I hope not.

Instead, I hope the way your office or building looks is a shining example of the very best your company can deliver.

But if it isn’t… it should be.

Really, it’s just ‘not ok’ to deliver quality cleaning to your clients, and then have your office look like a ‘frat house’ on a Sunday morning…. after a Saturday night!

I read somewhere that General Schwarzkopf had said that polished shoes, that’s right, polished shoes,were critical to success in his mind.

The idea being if you start allowing yourself to deliver less than the best, it’s more likely you’ll deliver less than the best at other times… as in times of war or other crisis – when you can least afford to do so!

Fortunately, the opposite is also true.

That’s right, when it came to the appearance of our office we followed the old saying, ‘Look sharp – be sharp!’

And went as so far as to advertise the point!

That’s right, we had a marketing piece with a photo of our office building and a huge headline that challenges the reader with the following question:

“Would YOUR Current Cleaning Company Be Comfortable If YOU Stopping By, Unannounced, To See The Cleanliness Of THEIR Office?”

Yeah, that got their attention!

And went on, of course, to invite them to stop by to see our building anytime!

We made what other companies saw as a ‘pain in the neck’ namely, taking care of their own facility – into a competitive advantage!

You can too!

One final thought, forgetting completely about the amount of positive marketing ‘mileage’ you can generate with this strategy, think about this:

What affect do you think having your office looking ‘sharp as a tack’ has on applicants that come in to your office and employees as they head out of your office for a night of cleaning?

You know the answer.

So, don’t miss out on all the benefits of having a spotlessly clean and well maintained office, especially when you already know a cleaning company that can handle the job!!

That’s right – I said CAMPING may hold the secret to building a successful cleaning business. How can I suggest such a thing?? Lots of folks love camping – and equal number would probably place it high on their least favorite things to do.

Before you’re done watching this fast paced video, Why ‘CAMPING’ May Hold The Secret to Success in the Cleaning Business! you’ll understand what it is about camping that can revolutionize your janitorial business or residential maid service from the inside – out!

Thanks for watching our video – Why ‘CAMPING’ May Hold the Secret to Success in the Cleaning Business! but don’t stop there – Be sure to check out our video: People Can ‘See’ Your Voice! where you’ll learn why your voice reveals so much more than just what you sound like – but, in fact, actually sends important messages to your prospects. You’ll want to take a minute to see what your own voice ‘looks’ like as soon as possible.

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?

No you didn’t mis-read what I said – I mean it.

If you want it done right, you shouldn’t do it yourself!

And I know that that goes against nearly everything you’ve been told your whole life.

But here’s the thing…the whole idea that you, and only you, can be counted on to get it right….is wrong!

Really, think about it.

Sure, you’re good at what you do.

But to be so close minded, or short-sighted, to think that you are the only one that can be counted on to come through when it counts is not only nonsense, it’s downright dangerous – at least, business wise!

That’s right, by dangerous, I mean dangerous to your chances of ever having a fast growing, profitable cleaning company that has people and systems in place so it runs smoothly, even without, maybe particularly without – you there to run everything!

Let me be frank.

If, God forbid, when Tony and I were both running the cleaning business – if we were to be ‘hit by a bus’ and therefore wouldn’t have been around to:
- help make one decision
- clean one account
- inspect one building
- call one customer
- or send out even one invoice….

…Our company should be able to run the same as it would if we were there! (Sure we’d miss being around and hope our family, friends and staff would miss us too!)

But honestly, we are proud to say all those things would happen – without us there to make sure they happen.

Now, obviously, we don’t sit around at work because we don’t have anything to do. (although I did catch Tony doing that one time last week.)

No, we try as much as possible to spend our time working, as they say ‘on our business, not in it’ because we know that’s how we’ll reach our next goal, and our next goal and so on.

And that approach is only possible because we don’t believe ‘If we want it done right… we have to be the only ones to do it!’”

And we don’t believe that because we’ve seen so much evidence that shows the opposite to be true.

-Many of our associates could clean circles around us.

-Our Customer Service Manager has more patience when listening to customer problems than Tony or I.

-Our HR Manager has more experience and tact when handling employee problems than we do.

-Our floor maintenance techs can strip and refinish a floor you guessed it, better than Tony or I.

You get the idea.

That’s ok. In fact, that’s great. We were unbelievably proud and grateful for the quality service our people delivered everyday!

You don’t need to be the best technical person in every part of a cleaning operation to operate a great cleaning company.

You do, however, need to be the best owner-operator of a janitorial cleaning company that you possibly can be.

And that calls for different skills, like goal setting, delegating to and motivating employees, as well as creating systems to monitor and measure results.

When you can count on your people to deliver when you want something ‘done right’… you’ll know you’re doing something right too!

It’s true -when you’re making a sales or customer service call, people get a ‘picture’ or idea of you – what you look like and what kind of person you are. We all do it – it’s human nature. So, if that’s the case, when is the last time you took a minute to think about how you sound when you’re talking to the customers or prospects of your janitorial business or maid service?

Before you’re done watching this fast paced video, People Can ‘See’ Your Voice! you’ll understand not only why your voice ‘tells’ so much more than just what you sound like – but, actually gives hints as to your energy, passion and commitment as well. You’ll want to take a minute to see what your own voice ‘looks’ like – as soon as possible.

Thanks for watching our video – People Can ‘See’ Your Voice, but don’t stop there – Be sure to check out our video: In the Cleaning Business – You Want to Sell ‘Apples to Oranges!!’ where you’ll hear Dan describe how and why you need to create a striking difference between you and the ‘other guys’ when it comes to how you deliver your cleaning services.

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?

That’s right, I’ll say it… You’re Not In The “Cleaning Business”

..at least, that’s not the whole truth by a long shot!

Don’t get me wrong. I was always proud to own and operate a janitorial cleaning company. Always.

But, the idea that you or I are ‘just a cleaner too who happens to be running a cleaning business’ is only a small part a much bigger picture.

And if that’s the idea you have in your head, better get a new idea quick, or you’re going to severely limit how far and how fast you go in this business.

Let me tell you a story….

In the early days, Tony and I spent endless hours trying to learn every technical thing we could about cleaning; everything from the newest finish and stripper to the latest mop wringer and foaming quart bottle tip.

And we spent the bulk of our time cleaning, inspecting and making customer service calls and visits to clients.

And all of those things are great. It was the picture we had of what it meant to be in the cleaning business.

But, it wasn’t until we began to “change the picture” of what business we were really in, that things began to change…and fast!

That’s right, we began to “see” we were really in much more than simply a “cleaning business”.

That’s right, we began to see that we were really……in the people business!

That’s right, finding, training and motivating people.

And, it just so happened that the “thing” we need to hire, train and motivate them to do was – clean.

We began to realize that we were really …in the marketing of cleaning business!

That’s right, realizing we needed a burning, nearly obsessive commitment to growing, was just what the doctor ordered!

These may seem like small things; let me assure you – they’re not!

In fact, how you “see” things, can change what you decide to do– and that of course, changes everything.

When your eyes are staring down on SMALL day-to-day issues…obstacles in your way seem impossible to get over or through..

When your eyes are looking up and out at BIG future goals, obstacles in your way, while still there, seem more like little “hurdles” on your way towards the far off, but BIG, target in your sights!

So what, you may ask?

What difference will changing the way I “see” my business actually make in what I do today, or tomorrow?

Well, everything or nothing – depending on YOU.

But, let’s say, for example, that Cleaning Contractor #1 sees himself as “just another cleaning business” versus

Cleaning Contractor # 2 who sees himself, as “…a building service company committed to predictably reaching sales and profit targets by setting goals, planning strategy, implementing systems, and measuring results in all areas of the business, especially marketing and people development.”

Now, here’s the question:

Do you think if those are the two very different “pictures” in the minds of these two people all day long… they might decide to do very different things during any given day?

Yeah, I think so too.

You hear it all the time – people want an ‘apples to apples’ comparison, at least they THINK they do. But, you sure as heck don’t, at least not when it comes to explaining the differences between you and your competitors.

Before you’re done watching this fast paced video, In the Cleaning Business – You Want to Sell ‘Apples to Oranges!!’ you’ll hear Dan describe how and why you need to create a striking difference between you and the ‘other guys’ when it comes to how you deliver your cleaning services.

Thanks for watching our video – In the Cleaning Business – You Want to Sell ‘Apples to Oranges’!, but don’t stop there – Be sure to check out our video: You Don’t Have To Sugar-Coat Problems in Your Cleaning Business! you’ll learn how to build a janitorial business or residential maid service of people who care about more than just getting a paycheck – and why THAT is so important!

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?

First of all, let’s be clear – there’s a time for ‘shooting the bull’. There is.

I mean, if you don’t take some time each day to touch base with your people, just to ‘visit’, at least for a little while, well you’re really missing the boat and half the fun of owning a cleaning company.

That’s right, if you’re not already, you should start making room for some time for sharing stories, frustrations and laughs at work – even in meetings.

Honestly, some of the best times I can remember, happened in our weekly staff meetings.

One person after another would start telling their own ‘you won’t believe what happened last night’ story about an employee or customer situation; – you know the kind we seem to collect so many of in the cleaning business.

And before you know it, we’re all in tears, crying with laughter.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit a lot of the time, it was nervous laughter, but it was definitely a welcome relief.

Ahh… good times. But, here’s the thing.

We also got a lot of done at those meetings.

Problems were identified.
Solutions were suggested.
Decisions were made.
Plans were prepared.
Responsibilities were assigned.
Progress was checked.

You see, in order to get results from meetings, you need to change what you expect from yourself and your staff at the meeting.

First, of course, you need to be prepared for the meeting. What areas do you want to cover and in what order?

Here are a few to consider:

HR
Sales & Marketing
Operations
Accounting
Customer Service & Quality Control
Safety & Security
Equipment, Chemicals, Vehicles etc.

And as you might’ve guessed, you should have a strategic plan for improving each of them.

Now, here’s the tip:

1. You want to assign someone or some small group to be responsible for making that progress happen.

2. You need to give that individual or group the authority, resources and support needed to be successful.

2. You need a way of measuring progress, or the lack there of.

3. You need to commit to meeting regularly to review how things are progressing (meeting).

Picture your meeting going something like this:

Starting with the person assigned to customer service and asking if all this week’s calls and visits were made.

Then asking the team in charge of safety and security, if they had verified that all accounts had the updated set of MSDS forms and if the new security light had been installed in the parking lot.

And then on to the person in charge of QC, and so on…

Assigning responsibility and creating measures to track are certainly two of the really BIG ways we stopped having meetings that were a waste of time… and they can do the same for YOU.

People don’t work just for money; at least they don’t in cleaning businesses that makes them feel a part of something bigger – like a team! Watch this video to hear Dan share several personal stories that clearly illustrate this important management principle and how you can get started engaging your cleaning associates in a whole new way.

Before you’re done watching this fast paced video, You Don’t Have To Sugar Coat Problems in Your Cleaning Business! you’ll learn how building a janitorial business or residential maid service of people who care about more than just getting a paycheck – and how that allows you to share the truth about your cleaning business’ challenges – knowing they’ll be ready to the challenge with you, that’s right – as a team.

Thanks for watching our video – You Don’t Have To Sugar Coat Problems in Your Janitorial Business! but don’t stop there – Be sure to check out our video: Should YOUR Cleaning Business Use a Butter Knife?, you’ll learn why some tools work better in certain situations than others and some basic rules about how you can decide ‘which to use when’.

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?

As usual, let’s get right to it.

What are these windows of vulnerability, and why do I need to know how to survive them?

Ok, let’s say the cleaning person you have assigned to one of your best accounts for a long time has just left to retire.

Or, let’s say, at another one of your buildings, your customer has assigned the office manager to work with you, because the contact you normally deal with has been eliminated.

Or, let’s say, you’ve promoted the site manager who has been supervising one of your accounts for years to another bigger account.

Or, let’s say, your customer calls to let you know some ‘things’ have been coming up missing around the office. They’re not saying it’s your people.. but they just wanted to let you know.

Or, let’s say, while trying to get your customer ready for some VIP’s coming in for a meeting, your floor crew accidentally knocked an ornamental keepsake off of one of the big bosses’ desks. And, yes, it broke.

Ok, I’ll stop.

These are ‘windows of vulnerability’ I’m talking about.

You can say, in nearly every one of the cases, it’s either no one’s fault, for example when people are
moved, promoted or retired or, at least you could say, no one did it intentionally.

You might like to just think of it that way, and get back to business as usual.

Better think again.

When a ‘window of vulnerability’ appears in your cleaning business, it’s best to treat things as, anything but, business as usual!

You see, it doesn’t matter if it was your fault or not. And, it doesn’t matter if the reason for it happening had anything to do with you at all.

The reason why these things happen doesn’t matter.

The reality is, they did happen, and you’d better realize what your customer may start thinking and feeling.

And what is that?

Well, let’s take a quick look, shall we….

The cleaning lady they’ve known and trusted for years is leaving to retire – that’s CHANGE. And that change, may make them feel nervous about who you’re planning to put at their building to replace that person with.

The new person, of course, will be a “stranger’ to them at first, as any new person is. And it doesn’t matter if it makes any sense or not, the fact is, it’s CHANGE… and it makes them feel uneasy!

And, here’s a hint, you don’t want your customers feeling uneasy, at least not about you and not for long!

Again, it’s not necessarily logical.

It doesn’t matter.

It’s change. And sometimes, many times, any change at all, can send up “red flags” for your customers, along with their radar to watch the cleaning!

Let’s look some more…

When the office manager takes over the job of your former contact, it may have absolutely nothing to do with cleaning. But, the old saying a ‘new broom sweeps clean’ can have some truth to it – as you hear that the ‘new guy’ in charge is looking to ‘shake things up’ and make some CHANGES.

You promote a site supervisor, and you begin to hear your contact say little things like.. “I don’t know, we sure hated to lose Rose, things just don’t look the same around here since you moved her!”

And you may start to hear this after only a couple days of you making the personnel move…as your customer begins to miss the way it was and complain about how it is now.

It isn’t blame that we’re worried about here. It’s mind set.

And you want to keep your customers mind set POSITIVE about you and your cleaning company.

How?

Well, here’s a few tips to survive your ‘windows of vulnerability’:

First, always keep in touch with your customers, but stay in even closer contact when you face a “window of vulnerability”.

Second, listen to your customer. Be sure to listen for what they’re feeling… when these changes happen.

Third, reassure you customer not only that you understand their concerns, but that you have a plan to make sure things work out smoothly for them.

Fourth, continue to stay closely “on top” of the situation and in touch with your customer, until you, and your customer, are convinced things are ‘well in hand’ again.

Sure, you want to have systems in place to avoid as many of the common mistakes cleaning companies can make as possible. That’s a given.

But as much as you prepare and plan, you’ll still at times be faced with these ‘windows of vulnerability’.

If you recognize them when you see them, and act proactively to deal with them, you’ll not only survive these ‘windows’, but may actually have the chance to show a level of personal commitment to your customer they won’t soon forget.

Well, maybe – maybe not. Deciding on what ‘tool’ to use for maximum results is what this video is all about. Watch it now and you’ll hear Dan share a personal story and then give 3 practical examples for janitorial cleaning businesses about on how to decide which ‘tool’ to use and WHY it can make all the difference.

Before you’re done watching this fast paced video, Should YOUR Cleaning Business Use a Butter Knife? you’ll learn why some tools work better in certain situations than others and some basic rules about how you can decide ‘which to use -when’.

Thanks for watching our video – Should YOUR Cleaning Business Use a Butter Knife? But don’t stop there – Be sure to check out our video: Should You DROP a Cleaning Job Because Your Client’s a Royal ‘Pain-in-the-Neck’? , you’ll learn some specific things to look for – to see it you’re better off hanging in there with a ‘difficult’ client or dropping them from your business altogether

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?