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So you canvased that road did you?

Green Pro Clean Ltd

Well-known member
Messages
8,103
Location
Nottingham & Derbyshire
So many on here talk about canvassing a road of houses but how many did you actually canvass?

Did you do the ones with clean glass? Did you do the ones with 'NO DOOR KNOCKERS' on them? Did you do the ones that for some reason you just felt like not doing?

Reason I reckon is if you knock on every door in a road with 100 houses you I reckon you could end up with at least 20 of them providing you spoke to all of them, if not more.

You need 2 things, a spiral flip pad and a biro.

Your canvassing pad should look something like this:

HAPPY STREET SE15

1: No

2:

3: Mrs Burger, 07581123654, Monthly, £10

4: No

5:

6:

7: Mr Longnose, Bi Monthly, 07914987654 Bi-Month £20 (Inc Conservatory)

8:

9: No

10: Granny Smith, No windows, Gutters £120 - Tuesday

This should be how the book looks after pass one, but tomorrow instead of trying to find another street go back and start filling in the blank spaces on the book.

The window cleaners you see with really tight rounds are the ones that knock every door.

This is my spiel, also posted on another thread so if you already read that apologies. Just remember the difference between you and the ones with loads of work is they aren't afraid to be told no thank you.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

Customer 'Yes hello'

Me 'Hi there, sorry to disturb, I was just across the street doing a quote for your neighbor (point to random house across road) and I notice you don't appear to have a regular window cleaner and I was wondering if I could give you a quote for cleaning your windows?'.

Also to aid and abet your endeavor it may help out if you have all your gear to hand in the motor so you can even offer to do the first clean there and then and then get them on the regular round from next month.

 
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Must be nice to canvass rows of houses in a town, rather than drive to each one on a country lane.

 
I built my round from canvassing on foot, from zero houses to a full blown round, me and my mate knocked on every house in any given road,

We did alternate days for each other's rounds until we had £1000 a month on each round, it worked well having two people as you cover a much larger area in half the time,

People make a big fuss about canvassing, there really is no need, just walk, knock, talk, repeat.

There's no formula, just being polite and yourself works,

Canvassing isn't half hyped up on these forums...

 
Yeh, there's a town 12 miles away pop 50,000. I just hate going there. I plan to canvass the work there for an employee to do, when ive run out of barn conversions in the sticks, so I don't have to participate in the urban headache. It's not my tea.

Canvassed the black mountains last week, first clean tomorrow. Pony trekking centre and cottages. Beautiful spot.

 
Confused; how can you say that you have done a quote for a neighbour and notice that the other house doesn't have a regular window cleaner? Are you saying they have minging windows in a round about way @Green?

 
By 'claiming' you were across the street, down the road at a neighbor you give them the sense of 'Oh, why's that? I want some' (dirty trick learned in my double glazing sales days) and yes saying they don't 'seem' to have a regular cleaner is a round about way of saying their windows are dirty.

I have even used those lines where you can obviously see they have a window cleaner whom for example does not do the frames or does them just not the top part of them for example, leaving me a door so when the customer replies:

'Yes I do' I retort, 'really' as I wipe my finger round the frames and look shocked. You wold be amazed how many will switch as they suddenly feel short changed by their existing window cleaner.

Before you all start on about touting on another cleaners patch, just remember your morals whilst he eats steaks for supper and you are having a pot noodle cause you know he would knock on your customers doors.

(No I am not calling you a pot noodle eating peasant Tuffers, just a hypothetical point on the morals of canvassing)

To summarize Tuffers I have always found it easier to get customers if you have a reason for being there (even if it is an imaginary neighbor across the street)

 
Quite frankly @Green that's really embarrassing to wipe your finger across a top frame and say something like 'really' as you do it, I mean come on, no ones gonna wanna do that! There's plenty of work out there without bothering with trying to get other windies work.

I used to always say 'ok no worries at all' when a homeowner said 'sorry I've already got one thanks' no way am I going to undercut or try and steal the job just because they didn't clean the top frame, and I certainly wouldn't be seen wiling the frame with my finger!

 
I haven't had to canvass for years but when I first started out I use to say I'd been asked asked to come to the area to clean a current customers friends windows and because i don't want to let them down I'm trying to pick few more up in the area to make it worth while coming to the area

Used to work a treat

I always had my work uniform on and trad gear

 
once youve decided whats going to be your area its best to decline work thats outside of it ,even if only by a 1/4 mile . i find if i keep canvassing my area it always brings up new work, cos people move house,change jobs, one yr theyre out of work and say no, next yr theyre in a job that for next 10yrs good as gold etc . keep on canvassing the same area is the trick

so i say decide on whats your area ,what you want and stick to it. in my own case i work in 4 different towns but i wont do work in any of the villages between them, i like to arrive in a town and stay there all day long, like a bird roosting on a rooftop. of which we all see plenty dont we !

 
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Confused; how can you say that you have done a quote for a neighbour and notice that the other house doesn't have a regular window cleaner? Are you saying they have minging windows in a round about way @Green?
lol, more to the point your slagging off their window cleaner if they do have one, bad for business, agree with the whole knock every door mind, it's a numbers game

 
I was actually out canvassing today, I got a lot of 'we've allready got one thanks, but we havent seen him for well over a month, I left my details and said if he doesnt turn up in a month give us a bell and ill come and sort them out' ......I'm not one for robbing peoples customers but if they aint serving their customers, I will

 
if u do ur we rehersed line and they say i have a cleaner . who the hell goes over and wipe there frames and says taht ??? its not your business who cleans them and when if they say they have a cleaner dont bust balls

u wouldnt like someone annoying your customers like that

 
Hi, I've just started a window cleaning round in the area and was wondering if you had a window cleaner'

Yes we do sorry.

Not to worry thanks for your time

#healthy #windy #ethos

 
If I was a customer, and I'm getting a half ass job from one window cleaner, I'd be grateful if another expert in the field made me aware of it and offered me a better service for a reasonable price.

Obviously how you say it to them makes all the difference. Something like "Oh I see. Hmm I don't mean to be awkward or anything but I couldn't help but notice the frames have not been cleaned in a long time (wipe finger on frame), I don't know if you're alright with that? If so I won't take anymore of your time." Wait for response.

That's not cheeky, it's just common sense.

I might be wrong./emoticons/smile.png

 
My experience is, one area can be pitiful, 6 hours on your feet for nothing. Another, unlikely looking, perhaps looks a bit deprived, the stats drop suddenly there's a few takers. Either way, as others have stated, it's mostly going to be people who have changed address, job, circumstances, the luck of findings those

I've knocked every house in several modern estates of, say, ten roads and closes, for nothing (and flyered the not ins)

This mythical road with 100 houses and 20 new customers, or people canvassing for ten in one sesh, I'd be amazed if that was more than one in a thousand unless the old windie died the previous month, OR there is some sort of intel to boost chances

Touting for another's work would seem a recipe for a turf war IMO

 
I'm hoping to get out this Tuesday for my first day of door knocking, having since just posted leaflets and used FB, and work has come from current customers reccomending me to others.

Leaflets just don't seem to work great for me, I get the odd job and call, and even calls a month or so after dropping but the numbers just are not there, and like alot of you say the best way is face to face so they can see me and speak to me, it's just doing it I guess, I enjoy chatting to new folk so I'm sure I will soon get into knocking on random doors, just a couple of Q's, what do you say when the person that comes to the door isnt the homeowner, ie teenage son/daughter as in school hols? Do you just ask if there mum or dad is home? If not would you leave a card with them or go back another time? Do you find if you get the man of the house answer it's a no go as I find it's nearly always the women that wants a window cleaner?

Also have you ever canvassed by accident another windie, must be a bit tricky lol?

 
If it's the kids Trev, I always ask if mom or dad is there, I have even asked if the parents are there and it turned out the 'kid' I been talking to is the 25 year old lady of the house. /emoticons/smile.png

When the man of the house answers just give him you pitch and you will be surprised how many of them will accept although more usually they go and get the missus for you.

 
Also have you ever canvassed by accident another windie, must be a bit tricky lol?
Yes on at least 3 occasions, and had all ends from 'thanks I am a window cleaner' to angry threatening responses about their turf etc etc.

Just take it on the chin (the verbal that is nothing physical) and knock on their neighbor.

 
Yes on at least 3 occasions, and had all ends from 'thanks I am a window cleaner' to angry threatening responses about their turf etc etc.
Just take it on the chin (the verbal that is nothing physical) and knock on their neighbor.
/emoticons/tongue.png

 
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