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Do you feel that you need a BREAK about NOW?

Running a cleaning service business these days can be quite a challenge. 

In the best of times the janitorial work involves many problems with personnel and customers (and customers' personnel!) on top of everything ELSE any business owner has to contend with in running their company.

In these hard economical times, good cleaning customers are few and far between.  

Everyone is economizing, cutting down, trying to get things even cheaper... and especially in cleaning work, this leads to where you have two choices - either you clean parts of their site for FREE or you clean too few times and too few hours to have a chance of keeping their space at an acceptable level of cleanliness.

It's not hard to see that this produces an automatic dead end for the customer relationship.  Contracts end quicker, the time we have with a customer is less positive with all the complaints and explanations going to and fro, and the end result can be an awful tiredness for you on top of the financial and emotional anxiety that this produces.

Now, you might find this hard to believe, but it is NOT necessary to go down that route.

But NOT every customer is the same.

I well understand if you feel a bit gloomy about it. But the truth is that our MIND tends to start generalizing when negative things keep happening. It is easier that way to live with all those bad news. We WANT to think that ALL customers are like that... although we know from our own experience that's not so.

 You, too, HAVE good customers.

So what's the difference? What makes one customer good to work with, and another a nightmare? Money? Profits? Manners? Or could it be that...

 

Copyright (c) 2012 HDK Consultants. All rights reserved.

APPRECIATION of your cleaning is the key to a good client relationship?

It is a well known fact that we all have a need for appreciation. You know that your cleaning crews need it, you can see other people around you wanting it.  

All of us enjoy having our work appreciated. 

After all, we work to HELP someone, not just to make money. If money was all we wanted, then we'd rob banks or do something UNhelpful to make it. 

The reason we don't is because we want to HELP our customers. Sure, money is involved and it is ONE of those elements of exchange with a client. But appreciation is another. Would you want to work for a customer who is clearly UNappreciative towards your services?

I think not. So truly, the KEY to finding good customers is to find those who naturally appreciate our services. OR those who can be made to SEE the value in what we do.

So how do you do that then? How do you "house train" a cleaning customer, a facilities manager, to SEE cleanliness?

Well, the answer to that we have put in a system that is now available for readers of my blog for a short while.

Have a look at the presentation of the Contract Cleaning Client-Acquisition System and if you have any questions, contact me.

This offer is really for my LinkedIn connections but I am showing it here for my blog readers as well. So have a look now, as this offer won't last long!     

 

P.S. Our domain name has changed, so just in case you happen to try to log onto any page on our blog that does not open, go to http://www.cleaningcustomers.com/ and see the link directory from there!

BETTER CONTRACT CLEANING CUSTOMERS?

Some cleaning customers just cannot be pleased...

Tired of unappreciative contract cleaning customers?

Truth to tell, cleaning is one of this things which for some reason creates strong emotions in most people. 

Maybe it is because we hated to clean our rooms or help with tidying up as children and teenagers, or possibly it could be because as adults and living with a spouse, we often find ourselves arguing about the cleaning - who should do it, who should appreciate it more and whatnot.

Suffice to say that it is easy to see how hard it can be to please some customers. However well you clean, no matter how thorough you are and how polite while cleaning, inevitably there will be complaints. 

The old 20/80 rule tends to apply here as well: 80% of cleaning complaints come from 20% of the customers... and it usually is the SAME ones time again.

It comes as no surprise that these customers are often then ones that also make you work hardest for your money, driving a hard bargain and making your profits small... well, if indeed you MAKE any profit from them. 

Hopefully you do, but more often than not, if you really examine ALL costs and how much trouble they cause...

Choose your contract cleaning customers and make them SEE what they receive

It does not actually take that much to be able to CHOOSE your contract cleaning customers and find out whether or not they naturally appreciate your services. See, it's not really YOUR service that creates dissatisfaction but their dedication to FIND something to complain about that brings it about.

Sure, your cleaners make mistakes, but the truth is that those mistakes are usually quite hard to find. In fact, where they ARE consistently found (and even invented), someone in the customer company is working hard to find them.

The good news is that it is relatively SIMPLE to find already BEFORE YOU SIGN ON THE CLIENT and simply leave out those facility managers who are negative in their outlook towards cleaning companies. They will keep changing cleaners constantly anyhow, so you're not going to lose anything if you don't take them on - rather you will NOT lose as you save yourself from investing in a new site just to see them change soon again.

And IF the problem is in the their personnel - which is always a safe bet as SOMEONE there on the floor level of a company is BOUND to have issues about cleaners - then all you need is a tested and proven set of CUSTOMER SATISFACTION TOOLS to ensure these difficult staff members are duly tamed and house trained, if you excuse the expression.

To get more info on this, why not read the article "How to increase the satisfaction of customers toward contract cleaning services" from our website... it might give you exactly the tools to get rid of LOTS of problems and get more profits in!

Feel free to contact me if you have questions! 

P.S. Our domain name has changed, so just in case you happen to try to log onto any page on our blog that does not open, go to http://www.cleaningcustomers.com/ and see the link directory from there!

   

Trying to prove you're just as good as the big cleaning companies?

Why would a customer CHANGE cleaning companies?

Remember when you were a kid... and a teenager... how you so yearned to be OLDER? 

The funny thing about growing up is that we all want to be just like the grownups. We want to be seen to have all the grown-up qualities of adults, we want to be viewed as mature and wise.

Amazingly, so it is with our business as well. When we start a cleaning company, it is usually just you either alone or with a partner... small, hopeful, eyeing up towards those well-established cleaning companies, trying to simulate their appearence, actions, tools, policies, websites...

...all very, VERY normal for anyone starting up a business within his/her chosen industry.

But look-a-here... did you ever stop to consider this:

What if the big boys have got it BADLY WRONG???

What if they DON'T know it all, what if their solutions AREN'T workable, what if they just PRETEND to have the key to success???

I mean, look... in an industry where everyone aims to be the SAME, what option do customers have but to...

Right. Now you begin to understand why in confidential surveys the most widely held fixed idea among facility managers is "once you've seen one cleaning company, you've seen them all..." and the second "they all clean well for a while, but THEN..."

Thus, if it would be that the big boys' work is producing more dissatisfaction than anything, they it would stand to reason NOT to try to be like they are.

Anyhow, to compete with them you undercut your own profitability more often than not.

And if you try to be like they are... why would the customer go into all the trouble and cost of CHANGING their cleaning company, just so they could get another one exactly like the previous cleaners that they didn't want???

Indeed. The answer is that if you want to attract the BETTER kind of new customers - ones who appreciate your work and are willing to pay for it too - then you must be DIFFERENT from everyone else.

And that's what most of us are trying. But "different" does not mean using superlatives about yourself, telling how good you are (remember, they "know" that "all cleaning companies are the same...."), but something altogether different.

If you're interested to find out what, then simply read our article "Finding ways to increase the price and profits of contract cleaning services" and you'll be on your way...

Feel free to contact me if you have questions.

Finding ways to increase the price and profits of contract cleaning services 

 

P.S. Our domain name has changed, so just in case you happen to try to log onto any page on our blog that does not open, go to http://www.cleaningcustomers.com/ and see the link directory from there!

The mirror effect on bidding on accounts:

How to increase the chances of winning with your quote irrespective of its price?

When bidding on a contract cleaning job, most of us concentrate solely on the PHYSICAL requirements of the facility being quoted on for cleaning.

But what about the EMOTIONAL requirements of the client / the facility manager choosing a new cleaning company?

Do you really think it is all a matter of FACTS and SPECS for him/her? That the old cleaners somehow just stopped cleaning or died and therefore he/she needs a new service provider?

Right.

Emotional issues triggering extreme opinions

The fact of the matter is that cleaning quality is extremely difficult to define without significant professional experience within the trade. And when we speak of cleaning customers, let me assure you that there is very little PROFESSIONAL experience there.

Instead, they go by their emotions and that (usually negative) experience from cleaning within their own house. 

So complaints originate from the lowest echelons of the customer's company, and the facility manager simply wants... what?

He wants those problems to END. 

He wants to choose the LAST EVER cleaning service provider he'll ever have to choose.

And when you are in contact with him - both on the phone and in person on site - you must address those emotional issues he has, ensuring him you will indeed solve that problem and take care of the cleaning so his work is diminished.

In a way, you then must MIRROR his worries with certain assurances of your own, but it is vital to know how exactly you can find out and present these so that he will believe you.

So why not read our article "How to increase quote acceptance ratio tenfold with a new presentation technique" in order to find out how you could achieve that?

It can be done.

Feel free to contact me through the website if you have any questions.

P.S. Our domain name has changed, so just in case you happen to try to log onto any page on our blog that does not open, go to http://www.cleaningcustomers.com/ and see the link directory from there!

 

Handling Cleaning Complaints

How to handle cleaning complaints?

Cleaning is one of those areas of life where there are many negative thoughts for most of us. Hardly anyone alive can avoid being negatively affected by something connected with cleaning, be it that we are told to clean the mess we've made (from childhood) or that we are the one who has to clean after someone else. 

As a janitorial entrepreneur - a cleaning company - you will invitably hit this particular thing:

"To find fault with someone ELSE'S cleaning is a natural consequence of having had much negativity connected with cleaning in one's own life."

Thus, you can expect that those customers who complain the most and whose manner of complaining is the harshest and most difficult for you put up with, are the one's who have been made MOST wrong in their OWN life about cleaning, in one or more ways.

It's human nature.

Obviously, it is not easy to get this person to look at what he or she complains of with any moderation. When you're at that point, all you can really do is to apologize and tell them you will correct it.

But here's the important point:  You can PREVENT such outbursts almost completely by PLANNING AHEAD by installing a CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM.

This is the way to make customers - both the facilities manager AND the personnel of your client on the site - UNDERSTAND all that you do for them so they actually SEE all those well-cleaned acres instead of concentrating on finding fault with your cleaning.

It is the only true antidote to rude customers, because it handles the actual CAUSE of their upset before they get to BE upset at all at you!

If you want to handle this so you never have to come to grips with a customer who is impossible to handle, why not read this article on increasing cleaning customers' satisfaction toward your cleaning service and see if it is something for your cleaning company?

Finding cleaning customers through the Internet

How to make the Internet work for you in finding cleaning customers continuously?

 

Internet has definitelyl changed the world of marketing, especially so with social networking. Facebook, Twitter and professional networks like LinkedIn offer much more opportunities for anyone to market their cleaning services.

Despite being a global medium, the Internet actually works very well for localized marketing, especially so with cleaning services.

However, the opportunity to REACH potential customers does not necessarily mean you benefit from such communication...

What you say decides what effect it causes

 It is by far more important what you say than THAT you say. So-called "ineffective marketing" is not without effects, actually. It just does not produce the effects we WANT and EXPECT.

But in fact, you will ALWAYS CREATE AN EFFECT with your communication. It can be a good effect, or it can be a negative one. In the worst case, one might not create interest and desire for one's services, but have many a reader form a negative consideration instead.

Hard work in marketing does not guarantee good results, unfortunately.

SMART work will.

CLICK HERE to learn how to find new contract cleaning customers free of charge through the Internet. 

Contract Cleaning Customer Satisfaction Secrets

How to get some SANITY into those complaining cleaning customers?

We often hear speak of "customer's satisfaction" as if a cleaning customer would be ONE person. But in contract cleaning, this most definitely is not the case. 

Although we deal mainly with the facilities manager of the customer company (be that a person holding such a post or the PA of the boss), the fact remains that he or she is seldom the one dissatisfied when complaints are made.

By research we know, that MOST cleaning complaints originate from the people who are at the lowest rank or position in the company. And there, it is often something quite trivial that triggers a complaint, which then can become a huge issue even if the offence is a paperclip under the table.

Truth to tell, the biggest CAUSE of complaints - the one thing that causes those people on the factory floor to issue a complaint - involve personality clashes. As you know, cleaning is an emotional subject to most people and some also expect your cleaners to be public relations persons who have all the time in the world to give their undivided attention to every Mrs Smith, Jones and Brown at the location.

Customer loyalty stems from customer satisfaction. The facilities manager does NOT enjoy changing cleaning companies. It's a huge undertaking to get new quotes and choose a new cleaning company... why would he/she want to undertake that if there was any way to retain the existing one?

The key to loyalty lies not in gifts or such but in creating customer satisfaction.

And the key to that lies in having the tools to make your customers APPRECIATE your cleaning - to TEACH them what to look for to check that the cleaning has been conducted to their wishes.

I would recommend you read this article about customer appreciation of cleaning services and how you can increase that appreciation and handle those complaints BEFORE they come to existence... and retain your cleaning sites for FAR LONGER than the industry average.

Also, feel free to comment about your experiences with customer complaints and what is the most ridiculous complaint you've ever received?

The biggest challenge in contract cleaning?

Participate and you could win Part 1 of Cleaning Service Client-Acquisition System for free!

The janitorial business has its problems, like any other line of business. 

But do you feel that contract cleaning has received MORE than its fair share of problems and challenges?

What do YOU think is the biggest challenge facing the owner of a cleaning company these days? The one that keeps pulling you into it time again, the one that is almost like athlete's foot... a rash that just will not scratch and disappear?

Is it to do with customer complaints? 

With personnel? 

With finances?

And please, don't say "all of the above," as we are trying to survey the WORST. Only one can be the WORST... ;o)

Please contact me through our website www.cleaningcustomers.com and explain what do you feel is the biggest problem for cleaning / janitorial businesses in your area.

OR WHY NOT GIVE US A CHALLENGE AND TELL US EXACTLY WHAT PROBLEM YOU WANT TO SOLVE IN YOUR CLEANING COMPANY?

Alternatively, you can GIVE A CHALLENGE to us and we will get back to you with some suggestion on how to handle it.

Both these are of course only for cleaning company professionals who are engaged in daily running of a janitorial / cleaning company.

Thank you for your participation! 

Feel free to read free articles on marketing cleaning services from our website!

The modern method of presenting cleaning services

How to present your cleaning services in a new and very positive light to prospective customers?

 

 
Hand to heart: Do you really feel good about having to tell others how great you are? Do you feel it is the best way of impressing a potential cleaning customer?

Right. I mean, how do YOU like it when someone goes on and on about their excellence and chews your ear off with self-praise?

But if you do NOT tell them about your positive sides, how will they know?

Well... that is the big question, isn't it? The ideal setting here is that the prospective cleaning customer realises on HIS/HER OWN that YOU are the exceptional cleaning company and YOU are the one he/she MUST have. That way, the cost of your quote is not the decising factor on who lands the contract...

Have a read throught his article: The modern method of presenting cleaning services

It may open new possibilities for you and your janitorial business.

Win with higher-priced quotes by knowing beforehand what facility managers think and want

How you can win with a more expensive cleaning quote simply by appearing to know EXACTLY what the prospective customer wants and needs

"Yeah," you think, "I know exactly what facility managers are thinking about cleaning and cleaning companies - I'm a professional and have YEARS of experience!"

I have no doubt you feel absolutely CERTAIN you know EXACTLY what they think. But the funny thing about certainty is that an awful lot of people have been very sure about being right in the past... and lived to suffer the consequences.

Certainty is actually just a FEELING, an emotion which we create ourselves. Being certain about something does not make it so. It just makes us FEEL BETTER in this world of uncertainty.

I definitely don't want to rob you of your certainties in life. 

But I would like to help you to realize a few additional things about this issue. Because the truth of the matter is, that when you DO know EXACTLY what facility managers are thinking, the solution to all your customer-related problems will immediately become evident.

Disbelieve it at your own risk.

So why not read this article to see what's what - Knowing beforehand what facility managers think and want

Hey, what have you got to lose - a few minutes at most?

Increasing cleaning prices despite competition???

Want to increase cleaning prices DESPITE the huge price war in the janitorial industry?

Now, here's a crazy idea: Why not INCREASE your cleaning prices despite the competition offering forever cheaper quotes to the businesses in your area?

I know, it sounds impossible. But so did many other inventions before they became widely accepted, at which point the biggest benefits out of those systems were already reaped by those who dared to try when they SOUNDED silly.

So, why not give it some thought. Read the article Finding ways to increase the price and profits of contract cleaning services and you might just get an idea that will bring more profit than any other before!

Welcome to the Janitorial Service Marketing blog!

Welcome to the Janitorial Service Marketing blog!

The purpose of this blog is to bring tips and ideas to the commercial cleaning industry, especially for janitorial & contract cleaning professionals. Feel free to visit us on Facebook Contract Cleaning Service Marketing Tips (like the page, please... and if you have a FB page yourself, I'll be happy to return the favour) and also our website  

www.cleaningcustomers.com

Additionally, if you are on Linkedin, we cordially invite you to join our free LinkedIn marketing group for cleaning & janitorial companies at

Finding Better Cleaning Customers  

If the link above does not work, simply copy this to your browser:

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Finding-Better-Cleaning-Customers-4710361

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