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Volume 11
January 22, 2008
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Greetings!
Welcome to 2009. I hope your year has started off with a bang! In last month's newsletter, we shared some suggestions for how to recession-proof your housecleaning business. One of those tips was to get back to basics -- to ensure that your teams clean every house correctly, every time. Setting and meeting exacting standards is an important way to stand out from the crowd. But do you know what else sets you apart from your competition? Being exactly the cleaner that your client wants. Now that's some trick, since every client has different wants -- and needs. But there are certain commonalities, and those commonalities are what this edition of the Clean Team Pro is all about. Learn more from our feature article, which outlines the five most important things that your housecleaning clients want from you. Also be sure to check out our Letters from Our Readers section. There is a real tone of optimism in this month's letter -- I know you will all enjoy it! All my best wishes for a productive and fruitful 2009! Jeff | |
What Clients Want From Their House Cleaner
 In today's economy, it seems that most everyone we know is reevaluating their home budget. As families cut back on their spending to cope with a job loss or to be prepared in the event of one, every line item comes under scrutiny. And that scrutiny definitely extends to "outsourced" services like housecleaning.
Yet many housecleaning businesses are continuing to thrive today, despite the declining economy. What is their secret? How do these businesses not only survive, but thrive? By tapping into what their clients want.
The next time you pay a visit to a potential client's home, take a minute to first review our list of the five things all clients want from their housecleaner. Part human psychology, part marketing 101, this list provides an important insight into the priorities and perspective of every client -- current and future.
1. Worthwhile
This might sound a bit blunt or even crass, but clients want to know your services are worth their money. If you bristle at that turn of phrase, remember this: We are all trying to make the best decisions we can about how to spend our resources.
The reason people turn to a professional house cleaner is because keeping up with the cleaning has become overwhelming. They want more time to spend with their kids, more time to concentrate on work or personal priorities, more time to enjoy their lives.
In order to land their job, you have to show them that your company will indeed give them what they want -- more time. They might need reassurance that the opportunity cost of outsourcing their cleaning will in fact reap the benefits they imagine.
Every company has its own way of addressing this issue: Maybe you offer a one-time free trial or maybe you provide a money-back guarantee. However you approach the worthwhile-factor, remember that there is also a more tangible component to "being worthwhile" -- your pricing. Think carefully about your fees and check your competitiveness with other cleaners in the area. Clients aren't necessarily looking for the cheapest cleaner, but they do want to get the best value.
2. Reliable
By hiring a cleaning company, clients are taking a leap of faith. They are welcoming virtual strangers into their home, often at a time when they won't even be there. They give you their house keys and tell you the secret password for their alarm systems. Reliability is therefore of the utmost importance.
You can prove your reliability by consistently doing what you have committed to do. Show up on time. If you know there is going to be a change in schedule or if one of your regular team members is out sick, let your client know as soon as possible. Honor your agreements. If you told your client that you would clean her windows weekly, don't skip a week just because they look clean enough. If your client has asked you to perform special tasks, follow up the next day to make sure that they were performed to satisfaction.
3. Trustworthy
Trust builds slowly. While it is building, there are a few things you can do to help market yourself and your company as "trustworthy". First, remember that word of mouth is your greatest ally. It is fine to ask your current clients to refer you to their friends and neighbors. It's also fine to offer them a free cleaning if their referral turns into a regular client. When it's a referral, you aren't walking into a new client's home cold. You are already a "known" quantity.
Equally important to consider is bonding and insurance. Depending on the size of your company and the type of tasks you perform, this may not apply to your company. However, bonding and insurance documentation can help ease client concerns about liability and safety.
Another component of your trustworthiness is the legality (and morality) of your business practices. If you are self-employed, your clients may need to withhold federal, state, social security and medicare taxes. If you an employer, you must have all employees fill out an I-9 form to validate their legal status. Potential clients may well ask about your hiring practices, so be prepared with direct and honest answers.
4. Accountable
Whether you are a one-man (or one-woman) operation or you run a company with thirty cleaners, your clients want to know that someone is accountable to them. They want to know your name and have your phone number on their speed dial so that if they have concerns, they know where to turn.
With a small operation, accountability may be less of a concern, because you likely do a lot of the cleaning yourself -- and you get a fair amount of "face-time" with your clients. As your company grows, however, it is important to maintain this same type of personal approach to every relationship. Go to your client's home for the first walk-through. Stay in touch through notes, holiday cards and an email newsletter (like this one!).
5. Solid Reputation
Your reputation is built on your ability to provide your clients a worthwhile service (#1) while being trustworthy (#2), reliable (#3) and accountable (#4). One way people learn about your good reputation is by word of mouth, so be prepared to share a list of references with new clients.
Also expect your clients to check you out with the local Chamber of Commerce or Better Business Bureau. Check in with these agencies to find out what they are saying about you. And finally, don't forget about the power of the Internet. Your company should seriously consider having a website. But beyond that, know that people talk online. Google can be your best friend -- or your worst enemy. It is even more potent than word of mouth, so make sure that you aren't giving anyone an excuse to trash your reputation online!
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 Letters From Our Readers
A Note of Optimism
We love getting letters from our readers at the Clean Team. It lets us know what we're doing well -- and where you'd like us to improve. If you have thoughts or impressions to share with us, please write to me at jeff@thecleanteam.com. After last month's newsletter about recession-proofing your business, we got this uplifting letter from one of our readers.
Hello Jeff,
I have lost only one client due to a layoff and released a couple of clients that were, shall we say, difficult to work with. I live in Southern Oregon, and we have a lot of retired people here. My niche has been older retired couples and individuals who have a hard time keeping up the cleaning of their homes. I try to include laundry services and bed changing since they are older and can not do a lot of bending and pulling. Even though my clients are on a some what fixed income they seem to budget money to keep me going...in this time of down sizing I seem to be turning people away.
-- Kim Learn, Kim's Custom House Cleaning
Looks like Kim is doing a great job of anticipating the needs of her clients, which ensures that she will always be worthwhile to them! Keep up the good work, Kim!
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Thanks for reading us this month! Come visit us on the web at www.thecleanteampro.com.
Sincerely,
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Jeff Campbell
The Clean Team Catalog |
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