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Village canvassing.

carp boy

Member
Messages
86
Location
norwich
Hi, 

Just wondering if finding little villages  off the beaten track and similar places are worthwhile canvassing... Flyers etc to get good business.

Thanks in advance.

Ian. 

 
They certainly can be. A couple of things to be aware of :  These days they are often mostly populated by highly professional types who can be reluctant to pay the professional rates we require. They are often used to calling the shots in their careers and businesses. That's not a problem as long as you stand your ground. They can sometimes resent paying a professional rate for a lower skilled trade. Though they will happily pay a small fortune for a marble kitchen, swimming pool or oak carport.

A golden rule of mine : I treat every job on its own merit. Occasionally I get asked "Can you give a discount for two or three of us next to each other?" I don't, one can move, one might not like paying the money, with another our face or personality mightn't fit. 

Remember, the travelling time and fuel expenses need to be allowed for. A ten or fifteen minute travel to a nearby village is  the same time it would take to do at least one three bed semi so these "satellite" jobs are charged accordingly but fairly. Most of our villages are double that distance. They can be quite lucrative, though they can take a while longer to build a good round because of the travelling and the smaller, more spread out pockets of population.

Having said what I did by way of warning. I will say that most of our customers are very pleasant and no bother at all to work for plus we enjoy getting out in the countryside on a regular basis. 

Good luck to you. ?

 
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To be honest, give it a go, what have you to lose a couple of hrs and some leaflets? 

I would say only canvas if you think 1 house in the village would be financially worth doing? That way anything over 1 and you are all good ? 

 
Yep! Once you have one it's a seed sown. It will almost always lead to more I've found. Though it can take longer than we might expect. In one small hamlet we started with one customer about three or four years ago. Got his next door neighbour after about six months. Then about two years later we got three more, bigger jobs in fairly rapid order. Another village we do four. That number has been constant for the last five years. Some lost, some gained in replacement. Another small village we started with one or two and now do about ten mostly big properties and good payers. 

 
Hi, 

Just wondering if finding little villages  off the beaten track and similar places are worthwhile canvassing... Flyers etc to get good business.

Thanks in advance.

Ian. 
Yes especially if they are the new modern customer and when summer comes with the increased farming calendar and heavier traffic equals dirtier glass in my opinion 

 
Which direction are you thinking of going in from Norwich? North would probably net you some decent prices on holiday homes towards the coast. South, not so much. East seems to expect a lower price. West may seem fast with the A11/A47, but the miles rack up fast even if the time doesn't.

It is definitely do-able and can be very lucrative once you get your foot in the door with the right customer, but as Davy and Ched have said, make sure you factor the travelling costs into the quotes. Most decent rural customers completely understand this. We used to have a small round in Norfolk over Wymondham/Hethel direction. Now we have moved we have 100% rural work in villages around Retford, I don't do a single house in a town or city!

EDIT:
In my old job before window cleaning, I saw a lot of older people in the Wroxham/Hoveton area always asking for window cleaners, theres plenty of houses off down tracks and lanes that most windies don't seem to head down. Might be worth a try. Theres one road I know of will all huge houses, but only 2 are lived in by residents, the rest are holiday homes, they would probably want someone to keep them looking good?

 
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I work in lots of local villages, I live in one ? My rounds are pretty compact All within a few minutes drive the beauty for me is there is no traffic lights, no high traffic or parking issues, most have their own drives nice scenery/views and well paid.

important bit of advise is if they are a gated property don’t take them on unless you get a key,fob or code as there will be a time when no one is in.

 
Yes especially if they are the new modern customer and when summer comes with the increased farming calendar and heavier traffic equals dirtier glass in my opinion 
I do a few farmhouses each sit surrounded by farm land very exposed and always dirty no matter what time of year ?

Also more insect mess and pollen than the town I clean. 

 
I was thinking the opposite. Haha..  Beccles, broome, Ellingham. Geldeston. Hales. Lodon.. Etc. 
You might not be too bad there to be honest, though I'd probably narrow it down a little and go a bit more 'backroad'. Loddon, Thurton, Hales, Chedgrave, Hardly, Claxton and Rockland. Possibly down to yelverton and burgh apton. should be compact enough that if you get a few at first, its not going to break the bank running round cleaning them.

 
Yes definitely villages are full of nosy people that want to know the ins and outs of everyone’s life’s get a couple on board and work will flood in , we started off with 2 houses in a village we now do over 30 houses cheapest is £35 dearest 105 very profitable days work , recommendation is done by the locals so you don’t have to do anything the work will come to you . 

 
Hi, 

Just wondering if finding little villages  off the beaten track and similar places are worthwhile canvassing... Flyers etc to get good business.

Thanks in advance.

Ian. 
Around 20 yrs ago when I was looking to wrap in my job and return to window cleaning, I found a village about 20 miles from me. There was dirty windows everywhere. They said there hadn’t been a windy in the village for 10 years. I still go down there for a big day each month. 

 
Absolutely. Most of my work is rural and in little villages. Get lots of enquiries through the website (as they've seen the van) or from existing customer recommendations. Better money to be earned too for less hours. Toilet break whenever you need it is also a bonus too!

I steer clear of the big towns now. I can't stand sitting in traffic and, rurally, there is none. Well, the odd tractor or horsebox ? 

Definitely look into it ?

 
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