Window Cleaning Success

Is A Window Cleaning Business Right For You?

That’s a question you have to ask yourself before you begin cleaning windows. Selling a service isn’t as easy as some people think. Your customers have to see a need for the service, be willing to pay for it and that you’re qualified for it.

Is there a need?
When trying to sell a service you need to decide if there’s a need in your area for the service. You should be filling a need, use your imagination. Are there a lot of homeowners and commercial businesses in your area?

Are there people who would be willing to pay you to do the service?
Weigh the time it takes to provide the service against what would be a reasonable price to charge. Charging someone $75 for a big two story house might get you lots of customers, but you probably wouldn’t be able to survive off such a pitiful income.

What service?
Specialize in only one or two services at a time. People won’t take you very seriously if you’re acting like Wal Mart doing 6,000 different things. Stick with services that compliment each other, like window cleaning and screen cleaning or pressure washing rather than window cleaning and bathroom remodeling. If you’re going to do more than one thing, it always helps if they go hand in hand together.

Are you a people person?
Selling services can be harder than selling actual products. You need people to like and trust you. If you aren’t a people person or willing to become one (at least during work hours), chances are you won’t have too many clients. You need to be friendly and project trustworthiness. Clients like it when you chat with them and spend a little extra time.

Are you responsible enough?
If you’re supposed to start a job at 7am, you better be there, your companies reputation is on the line. You’re the boss and you’re the one responsible. There’s no sick days when you are the boss and people will not be very understanding if you just don’t show up.

Are you ready for full time?
Until you build a steady clientele and full time income, keep your day job. Service jobs like window cleaning are built on word of mouth and reputation. Those can take time to develop and meanwhile you’ll need an income to survice.

Is it just seasonal?
Try to find something that will be needed year round or close to it. Or, you could always have a winter service and a summer service. I chose a winter and summer services that complimented each other because I was able to market my winter service to my existing summer customers.

These are just a few of the things you need to think about when first starting out in the window cleaning business. This type of business takes a lot of people skills, the ability to work alone and the drive to keep moving when you don’t want to.