Canvassing a new window cleaning round without paper lists
Knocking doors is still the cheapest way to build a window cleaning round, and paper lists are where it leaks. How to canvass a street so every yes, not-home and call-back turns into a booked clean.
Knocking on doors is still one of the cheapest ways to build a window cleaning round, because every house on the street can see what a clean looks like. The trouble is that paper lists leak: yeses get scribbled on the back of a leaflet, the not-homes are forgotten, and two people end up knocking the same road.
This guide is about canvassing a new round properly, with or without an app: how to run a street, what to write down at each door, and how to make sure every yes turns into a booked clean. Then it shows how TradeYoke does the recording for you.
Key takeaways
- Work one street at a timeFinish a road before you start the next. A half-done street is hard to come back to, and you will not know which doors you missed.
- Record every door the same wayYes, quote given, not home, leaflet left, call back, not interested. Six outcomes are enough, and the same six every time make the results usable.
- Quote on the doorstepA price said at the door is a yes you can act on. A promise to ring later usually is not.
- The follow-up is where the money isYeses waiting for a quote, call-backs and not-homes are warm. Keep them in one list and work it.
- Ask the neighbours while you are cleaningA customer's street is the easiest canvass you will ever do. Offer the neighbours before you leave.
Quick answer
Quick answer: to canvass a new window cleaning round without paper lists, work one street at a time, record every door as you knock using the same few outcomes, give a price on the doorstep, and keep a return list of the yeses, call-backs and not-homes. TradeYoke does all four on your phone and turns each yes into a lead you can quote and book onto your round.
Why do paper lists let canvassing leak?
Quick answer: because paper records what you did, not what you still need to do. Nothing on a clipboard reminds you to go back, and nothing joins a yes on Tuesday to a booked clean the week after.
Where the leaks are
- The yes that never got a quoteSomeone says "come back with a price" at 6pm, and by Friday you cannot read your own writing.
- The not-home you never revisitedHalf the doors on a weekday are empty. Without a note of which, you either skip them for good or knock them again blind.
- The street you walked twiceWith two of you out, or a gap of a few weeks, it is easy to knock the same road again and annoy people who already said no.
- No link to the roundThe yes lives on paper, the diary lives somewhere else, and the first clean is only booked if you remember to do it.
How do you canvass a street properly?
Quick answer: pick a street, knock every door on it, and give each door exactly one outcome as you leave it. Price on the doorstep, leave a leaflet where nobody answers, and book the yes the same day while it is fresh.
A few habits make the difference:
A street, door by door
- Start with the houses you can already see you would cleanLook for streets with windows and conservatories worth the price, and where you can build a short run of stops close together.
- Have your price readyKnow what a typical clean costs on that kind of house before you knock. Quoting on the spot beats ringing back.
- Leave something with your number onIf nobody is in, a leaflet that says who you are and how to reach you is worth the extra minute. Note which door it went through.
- Treat a no as an answerRecord not interested and move on. You will not knock that door again by accident.
- Book the first clean quicklyA yes is warmest the same day. Put the clean on the round before the week gets away from you.
What do you do about the doors nobody answered?
Quick answer: keep them. A not-home is not a no, so it belongs on a list you will see again, with the doors where someone said \"call back\" and the yeses still waiting for a quote.
The simplest system is a single return list that you check whenever you are near that street. It is far easier to fit a quick second knock around a job you are already doing than to schedule a special trip.
How do you canvass as a team without knocking the same doors twice?
Quick answer: divide the area before you start, and give each person a patch. Mark a road done when it is finished so nobody goes back over it, and set aside places you are not going to canvass at all, such as blocks of flats or streets that do not want cold callers.
Paper maps and highlighter pens work until the second person joins. After that you need to see progress at a glance, and know who has which patch.
Can your existing customers help you win the street?
Quick answer: yes, and it is the easiest canvassing there is. While you are cleaning for a customer, the houses either side can see the van and the result. Offer to do their neighbours, by leafleting next door before you leave or asking your customer to pass on a referral.
Do it at the time, not later. A job you are doing right now is the best proof you will ever have.
How does TradeYoke handle canvassing?
Quick answer: TradeYoke has canvassing built into the window cleaning module, from release 0.3.46. You open a street, record each door with one tap, and a yes becomes a lead you can quote and book straight onto your round. The streets, the return list and your canvassers are all in the same app as your diary and your customers.
Open a street and tap each door
Open a street and every door is a tile. Tap one to record what happened: Yes, Quote given, Not home, Leaflet left, Call back or Not interested. Tap a price on the doorstep and a yes becomes a lead you can quote and book straight onto your round.
Plan the patch on the map
Draw round the streets with your finger and see every road coloured by progress. Give the patch to someone on your team. Mark a whole road done in one go, or set an area aside, such as flats or a no-cold-calling street, and undo either if you change your mind.
Work the return list
The return list keeps the yeses waiting for a quote, the call-backs and the not-homes. It also shows them on your round when you are on that street, so a second knock costs you a minute rather than a trip.
Offer the neighbours
While you are cleaning, TradeYoke offers you the neighbours. Leaflet next door in one tap, or text your customer their referral link. A booking from a referral credits the customer who referred it.
See your canvassers on Live Monitoring
If you send a team out, Live Monitoring shows each canvasser's position, street, doors knocked and yeses. Their location is sent when they record a door and every 10 minutes (you can configure that), never continuously. It is fairest to tell your team exactly what is shared; our piece on consent-first tracking explains why.
You can watch a walkthrough of managing canvassing on the canvassing page, and the pricing page shows which plan includes what.
Questions people ask
What is the best way to canvass for window cleaning customers?
Work one street at a time, knock every door, give each one a single outcome, quote on the doorstep and keep a list of the yeses, call-backs and not-homes to go back to. TradeYoke does the recording and the list on your phone.
Do I need a paper list or a spreadsheet to canvass?
No. In TradeYoke you open the street on your phone and tap each door. A yes becomes a lead you can quote and book onto your round, and the return list keeps the rest.
Can two of us canvass the same area?
Yes. Draw the area on the map, give a patch to someone on your team, and mark roads done as you finish them so you do not overlap.
Does TradeYoke follow my canvassers around?
No. A canvasser's location is sent when they record a door and every 10 minutes (configurable), never continuously. Live Monitoring shows their position, street, doors knocked and yeses.
What does it cost to try?
Thirty days of Essentials free, no card. See the pricing page for the plans after that.
Canvass your next street on your phone
30 days of Essentials free, no card. Record a real street and see every yes land on your round.
