 

[scottish cleaning service]

I could give you a list of all my customers, and I bet you’d be lucky to pick up more than a dozen.
If you do a decent job, are reliable and above all friendly, most customers will remain loyal even if they could save a couple of quid a month.

Once they trust you then they tend not to let go of you.

 

[ks789]

Unless there's new houses going up then there's usually a window cleaner in that street. I know some on here say its fair game but I wouldn't chap anyone's doors. If I get a call from someone to go do there's I don't knock it back but I'd never actively go into a street where I know someone else does the majority in there. We both know the only reason we will go into a street for one or 2 is on the off chance we might pick up more.

The people who say it's fair game would be the first moaning about it if people was going round there work.

People say if he was doing the windows right they wouldn't have lost the customer. If anyone genually believes that every customer is happy with the job they do then there in cloud cuckoo land. Like I said if they call me then I've no problem taking the house but I won't chap doors initiating it. People who do that are wrong uns imho.

Thing is round most streets or estates I do theres already maybe half a dozen different cleaners, none of them have the right or the monopoly. Also maybe try out in the sticks a bit where there may be less competition. More petrol but often nicer and often you can charge higher.

 

[P4dstar]

Legend is not a word quite a few on here would use to describe him ?

I reckon the words you’d use would still finish with “end”

 

[Windowcleaningfleet]

@Luke97 . Have you tried asking your customers for referrals. "Do you know of any friends or family living nearby you want a reliable, honest window cleaner?"
The majority of our customers have come from word of mouth. Once you can get the snow ball rolling it soon picks up momentum. These referrals have been our most loyal customers over the years.
If you look at Teesside Window cleaners Facebook page it certainly gives the impression of a growing business concern. He has a map up of the areas his van's are working each day. He has recently been advertising for another window cleaner at basic minimum wage. He reports of another van coming into service months in advance. When potential customers see growth they believe that this means a good job and satisfied customers.

There are a couple of other Facebook pages owned by hair dressers in our area for example, who actively promote their offers virtually everyday. I'm not into Facebook but they must see a return from working this way.

Once you have cleaned your customers house, spend a few moments knocking on the neighbour's doors. Your could design a leaflet that allows you to fill in an address of the neighbor you clean for those not at home. Neighbour's talk. Sometimes you just need to plant the seed.

We promoted add-ons to our existing customer base. Gutter clearing, fascia and gutter cleaning as well as conservatory roofs. Offer to add the garage door clean for a little extra. If you don't ask you don't get.

We used to clean a small section of gutter between 2 clamps before offering the service so a customer could see the difference.

Hi, is this the same teesside window you are on about?