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strugling to find new customers

ECLM
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Forgot to say:- When I clean my new customers, I will be chapping the rest of the block to tell them I am the new window cleaner for number 00 and will be here once a month. If they are interested then they will ask how much. With 4 in a block, by getting one you get to meet the rest.

 
Another thing, you state that you post on groups at 6 p.m .  I presume you are doing this because you think that's when the advert will get noticed by the most amount of people?  this is not the best idea, if it's a popular group then you often will see that adverts are only displayed for about 1 minute  due to the shear volume of adverts that are posted at that time, so basically you want to post your advert when other people haven't got the time to post their adverts, there will still be people looking it's just those other people that are selling are not posting due to being at work, picking up the kids, shopping etc.  

So if you post at say 10:30 in the morning then your advert might not get drowned out by other adverts, people might be on their break at work and your advert then gets noticed and by somebody not actively searching for a window cleaner.

Another thing about the time, at 6 p.m it's dark, I wouldn't imagine many people saying 'god I need to get them windows cleaned', they are more likely to be saying that in the morning when the sun shines through the window.  Ideally when they see the advert they need to be able to see their windows to see how bad they look.  When it's dark they probably are more likely to be dismissive.

A group with 50,000 members might seem like a good idea, but if the shear volume of adverts drowns out your advert very quickly then it is best to find a group that is less populated.  So you might find better results on groups that are active but have less members.  So say 'Manchester buy/sell' has 200,000 members, oldham buy/sell has 50,000 members and royton buy / sell has 8,000 members then royton might get you better results, especially if you appear to be local to royton. 

Make sure you have the correct keywords in your advert.  If somebody searches 'window cleaner' and you haven't got those words in your advert then you will not show in their search results. 

All these little things make a difference.

 
In all honesty and with respect you need to manage your anxiety and get knocking doors as this will put food on your table and give you a greater ability to provide for your family,

otherwise the rest of the advertising won't benefit you as a whole package you could spend in the excess of £1,000 on a website and fb advertising but they ain't a golden ticket,because if they were then they I would have every newly built house in my local area which is well in excess of 400 houses as I am or was up until about last year only local window cleaner for quite a few years to have a website and fb page, but their are other firms out there knocking doors so first come first served.

County Durham Lad

 
It’s winter mate...people’s minds are elsewhere. November is peoples last paycheck before the big event starting with a C that i dare not speak of in november.
We’re in our 5th year & the phones quiet right now. You can advertise all you want but If the work aint there it aint there mate ?‍♂️
It’s a long, slow grind until April.
I’m not advertising much because i’ve noticed every other windy is also quiet. I know this because in summer no-one will advertise for months, and then come october everyone starts spending on ads [emoji23] but it’s dragging a tired horse.
The only sure fire answer is door knocking, but i try to avoid it like the plague due to the hassle that comes with it.
After a few years, if you survive, you learn to charge well while the goings good.
You’ll never get a full ice cream parlour on a snowy day & you’ll never sell sunhats in a gale.
It is a seasonal occupation. If your diary is full with established rounds then you’re in a good place but if you’ve got voids to fill then it is the worst time of year.



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Aye, got to make hay while the sun shines. Gutter clearing is picking up though with all those leaves falling. I'm just ticking along and may go out and leaflet another street when I do two first cleans tomorrow.

 
Aye, got to make hay while the sun shines. Gutter clearing is picking up though with all those leaves falling. I'm just ticking along and may go out and leaflet another street when I do two first cleans tomorrow.
Click to expand...
We had a fair few calls for gutters over the last rainy period, but now no rain and no more in sight for a fortnight. We had an exceptional october but november is looking pretty shy so far. It happens every winter at some point with february consistently being our worst month. Gotta take the rough with the smooth haven’t we ?‍♂️

Worrying never helps so we’ll see what happens if it stays as quiet as it is i will probably have to face up to my nemesis and get out knocking lol. Haven’t had to do it the past few winters so i’m praying for a miracle. I am taking in to consideration we have usually had a fair few storms by this point of the year. But the weather has been really good. So we would have usually lost a few days whereas we haven’t yet.

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Keep posting the fliers mate, you never know who will pick the phone up... I’ve had customers ring me who have had my first flier tucked away and that’s from 7 years ago!

Hope it picks up mate


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Incheck said:
Ooo i wouldn’t go that far lol. I may dare to canvass in dire straits, but i locked the box on internals long ago and didn’t keep the key for that one


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Click to expand...


Easy money and no weather issues!

Kleenwell said:
double money?  how is that?

i dont think i could charge double in my area

i am advertising that i do interior window cleaning aswell.

but as yet, no interest.  even from my already established customers.
Click to expand...


More hassle moving stuff about. I clean the mirror wardrobes, mirrors and glass on doors, and it takes double the time.

 
Incheck said:
Aw mate i can’t. Netted curtains, blinds, cream carpets, white bedding, if its raining its a no go as i’ll show up soaked through, and when they’ve got the heating on full blast or if the house is filled with *** smoke...oh man


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Click to expand...


Some can be more bother than they are worth. All mine seem to have big white horizontal blinds which seems to be the fashion. I wish I made them because they are everywhere and cost a fortune. One of my customers paid £800 for a large one and two small ones. That's when I realized I was in the wrong game!

 
Maybe on your Facebook post in December you should put.

Clean windows for Christmas [emoji319]. People have the family’s round they want cleans windows during the Xmas meal. Worth a try.


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Stop for a moment and have a think about things, you have decided to go self employed which shows that you have aspiration, you have made some capital investment in uniforms, kit etc which shows you have a sense of belief in yourself however you have what a lot of other chaps have, and thats a reluctance to hawk. Please consider the following, when you knock a door, you will be treated to either interest, indifference or rudeness all of which can be covered by the old saying"Sticks & stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me".As a seasoned operator, I can assure you without fear of contradiction, that door knocking is the surest, steadyist route to a healthy client base.

If not already done, make sure the word "RELIABLE" stands out on your flyer, go knock a door, when it opens say the following:

You: Hi, sorry for disturbing you, we are a local, RELIABLE window cleaning company looking to increase our work in this street/road. Can I add your windows to my list or do you already have them sorted.

now at this point they will either say,

Victim: sorry we already have a cleaner.

You reply: no worries, hand them the flyer and say, if your circumstances change I would appreciate it if you would give me first  opportunity to show you how reliable we are.

or if you hear

victim: how much do you charge.

You reply: The same price as the other customers we have in this street £20 (or whatever).For that you get windows,frames, cills thoroughly cleaned on a reliable/regular basis.

Go knock twenty doors on the trot, use the above approach and I'm certain you will come away with a new found confidence.

I wish you success in the future, and remember, there is no substitute for knocking doors.

 
We all wish you the best. It’s far from an easy road. We nearly went bust after 6 months, canvassed the whole time, and in April it was the decision, do we continue or dont we, then all of a sudden, people started asking for ad-ons, and it all just came together luckily. We invested in the equipment needed e.g, gutter vac and pressure washer, decent van, bigger ladder. we didn’t take a wage for the first 5 months as everything went straight back in to the business.
One day i knocked a door and had an ear full as it was someones elderly parents in a bungalow and their daughter started complaining -she’s had struggle to get up out of her chair and come all the way to the door just because you’ve knocked on the off chance. That really demoralised me and i did feel bad. Also round by us there’s a neighbours forum and the hostility towards cold callers is very much apparent. But none the less, it got us going.
After these kind of experiences We decided to place a huge emphasis on ad-ons and create a picture portfolio of jobs done. It really helps. There’s a lot of windys by us who focus only on windows and they are well established for a decade or more so we came in to the market when they were at their best. We simply had to broaden our list of services.
If i canvass this year i think i may try for gutters instead as i think the returns could be better and i know which areas have the most gutter problems.
But whatever happens the lads on this forum are sound as a pound and can give you their experiences and advise that are comforting because you know you are never alone when going through dark experiences.
I have no experience with commercial window cleaning but if you have the appropriate kit this could be an potential target market for you. A few lads on here do really well off commercial [emoji4]


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That's what happened to me. Started up with me and my neighbor as customers and quickly jumped to 10 customers. Then 6 months later I got one customer round the corner and it jumped to 20. Now I am branching out 500yds ( Far for me ) away and I am up to 30 customers. The moment you are in the vicinity people begin to notice you. I am a great talker and always chat away with my customers and they refer me to folk they know. Like a stone landing in a pool and then the ripple effect. My sign written van is my best asset and parking it where people will see it is forward planning.

 
To the OP and other talking about finding it difficult to get work, firstly this time of year is a fairly difficult time to break into the market. Because the weather is deteriorating IMO windows outdoors are put on the back burner (there are exceptions) as many see it as "what's the point they'll be dirty the next day" type of thing. Commercial/Retail wise, businesses are just concentrating on making money and not how good the shop looks (there are exceptions) & if the stores are high street or retail parks etc then same applies as the domestic (weather deteriorating whats the point etc).

It's just an awkward time to really break in, domestically people saving money for christmas & commercially businesses concentrating on making as much money as possible before the quiet periods in Feb/Mar/April etc kick in. I always find in retail that when the tumbleweeds start blowing around in Feb, one of two things happens. 
 

1) You get cut back or let go

2) They are so quiet that they start concentrating on cleaning and merchandising and that's when you will gain.

Unfortunately talking face to face is something that has to be done in our job to get alot of work. If you are going to peoples homes that will want to know who you are & if you are going to commercial route, it is cutthroat so you have to get your face in there.

This is the way I see it and just my opinion, there is endless amounts of glass around the place, the outdoor work will get pounded by wind, rain, traffic fumes etc & the indoor work will get pounded by finger prints, food, drink and christ only knows what else... at some point every single one of these places indooors or outdoors will need to get their window cleaned. Drive around your area, note all the glass around.. it's endless but there isn''t endless window cleaners to do it. You have to canvass, I'm not saying undercut as I don't like that but if you are walking by a place that windows are in sh*te, what's the harm in popping in and leaving a card? Maybe they don't have a window cleaner, maybe they do and you just happened to come on day that glass is dirty or maybe they do and he just does a crappy job and they have been too lazy to get someone else.

Once you are fit and healthy, have decent gear, an idea of what you are doing, know how to talk to people (IMO the most important of all) & you make a concerted effort to canvas.... you will get work. It may be slow at first but you will get it. Wish you and anybody else who's is finding it tough, the very best of luck.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
i realize this time of year is going to be slow and i did time it wrong to start.

i think my expectations were just a little high from the get go.   i knew it would take time to get established, i just thought i would have seen more

work than i am getting.

i am advertising conservatoire, gutter+fascia cleaning.   internal window cleans.

i dont yet have a gutter vac (i would like one) but as i am using my car, space is at a premium. 

my website is starting to get a few more hits per day.  its steadily building.

my google ad has had over 200 impressions in less than 24 hours.

im just glad i have a weekend job to fall back on at them moment.

i appreciate all the help and comments. i would love to go canvasing.  maybe one day soon, i will have the confidence to do it.

i can phone people out of the blue and then knock their door no problem.  i can judge their personality over the phone.

someone said that the person behind the door can do nothing to me.  but when i worked for n-power, i had hot water thrown over me and even

had a guy come out at me with a bass ball bat.  needless to say, it wasnt long before he was in the back of a police van.   but it didnt do much to help

my anxiety

 
It can be awkward approaching people for a job but ultimately that's what it comes down. Confidence in yourself, your price and the job you can do. Once you are sure of yourself and have your spiel sorted... imo you pretty much end up saying almost the same stuff to everyone. Anxiety can be a p*xy thing though so I do sympathise with you. You'll need to find a balance though so you can go that extra yard to grow your business and do what has to be done.

 
Kleenwell said:
i realize this time of year is going to be slow and i did time it wrong to start.
i think my expectations were just a little high from the get go.   i knew it would take time to get established, i just thought i would have seen more
work than i am getting.
i am advertising conservatoire, gutter+fascia cleaning.   internal window cleans.
i dont yet have a gutter vac (i would like one) but as i am using my car, space is at a premium. 
my website is starting to get a few more hits per day.  its steadily building.
my google ad has had over 200 impressions in less than 24 hours.
im just glad i have a weekend job to fall back on at them moment.
i appreciate all the help and comments. i would love to go canvasing.  maybe one day soon, i will have the confidence to do it.
i can phone people out of the blue and then knock their door no problem.  i can judge their personality over the phone.
someone said that the person behind the door can do nothing to me.  but when i worked for n-power, i had hot water thrown over me and even
had a guy come out at me with a bass ball bat.  needless to say, it wasnt long before he was in the back of a police van.   but it didnt do much to help
my anxiety
Click to expand...
Yeah there’s never a wrong time to start but there are easier times. We started late october and didn’t have much positivity until the following may, what with van breakdowns, some days canvassing you’d pick up a lot, some days not glimpse etc. I had a mental breakdown not long before we started and came in to it with my back to the wall. It can be overcome my friend [emoji106] from the bottom rung of the ladder the only way is up


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