You’ve been marketing, and measuring, and bidding, and selling, and hoping and then suddenly – the phone rings!
Your dreams are coming true! They’re calling to tell you the good news – they’ve chosen YOU to clean their building or home.
Happy days, right?
Yes, well, sort of.
You guessed it, the bad news is you’ve just discovered ALL of the new accounts want you to start cleaning on the same day.
And which day is that?
You guessed it, either the first of the month or if not, the first Monday in the month, right?
So, now what?
I don’t have to tell you how hard that can be to handle.
Heck, between the call-offs and extra jobs that need to be done, it’s hard enough just to get through a normal night of cleaning – let alone trying to get one new account started.
And, now we’re talking about MORE than one new account!!
So, what can you do?
Well, you certainly don’t feel like telling them you can’t handle it, do you?
Nope. I agree and completely understand why you don’t like the idea of having to postpone any new client – especially when you’ve worked so hard to get them!
So, here’s a couple ideas.
First, as soon as you can, sit down and think.
As with most things that seem like impossible emergencies - many, if not all of than can be fixed with a little calm, clear, thinking – and planning.
Second, find out which of the new cleaning accounts might be flexible on their start date.
I mean – if you don’t ask, you’ll never know, right?.
Many customers are more open to working with you to get through a scheduling conflict than you think.
If you explain your situation to them, they may not only understand, they may actually feel even better about hiring your company when they realize how busy and ‘in demand’ you are.
And that’s a good thing.
Third, lay out a number of possible ways of getting these cleaning jobs started including the possibility of moving their start date back, or UP!
That’s right, I said UP.
Consider offering to start an account earlier than they asked. It may sound like you’re putting even more pressure on yourself sooner, but getting one new account ‘up and running’ ahead of time – may actually take the pressure off!
Fourth, clear as much ‘other or extra type work’ scheduled for those days from your schedule as you can ahead of time.
That’s right, look at ‘banging out’ any extra tile maintenance or carpet cleaning work scheduled for the time of the start-up NOW instead.
Basically, ‘clear your plate’ as much as possible.
Fifth, consider training specific members of your cleaning team to be ‘start up’ experts.
You know, it takes a certain kind of person to effectively start new accounts.
They need to be calm, organized and capable of handling the unique challenges of starting a new jobs – where things are unfamiliar and ‘surprises’ always seem to come up.
Identifying these individuals, and then training and rewarding them accordingly, can provide you with a big ‘leg up’ in tackling the challenges of starting new accounts.
So, the next time you’re lucky enough to have a handful of new jobs to start all at once, you can be confident you can get through it – by knowing how to plan rather than having to panic!
There’s so much around us – attacking us every day. What am I talking about? Well, negativity, of course. It’s everywhere- and if we’re not careful it can creep into our janitorial businesses or residential maid service. But, here’s the good news – there are ‘things’ you can do now to stop it in its track and keep it from affecting you and your cleaning business.
Watch this fast paced video 4 Practical Ways to BEAT Negativity in YOUR Cleaning Business! you’ll hear four practical and easy to implement ways you can inject some positivity into your cleaning business REPLACING so much of the negativity around us!
Thanks for watching our video – 4 Practical Ways to BEAT Negativity in YOUR Cleaning Business! but don’t stop there -be sure to check out our video: , Why YOU Need To Be The Cleaning Business They KNOW! where you’ll hear how this one idea – of becoming familiar to your prospects, that’s right, just being someone they know – can make a big difference when it comes time for them to choose between you and another cleaning company!
You’ll watch a few, short minutes of video loaded with practical ideas, tips and strategies about what it really takes to flip a cleaning business from painful to profitable. Want to Flip Yours?
Well, never one to play it safe, I’ll go ahead and say it…No!
Ok, hold your horses…let me explain.
If you’re talking about delivering what you promised, then, sure – Yes.
Or, if you’re talking about showing every customer you appreciate them…then – Yes, again.
And, finally, if you’re talking about treating customers fairly… absolutely, Yes, to that one too!
But, if you’re talking about giving every customer:
-the exact same amount of attention
-the exact same number of customer service calls
-the exact same number of times when you’ll ok extra cleaning, at no charge, for them, for whatever reason..
…then, the answer is an emphatic ‘No’!
You see this ‘treat every customer the same’ idea, sounds nice – yep, it’s politically correct, but – here’s the rub….
it only works if all customers are the same…which, of course – they’re not!
Don’t believe me? Let me tell you a story…
Years ago, before we started to closely watched the profitability of each account, we had three customers call in at the same time.
Each one said they needed a bunch of last minute, extra work done, right away – that night, because, as you probably guessed…yep, VIP’s were coming!
Anyway, we were up to our necks in work already, so this rush of last minute requests was definitely going to push us ‘over the edge’.
We ended up taking care of two of the customers that night like they asked for…but had to tell the third client,
‘Sorry, we simply can’t get to you tonight, you’ll have to wait till tomorrow.’
As you might expect, that third customer wasn’t thrilled.
Here’s the thing, a few days later, when we finally got around to looking at the profitability of each of our accounts.
To our surprise….of the two accounts we were able to get to that first night, one was only marginally profitable, and the other one was frankly – a financial ‘money pit’ for us!
That’s right, we were virtually losing money there every month.and with no real chance of increasing their price or reducing our cost to turn it around anytime soon.
But, of course, on the other hand, that third account, you remember the one where we called to let them know they’d ‘have to wait’….
Yep, you guessed it, that’s the one that actually turned out to be a “money machine”, churning out profits for us every month!
Ouch! Ooops!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting ‘snubbing your nose’ at any customer that’s only marginally profitable.
I am saying, however, when laying out the different levels of service for different accounts – with different levels of profitability, then, as my mother would put it…
‘For crying out loud, use your head – that’s why the good Lord gave you one!’
It’s not unethical or poor customer service.
It’s survival.
I seem to remember reading an article where a reporter was interviewing the then-popular and well respected CEO of a large fortune 100 company..
They asked him “The customer is always right, right?”
He said something like, and don’t quote me here, but his answer was basically…
‘No. You simply cannot give every customer, everything, they want, all the time, at whatever price they want…unless you plan on going broke!’
Now, that’s not politically correct either, is it?
No, we want to believe, and more importantly we want to say we can give all of our customers, everything they want, every time, no matter what!
And I agree, that would be nice. But it isn’t reality, is it?
At least not all the time.
No, the truth is, cleaning companies run with a limited amount of resources, the most important one of which is our people.
And, the truth is, the best we can do, and what we should challenge ourselves to do – is allocate those resources as efficiently as we can to to deliver maximum result AND make a profit!
No question – you owe your customers what you promised them.
But you also owe it to yourself, your families and your employees – to keep your financial eyes ‘wide open’ so you can make decisions that make money!
It’s the right thing to do.
Your clients should understand that – many of them run businesses too!
Ever heard the expression, ‘Better the devil you know… than the devil you don’t know.’? Well, you might not think that doesn’t have much of anything to do with running a janitorial business or residential cleaning/maid service, but you’d be wrong.
Watch this fast paced video Why YOU Need To Be The Cleaning Business They KNOW! you’ll hear how this one idea – of becoming familiar to your prospects, that’s right, just being someone they know – can make a big difference when it comes time for them to choose between you and another cleaning company!
Thanks for watching our video – Why YOU Need to Be the Cleaning Business They KNOW! but don’t stop there -be sure to check out our video: , Forget the Olympics – Give Me a Cleaning Business!! where you’ll learn important differences between the Olympics and running a janitorial business or residential maid service and how those differences should make you feel lucky!
You’ll watch a few, short minutes of video loaded with practical ideas, tips and strategies about what it really takes to flip a cleaning business from painful to profitable. Want to Flip Yours?
If the key to keeping and motivating people was as easy as just throwing money at it – then paying the highest hourly wage would be the only strategy you’d ever need.
But it’s not; not by a long shot.
Let me tell you a story..
When I was 16, I worked in a local department store.
Myself, and about a half a dozen other guys, were called ‘number three’s', yeah, no kidding, they actually called us # 3′s, don’t ask me why, I have no idea.
Anyway, our duties as # 3′s, included such ‘glamorous’ jobs as emptying trash, gathering clothes hangers, packing up orders to be sent by mail as well as..
‘jumping on’ and restraining the occasional wild eyed shoplifter – to help the security staff out
Those were the basic duties.
But there were other nastier duties we would find ourselves doing that I won’t go into in detail here about, other than to say….it was 1976, and back then, when there was a ‘problem’ in one of the bathrooms, it wasn’t just a leaky faucet – nope, someone may have had an ‘accident’.
AND they didn’t call the hazmat team in…no.. they called us…the old reliable # 3′s!
On the intercom… ‘# 3, please report to the men’s restroom on the 2nd floor immediately!”…”# 3, please report to the men’s restroom on the 2nd floor – immediately!’
And, again, without getting too graphic, let me just say, that when we got these emergency calls, it wasn’t as simply as filling a paper towel dispensers! Nope, it sure wasn’t….anyway….
So why do I tell you this?
Well, it’s because… strange as it may seem, I actually loved that job, and so did most other # 3′s.
Why?
Really – how in the world could we have all loved that job??
Well, here’s the ‘million dollar’ secret reason….
Because the boss showed a genuine interest in us.
That’s right, while he had more than enough to keep him busy overseeing everything going on in that dept. store, he took the time to get to know each of use personally, to look out for us.
He asked how we were doing, encouraged us, and complimented us when I did something worth complimenting.
Let me share one example.
One day, he pulled me aside to tell me how good of a worker I was,and just wanted to let me know that I would always have a job with them and if I wanted to advance with the company – the door was open!
He saw in me the best of what I was.. and could be.
I loved that job.
I worked hard at that job. I stayed at there and I advanced into management at that job.
And I did it all, to a great degree – because of that one man.
Ultimately, I became an Operations Manager of one of the company’s department stores just like the man who had coached and guided me!
On a side note, that same man, my boss, died not too many years later from brain cancer.
But, I have never forgotten him, and I expect I never will.
I cannot, however, remember what I was being paid per hour at the job. Interesting.
Sure, I’ll grant you I wouldn’t have worked there if I wasn’t being paid, but it tells you something important about what kept me there, motivated me to work hard there and then stay on to move into management.
With what you hear on the news every day, you might be tempted to be cynical and think people are different now – that they won’t respond to coaching and encouragement the way people did years ago.
Don’t believe it. People are still people. They want to feel a part of something where they’re appreciated.
And when they do, you may be surprised to see how willing they are deliver the amount of work and level of service, they know and you know, they’re capable of.
Ever watched the Olympics? You know, sat down, turned on the TV and watched the finals of let’s say figure skating or diving. Well, if you do, you’re bound to hear announcers describe how everything hinges on this last move or final dive. How does that strike you?
Watch the fast paced video Forget the Olympics – Give Me a Cleaning Business!! where you’ll learn important differences between the Olympics and running a janitorial business or residential maid service and how those differences should make you feel lucky!
Thanks for watching our video – Forget the Olympics – Give Me a Cleaning Business!!
but don’t stop there -be sure to check out our video: , Cleaning Business Alert: Don’t Make This Costly MISTAKE with Linked In – EVERYBODY Made with Facebook! You’ll hear how the public got ‘snookered’ by Facebook and how the very SAME thing could happen to you AGAIN with the business social media tool – Linked In – if you’re not careful!
You’ll watch a few, short minutes of video loaded with practical ideas, tips and strategies about what it really takes to flip a cleaning business from painful to profitable. Want to Flip Yours?
I could simply whisper it in your ear and poof like magic you’d be landing great accounts, filling jobs with motivated people – and monitoring it all of it from your laptop computer!
But I can’t – because there isn’t one, all powerful secret.
But hang on for just a second, you don’t be discouraged – if fact, you should be glad!
Let me explain.
You see, if there were, one, all powerful secret to this business, you might be able to build a wildly successful company at first.
But, here’s the rub – you wouldn’t be able to keep it – at least not for long!
Let me tell you a story.
Years ago, Tony and I attended a cleaning industry convention. At lunch, a fellow cleaning business owner asked us how much business we did a year.
We told him.
But it’s what he asked next that I won’t ever forget.
He leaned closer to us with a small index card and pen, at the ready, and asked ‘So, how did you do that’?
I think we replied, “Do what?”
To which he said, “Get that big, how do you do that?”
Don’t get me wrong – we liked this guy.
He was interested, open and ready to learn.
And we tried to tell him a few of the most important things he might want to look at doing when he got back home from the convention..
But, I remember thinking, ‘Boy, it’s easy to take for granted how many things you learned over the years – the hurdles you’ve gotten over – until someone comes right out and asks you an honest but huge question like that!’
There certainly wasn’t one thing, one secret, we could pass along to him. In fact, there wasn’t enough room on both sides of the index card to get him everything he wanted.
But, he had the right idea!
Be open.
Learn from someone who has already done what you want to do.
I hope the things we told him that day helped him reach his goals. But, here’s the thing…
It’s good it takes learning a number of different ideas and skills to grow a successful cleaning company.
As the saying goes, ‘If it were easy – anybody could do it – and everybody would do it!’
Fortunately, all the things you need to have a fast growing and profitable cleaning company are things you can do if you first learn them and then ‘set your mind to implementing them!
But, again, there’s not just – one or two.
If there were, everybody and his brother would be able to do what you’re doing!
So, I say, ‘It’s a very good thing, that there isn’t simply one secret to this business.’
Yep, that way, once you take the time to find, and put together, the necessary ‘parts of the puzzle’, you’ll insulated – that’s right, competitors won’t be able to easily rush in and take it away.
You don’t want to fall behind – it’s natural, nobody wants to feel like they’re missing out on the next BIG thing. And, when the next big thing has to do with social media tools like Facebook and Linked -in – well, all bets are off!
But, hang on, there’s good news, because before you’re done watching this fast paced video, Cleaning Business Alert: Don’t Make This Costly MISTAKE with Linked In – EVERYBODY Made with Facebook! Watch this video to hear how the public got ‘snookered’ by Facebook and how the very SAME thing could happen to you AGAIN with the business social media tool – Linked In – if you’re not careful!
Thanks for watching our video – Cleaning Business Alert: Don’t Make This Costly MISTAKE with Linked In EVERYBODY Made with Facebook! but don’t stop there – Be sure to check out our video: Why YOUR Cleaning Business SHOULDN’T Be Spontaneous! where you’ll learn why consistently delighting your janitorial and residential cleaning clients is way too important to leave up to something as fragile as spontaneity or chance!
You’ll watch a few, short minutes of video loaded with practical ideas, tips and strategies about what it really takes to flip a cleaning business from painful to profitable. Want to Flip Yours?
Has the ‘stuff’ you’ve got to get done today got you spinning so fast -you feel like shutting the whole thing down – just to catch your breath?
Have you ever thought to yourself as you race around trying to bid jobs, clean accounts and hire people…
‘If THIS is what it takes to grow, I’d be better off just staying small, and doing the work myself !”
I don’t blame you for feeling that way.
Really.
If you feel that you’re ‘killing yourself’ to find leads, bid jobs and then get them staffed and cleaned – then I don’t blame you one bit for feeling like it’s not worth it.
But while I don’t blame you, I do want you to know that it doesn’t have to be like that.
It really doesn’t.
There are plenty of things you can do to make it easier on you as you grow. Here’s a few:
1. Pick your fights.
Stay focused on the ‘right things’, like marketing and selling, and avoid, or spend as little time as possible, on ‘fights’ that don’t matter as much or at all.
2. Be prepared for the fight.
If, for example, marketing is one of the fights you pick, then you need to find out what works and what doesn’t work. And that’s takes some homework.
3. Show up for the fight.
If, for example, you’ve decided to create a marketing plan, but then fail to take the steps needed to ‘make it happen’ like having the system and discipline to stick to it as scheduled – well, then you haven’t ‘shown up for the fight’!
4. Ask others to ‘fight’ along with you.
This may be the most important tip of all – delegating.
If you’re not good at delegating, and prefer to do things yourself, you simply gotta get over it – if you want to grow.
Not everybody does – grow, that is, and there’s nothing wrong with staying small if you want.
There are plenty of folks who do a great job and our very happy doing all the work themselves – it gives them a great deal of pride and satisfaction.
BUT, if you want to have a fast growing and profitable cleaning business – then, you simply cannot do everything yourself.
And remember; delegating isn’t ‘dumping’ work you don’t want to do on someone else.
Not by a long shot.
Having others help you, by training them to take on more and more responsibility, not only helps to reduce your work load, it empowers and motivates your people along the way.
You can’t ‘stop the world from spinning!’ It’s supposed to spin.
We hear how everyone ‘hopes for’ and loves a surprise. Well that may be, but if the thing you’re hoping for is as important as the success or even survival of your janitorial business or residential maid service – then hope or spontaneity are too unpredictable to count on.
Before you’re done watching this fast paced video, Why YOUR Cleaning Business SHOULDN’T Be Spontaneous! you’ll realize that consistently delighting your janitorial and residential clients is way too important to leave up to something as fragile as spontaneity or chance!
Thanks for watching our video -Why Delighting Customers in YOUR Cleaning Business SHOULDN’T Be Spontaneous! but don’t stop there – Be sure to check out our video: Why ‘CAMPING’ May Hold the Secret to Success in the Cleaning Business! where you’ll learn what it is about ‘camping’ that can revolutionize your janitorial business or residential maid service from the inside – out!
You’ll watch a few, short minutes of video loaded with practical ideas, tips and strategies about what it really takes to flip a cleaning business from painful to profitable. Want to Flip Yours?
