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New start up help getting work

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Kleenwell

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Location
Weston super mare
Hi all

newbie here

im new to the game. But I’m all setup and ready to go.  Using my car, I have a 175ltr tank, Di tank, 150m hose with brides 24ft pole.        Production is with a 75gpd 5 stage to filter into a storage tank in the garden. (600ltr).    Now I just need customers.     I have done a few friends and family as you would expect.  But I have only had 2 enquires in 2 weeks from the public.   I have dropped over 500 leaflets (pro designed and printed)  I have a fb page up and running with paid advertising. And I am posting on for sale free sites daily .   I know canvassing is a great way of getting customers, but my problem is social anxiety.   I tried cold calling as a job before. And I just can’t do it.   If I’m expected, no problem, just knocking out of the blue is just a no no for me.  Worst fear. So in short, other than canvassing and what I’m already doing, is there anything I could do to get some more customers?

thankyou in advance guys and gals

 
Welcome on board. In all honesty, you have covered all the bases near enough, but you need to get out door knocking if you want to build a quality compact round, Flash leaflets don't always work a simple flyer can be just as effective 

 
The answer is simple!

You need to crush your fear. This time it will be different as every customer you gain is one step closer to having built your round.

You do want a round, you have already invested in it. Go do it, it gets easier each day you do it. Do not take rejection personally, that's all it is, is fear of rejection.

Kleenwell said:
Hi all

newbie here

im new to the game. But I’m all setup and ready to go.  Using my car, I have a 175ltr tank, Di tank, 150m hose with brides 24ft pole.        Production is with a 75gpd 5 stage to filter into a storage tank in the garden. (600ltr).    Now I just need customers.     I have done a few friends and family as you would expect.  But I have only had 2 enquires in 2 weeks from the public.   I have dropped over 500 leaflets (pro designed and printed)  I have a fb page up and running with paid advertising. And I am posting on for sale free sites daily .   I know canvassing is a great way of getting customers, but my problem is social anxiety.   I tried cold calling as a job before. And I just can’t do it.   If I’m expected, no problem, just knocking out of the blue is just a no no for me.  Worst fear. So in short, other than canvassing and what I’m already doing, is there anything I could do to get some more customers?

thankyou in advance guys and gals
Click to expand...
From my own experience and experience of many others, you need to drop 1000 leaflets to gain on average 4 customers.

 
Kleenwell said:
Hi all

newbie here

im new to the game. But I’m all setup and ready to go.  Using my car, I have a 175ltr tank, Di tank, 150m hose with brides 24ft pole.        Production is with a 75gpd 5 stage to filter into a storage tank in the garden. (600ltr).    Now I just need customers.     I have done a few friends and family as you would expect.  But I have only had 2 enquires in 2 weeks from the public.   I have dropped over 500 leaflets (pro designed and printed)  I have a fb page up and running with paid advertising. And I am posting on for sale free sites daily .   I know canvassing is a great way of getting customers, but my problem is social anxiety.   I tried cold calling as a job before. And I just can’t do it.   If I’m expected, no problem, just knocking out of the blue is just a no no for me.  Worst fear. So in short, other than canvassing and what I’m already doing, is there anything I could do to get some more customers?

thankyou in advance guys and gals
Click to expand...
Gotta just get over the fear mate and start knocking once you get a few you will feel better. I canvassed my **** off first couple of years and don't enjoy it but I always look at how much a customer is worth a year to keep me motivated. So for example 1 x £15 a month customer in an afternoon knocking seems not much but look at it as £180a year. Get 10 of them that £1800 a year few months down the line it becomes a 100 customers a month and the knocking was worth it! First few are the hardest though but you get there if you put the time in!

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi.

I'm amazed you’ve got all the kit without any market research of local demand and then expect your business to grow without rattling a few doors daily. You can build a successful round without the knocking but it takes thousands of leaflets repeatedly delivered at regular intervals over your chosen areas.

i don’t mean to sound mean but you need to canvass. 

Try taking someone with you as a confidence boost. Let them talk and interject when an interest is shown. Learn what works and practice on the same friends and family where you’ve cleaned. It does become second nature and in 18 months when you have a decent round, you’ll wonder why you thought it was so hard. 

Genuinely good luck. 

Minty

 
I don’t take it as mean.   I know of 2 other Windys in town.   But a seaside town of over 50,000 population, there is more windows than 2 could handle.    I’m new to the town and as such don’t have many contacts.    So this morning I bit the bullet, and my lip.   I knocked of 20 doors, first few, I needed new underwear.    But I had 7 answer the door.  3 of didn’t speak and slammed the door, 2 said F off. And the other 2 were just rude.   So I switched to putting flyers in letter boxes for now.  I will try again tomorrow.     One question, how do you guys clean second floor windows with guard rails across the bottom? 

 
Or you could use one of the companies that do canvassing for you, they go round, do the talking and get customers for you. Obviously gonna cost, but might be a good option for you. I havent gone down that route myself, so am not an expert but im sure some others on here know more about it. On the windows with guard rails, presume they would need to be done from the inside but not too sure mate.

 
Kleenwell said:
I don’t take it as mean.   I know of 2 other Windys in town.   But a seaside town of over 50,000 population, there is more windows than 2 could handle.    I’m new to the town and as such don’t have many contacts.    So this morning I bit the bullet, and my lip.   I knocked of 20 doors, first few, I needed new underwear.    But I had 7 answer the door.  3 of didn’t speak and slammed the door, 2 said F off. And the other 2 were just rude.   So I switched to putting flyers in letter boxes for now.  I will try again tomorrow.     One question, how do you guys clean second floor windows with guard rails across the bottom? 
Click to expand...
Hey, well done for going out. 

If you can get out between 5 and 8pm this should get you better results. (although busy mums with kids at teatime may still swear at you)

There will be loads of window cleaners in you town, loads. Hence my research question. 

I was asked by a good customer to regularly clean her mums house, it was a bit out of my way but I agreed. The old dear said she had not seen a window cleaner in the road for years. The day I turned up there was 2 other guys in 2 different vans. So 3 of us in a road with 50 houses and I bet there would be more throughout the month. I gave the work to one of the others. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Kleenwell said:
I don’t take it as mean.   I know of 2 other Windys in town.   But a seaside town of over 50,000 population, there is more windows than 2 could handle.    I’m new to the town and as such don’t have many contacts.    So this morning I bit the bullet, and my lip.   I knocked of 20 doors, first few, I needed new underwear.    But I had 7 answer the door.  3 of didn’t speak and slammed the door, 2 said F off. And the other 2 were just rude.   So I switched to putting flyers in letter boxes for now.  I will try again tomorrow.     One question, how do you guys clean second floor windows with guard rails across the bottom? 
Click to expand...
Try a more affluent area/estate as they sound like chav's  ?, Get back out today in a better area where people are more well mannered and you will get a more dignified response whether positive or negative, Flyers won't bring you work in fast otherwise you will be sitting at home hoping for a response and they will never come and you will have spent money and time and months later you will still be willing work to come in and only have a handful of clients 

I have been established for over 18 years and have a good reputation locally and over 20 recommendations on FB but if I post an add on FB the response can be quite low without gaining any new jobs the vast majority of the time, my rounds are now full but I took on 6 new jobs in the last 7 days this is real rarity. 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Kleenwell said:
I don’t take it as mean.   I know of 2 other Windys in town.   But a seaside town of over 50,000 population, there is more windows than 2 could handle.    I’m new to the town and as such don’t have many contacts.    So this morning I bit the bullet, and my lip.   I knocked of 20 doors, first few, I needed new underwear.    But I had 7 answer the door.  3 of didn’t speak and slammed the door, 2 said F off. And the other 2 were just rude.   So I switched to putting flyers in letter boxes for now.  I will try again tomorrow.     One question, how do you guys clean second floor windows with guard rails across the bottom? 
Click to expand...
Wow, can't believe how rude they were! I've knocked thousands of doors and have never had a response like that! I think @Iron Giant is right, try a nicer estate. 

What are you saying by the way?

 
I’m going to go out again today and knock. Same area again   But as suggested, later in the evening.    (Baby sitting duties till 12).   The area is a new build estate.  In my eyes, fairly posh. Will upload a pic if I can.  I moved onto an older estate with flyers yesterday and had a few friendly people ask what my flyers were for and reached out for them.   And I basically canvases them on the street.  No confirmed booking but positive reactions.      With the chav comment, I have avoided the estate with a mass of rough people (druggies and benefit scrounges)

 
Kleenwell said:
I’m going to go out again today and knock. Same area again   But as suggested, later in the evening.    (Baby sitting duties till 12).   The area is a new build estate.  In my eyes, fairly posh. Will upload a pic if I can.  I moved onto an older estate with flyers yesterday and had a few friendly people ask what my flyers were for and reached out for them.   And I basically canvases them on the street.  No confirmed booking but positive reactions.      With the chav comment, I have avoided the estate with a mass of rough people (druggies and benefit scrounges)
Click to expand...
Well done. Don't let em put you off.

You'll get better prices than on rough estates too. Is there any possibility of buying a small round to get you started?

 
I thought about buying a round, but as yet, not found anything for sale. 

I still fear fear cold calling but hey, il get there.    Do any of you guys still knock on the doors with the ‘no cold callers” stickers?

 
yeah we have a few customers with the no cold calling stickers there only really for bogus callers if they point it out just apologise and move on but I've never had 1 pointed out just one of the many excuses or they say yes. Have you tryed lead generation we have used this recently and have had good return and have you knocked the doors you have put the flyers out at a few days after we see a great return then as there kind of expectation you and it puts a face to the flyer people will put your flyer down meaning to call but never get round to it 

 
Just a thought but how about canvassing a street with flyers which offer a free window clean to the first six (or however many you want) responses by text. Spend a morning down that road doing those and you may pick up work from just being there. Yes I agree it’s half a day lost but could turn into more work. People lot more interested initially when something’s free. Most of my customers have come from recommendations or just walk up to me whilst working.


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I have to go and see a Gutter clear tomorrow in a Posh area, the woman contacted my website. Heaven knows where she found it as I'm hard to find. A massive bungalow but quite high up. Even if I don't get it, I will be leafleting the whole street to see if I can get anymore. Would love to have a window cleaning round there because its full of professional people who usually have little spare time on their hands to do any maintenance.

 
Don’t worry about it, if you build it they will come. 

Some customers will just fall into your lap, today a lady jumped in front of my van near enough as I turned the corner, apparently as she left the house she thought she would find a window cleaner today and I turned the corner a second later. Easy. 

If you know you are no good at door knocking then it’s best left well alone, try green pro cleans lead gen then least you know when you knock the door they are expecting you and want the work you offer. I’ve used it now for a few months and it’s worth its weight in gold. 

 
MWS window cleaning said:
Don’t worry about it, if you build it they will come. 

Some customers will just fall into your lap, today a lady jumped in front of my van near enough as I turned the corner, apparently as she left the house she thought she would find a window cleaner today and I turned the corner a second later. Easy. 

If you know you are no good at door knocking then it’s best left well alone, try green pro cleans lead gen then least you know when you knock the door they are expecting you and want the work you offer. I’ve used it now for a few months and it’s worth its weight in gold. 
Click to expand...
How does this “lead gen” work?    I did one house today (recommended by my gf’s sister in law)  was meant to be last week but got asked to postpone.   Anyway. Coach house type setup with bay window above opening.   Woman pointed out window on bay that were hard to get at.  No problem.  Done all windows (even removes stubborn sellotape).  All done paid up.   Get a text.  You missed the back window over the drive.     How embarrassing.   Shot straight back.  I didn’t even notice it was there haha   Luckily woman was very good about it ?

 

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