Winter Window Cleaning

Elite Window Cleaning
November 15, 2021
3 Comments

Warmer Weather means More Winter Window Cleaning

The landscape of winter window cleaning is changing dramatically. It is going to be a balmy 12 degrees Celsius today in Kingston, Ontario. This is beautiful weather for window cleaning, and it looks like it’s going to last another week or two at least. This has been the trend for the last couple of years. Because of warmer weather, our season extends later and we make more money at the tail end of the season.

Right now, we’re looking at our most successful November ever, on path to make more than $135,000 in Kingston alone. Each of our Franchisees have also grown their revenue year-over-year with winter window cleaning. All of them will have their largest winter ever this year. Now, where is this revenue coming from. Three main sources: Post-Construction, Property Management and Gutter Cleaning.

Post-Construction Winter Window Cleaning

No other industry is happier about the warm weather than construction. It means they can continue to work on all of the projects that have inevitably fallen behind schedule. This means, when construction companies call in the winter months, they really need your help. If you can help them when they’re in a pinch, you become the “go-to” solution on the market. In Kingston, Elite dominates the post-construction window cleaning market. Even if other companies are bidding on the job, Elite is likely the subcontractor for the work itself. By working with multiple companies, Elite has been able to secure the large majority of new buildings in the city.

Property Management Firms

Property Management companies are doing their “Fall rounds”. In a city like Kingston, with such a centralized student area, there are a handful of property management companies that manage upwards of 80-90% of the homes in that area. Each of these companies gets a large influx of students around September, and typically sees them leave in April. Once the students have moved into the units, and right before the end of the fiscal year, these companies conduct inspections on the property. They get an idea on all of the maintenance required for the coming year, so that they can build their budgets accordingly. These companies are likely to drop 100+ properties on your lap for quotes, so you better be ready for a quick turnaround. And you better be ready to do the work if they turn around and approve it on the spot.

We’ve had this happen twice this season already. And those were firms we had never worked with before. They actually picked us because a they saw that a different property management company uses our services. Social proof works, which is why we highlight “big brand” companies that we work with on our commercial services page.

Gutter Cleaning (Residential and Commercial)

This is the most seasonal part of the end of our year because it is entirely dependent on when the leaves drop. The challenge is that there is limited time between when the leaves drop and when the gutters will freeze (from cold temperatures). This means that you have to be able to complete the work quickly. It can lead other companies to unsafe methods. Instead, at Elite, we use a gutter vacuum system and a GoPro camera. This means our technicians are able to stay safely on the ground while cleaning out gutters on residential and commercial properties.

Combine this with a flat-rate $240 pricing and it becomes an easy decision for clients. The best part, if the gutters are already clean, and it takes no time to complete the work, we can reduce the price for the client. We set ourselves up to be in a position to give a discount while we solve a problem of theirs. That’s a win-win.

By focusing on providing these services with a short turnaround time, Elite has grown winter window cleaning operations in Kingston and each of the franchise locations. The best winter ever, closing out the best year ever – fitting.