Building a round.

Ok, I’m getting myself in a right old muddle here thinking about building rounds etc. I’ve looked at “squeegee”and “cleaner planner”....

Can someone put me right

By explaining how they canvassed. Then done the first clean, and organised your round into different days/different areas?

I hope I’m making sense. [emoji23][emoji54]

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Excel spreadsheets mate

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OnlyMe said:

By explaining how they canvassed. Then done the first clean, and organised your round into different days/different areas?

Click to expand...

When I started out my work was from  sub contracting and now they come via website, advertising and walkups, so can't comment on the canvassing part.

But in the beginning you just drive around, cleaning whatever work you have available. I try to make a sensible round-about trip, so start outside of town and loop back through it, if that makes sense. In the beginning you want to stick  strictly to your agreed upon interval (i.e. 4 weeks) to maximize profits. After a while when you have more than a days worth of work the same week, you naturally begin to group customers together, switching them around. After a while you push customers back or forward a week to make the days more effective, and when you start to make even more money you can build proper rounds and fit new customers into it. I normally clean new customers within a week or two, and notice them when I'll be back next time to clean them and their neighbours. So if we agree on a two month interval, but the neighbours are due in three months, I'll push them a month. 

Less profit first time, but more profit in the long run due to less driving time.

Hope that made sense, it is of course just how I did it, and not the perfect solution. But I did start out with everything from 15 minutes of work every week, to two days the next, so it varied immensely.

Nowadays I group customers more on interval than location, as most my customer base is commercial. Thus I try to clean monthly customers the first week, bi monthly the second week, and so forth. And last week of the month I do domestic.

Nudel said:

When I started out my work was from  sub contracting and now they come via website, advertising and walkups, so can't comment on the canvassing part.
 
But in the beginning you just drive around, cleaning whatever work you have available. I try to make a sensible round-about trip, so start outside of town and loop back through it, if that makes sense. In the beginning you want to stick  strictly to your agreed upon interval (i.e. 4 weeks) to maximize profits. After a while when you have more than a days worth of work the same week, you naturally begin to group customers together, switching them around. After a while you push customers back or forward a week to make the days more effective, and when you start to make even more money you can build proper rounds and fit new customers into it. I normally clean new customers within a week or two, and notice them when I'll be back next time to clean them and their neighbours. So if we agree on a two month interval, but the neighbours are due in three months, I'll push them a month. 
 
Less profit first time, but more profit in the long run due to less driving time.
 
Hope that made sense, it is of course just how I did it, and not the perfect solution. But I did start out with everything from 15 minutes of work every week, to two days the next, so it varied immensely.
 
Nowadays I group customers more on interval than location, as most my customer base is commercial. Thus I try to clean monthly customers the first week, bi monthly the second week, and so forth. And last week of the month I do domestic.

Click to expand...

Superb just what I was looking for, will take on board. Cheers.


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The way I started was to pick an area a week, then hit it hard with canvassing, booking them in for the following week. Then the following month hit it again, after I had 1 or 2 full day's hit the neighbouring area and repeat. Then after you got 3-4 days a week you can start recanvassing the original areas, knocking on weekends. If you have no luck in an area after a couple times try s different area. Takes time but I found it works.

When I started I had a full time job, this was a 2 day a week thing for me. I did anyone, anywhere.... then when i rebooked them I just moved them around, maybe 5 weeks between cleans instead of 4 etc. Customers are cool with stuff like that if you let them know.

You get a month free on Cleaner planner, wouldn't waste that just yet (On the paid version I mean)

If you're completely new to being a windy just a side note ''canvassing'' means knocking the doors and asking if they need a window cleaner. The general population see canvassing as dropping leaflets through a mass amount of doors.

First thing to do is work your friends and family. For free if you need to. Its good practice and a good way to get your name out there, people respond much better to someone they can see working. Once you have a few customers you need to make sure they are all armed with your business cards to give to their friends. If you have a Facebook page get all your customers to like it and leave a review if possible.

Once you start to grow customers you can start to target your canvassing a little. If you know your working on London road next Tuesday then put some leaflets round on Friday. On Tuesday you turn up with a nice sign written van and they recognise your logo, you clean the customer you were due to and your chances of a walk up just doubled your chances of a walk up. When you're done its time to canvass.... 'hello sir, i dropped a leaflet through the other day, I clean your neighbours window and wanted to know if you would like a quote?''

There are other options which people have mentioned to you before. @Green Pro Clean Ltd offers a lead generation service that may be worth considering. There are canvassing companies out there who do it for you but they do charge a fair whack for their services.