I thought i’d share in a new thread that although im about 85% residential i do have a few tasty good paying commercial gigs.
One being a large Casino out my way thats monthly & pays nice:D Unfortunately there is not awhole lot of decent paying commercial work,those that are have already been… snapped up!
I hear ya there. When I first canvassed for commercial I couldn’t believe everyone was pretty much hooked up with a cleaner. All the strip plazas near where I live all seem to have the same guy. They all describe him as the “old guy who’s been doin it for years”.
Is it wrong that daily I read through the obits!
You just have to look hard, lots of waterfed pole work.
Beautiful View … When I first decided to get into commercial I made the mistake of hitting up main streets and high traffic areas. I finally started to pick up accounts when I started finding the jobs that are off the beaten path.
As long as you don’t read your name there you’re OK;)
Lately I’ve found that the best paying commercial gigs are coming via my web site. When canvassing the plazas I’m up against the regular or the lowballer. By way of my web site, if they like what they see there and I show up on time to do the quote and be as professional but friendly as need be, I usually land the gig. My web site initially started off as a residential wc site but I’m slowly changing it over to include commercial because of this trend.
Your right Chris, sometimes that’s how I started to dominate a commercial area, start with the off the beaten track customer, get a few more off the beaten track customers, and then you are there every week, and you see a new store opening up on the main drag, and voila! you got your foot in the door and it grows from their with patience and observation.
Always think about who needs their glass cleaned, every time you see glass their must be a window cleaner! There is glass everywhere and so many different ways to get commercial clients. To name a few, get accouns through the store owner, or work for the property management company, work for the real estate agent leasing a store, work one of the stores, and all their other stores by doing corporate accounts and on an on. Everywhere there is glass their is an opportunity you just got to think outside the box.
It just takes patience and hardwork to get good paying commercial. It is out there, and there is a lot to go around. Many of the good jobs have been booked up, but life changes, window cleaners move, die, retire, and that work opens up. There are also areas where there is surprisingly little cleaners, and they’re just waiting for you to carry of the spoils.
Mike
Not to mention that window cleaners also get lazy and start taking their clients for granted, and then, BAM - you show up, and point out the sub-standard workmanship, etc, and offer the client an alternative…
Watch your backs, people. Watch your backs.
Treat every client like they’re considering switching right now, and do the best job you can.
Beautiful View,
The “old guy who’s been doin it for years” just may be in the obits. One of the “old guys who’s been doin it for years” WAS in the obits here last week.
If I hear that so-in-so is dead, in jail, or hasn’t been around for a while, I go to all of his customers and leave my card telling the prospect, ‘I’m in the area and if they are ever dissatisfied with their usual man give me a call.’
So the lesson learned is make good notes of all your competitors accounts, when they disappear, go get 'em.
The best way to get into commercial work is to hit up cleaning companies. These companies clean everything at commercial businesses, but they don’t usually do windows. So look in your phone book for every cleaning company and call them and tell them you do excellent window cleaning for a reasonable price and you would be glad to do the windows for their business clients. This way if they already do window cleaning, they may consider hiring you to do theirs. If they don’t do window cleaning, then tell them its another service their company can offer, which would be a benefit to current and potential clients. I make about $45000 a year just off of the jobs I’ve gotten by doing that (I do high-rise too, though).
I agree about soliciting cleaning companies if you service commercial properties 1 stories on up. This gives the cleaning companies a chance to advertise harder for window cleaning and when they are awarded the window cleaning contract it also opens the door for them to bid the janitorial work as well. Although it is harder for a company just starting off because when you do this type of work you commonly do the job then invoice it and the cleaning company commonly waits to pay you until they get payment from the initial customer. So being passed down also takes longer to get paid.
lmao! I’d do the same.
I am the “old guy that’s been doing it for years.” I’m not quite ready for the obits…yet. I treat my customers like gold, even the pain in the A$$ ones…
It is [I]much[/I] easier to lose an account than to gain one…
I hope you’re not one of those old guys that have been doing it for years. That charge $3.
I hope you raise your prices with the times.
