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Do You Really Want a Successful Cleaning Business?

We've owned two cleaning businesses that we felt were quite successful. However our definition of successful may not be the same as someone else's definition of successful. It really doesn't matter, does it? What matters is that we knew what we wanted, we went after it and succeeded.

How many people say, I want this and I want that, but never seem to get what they want? They may blame it on bad luck or bad breaks, but I have a hunch they just didn't want it bad enough. I have learned to dream big and go after what I want. If I don't do it, no one else is going to hand it to me on a silver platter.

Here is a quote from an unkown author that I read every so often when I really want something, or have a dream that I want to see fulfilled:

If you really want it, you will have it. If it means enough to you, it will happen.

For if you really want it, you will find a way. You'll stop making excuses and start making it real.

The obstacles you encounter are not there to prevent you from reaching your goal. The obstacles are there to make sure you really want it.

When you really want it, you'll find away around, under, above or through each one of those obstacles. And as you do, you'll be literally creating the value of what you intend to achieve.

When you really want it enough, it is in many ways already yours. Full and complete attainment then becomes a matter of going through the motions and following a path that leads surely there.

Decide what you really want, and be careful what you decide upon. For when you truly want it, you will make it so.

Do you really want a successful cleaning business? Are you willing to do the hard work to make it happen? Share your thoughts by clicking on the Comments link below.

Should You Break Down Man Hours On Your Commercial Cleaning Proposal?

A commercial cleaning business owner was asked to submit a proposal, but the customer asked for the invoice price to be broken down by man hours. He believes they want to know if the all the employees are really needed. He's wondering what to do.

Here is some of the feedback received from other cleaning business owners:

1. If they are paying a flat rate monthly and are happy with the service, why should they care how the money they pay you is spent? That's really not any of their business!

2. When a client says that usually a bean counter is trying to get involved so he can figure out if they should go in-house. Let them know you can break this down but the time involved in doing this is costly and you would have to bill them for your accountants time and make it expensive for them to get this cost even though you can spend the time to do it yourself.

3. I never really objected to giving them man hours once I was able to determine from them why they wanted them. I would explain all the hours such as cleaning, recruiting, training, supervision, accounting, etc. I made sure never to alienate them.

I reminded them that level monthly invoicing was one of the advantages of using a service such as ours in addition to us doing all the recruiting, orientation, training, supervision, etc. etc. It gave me another opportunity to sell them on my value to them.

Don't ever tell them they don't need to know that or something that implies that. You may not have to give the information but you won't keep the customer either. Many times, not always, I was able to discourage the process by explaining all the details outlined above.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Click on the Comments link below to post your feedback.

Do You Use These Words That Create Resistance?

When marketing your cleaning business you might be tempted to use words or phrases that might seem natural to say, but they tend to cause resistance from your prospect.

Have you ever found yourself saying something like:
"I'm sure you're aware..."
"I'm sure you've heard of..."
"You've probably read about..."

If you were on the other side of that conversation you might be tempted respond with a resounding "No I haven't!" Buyers are skeptics and will naturally resist when you make assumptions or claims that could be questioned.

Here are some phrases that you better be able to back up:
"We're the leading..."
"We're the best..."
"We're the most respected..."

You may also want to avoid technical words. Most people don't care how something works or how you're going to clean their carpet step-by-step. They just want to see the results. If you use too many technical words, you may also make them feel inferior if they don't know what you're talking about.

Spend some time thinking carefully about the words and phrases you use when talking to prospects. Ask yourself if there is anything you say that could be met with resistance or skepticism. Put yourself in the prospects place and imagine someone else using those lines to sell to you. If it doesn't feel right, go back to the drawing board and start re-thinking your presentation. When you see things from the prospects perspective, you'll soon realize what words work and what words don't.

Are there certain words that you avoid using? Are there words or phrases that work well for you when talking to prospects? Click on the Comments link below to post replies.