Whenever you secure a new cleaning account, it’s an incredible feeling. You begin to realize that your hard work is starting to pay some dividends.
Once you get a taste of success, you feel like nothing can stop you from reaching your goals. You are on a MISSION and NOTHING will get in your way.
That’s how I always felt anyway, and it always made me hungry for more and more cleaning accounts. It was the fuel that drove me to keep going day in and day out as I worked to get my business off the ground.
Customer service is KING
The cleaning business works like this… Once you land a new account, your work is just beginning, as now you need to make that customer happy. After all, there is nothing worse than going through all the trouble to get a new customer only to lose them for some reason a few months later.
That would be a total waste of time and money, not to mention a confidence crusher. Now the act of keeping people happy revolves around two principles, doing a good job, and providing good customer service. Today we’re going to talk about the latter, which is customer service.
How you handle customers goes a long way in determining how successful you will ultimately be. Customer service has many principles that are considered “good practice” to follow. I could go on and on about all of them but I wanted to focus on just five for today.
5 Tips For Providing AWESOME Customer Service
Number 1 – Never forget that the customer is your boss. I know… you are a “big time business owner now”, and you think you are the boss, but that’s not the case! It’s not even remotely true. No… the customer is now your boss. The more customers you have, the MORE BOSSES you have!
Your business is all about serving the customers needs. That is why you exist from a business standpoint! The more thoroughly you understand this the better, because when you serve a customers needs better than the competition, you’ll have a long and prosperous career.
Number 2 – Learn to listen carefully when the customer is speaking. Being able to solve problems means you need to have the ability to listen to what the customer is actually saying. Far too many people chatter on about themselves, when it’s not about you, it’s about them.
Taking it a step further, pay attention to tone of voice and body language if you are face to face to help discern what they are trying to tell you. Give them your undivided attention when they speak and you’ll be rewarded with clues that will allow you to serve them better.
Number 3 – Make customers feel like they are the most important person in the world to you. Frequently use their names in conversation, look them in the eye when talking and listening, compliment them when possible and above all be sincere at all times.
People can spot a phony from a mile away, so don’t try to fool anyone. Act like making them happy is all you care about then follow through with the needed action steps to show it! If you can pull off this step you are a lot closer to winning them over.
Number 4 – Say YES as much as possible. When you own a business you’ll have customers that will be asking you for all types of favors over your career. As long as the request is reasonable, it’s in your best interest to just find a way to get it done. The goodwill that is created far outweighs the extra work you have to perform.
Number 5 – When mistakes happen, apologize with sincerity. The best companies in the world make mistakes from time to time, and so will you. It’s the ability to “own” a mistake and make it right that separates the bottom dwellers from the cream of the crop.
Well I hope I was able to share some helpful tips that will help you create a better customer service experience for your clients. Customers service will do one of two things to your business. It will make your business the talk of the town and propel you to new heights, or it will sink your ship. Be sure to choose the right path!
If you liked this post, you can subscribe to our Cleaning 4 Profit RSS feed. If you are looking for a step by step blueprint that will show you how to start your own cleaning business, then check out my Cleaning Business Training Manuals.
Hello everyone! Happy Sunday!
Great informative article Tom, just like always. Ok so I have a question for you (or anyone else who has experience with this) when working with realtors, how exactly did compensation work? We’re you paid by the realtors themselves once the house sold? Or did the realtors get you in touch with the buyers or sellers so that you could get your payment from them? A cleaning forum I read said that realtors take forever to pay you, which is a bummer being that I really wanted to target them at first while trying to gain experience once I get my business started. Thanks in advance for your help!
Hi! THANKS for the kind words! To your question… It can work either way. Sometimes the Realtor pays you, and sometimes the seller pays you (sometimes even the buyer). In most cases, for me, it was the Realtor (about 75% of the time). I never had issues with getting paid late (I made it clear that payment was due at time of completion, though I would extend terms to net 30 for those that did regular business with me).
Greetings! i know this question is probably off topic, but i need to ask it.
We have been asked to set up as a vender at a local Real Estate Agent meeting. We have tired marketing to Agents before but nothing came from it. So my question is… what do you offer to real estate agents? any packages as gifts to give to new home owners? how much do you charge? how to keep your name in front of their face?
Please help! any info would be greatly appreciated.
I have a meeting with about 50 Realtors this monday. Do you offer any special packages to them? How much would you charge? Any discounts for multiple referrals?
Please help!
Hi Bray! What I would do is bring a few dozen donuts, or bagels or something similar along with some business cards and flyers. You are going to give them food (with your flyers and business cards right next to all that food).
Then you are going to use your charm and politely explain to them that you own a cleaning service here in town and would love to have the chance to serve them when the need arises. Keep it brief, answer any questions if they arise.
Finish by saying “If you need a cleaning service you can trust to do a good job either before, during or after a sale takes place, give me a call and I’ll take care of you”.
On how much to charge…The price can be whatever you want… Anywhere from $20 to $30 would be a starting point. Closer to $20 gives you a better chance of getting hired, closer to $30 gives you better margins. You are the CEO! You have to decide.
Marketing to agents DOES WORK. If you are not getting results you are either using bad marketing materials or you are only trying it ONCE then giving up. Marketing works via REPETITION.
For example… Credit card companies don’t mail ONE SALES LETTER to a potential client then GIVE UP forever. No… they REPEATEDLY mail you offers (up to 7 times studies show), in order to get people to sign up.
You need to visit all offices near you. List them all, then start (we had close to 50 near us), then start visiting them with cheap food and business cards and flyers. The list may take a few month to a year to go through. When finished START OVER FROM THE BEGINNING.
Bottom line… sometimes you contact a person (ie: real estate office in this example) and they hire you on the spot. But the VAST majority of times PERSISTENCE is what gets you hired. You need to GENTLY REMIND people who you are and why they need to hire your company.
These are all excellent tips. Your customers are the most important aspect of your business – without them, you have no business. I’m so happy to have stumbled across your blog.
THANKS Sally!