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To canvass or not to canvass

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A

alfie92

Even though I'm young and been in the window cleaning round a few years and have really good work I'm wanting more work and build my business but I feel canvassing houses could take other people's work off them or go on to other people's rounds and I don't want to upset other window cleaners but there is no work coming up in my area at all.

I read people's posts on here and it seems no one has any morals towards anyone else anymore and don't care about canvassing the work.

Am I write or should I just go ahead and get canvassing or should I play the waiting game and wait for work?

Also have people had work canvassed and lost it or lost a high % of it?

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No customer would like being told that they belong to a certain window cleaner and that they haven't got a choice. It's up to them who they go with. There's nothing wrong with you giving them a choice. Go canvass.

 
If they are happy with there window cleaner they will keep them also on the other side of it you like me go to quote a person for guttering cleaning and ask would you also like window cleaning they tell you they have a cleaner you say ok that's fine move on

I have a gutter clean that got there window cleaner the sack due to poor workmanship his fault no one else's

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@alfie92 the real question is are you going to sit back and wait.. abiding by some moral code. While others chap around you and build up faster?

I don't mean that in a disrespectful way but its what will happen. If there is one single guy within 5 miles of you with the slightest get up and go be sure that he will be taking work that you could have had.

I'm aware guys buy into work and feel it's theirs too. It isn't, they bought a worksheet in good faith, everything is open to change in this game.

Get our there and canvas. If your bothered about stepping on toes make your canvassing specific IE first question at door 'do you have a window cleaner?'

They say no..your open to move in. They say they do but don't like him; make a clear decision on how you will react.

 
Totally agree custys choice who cleans their windows. I ask. If they say they have a windy. I move on plenty of work for everyone without stealing it for the sake of a couple of quid. Maybe it's different in wiltshire. We are the nicest people you will meet

 
Yes, just go canvassing but don't go door knocking underpricing other Windies stuff.

Knock wherever you like, just keep out of Bromley, that's mine!! :mad:

 
I don't knock personally but I pay others to do so and leaflet.

By your way of thinking why advertise at all? After all if yiu advertise on fb you could also take someone else's work.

With what you are saying we would never have any competing businesses on the world. One window cleaner, one plumber, one sparky etc. Look at pepsi and coca cola do you think they think we better not advertise lol incase we upset each other.

Its called business mate, it's survival of the fittest. Dont think for a second anyone cares if you feed your family or not they just want there share of money.

Personally, and this might sound harsh but I really couldn't care less about a competitor, I want to be successfull and I'll happily take there work all day long. As long as it'd at the right price of course I don't want someone else's work just for the sake of it. underpricing just to get the work is wrong but if you happen to be cheaper then that's totally different.

Go knock and stick to your prices, do it for the right reasons and you have nothing to worry about.

 
I know people have canvassed estates where I clean but I don't mind. If people are willing to put in the effort to door to door canvas then good luck to them. Generally most customers wouldn't change even if it was cheaper unless they were unhappy with the job theirs was doing. Few window cleaners have a monopoly on a street and say they 'own' it anymore. I'd go right ahead if I were you.

 
Cavass as much as you can. Don't underprice other windies but have ur own price list and stick to it. Walk away if they don't like the price. Only work for what you are happy with working for.

Window cleaning is a game that people constantly move in and out of. One minute there he is cleaning windows, the next, he's moved on - changed career. So there is always more than enough work. ALWAYS

You just have to find it

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This whole "might be someones area already" concept really does my swede in

No such thing as someones area

I have to pay my bills, feed my family and make sure they don't go without so i will work anywhere i can

1 road i do which is my best road has not much over 200 houses and i do 37 or 38 of them (can't remember without looking), @Adams0211 works in the same road as well as 3 more i know of..all of us get on and natter (one of them i even clean his parents house down the road as he is busy and can't be bothered lol) and will warn each other of any messers we dump in the area so we don't take them on and get stitched up

There is still more than enough work for all of us..although building a round is not as easy as it once was it is still doable with a little bit of effort

 
Problem with that is when people had 'Patches' we had compact rounds now Window Cleaners don't care about going on someone elses Pitch so with 2 or 3 Cleaners in the same roads work is scattered. Call me old fashioned I know it's Dog eat Dog now but when we all respected each others areas it was easier for all.

 
Maybe but if i gotta look after my family i will get work wherever and won't be told "this is my patch"..

Never more than 3 miles from my house is compact enough for me anyway lol

 
Even though I'm young and been in the window cleaning round a few years and have really good work I'm wanting more work and build my business but I feel canvassing houses could take other people's work off them or go on to other people's rounds and I don't want to upset other window cleaners but there is no work coming up in my area at all.
I read people's posts on here and it seems no one has any morals towards anyone else anymore and don't care about canvassing the work.

Am I write or should I just go ahead and get canvassing or should I play the waiting game and wait for work?

Also have people had work canvassed and lost it or lost a high % of it?

Sent using the Window Cleaning Forums mobile app
Click to expand...
i think as long as u dont try to under cut or be sneaky go for it if there happy with there wc then move on to the next house every one has the rite to canvice any area its just a shame some go about it the rong way its allways a bit of a bummer when u have a huge compact area and u c a new van apear on the area for 1 or to jobs but thats life and most of us i think area nice friendly people there is just a small manorty that are sneaky and sly trying to inch there way in and will do anything to get your job ive had it over the years were u get a guy canvice and custey sases no thanks ive got a guy and then the wc ask's how much are u paying ill go cheeper ect thats bad practs if u ask me but we are all different u sound like a nice respectfull guy so go for it P>S STAY OFF MY PATCH :rofl::rofl::rofl:

 
GRRRR......

I have said a dozen times on here before (and @daveyboy says above) OTHER WINDOWN CLEANERS DONT FEED YOUR FAMILY!

Generally most customers wouldn't change even if it was cheaper unless they were unhappy with the job theirs was doing
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This is very true

Don't underprice other windies
Click to expand...
This is toss. Unless you have the other windies job list you have no real idea weather he's charging £2 or £20 for a job.

How you price a job is simple. Charge whatever you want to get for that job without a second thought to what someone else may charge. It's your business you set the prices not them.

Saturday rants over. Time to tidy the house. :rolleyes:

 
I had it where I was canvassing in a new estate and asked a customer do they need a cleaner, they simply asked how much and gave them a slightly higher than normal price (as I'm trying to up my prices with new work and then drop old poor work) and it turns out I was a lot cheaper than the cleaner they had. But then came the fact they thought he was poor, lots of runs on windows, no frame cleaning etc. So it wasn't necessarily the fact I was cheaper it was that they weren't happy. I'd personally never ask how much does a current cleaner charge then deliberately price under.

 
Same as daveyboy I get on with other lads in my work area and me and another lad help each other out once in a while with add on jobs , I leaflet i canvass regardless as i ain't got a clue which other lads have which houses across the whole town .

And I have gained work off other lads because they are **** Slap & Dash i mean the upper sills were green after them doing wfp for about 6 years :eek::eek: .

 
Problem with that is when people had 'Patches' we had compact rounds now Window Cleaners don't care about going on someone elses Pitch so with 2 or 3 Cleaners in the same roads work is scattered. Call me old fashioned I know it's Dog eat Dog now but when we all respected each others areas it was easier for all.
Click to expand...
I do agree with this and anybody who says it wasn't easier with turning up and working the same street or eastate on that day is iether lying or never had a compact bit of work . Most of my work is compact . As in at least a full day wherever I start that morning . Now I no things are changing there's more vans out working . Thanks to wfp . It's introduced a lot of guys to the job who wouldn't have gone near a ladder . And they want work so they canvas . I don't really Blaim em and it very rarely affects my work . But I did something the other week which I never would have normally done . I have had arun.of 9 houses for years . Anyway one of the custys moved . And in between the new people moving in and me calling it got canvassed. I wasn't happy I lost a house. Smack bang in the middle of that run . So this guys doing it for 6 months , then I am parked up opposite one day and he's cleaning it . Brand new shiny van and gives me a smug grin winds me up . So the next time I'm doing the neighbours I knock it again . The bloke tells me he's very happy with the cleaner but tells me the price . I then undercut him (I've never done that before ). How I laughed all the way home when he set me on and ditched the other guy . Simetimes It's just gotta be done .

 
I do agree with this and anybody who says it wasn't easier with turning up and working the same street or eastate on that day is iether lying or never had a compact bit of work . Most of my work is compact . As in at least a full day wherever I start that morning . Now I no things are changing there's more vans out working . Thanks to wfp . It's introduced a lot of guys to the job who wouldn't have gone near a ladder . And they want work so they canvas . I don't really Blaim em and it very rarely affects my work . But I did something the other week which I never would have normally done . I have had arun.of 9 houses for years . Anyway one of the custys moved . And in between the new people moving in and me calling it got canvassed. I wasn't happy I lost a house. Smack bang in the middle of that run . So this guys doing it for 6 months , then I am parked up opposite one day and he's cleaning it . Brand new shiny van and gives me a smug grin winds me up . So the next time I'm doing the neighbours I knock it again . The bloke tells me he's very happy with the cleaner but tells me the price . I then undercut him (I've never done that before ). How I laughed all the way home when he set me on and ditched the other guy . Simetimes It's just gotta be done .
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In undercutting him has that made it cheaper than the others?

What happens if he tells the other 8 what he's paying and it's cheaper, would you reduce those to?

 
Last edited by a moderator:
GRRRR......
I have said a dozen times on here before (and @daveyboy says above) OTHER WINDOWN CLEANERS DONT FEED YOUR FAMILY!

This is very true

This is toss. Unless you have the other windies job list you have no real idea weather he's charging £2 or £20 for a job.

How you price a job is simple. Charge whatever you want to get for that job without a second thought to what someone else may charge. It's your business you set the prices not them.

Saturday rants over. Time to tidy the house. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Don't underprice other windies if the customer tells you what they charge and you pipe in and say 'oh I'll do it cheaper'. That's what I meant. Oh course your not going to know what other windies are charging - your not telepathic.

Pointless Saturday rant

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