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!

Window Cleaning Customers

D

Damien Alan Bastow

hi everyone .just wanted to askhows the best way to get into the commercial side of window cleaning.ive been doing residential for a year now and am making 1200 a month but want to go into the other side too,any help wld be grate ,

 
networking events work well,

Catherine is good on here, but only if she doesn't already deal with one cleaner in the town you are. which I find strange really, a canvasser that only deals with one person from a town!

 
Thanks for the recommendations folks, its county wise really RC and how far people are prepared to travel, so I could have people in the same county as long as neither of them cross over, or if one is purely cleaning and the other is window cleaning

 
I was hoping Catherine could give me some info on what she charges but she couldn't as someone else in my area has already hired her /emoticons/sad.png looks like I will have to ask my canvasser to get me some commercial work if he will

 
Thanks for the recommendations folks, its county wise really RC and how far people are prepared to travel, so I could have people in the same county as long as neither of them cross over, or if one is purely cleaning and the other is window cleaning
but that really narrows your business down, that's a bit like me saying I will only clean windows if there isn't another window cleaner in the 5 mile radius of you. the guys that you have in the area might not be good enough for some companies so they would turn them down, while the other window cleaner that wants to use you in that are might be spot on for the company,

 
Folks here is the situation, I call Oaks nursing home for example on behalf of X window cleaning and they say no were happy, I then pitch again on behalf of Z window cleaning and they say no again, so twice I pitch for the same work, knowing that the prospect is currently happy with their provider - Im thinking of a new policy, any new people I take on have to make 50 calls themselves to know how tough it is out there /emoticons/smile.png I cant offer the same service for several companies in the same area. Ive been in sales for 23 years doing this job, and I always feel that I need the customer to do some calls themselves to see how it is out there

 
its not about calling the same company for 20 different cleaners,

charge joe blogs for finding 10 leads, then if simon blogs wants you to work for him then charge him for say 10 leads, and so on

you wont deal with me because you already have a contact in my area.

don't mean this next bit in a bad way or anything,

if that guy has a bad rep in the area and everyone says no to him, or if that guy is only trad or doesn't have the equipment or maybe training to match the jobs criteria, then its no good at all.

there is plenty of commercial business out there in my town for you to cover several window cleaners,

other canvassers companies will say we wil get you x amount of work for that cost, then still work for other cleaners in the area.

 
Hi RC, I wont work like that, I would not know how long it would take me to do that, so I could spend few days on the phone or more, depending on the area, I have to work on an hourly rate. I only work for guys with WFP on commercial, and I cant sell the work for X of the value because I dont do the quotes, and everybody charges differently - im really just a door opener

 
thats upto you then, but that just narrows your business down a lot.

charge hourly rate for calling, then pass say 20 leads on to the window cleaner and charge a % of what he charges. and so on,

there got to be over 10,000 businesses around my area and to narrow that to only one person,

what if the guy u have in that area isn't ipaf trained and you get 10 companies that have to have one that is, thats money you are loosing due to working with one guy,

or if they have to be crb checked for any reason and that guy isn't again more money that you are loosing.

maybe not got the right equipment etc, all reflects back on you as you have contacted that company and sent round a cleaner that cant do the job, then makes him look bad too.

its like you getting me a 10 storey office block and me turning up to quote it and I walk in and say hi im the window cleaner to quote you for a clean, sorry I cant do it as I haven't the right equipment, training for rope access or cradle work!

 
Hi RC, Ive never had any problems, I call as if Im calling from their company not under my name or business, like I say its not that I wont have two people in the same county, as long as they don't crossover. I think what needs to be understood getting these commercial leads is not an easy job at all, I could make 50 calls say and get nowhere, and Im not prepared to sell leads like that they would have to be a fair price, whatever size job, plus the fact I offer an after appointment call for the guys, so I follow up the leads, send out flyers, its long term relationships, most of the lads now have been with me a couple of years. Building data is really important, so you know when to go back - so I suppose Im more comprehensive than just generating leads.b With regards to equipment, I always find out current practices etc, its not a problem

 
well that can still narrow it down to one person over a very large area then!

personally I cover a radius of upto 20 miles from my house for commercial work,

and I know that I cant cover every business in that area, so I wouldn't care if you had several others that cross over in my area distance that I work in.

plus I went to price up 2 large blocks of flats (over 200 flats in total) in derby, so that increase the area even more that I would travel.

View attachment 2021

 
Hi RC, my data comes in counties, and yes some are very big. For example I possible have two in Kent, so they are sharing although they have come to an agreement about a couple of areas that would cross. Why I do this is because I dont think it would be fair to say, well ill sell you the leads, or work for you, but you know im also working for your competition, my service is quite comprehensive, I dont only make the appointment I follow the whole process through etc. If I was just flogging leads i still think whoever I was selling them to would say Ill have the lot, so I would still end up working for one provider, I suppose we all work differently, also its a good selling point for my business that its exclusive. Im just looking at your map, so you cross over counties there

 
personally I wouldn't care if you was working for me and 10 others in my town, as long as im getting work in, that all that matters.

I would be paying you as a canvasser,

like if I paid whizzbizz to go door knocking for me and he is doing the same for another window cleaner in my town.

 
RC these commercial appointments are really not easy to get, so what I do get I just think the one provider would want the lot - if I had stuff coming out of my ears it would be different.

 
Commercial is more about waiting for decisions to be made, rather than getting a yes or a no straightaway with the care homes, you will very rarely get to see the owner, but youll get the manager, who then has to go to the owner (owners are normally busy doing other stuff) so the turn around on these are not quick. Like I say, some of the guys dont have the time either to follow up stuff, or dont like to so its better for me to do it for them, along with the calls I do

 
I think I read RC that you were taking on a canvassing team as well as telesales people

 
Back
Top