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Commercial Window Cleaning
Start Your Own Window Cleaning Business So you have decided to start your own window cleaning company. You have your bucket, ladder, squeegee, and strip washer. Now what? This article will attempt to give the fledgeling window cleaner a brief orientation based on the experience of other professional window cleaners. Before you run out and get some accounts you'll need to decide on a good business name, something you won't hate a month later after your business cards, stationary, and advertisements are already printed! Many factors go in to the decision making process when deciding on the right name for your business, and no one could ever tell you what's right for you, its your business, afterall. However, the name you decide upon may impact other aspects of your business and your overall marketing plan. For example, where will you will be placed in alphabetical ad listings such as the yellow pages? Most prospective clients don't call every listing in the book, just one, or two, maybe three, if comparing price quotes and services. If they open up the book and your listing is the very last one in the category, chances are you won't receive as many phone calls as the guy or gal who's business name starts with ''AAA'' or ''Acme''. That explains why there are so many companies whose names begin with AAA and Acme! This seems like such a small issue, but for the price they're charging for yellow page ads these days you should get your money's worth. Once you have figured out what it is you want to call your new business you will want to register your fictitious name with your local county or city government as “Doing Business As” (DBA) which cost an average of $11.00-$20.00, depending on your county or city. If your name is Mike and you choose to keep it simple and just go with “Mike's Window Cleaning” you do not have to register this name because it is not a fictious name, because it is your real name. Next, what kind of company is your new business going be? It can be a sole proprietorship, or if you are going into business with someone else then you will want to register the business as a partnership, or you can incorporate your business. There are benefits and drawbacks of each, and this is a decision that should not be made with haste. Services: Next, will you be specializing in commercial cleaning, residential, or both? Most new window cleaning business start by offering residential and store front cleaning. After a while you will find out which you prefer. For residential service you will need different equipment than what you would need for commercial service, and vice-versa. When cleaning residentially, can you handle a home that has windows 24-30 feet up? This task is not recommended for anyone with a fear of heights - although facing your fears is the best way to beat them! You'll need a trusty ladder, and a truck or van to transport it in. If you only need the ladder every once in a while, you may be able to save a few bucks by simply renting one from the local hardware store. Commercial cleaning includes cleaning single-level store fronts or miltiple story high rises. Again, the equipment you will need will vary depending upon the type of services performed. If you decide that dangling from a rope to clean high rise windows is not for you and and you prefer to only clean store fronts then you can set up your advertising to target store front business owners. Cleaning high-rises requires having the appropriate equipment, employees, and insurance. If you don't already have experience in window cleaning and want to get into high rises it is recommended that you first accumulate experience by working for an an established company. Your business phone number, whether it be a home phone or cell phone, should have voice mail or an answering machine. If you have children make sure they understand that your business line is not for them to answer. There is nothing worse than trying to get in touch with a business and having to talk to Junior to get to Mom or Dad. It looks ruins your professional credibility and you may loose a potential client as a result. Business cards are a must! For a very nice price you can get some awesome looking cards at http://www.vistaprints.com or you can go with the free cards vistaprints offer to start off with. You can also go to your local printer to make fliers. If you have a home PC and a printer you can do both fliers and business cards at home. Its cheaper to just have them done. You will also want to get a carbon copy receipt book printed with your business name on them. This helps in presenting a more professional and respectable appearance for your business. With business cards and fliers in hand you are almost ready to go out and drum up some business. However there is one more thing you need. You will definitely want to protect yourself if you happen to break something: General liability insurance from an insurance company is highly recommended. Most window cleaners will tell you to get at least $1 Million coverage policy. There are cheaper policies but that is up to you and how much you are willing to spend to protect yourself. So now comes the question everyone asks “How much do I charge?” Well, how much do you want to make an hour? How much are all the other window cleaners charging? If you over-charge potential clients may be turned away, but if you charge too little you could cheat yourself. Its difficult to give an exact number as each area is different. The best thing for you to do is figure out how much you want to make an hour and charge accordingly. Do your homework, even call other window cleaners inside and outside of the area you serve and find out what they charge. It is important to network with other window cleaners in your area. Maybe not all window cleaners will cooperate if they feel threatened by your competition, but there are a lot of windows in the world to clean and no one company can handle them all. You may even need to outsource business to one another when things are just too busy, if you break an arm or heaven forbid you want to take a little vacation in the Carribean! Make sure you DO NOT put fliers or any advertising materials in mail boxes. This is illegal, a federal offense, in fact, since a mailbox is considered an extension of the federal postal system. You can, however, put them in doors handles and wedged them in the door frame. Fliers in a residential area is a numbers game. Don't be discouraged or disappointed if you only get one or two calls out of 100-200 flyer's in the beginning. For store fronts its best to go in and talk to the manager who is in charge of making decisions regarding the windows. If they are not there leave your flyer or business card. Make sure you return or give a follow up call. There are several way to get that infamous “word of mouth” advertising started. One way is to send all of your new clients a thank you note and in those notes you can give them a deal that they can't resist. You can offer something in return for referring others, like, for example, 10% off of their next cleaning. So if they refer only 3 people to you thats 3 more people paying you full price and the original person gets 30% off of their next window cleaning, but you get 3 more clients. Its a WIN WIN situation, but you win the most After all that hard work you finally have a few clients and have earned some money. Don't go right away and deposit it in your personal account. Open a business account so that you can keep track of how much your business earns. You still have to pay taxes on it at the end of the year When you get into the groove of things you can check out the International Window Cleaning Association (IWCA) which has monthly magazines on new window cleaning products, safety techniques etc. And they hold conventions where window cleaners from all over come and exchange tips and information. You can also join internet groups and discuss different topics about window cleaning. Now go make some money!
Some feedback from our valued members: "Dear Maribel, I would like to thank you for the lead that we received from the window cleaning directory. I appreciate your website and directory. We have received a couple of different leads, it helps our business with new continued growth!! Thanks!! Sincerely, D.Day, Owner Streakfree Window Cleaning & Maintenance" "I get a lot of leads form you guys thanks a lot. Doing great Thanks so much." - A to Z Cleaning "Thank you for the lead. I really appreciate all that you are doing for our company." - Seth Brown Panes & Drains Dear Maribel, I want to thank you for the great job you do. I recieved a lead for a large disribution center. This turned out to be a win-win situation for both me and the customer. We owe it all to you. Thank you again for all your efforts and helping our company grow in a direction we can be proud of. Troy Nelson Xtreme Cleaning Janesville, WI When Quality Counts www.1xtremecleaning.com |
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