Immaculatewindows
New member
- Messages
- 3
- Location
- Oxfordshire
Best way to gain new customers any suggestions?
Welcome to the UK Window Cleaning Forums
Starting or own a window cleaning business? We're a network of window cleaners sharing advice, tips & experience. Rounds for sale & more. Join us today!
Best way to get new customers
- Thread starter Immaculatewindows
- Start date
Help Support WCF:
- Messages
- 11,253
- Location
- Durham
If you do a search for getting customers in the search box and then click on getting customers in content titles only there is multiple posts covering this topic
RWCleaning
Well-known member
- Messages
- 2,075
- Location
- Bournemouth
Canvassing is overall the best way. You can target the areas you want, the road you want, and even the houses and people to a degree. But it’s a numbers game. Sometimes you’ll pick up £80 of regular work in a hour. Sometimes nothing.
On top of that a big 2000+ leaflet drop.
On top of that a big 2000+ leaflet drop.
- Messages
- 3,957
- Location
- Gloucestershire
There is no answer to this as everybody has a different business model and all areas are different. I can however tell you what I did.
First few customers
- Cleaned for friends and family, for free. Once I had cleaned them I dropped some leaflets in those streets.
- Started FB page and got friends and family to like and share.
- Went back to the streets I had leafleted and knocked some doors, asked if they had seen the leaflet and needed a window cleaner.
- Had sign writing added to the van
Next customers
By next customers I mean once I had approx 10-15 already...
- Started to get customers to recommend me on FB (I think it was still the review system at the time)
- Did massive leaflet drops (1000+ each drop)
- Canvassed the streets I had dropped leaflets in
- Canvassed where I worked
- Put a couple of FB videos out, one had over 13k views, this brought over 30 customers in
Regular customers
Once I reached 100 customers...
- Most came through walk ups
- Hired a salesman who canvassed while I cleaned (He didn't last long)
- Another mass leaflet drop
- FB recommendations and reviews
First few customers
- Cleaned for friends and family, for free. Once I had cleaned them I dropped some leaflets in those streets.
- Started FB page and got friends and family to like and share.
- Went back to the streets I had leafleted and knocked some doors, asked if they had seen the leaflet and needed a window cleaner.
- Had sign writing added to the van
Next customers
By next customers I mean once I had approx 10-15 already...
- Started to get customers to recommend me on FB (I think it was still the review system at the time)
- Did massive leaflet drops (1000+ each drop)
- Canvassed the streets I had dropped leaflets in
- Canvassed where I worked
- Put a couple of FB videos out, one had over 13k views, this brought over 30 customers in
Regular customers
Once I reached 100 customers...
- Most came through walk ups
- Hired a salesman who canvassed while I cleaned (He didn't last long)
- Another mass leaflet drop
- FB recommendations and reviews
steve garwood
ginger lion
- Messages
- 7,118
- Location
- Bromley
Dye your hair ginger, you’ll be overloaded with graft ?
Green Pro Clean Ltd
Well-known member
- Messages
- 8,103
- Location
- Nottingham & Derbyshire
??????????
He tried to use the word 'Graft' in context as if he has any experience of it! Awww..... bless. ?
steve garwood
ginger lion
- Messages
- 7,118
- Location
- Bromley
I had experience of working hard, but don’t need or want to anymore. My plans are all in place ?
I thought of one way which I havent tried as yet, but think it could be good. Dont have to be overly confident, just able to talk. would probably work best in a small to medium size market town type place. Set up a table, nothing big, just small foldaway, in the thoroughfare or market place. Have a small banner or placard or something with 'meet the window cleaner' or similar on it. Have lots of your flyers and a book/ signing up thingy. people will pass/stop/look etc, some will enquire and you get a chance to meet/arrange/quote etc. I think on a busy saturday this could work really well,
- Messages
- 3,957
- Location
- Gloucestershire
You would be moved on faster than you can clean a window mate. Nice idea though, thinking outside the box!
Joshyouare
Well-known member
- Messages
- 201
- Location
- Leeds
How did you get the motivation to do all of this?
I'm not at all scared of speaking to people and knocking doors but I like the idea of just putting my headphones in and doing a mass leaflet drop instead of door knocking - think that'd take too long?
yeh probably, dpending where you are I reckon. I popped into this village coffee morning today lol, mostly olduns having a chat, dropped off flyers and gotta ring one back in the morn. All fun aint it?
take you a week or two pounding the streets/lanes/estates, then take the calls and book em up. Also, maybe put an add in the local free paper, ive done this, 37 quid each edition (this was monthly) got some off this. even if only one a month has paid for itself, or try green pro on here for the lead generation if no ones already suggested it.
- Messages
- 3,957
- Location
- Gloucestershire
Everyone has a different opinion on canvassing. I worked in sales from 2007 so I have no problem knocking a door i've just found it to be a waste of time, so many messers from it. I don't know if i've just done too much of a hard sell and not realised or something. The cancellation rate I had from window cleaning canvassing was higher than I had selling driveways and patios!
I kept a track on how many leaflets I dropped. Did some sums on this the other day and my return is 3%. Individual areas is a little more difficult to work out but I think the lowest I had was 1%. The problem is you can deliver 1000 leaflets and get 10 customers (eventually) and you can deliver 400 leaflets and get 20 customers. It just depends if the area has a reliable window cleaner i guess.
With regards to motivation, really simple. Imagine you could have a conversation with your future self, 5 years from now. Are you saying thank you for working hard or f**k you, we should have done better!
I ain't saying don't do it, just don't plan to be there all day. The worst they can do is ask you to move along. Would potentially be embarrassing if taken the wrong way by onlookers I guess.
Joshyouare
Well-known member
- Messages
- 201
- Location
- Leeds
Yeah, i've worked in sales before too but from the few leaflets I have dropped (can't be more than 250), I've got 3 customers, or 40 of monthly work, so if it's that all the time then I'd prefer just to drop the leaflets - I'll start keeping track of it I guess, thanks.
DJT
Well-known member
- Messages
- 192
- Location
- Stourbridge
I thought the exact same idea. In my town theres a small market on a saturday. Its only £30 a stall. Might try it one saturday in the spring.
scottish cleaning service
Well-known member
- Messages
- 9,075
- Location
- Paisley
We have a new estate starting up and I think I will be hanging about it. Maybe go down each day and see how it goes.
Why I think it may be good is you arent disturbing them knocking on their door, they will see you, have a look and maybe enquire, and they get a chance to see you and know your not a mad axeman or whatever. yeh, say a saturday when the mums are all about the shops/market etc. Gotta be worth a punt and you get to sit and hopefully book them up. Im trying it in a few weeks or month when its a tad warmer, and I'll let you all know how it went.
Eh, touting kind of thing? you're not that desperate for rent are you?
PureShine
Well-known member
- Messages
- 241
- Location
- Sutton Coldfield
I actually think this is worth a go mate. I used to do stalls at local community/family events. If you get the right kind of area i think you could strike very lucky. There were a lot of these events where throughout the day there were a few thousand adults browsing the stalls. Nothing to lose by giving it a go. The people attending the events are mostly living within the area where the event is too which is a bonus
cloudnine
Well-known member
- Messages
- 73
- Location
- Pembrokeshire
Flyer or poster pinned onto village notice boards or community notice boards seems to have gained me a fair bit of work this winter. I did a specific one for gutter cleaning which did really well on a notice board.
Also target recently sold houses.. new owner so probably won't have a windy. I keep a keen eye out for sold boards on houses up for sale and check online every week or so.
Also target recently sold houses.. new owner so probably won't have a windy. I keep a keen eye out for sold boards on houses up for sale and check online every week or so.
G
Guest
Do everything. Cast a big net with small holes.
