This past week we went back to our roots in the cleaning
business -- Boise, Idaho. We spent 15 years in Boise starting, growing,
and eventually selling the business.
We left in 2002 and have been back just once for a short
visit, so it was a very nostalgic week for us. As we reminisced about
the old days we talked about the people that gave us a leg up in our
business. Two people in particular gave us opportunities that made a
huge difference in the growth of our business.
We decided it was time to thank these two people after all
these years. We knew they were both still running their businesses in
Boise, and as luck would have it, they were both available to see us
when we stopped by.
After catching up on what everyone has
been doing for the past several years, we told each of them that we'd
always wanted to thank them for the time they took to help us grow our
business. Had it not been for their mentoring, we might not be where we are today.
Both
of them brushed it off as nothing special, but we could see in their
eyes the pleasure it gave them to know they made a difference and that
we sincerely appreciated it -- even after all these years.
If you
have any mentors from your past, I encourage you to contact them to
thank them for what they did for you. Not only will you feel good about
doing it, you will give them validation that the time they spent with
you was worth while and really made a difference. In the end, we all
just want to make a difference in other people's lives.
How many times has someone in business made a promise to you that they didn't keep? For example,
"Stop in on Thursday to pick up your business card order" -- but the cards weren't ready.
"The technician will arrive between 8am and noon" -- but they didn't show up until 1pm.
"I'll call you at 10am tomorrow to update you on the status of your order" -- but they never called.
It's so frustrating, isn't it? And unfortunately it happens way too often. The sad thing is, many of these same companies boast about their great customer service all over their website and marketing materials. But in the customer's eye, customer service means doing what you say you will do and following up when you say you will. In fact, these days, that is the MINIMUM expectation when it comes to customer service. People expect you to go above and beyond just doing what you say you will -- it's called under-promising and over-delivering.
So what I want you do to is to take a moment and think about all the things you and your staff promise to do for your clients. For example, when a customer calls, asking someone to come over to clean up a coffee spill, does your receptionist say she'll send someone over within the hour, but they don't show up for 3 hours? Where was the communication break down?
In order to rectify a problem like this, you need to have better training and follow up systems. Perhaps a customer log placed by the phone that lists the reason for the call, what needs to happen, by when and by whom. Then train everyone that answers the phone that it is their responsiblity to make sure any promises they made are commnicated to the person responsible, and that follow up occurs to make sure the promise was kept.
It's so easy for your staff to make promises to customers. But if they don't do the important next step of following up to make sure their promise was kept in a timely manner, then they're potentially causing customer frustration that can result in your customers seeking out another cleaning service. And the sad thing is, you may never know that the reason they left could have been avoided had your employees simply kept their promise instead of filling them full of hot air.
The prospect went with someone else for their cleaning service. Darn it! I know they liked me, and it really felt like it was going my way. But they gave it to someone else!
Instead of licking your wounds, I challenge you to ask yourself a few questions to figure out why you lost your last sale. Let's start with the easy ones.
1. Were you on time or were you late? The RIGHT answer is that you were at least 5 minutes early.
2. Were you organized? If you carry collateral material about your company, a measuring device, notebook, pen, tablet, etc. is it all organized so that you don't fumble around looking for things?
3. Were you prepared? Did you do your research so you weren't asking the prospect to tell you about their company? Remember, it's your job to know! If you called on a residential prospect, were you familiar with the neighborhood and the type of clientele that live there?
Now ask yourself the tough questions. And be honest with yourself! If you don't pass muster with these questions, it's time to do something about it or you'll continue losing out to your competition.
4. Were you able to overcome all the objections confidently? If not, you have work to do. You should be prepared ahead of time for the objections you'll hear so that you have a confident response that will satisfy the prospect.
5. Did you feel as if you were on the defensive through most of the visit? If you find yourself always defending your price, the quality of your service, or other tough questions posed by the prospect, then it's time to work on your confidence level. If you aren't confident that your price is worth every penny, the prospect will see that as an opportunity to negotiate. And if you're not confident about quality control, employee longevity, or a host of other subjects, you'll probably find yourself on the defensive throughout the visit. This will NOT get you the client!
6. Did you appear desperate to make the sale? Too many people, especially those new to the business, are often anxious to make the sale. And the client will read that as desperation. They won't give their business to someone that is desperate for it.
7. Did the prospect ask "doubting questions"? Doubting questions are questions that prospects ask to make sure you have the ability to do the job. For example, they may ask things like: - How much experience do you have? - How long have you been in business? - How many clients do you have? - How do I know you'll show up when you say you will? - What if you get hit by a bus tomorrow? - How do I know you'll send me the same employee to clean every time?
Even though you thought the sale would go your way because you got along with the prospect and they seemed interested, it's not enough. They need to not only LIKE you, they need to trust you and believe in you. And when you're confident in your ability to handle the job at a price that makes sense, then you've got a much better chance to close the sale.
Hiring good employees for your cleaning business is a learning process for most people. The first time you think about hiring an employee you're getting pretty busy and need help ASAP. And here is where most people make their first mistake - hiring out of desperation.
Being desperate for employees is common in our industry so I encourage you to pay attention to the red flags many prospects raise when going through the interviewing process. Too many employers ignore the red flags simply because they need help right away, and that's never a good thing to do.
Here are several red flags that have served me well over the many years of hiring employees.
The employee is late for the interview. This is never a good sign, so if they can't make it to the interview on time, chances are they won't make it to work on time. Worse yet, if they don't take personal responsiblity for being late, they'll probably always put the blame on circumstances or someone else.
They haven't done their research on your company. These days there is no excuse for not researching a company before interviewing with them. Just about every business has a website or some other type of presence on the Internet.
They have not dressed appropriately and/or they are not well-groomed. Your employees will be working in your clients' businesses or homes and they will be representing your company. You cannot afford to hire people that are not groomed and dressed appropriately.
Negative Body Language. Following are red flags to watch for when it comes to body language: applicant does not smile when greeting you, no eye contact, weak hand shake, slouches, crosses arms over chest, overall lack of energy.
Gaps in employment. If there are large gaps of unaccounted for time between jobs, they may not be a reliable, long-term prospect.
Employed for only short periods of time. If a person hasn't held a job for more than a few months at a time, what makes you think they'll work for you any longer than a few months?
Lists only friends and relatives as references. And if you ask about previous supervisors, they have excuses as to why they're not available.
Incomplete application, spelling and grammar mistakes. When a person does not care enough about the details of the application to make sure it is complete, neat, and legible, chances are they won't have the attention to detail you're looking for on the job either.
Can't back up statements they've made on a resume or application. It's a fact - most people either lie or at least embellish their accomplishments to make themselves look good in the eyes of a prospective employer. For example, if a person claims she supervised 5 employees and then can't think of an example of how she handled a situation when someone's performance was unacceptable, then she's probably not being truthful.
Speaks negatively of past employers. If all you hear coming out of their mouth is dissatisfaction with past employers, you've probably got a "Debbie Downer" on your hands. It's best to move on to someone that has had positive work experiences and can share what they've learned from previous jobs.
Plays the blame-game. If every question you ask regarding weaknesses or how they handled certain situations always results in an answer where they blame someone else, then they will probably never take responsiblity for their own short-comings.
Overly concerned with pay and hours. If the prospect has no questions about anything but wages and hours, then they're most likely only interested in the pay check. Employees that are truly interested in working for your company will ask more questions like; what is the training like, who will I be working with, what is it like to work for your company, etc.
One of these red flags in and of itself may not be enough to disregard an applicant's potential for success at working with your company. But if several red flags start presenting themselves, do not disregard the signs. Usually your gut reaction will confirm the red flags. So if your instincts are screaming NOT to hire this person, listen to your instincts -- they're almost always right!
"People don't leave their jobs, they leave their bosses." Kevin Kelloway
There
was a Gallup poll of more than 1 million employed U.S. workers that
found that a bad boss or supervisor is the number one reason people
leave their job. These people feel they were either treated poorly by
their boss or they had to work in a hostile environment created by their
boss or immediate supervisor.
The poll also revealed that poorly managed teams are on average 50
percent less productive than well managed teams. I believe this to be
true because in my experience, whenever we had a poor supervisor in
place, we lost good employees.
There are warning signs that you may be losing a good cleaning technician. Have you ever noticed any of these signs?
1. The employee's productivity drops off 2. The employee seems quiet or down 3. The employee shows up to work late more often
4. The employee calls in sick more often 5. The employee stops volunteering when you ask for additional help 6. The employee starts getting more incoming phone calls 7. The employee starts taking longer lunches and breaks
8. The employee starts requesting vacation days one day at a time (so he/she can interview for another job)
So
how do you keep your best cleaning technicians? Obviously hiring and
promoting the best supervisors is of key consideration. And making sure
you educate yourself on being the best owner/manager that you can be.
Beyond great management, there are more things you can do to retain your
best employees.
Many cleaning business owners and managers assume that money is a good
motivator for employees. But money is a satisfier, not a motivator. If
an employee feels he or she is receiving adequate compensation, more
money isn't going to buy more productivity; and lack of more money won't
necessarily drive the employee away. You might be surprised at how
other less expensive ideas can go a long way in helping you hang on to
your best people.
Here are some simple ideas to help you keep your best cleaning employees:
1. Create a positive work environment. 2. Don't underestimate the power of positive feedback. 3. Ask your employees for input and listen to their ideas.
4. Show your employees respect. 5. Say thank you to your employees, and say it often.
Mark
Twain wrote, "I can live for 2 weeks on a good compliment". So can your
employees. Complimenting your employees on a job well done goes a long
way towards keeping them motivated and wanting to do a good job for you.
Think beyond increasing pay. Sometimes all it takes is small,
sincere gestures and rewards to keep your good employees. Here are a few
ideas:
1. Hand written notes 2. Sincere thank you's and compliments
3. Plaques, balloons, flowers, or food 4. Featuring an employee in your company newsletter 5. A letter or visit from the owner of the company 6. A birthday card and cake 7. Unexpected gifts or gift cards for a job well done
8. Team competitions
These are just a few ideas to get you
started. Brainstorm with your team to come up with even more ideas and
start figuring out how you can implement them to keep your employees
motivated.
And finally, to re-emphasize the most important point about keeping your
best cleaning technicians, give today's workers what they want. The old
rules don't apply anymore. Today's workers want personal praise and
recognition. And they want to to know that they are a valued contributor
to your company.
++++++++++++++++++++++
Would you like more help with your cleaning company? The Janitorial Store and MyHouseCleaningBiz.com offer private, online resources created exclusively for commercial and residential cleaning companies. We'd love to have you join us!
There is one question that you can ask your cleaning prospects that can help bring about a discussion of the issues they experience with cleaning companies. And that question is:
"What kinds of problems are you facing today with regards to keeping your building (or home) clean?"
This is a good open-ended question that is likely to get them talking. It will also help you to direct the discussion to what you already know about the problems prospects typically face.
For example, you could now say something like:
"Based on my work with a number of other [banks, property managers, homeowners, etc], I find that the top three issues they're facing are:
Finding a cleaning service that doesn't have a revolving door of employees cleaning their office (or home).
Finding a service that provides consistent cleaning services. They start out great but after a few weeks or months, the work goes down hill.
Finding a cleaning service owner or manager that actually knows what's going on in our building (or home) and anticipates my needs.
Which of these three issues is having the most impact on the cleanliness of your office (home)?"
Can you see how combining a good, open-ended question can lead them into a discussion where you can showcase your understanding of their frustrations? When directing your discussion in this way it also shows the prospect that you work with other people just like him.
And be sure to ask a related follow-up question, which will get you the more specific answers you're looking for.
When you ask thought-provoking questions of your prospects and then follow up with what you already know from your experience with other clients; you're sure to make an impression on your prosect that will get him moving in the direction of becoming your next client.
After seeing the video, one viewer emailed us, asking specifically how to get larger accounts. My first thought was, well how are you getting your smaller accounts? It's not that much different!
Are you networking in your community? Are you targeting the clients you want? Are you taking care of business with your existing accounts so you can get great references?
That is really the first order of business when it comes to getting into the larger sized buidings. Taking good care of your existing clients. Owners and property managers of large buildings are going to ask for references and they WILL call them! You need glowing reports of the great work your employees do, how quickly you respond to requests, and how well you anticipate their needs.
Once you have that part down, start focusing on the buildings you want to clean and start researching. Is it owner occupied? Is it a multi-tenant building that is managed by a property manager? Can you ask your networking buddies if they have a contact person they could introduce you to?
Taking on larger buildings will not happen overnight. In many cases it will take months to even get the opportunity to submit a proposal. But if you are determined to make it happen and you take care of business with your existing clients, there is no reason it won't happen for you!
Finding good employees is the one of the biggest challenges cleaning business owners face. But oftentimes we have no one but ourselves to blame when it comes to hiring less than desireable cleaning technicians.
Here are 5 of the top skills employees should possess:
1. Communication skills. You may not think this is of particular importance since most cleaning technicians work independently. But communication skills are very important because if they're not able to listen with understanding and speak with knowledge and confidence, it will be difficult for them to succeed.
2. Self-motivation. Although part of your job as an employer is to keep your staff motivated and engaged, you simply don't have the time to hold their hand every minute of the day. The ability to take initiative and complete projects without supervision is a skill that is invaluable to your company.
3. Team player. This is more than just how you interact with your co-workers. Being a team player means working as a group toward a common goal. If the goal is to satisfy clients, then every employee must work as part of the team to ensure they provide the best customer care possible.
4. Problem solving skills. At some point your cleaning technicians will be required to solve a problem. Regardless of what the problem is, being able to think swiftly and decisively in the face of an unexpected situation is often the difference between succes and failure. When interviewing candidates be sure to ask problem solving questions such as, "What would you do in this situation...?"
5. Adaptability. Employees that are adaptable to changing situations are much easier to train and coach than the employee that is set in their ways and resistant to change. Look for candidates that are adaptable and able to handle change in today's fast-paced world.
These are just a few of the skills you should be looking for when hiring cleaning technicians. When interviewing, craft your questions in a way that will uncover these skills (or lack of), and you'll become a much better judge of character when it comes to hiring your staff.
Most cleaning business owners are in the thick of things every day, swamped with a huge to-do list. But do you ever feel like you're riding a rocking horse? In other words, are you creating lots of motion back and forth, but never really making any progress?
Some days you might actually feel like you were very productive because you were busy going from one project to the next all day long. You paid some bills, responded to emails, did some research on a piece of equipment you wanted to buy, talked to a couple clients, cleaned out your email again, made a trip to the bank, and stopped by a couple accounts to check in with employees.
You were busy! Yet, you really didn't do anything to move your business forward. You still didn't take any action on that employee with the chronic bad attitude -- the one that other employees are complaining about. You didn't do any marketing activities -- in fact you skipped the monthly Chamber of Commerce networking event because you were too busy fixing a vacuum cleaner that stopped working last night. You forgot to get the monthly newsletter done -- again. And you gave up looking for that much needed supervisor because the thought of having to spend all that time interviewing and training a new supervisor is just too overwhelming.
Guess what! You were busy on the wrong things!
I've worked with a lot of cleaning business owners and there's one thing that I've discovered. The owners of underperforming companies almost always work as hard and sometimes times even harder than the owners of successful cleaning companies.
They seem to think that as long as they work hard and put in long hours, their business will continue to grow. But that's not usually the case. It's kind of like rowing a boat as hard as you can, but rowing AGAINST the current instead of WITH the current. You're not going to reach your destination no matter how hard you row!
So stop filling your day with "busy work" and tasks that should be handled by your staff, and start filling your day with projects that matter. Projects that will increase sales and profits, and that will bring you closer to your goals.
If it seems you're crazy busy every moment of the day but your business isn't moving forward by leaps and bounds, then stop and take a critical look at what you're spending your time on. Look at each task you're working on and ask yourself if you're working on the most important things that will move your business forward.
You only have so many hours in the day so make sure you spend those hours wisely.
This week I posted this question on Facebook and LinkedIn and received some interesting feedback.
One cleaning business owner feels she must be involved with her business at all times. She's scheduled minor surgeries on Fridays so she could be back in the saddle on Monday. She hasn't taken a vacation since 1992. She admits that it's simply difficult for her to let go.
Another cleaning business owner takes a different approach: "This is actually one of our main goals I give my leadership team a lot of ability to make decisions.... I quietly oversee the process and correct when necessary but this is by far the best way to teach them the skills they need to process how decisions are made and to follow through with their decision."
When I asked what specifically have you done to enable yourself to step away from the business he replied: "Probably the largest step is letting the leadership team know I expect them to be able to operate without me sometimes. When they come to me with a question I ask them what they would do if I wasn't there to answer the question. This forces them to make a decision and they learn from the decisions they make... Not all decisions are the greatest but we must have patience and allow them to make a mistake."
Another business owner is getting help from a business coach: "My biz coach has me working on this RIGHT NOW!!! And he's relentless at having me get it done because you can use the time to grow the business even further, amongst other things. Take a look/advantage of some of the training work Steve has already done for you thru the training videos."
Another business owner believes getting the right people in place is the key: "Know what you need, be willing to get rid of someone who is not the right candidate, and also be willing to invest time and training into the person who IS the right person. Some skills are easier to teach, while others are almost a personality trait (ie: attention to detail, ability to keep calm during stressful situations, handling multiple projects, a good work ethic, taking 'ownership' and pride in their job)"
One of the biggest challenges we face when we start a business from the ground up is letting go of certain responsibilities. This is our baby and no one cares like we do. And yes, that's true. But if you actively seek out people that have certain skills that are needed to free you up from having to be involved in every facet of the business, then that is what you need to do.
It doesn't mean you should hire someone, show them the ropes and leave them on their own to run that part of the businesss - far from it! I remember the first time I hired a bookkeeper. I'd been doing it myself for years and it was VERY difficult to let someone else into the books. But I did a thorough job of screening and hired a great candidate who is still with me several years later. I spent an entire summer working closely with my new bookkeeper to make sure I felt comfortable that he had a good handle on things.
The lesson here is that it's not something you can do over night. It's something that needs to be worked on every day. Besides getting the right people in place you need to have written systems in place -- and that takes time too. But when you plug away at these things a little at a time and get your people trained on how to perform these systems in your place, you'll start seeing more time in your day freed up for working on other things. And when that happens I challenge you to step away for a few days and take a REAL vacation!
You can do it - you really can! But you have to want to do it and you have to work at it. If you want it bad enough, you'll take the steps necessary to make sure your cleaning business can operate without you.
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