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Interview Questions To Ask A Potential Janitorial Sales Person

A cleaning business owner asked:
"I'm at the point in my business where I'd like to hire a sales person for janitorial services. The problem is, I have no idea what types of questions to ask. Do you have any suggestions?"

Great question, considering we're usually asked how to structure the pay for a janitorial sales person. That is only one step in the process. By asking the right questions you'll weed out the ones that will tell you what you want to hear. Here are a few questions I recommend (in no particular order):

• What do you like and dislike about the products or services you're selling now and why?
• Give an example of a time when you have exceeded a customer's expectations.
• Tell me what you currently know about our company.
• Who do you see as our company's biggest competitors, and why?
• What do you see as our strengths?
• What do you see as our biggest challenges?
• Can you explain the following terms ROI, net profit, margin, cash flow?
• What are the changes that you see taking place in our industry at the moment?
• What do you think the future of our industry will look like?
• What are the key benefits our services offer our customers?
• List the typical progression steps you might take with a sales opportunity.
• What positive comments would your current/previous sales manager make about you?
• What percentage of your income do you expect to earn from commissions and bonuses?
• What immediate benefits do you think you will bring to our company?
• What is the most important attribute of a successful sales person? Explain.
• What sales training courses/workshops have you completed? How did it help you?
• What are your long term professional goals? What are you doing to get there?
• What networking associations do you belong to?
• In your current role what proportion of your time is in front of customers?
• What are the activities that you do when you are not in front of customers?
• Tell me what you would you set out to do in your first week of work with us.

If you find a person that can do a great job of answering these tough questions, then you've possibly found yourself a winner! Just be sure to hold them accountable for results if you do decide to hire them for the position.

Good News For Cleaning Business Owners That Might Have Mis-Classified Employees As Independent Contractors

Do you think you might have misclassified employees as independent contractors?

This is a serious topic for cleaning business owners because if caught, the IRS can go after you for back employment taxes plus penalties and interest. This would put most companies right out of business. The good news is, the IRS has launched a new program that allows many employers to resolve their misclassification issues at a low cost by voluntarily reclassifying their workers.

Most employers don't know what to do if they realize they've made a mistake because they know there is a stiff penalty to pay depending on how long it's been going on. But under the new program, they have the opportunity to get into compliance by making a minimal payment covering past payroll tax obligations rather than waiting for an IRS audit.

The program is called Voluntary Classification Settlement Program (VCSP), and is part of the “Fresh Start” initiative at the IRS to help taxpayers and businesses address their tax responsibilities.

To be eligible the applicant must:

• Consistently have treated the workers in the past as nonemployees,
• Have filed all required Forms 1099 for the workers for the previous three years
• Not currently be under audit by the IRS
• Not currently be under audit by the Department of Labor or a state agency concerning the classification of these workers

To read the announcement and find out how to apply, visit the IRS.

Do You Ignore Employee Warning Signs Out Of Desperate Need For Cleaning Technicians?

A member of MyHouseCleaningBIz.com recently shared the fact that she sometimes ignores employee warning signs because she is desperate -- she has more clients than she can handle and if she fires a problem employee she'll be left short-handed.

My guess is that many of you can relate to this situation. I certainly can! Be honest - have you ever overlooked a warning sign that a particular employee could be a problem? Most people overlook the warning signs because at this moment in time, they have more work than they can handle, and if they let this employee go then it will be really tough getting all the work done.

Regarding her situation, our member said, "When I act on impulse I deserve all the pain and agony I inflict on myself for allowing the business to control me rather than the other way around. Many of my hiring failures used to come (and still do) from my ignoring the warning signs because I am buying all the 'blah blah' hook, line and sinker rather than letting the person's actions speak louder than their words."

In this case, she is noticing the warning signs during the hiring process, yet she is ignoring the alarms going off in her head because the prospective employee is telling her what she wants to hear. And when you are in desperate need of a cleaning technician, it's very easy to ignore the red flags and offer the job so you can fill the position quickly.

In the case of an employee that is giving you warning signs of trouble, the best thing to do is to ignore your impulse to let it go. Instead, deal with it head on and as quickly as possible. You aren't doing yourself or anyone else in the company any favors. In fact, if it means firing the employee, chances are the rest of the employees will step up and help you out to get through the employee shortage. That's because they are well aware of the problem and would rather work a little extra rather than have to work with the fired employee for one more day.

Do you ever find yourself ignoring employee warning signs? If so, share your story by clicking on the comments link below.

Do Your Cleaning Technicians Feel Like "Fish Out Of Water" Due To Your Lack Of Training?

Last night I ate too much chocolate. Do you know what happens to me when I eat too much chocolate? I have strange dreams! And last night, as expected, I had a somewhat unusual dream. But it got me thinking about how this "fish out of water" dream can apply to the employees we hire for our cleaning business. But first, let me tell you about the dream.

I was dreaming that I was a new employee at an optical center. It was a busy Saturday and there were only two of us working. I was a brand-new employee, had no training, and was expected to know what to do. I have no idea how to adjust glasses, or do an eye test, or how to run the cash register. They might as well have picked someone off the street and told them to get to work.

I really felt like a fish out of water in my dream. And I know that this is how many new employees feel when they start a new job. Now we all know that cleaning isn't rocket science. You don't need a degree, you don't need a license or certification. And as kids growing up, we all had to clean up the kitchen, clean up the bathroom, and clean up our room. So shouldn't we all intuitively know how to clean? Well as any experienced cleaning business owner can tell you, a lot of people have no idea how to clean!That's why it's our responsibility as the employer, to train our employees thoroughly, and give them systems to use while cleaning.

So what is YOUR system for training new employees? Do you just hire someone and have them follow you around showing them how to clean? Or maybe you tell one of your best cleaners to train the new employee without giving them the tools they need to do it successfully.

My challenge to you is; if you don't have a written training program, write one. If you don't want to write one, then buy one and use it. Every employee you hire deserves to have a chance to be successful in their job. And if you don't train them and give them the tools to become successful, then you have no one to blame but yourself.

So the next time you lose an employee, don't blame the employee. Instead ask yourself; am I the reason we lost that employee? What could I have done to make the experience better for that employee? I challenge YOU to challenge yourself to become a better employer and trainer.

Do You Create A Positive Culture For Your Employees In Your Cleaning Company?

Productive employees -- it's every business owner's dream. What does that have to do with creating a positive culture in your cleaning company? Everything! How an employee feels about their job not only affects their attitude, but it directly affects their productivity. And increased productivity will increase profits.

If negativity has infiltrated your cleaning company, your employees probably don't feel valued, which means they'll likely move on to a company that does value their work.

How do you create a positive culture? First, identify what is causing the negativity in your company.

- Does management show favoritism towards certain employees?
- Are employees recognized for their contributions?
- Does the negativity start at the top?

Many employers assume the worst about their employees because they've been burned in the past. Because of this, they often create strict rules to keep everyone in line. If this is true in your case, start shifting away from this type of control-based thinking. Do this by giving your employees the tools they need to make their own decisions. They'll soon feel empowered and a positive shift will start.

Other things you can do to create a positive culture in your cleaning company is to recognize employee achievements, have an open door policy, provide equal opportunities for all employees, and find fun ways to provide additional training. Employees are easily bored in this type of job, so training and opportunities will improve their productivity, keep them motivated, and moving forward with your company.

How do YOU create a positive culture in your cleaning company? Reply by clicking on the Comments link below.

Who Is Responsible For Sales In Your Home Cleaning Company?

If you asked an employee at your company what they do they'd probably say something like, "I clean homes", or "I do the bookkeeping", or "I answer the phones".

What if they responded, "I'm in sales and service"? Do you think your sales would increase? If everyone felt individually responsible for increasing sales, then you bet your sales would increase! So how do you get your employees to recognize sales opportunities that are right under their noses every day? Here are a few tips:

1. Make sure they understand who your ideal client really is. Just because you clean homes doesn't mean you clean just ANY home! You may target certain neighborhoods, types of homes, or income levels. If your employees understand who your ideal client is, they're much more likely to recommend your company to the right person when opportunities arise.
2. Make sure your employees know all the services you provide. If an employee sees a spot on a carpet, they should know that you provide carpet spotting services and should recommend it to the client.
3. Make sure they know if you're currently offering any specials so they can let your clients know about this week's "window washing coupon".
4. Customer service "Wow" moments. There are many ways to "wow" your clients. One idea is to get your office staff involved with service after the sale by sending your client a photo of themselves and thanking them for the opportunity to serve them every day. This creates loyalty from your clients, which means you can grow your business faster.
5. Brainstorm ideas with your employees to come up with ways they can help increase sales with little effort. 
6. Study other companies with a customer service oriented culture. Zappos is a great example because every employee feels a responsibility to increase sales by providing expert customer service.

Do you agree that everyone in your company is responsible for sales? Share your thoughts by clicking on the Comments link below.

Are Your Cleaning Employees Self Motivated?

Many employers feel that as long as they pay their employees well, they'll stay motivated. But cleaning employees are looking for more that just good pay.

Here are some of the things that will help to keep your cleaning employees motivated:

• Recognition for a job well done
• Respect
• Trust
• Responsibility
• Opportunities for advancement
• Being informed of what's going on in the company
• Ablility to participate and offer feedback

If you'd like to create a work environment that encourages self motivation, follow these guidelines:

• Be a leader, but leave your ego at the door
• Never ask an employee to do something that you are not willing to do
• Earn the respect of your employees by acting and dressing professionally
• Get to know your employees
• Treat your employees and customers with respect
• Keep a positive attitude and greet your employees warmly
• Always compliment a job well done
• Don't make your employees feel as if you're always looking over their shoulders waiting for them to make a mistake
• Guide and train your employees so they perform to their best ability
• Correct them when needed and use it as an opportunity to train

Are YOUR employees self motivated? If so, what do you do to foster their motivation? Click on the Comments link below to post your thoughts.

Do You Motivate Your Cleaning Employees With Trust Or Fear?

The cleaning business is tough when it comes to retaining great employees. Some employers get so frustrated with the revolving door that they end up using fear tactics to get employees to do what they want. But using fear to motivate employees does nothing for your business, and you'll keep getting back the same frustrating results.

If you want employees who are motivated, take initiative and work together as a team to get things done, then you need to take a new approach. Here are three things you can do to start making a dramatic difference:

1. Show your employees that you care. If you've fallen into that trap of looking at your employees as a commodity, you probably DON'T care much about them. But if you treat people with dignity and respect instead of yelling or talking down to them, you'll see a dramatic difference in their response and performance.

2. Recognize employees who go the extra mile. We all have them - those few stellar employees that always give 110%. But most of these exceptional employees never hear any words of appreciation because we're just too busy putting out fires and dealing with the problem employees. But you can make a huge difference in the eyes of these employees by not only acknowledging the good work they do, but by making a big gesture of appreciation. You can do this by recognizing their achievements in a company meeting, or writing a story about them in the company newsletter. However you decide to do it, know that it will motivate the employee to continue going the extra mile. It will also encourage your entire staff to look for opportunities to go the extra mile -- after all, they just want to be appreciated.

3. Don't take your employees for granted. If you only talk to them when you want something they will come to resent it. Don't ignore them, but talk to them regularly. Find out more about them as a person and ask for their input on ideas. This will keep them motivated each day, knowing you care about them as a person and that you value their opinions.

It takes practice and it takes time, so don't expect things to change overnight. But change is possible if you take the time, and it won't cost you anything BUT your time. But the results will be well worth the effort.

How do YOU motivate your employees? Post your ideas by clicking on the Comments link below.

Do You Blame Quality Control Problems On Your Cleaning Employees?

Here is a scenario that happens quite often in cleaning companies:

1. A client calls your office to complain about the quality of the cleaning.
2. You or your supervisor visit the location and discover several problems with the quality of the cleaning.
3. You go the the person(s) responsible for cleaning, tell them everything they're doing wrong, and then tell them to do better from now on.
4. A month later the customer calls back to say it was better for a while but now there are problems again.

Has this ever happened to you? What is really going on here?

Simply telling an employee to do better and to pay more attention to the quality of cleaning they're providing is not going to improve the situation. That's because this is not the root of the problem. Instead of focusing your time on one or two employees, you need to dig deeper and look at what went wrong and why.

In most cases there is an underlying system breakdown.  Did you give your employees adequate training? Do they have the right equipment and supplies to get the job done efficiently? Do they have enough time to get the job done in order to meet the customer's standards?

It all starts with you, the owner. It is your responsibility to make sure you have adequate systems in place and to provide ongoing training for your employees. And if you have supervisors that do the training, you must ensure they use your system for training and that you work with them to continually look for ways to improve your systems.

In addition, you must have a quality control follow up system. Without follow up, you have no way to measure the effectiveness of the cleaning you are providing. And you certainly don't want you clients doing your quality control FOR you! It is not their job after all, to let you know there is a problem with the quality of cleaning at their location.

Have you ever experienced this scenario? What do you do to ensure it doesn't happen again? Post your thoughts by clicking on the Comments link below.

Overwhelmed In Your Cleaning Business? It Doesn't Have To Be That Way

Have you ever felt so overwhelmed with all the stuff you've got going on in your business that you feel like hanging it all up just to get a break? I'm sure we've all felt that way at some point. In fact I've talked to some cleaning business owners who have thought about downsizing or going back to doing all the cleaning themselves just to get rid of the extra headaches of running the growing business.

I can relate to your pain as I've had those thoughts myself. By the time I put out all the fires during the day, trained a new employee while another one quit, scrambled to find someone to fill in for an employee who didn't show up, and came home feeling exhausted and unfulfilled, I too was ready to hang it all up.

What I learned over the years is that it doesn't have to be like that. Here are some tips for lightening your load and keeping your sanity while you run your cleaning business.

Do what you do best and delegate the rest. I know, I know, you've heard this before. It really does work, but it won't happen overnight. The first thing I recommend you do, is choose one thing that takes up a lot of your time, and that you're not very good at. Let's say it's training new employees. In order to free up your time from doing this task, you either need to find a person on your staff or hire someone who is great at training and great with people. Spend time training this person, making sure they understand your expectations, and then give them the responsibility for this task.

Now that you've freed up this time for yourself, use the time to do something that you love to do. If it's sales and marketing, then devote more time to that.

When things are running smoothly for a while, choose something else that you're not very good at or that you don't enjoy doing. If you don't like bookkeeping for instance, then it's time to hire a bookkeeper. Once you've found the right person, spent plenty of time training them into the position. As in the example above, use your freed up time to do more of what you love to do.

Delegating is not easy for everyone, and delegating doesn't mean you get to dump everything on the people you hire to do these tasks. You still need to supervise their work, and provide continued training. But if they love what they are doing, and you now love what you are doing, then it's a win-win for all.

What advice do YOU have for dealing with overwhelm in your cleaning business? Please share your thoughts or tips for delegating by clicking on the Comments link below.