How to pay a window cleaning canvasser fairly (and know what they brought in)
Paying someone to knock doors for your round sounds simple until you ask what they actually won. Three ways to pay a canvasser, the trap in each, and how to see what they brought in.
The moment you pay someone to knock doors for your window cleaning round, you have a question that a one-man band never has to answer: what exactly are you paying for? A door knocked, a yes, a quote, or a customer who is still paying you six months later? Get it wrong and you either overpay for effort that produced nothing, or lose a good canvasser because the pay felt random.
This guide covers the three common ways to pay a canvasser, what can go wrong with each, and how to know what every canvasser actually brought in. Most of it works with a notebook and a spreadsheet. The last part shows how TradeYoke does the tracking.
Key takeaways
- Pay for what you want more ofA yes at the door is not a customer. A clean that happened, and then a second one, is much closer to what you actually need.
- Percentage, flat rate or hourly each have a trapCommission can reward pushing the wrong houses, a flat rate per yes can reward careless yeses, and hourly pay rewards time on the street rather than results.
- Agree it in writing before the first doorSay what counts, when it is confirmed and what happens if a customer cancels after one clean.
- Check the legal side firstWhether your canvasser is an employee, a worker or self-employed changes what you must pay. Check GOV.UK before you agree a rate.
- Know what each person brought inKeep doors, yeses, quotes and wins for each canvasser from day one. Without it, every pay conversation is a guess.
Quick answer
Quick answer: the fairest pay for a window cleaning canvasser usually mixes a small hourly or per-yes amount, so they are paid for turning up, with a percentage or flat amount for each job actually won, confirmed once the first clean is done. Whichever you choose, record each canvasser's doors, yeses, quotes and wins separately so you can show them how their pay was worked out. TradeYoke records that and lets you set the pay scheme on the canvasser's team record.
What are the ways to pay a canvasser?
Quick answer: there are three: a percentage of the work they win, a flat amount per result, or an hourly rate. Most owners end up mixing two of them.
The three ways, and the trap in each
- A percentage of each job wonRewards the houses that turn into customers. The trap is what the percentage is of: the first clean only, or the regular cleans too? A new canvasser reading "20%" and an owner meaning "20% of the first clean" is a quick way to fall out. Say which.
- A flat amount per yes, quote or job wonSimple to understand and easy to check. The trap is paying per yes: a yes that never turns into a clean costs you money, and a keen canvasser can start collecting yeses from people who were only being polite. Paying per job won avoids that.
- An hourly ratePredictable for them and for you, and the simplest to keep within the legal minimums. The trap is that an hour on a quiet street pays the same as an hour on a busy one, so on its own it does nothing to reward results. It works best as a base with a bonus for wins.
What does "won" actually mean?
Quick answer: a job is won when the customer has said yes and the first clean has been done, not when someone says \"maybe\" on the doorstep. Pay on that date, and everything that follows is simple to explain.
Put three points in writing before the first door is knocked:
Agree these up front
- When it is confirmedEarnings that are only provisional until the first clean is done stop arguments about customers who said yes and then were never there.
- What a cancelled customer does to payDecide what happens if someone cancels after one clean, and tell the canvasser before it happens, not after.
- What a rate change meansIf you raise or cut the rate, it should apply from a date. Earnings already made keep the rate they were earned at.
Do the legal basics change how you pay?
Quick answer: yes. Whether a canvasser is an employee, a worker or genuinely self-employed affects the minimum you must pay, holiday and tax. Do not assume that commission-only is allowed, and check before you agree anything.
GOV.UK explains how to check someone's employment status and sets out the current National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates. If you are in any doubt, ask an accountant or ACAS. This article is not legal advice.
How do you know what each canvasser brought in?
Quick answer: keep a separate tally for each person: doors knocked, yeses, quotes given and jobs won, plus the hours they worked. Looking at those four numbers side by side shows you who is knocking, who is quoting and who is converting, which is what you need to pay fairly and to coach.
It is easy to do for one person with a notebook. By the second canvasser, and by the time a customer asks who they spoke to, the notebook falls apart. That is where an app pays for itself.
How does TradeYoke handle canvasser pay?
Quick answer: TradeYoke has canvassing built into the window cleaning module, and from release 0.3.47 it covers the quoting and the pay as well as the knocking. A canvasser quotes at the door, you accept it in one tap, and each person's doors, yeses, quotes, wins, hours and earnings are tallied for you.
A quote at the door, with two prices
The canvasser gives a first-clean price and a regular price, and the road and number are already filled in. TradeYoke files the lead in their name and writes the quote: the first clean, then the regular clean every few weeks. They can text or email it there and then, or take the details and photos and leave the quote for the office.
One tap when they say yes
On the Quotes tab, a customer who says yes is accepted in one tap, and the first clean is booked onto your round at the first-clean price, then the regular price every few weeks. The customer and the job are marked Canvassed by the canvasser, so the credit is not a matter of memory.
Pay schemes you can change by date
On the canvasser's team record, set a percentage of each job won, flat amounts for each yes, quote given or job won, an hourly rate while they are clocked on, or a mix. Schemes carry a start date, so a new rate applies from then on and earlier earnings keep the rate they were earned at.
They see their own day, you see everyone
A canvasser clocks on and off, and their own Your progress card shows today and this week: doors, yeses, quotes, jobs won, hours and earnings, with earnings marked provisional until the first clean is done. They have the Canvasser role, which sees canvassing and their own doorstep quotes, and nothing of your round, customers, jobs or takings.
You get the Team tab: the same figures for each canvasser for this week, this month or any dates you pick, with an Export CSV for payroll.
You can see all of this on the canvassing page and watch the walkthrough, and the pricing page shows which plan includes what. If your canvassers carry a phone you track, read how to track a team fairly first.
Questions people ask
How much should I pay a window cleaning canvasser?
There is no single rate; it depends on your area, your prices and whether they are an employee or self-employed. A common approach is a small base for their time plus a payment for each job won once the first clean is done. Check the legal minimums on GOV.UK first.
Is commission-only canvassing allowed in the UK?
It depends on whether the person is an employee, a worker or genuinely self-employed, and minimum wage rules can apply. See GOV.UK's guidance on employment status, and take advice if you are unsure.
How do I track what each canvasser brought in?
Keep doors, yeses, quotes, jobs won and hours for each person. In TradeYoke each canvasser's tally is kept for you, and the Team tab shows it for any week or month with a CSV export.
Can a canvasser see my customer list?
Not in TradeYoke. The built-in Canvasser role sees canvassing and their own doorstep quotes, and nothing of your round, customers, jobs or takings.
What does it cost to try?
Thirty days of Essentials free, no card. See the pricing page for the plans after that.
Know what every canvasser brought in
30 days of Essentials free, no card. Set a pay scheme and see the first week's figures.
