Tips for Marketing Your Cleaning Business at a Trade Show

One way to market your cleaning business is to have a booth at a trade show. Many communities have trade shows such as the Home & Garden show or the Chamber of Commerce trade show. Consider this as a way to meet new people and gather a prospect list.

A member of MyHouseCleaningBiz.com participates in several trade shows every year and offers the following advice for those with residential cleaning businesses:

1) Give away free cleaning. However, don't give away completely free cleaning. What we've done is give away 2-3 hours of free cleaning ... this is a $60-$90 value (or more, depending on your rates) for the winner. We give away at least 2 of these cleanings each time. You may want to place a restriction on the prize (gift certificate) by asking the winner to schedule the clean during a slow time (for us June-Sept) and not to use it for the first clean (specify fourth, fifth, etc.) This giveaway also allows you to ask for attendees' name, phone number, and email so you can build a database for a newsletter. You can also follow-up with each entry because these leads can offer an opportunity for business.

2) You might want to give away several small baskets of green cleaning supplies to "push your green cleaning." There are many local "green" events these days, and eco-friendly or earth-friendly cleaning goes hand-in-hand with healthy homes, healthy environments, and the adoption of healthier and more sustainable cleaning practices. Don't forget to include your business card. A green cleaning tips flyer/pamphlet is also a nice addition to your baskets.

3) You can print up a sign for your table: Book 8 weekly or bi-weekly cleans, get $100. This deal has worked very well for us at trade shows. Most cleans will range from $100 - $175, so by the time you give back the $100, you've made between $800-$1400 ... you're giving around $12.50/clean, no more than 30 free minutes for each of the 8 cleans. And, you are (hopefully) charging an hourly rate for the first clean to add even more towards your profit.

We find it's relevant to ask trade show/festival attendees to complete either an entry form for giveaways or a sign-up sheet for your email newsletter. Leads are the key at a trade show.

Have YOU ever participated in a trade show or local community event? Please share your tips by clicking on the Comments link below.

Comments

[EVE SANDERS]

Trade Show worked very well for us.
We gave away cleaning hours gift certificates in a raffle draw -- it was a two day event. We got over 200 leads.

We also gave away post-it note pads which also got us a number of bookings a few weeks later.

I would recommend to participate in the goody bag that would be handed out to all attendees, we have a coupon in each bag - this way, potential clients have numerous exposure to your name/service/brand.

[Jean Hanson]

Eve,

Great tips - thanks for sharing!

Jean

[James]

There are some people who underestimate the usefulness of trade shows.
Many have given up on them. In fact, more and more business owners are pulling out
of trade shows. This is a wrong strategy. Instead of pulling out, they should think
of various ways of improving their trade show displays and their booths. This way, they would have better shot at attracting
potential customers.

[Dee, Minneola, FL]

Trade shows, fairs, expos are all excellent ways to get your name out there. We do at least 5 shows a year. They are quite a bit of work to prepare for, but well worth the leads we obtain in a few hours. Now, our Cleaning For A Reason cause is helping not only cancer patients but our company as well. It's a very worthy Foundation to get involved with, and providing free cleaning to families who need it makes us feel really good about what we are doing. By getting the word out about C4R at shows/expos, attendees have been very receptive to the Foundation and our cleaning service. It's a win-win situation! :)

[Jessica]

Great Idea for marketing my business!
Thanks