R.J. Patel, Sharon Tinberg, and Bruce Vance on proof, process, people A one-time customer is good, a recurring customer is better, but when you have a client that brings your company revenue for decades, this is the best kind of all. At the ARCSI Cleaning Convention last year in Chicago, residential cleaning rockstars R.J. [...]
Small business associations you should belong to. Most cleaning business owners are familiar with the national and international trade organizations for our industry. For residential cleaning companies ARCSI, a division of ISSA, is the go-to resource for education and networking. Additionally there are IEHA, BSCAI, CSSA, and CETA. A full list of organizations allied [...]
The right approach to technology, training, and teamwork A repetitive approach to sales isn’t sustainable for any company, regardless of shape or size. Without a regular injection of motivation and innovation, salespeople will merely rely on their tried and tested pitches, and by doing so, risk missing lucrative opportunities to bring in new business. The [...]
The holidays are here, which means all kinds of challenges for a cleaning service owner. One that always seems to come up every year is holiday tips. It is important that you lay out a process now for how you are going to handle these tips. Otherwise it can end in hurt feelings, grudges, [...]
How to use leverage to quickly increase your income In October 2015 I signed an agreement to sell my largest residential cleaning company, My Maid Service Cincinnati, to Blue Skies Services. The number one question I have gotten since then is, “Why did you sell?” There are a few reasons. First, in 8 years [...]
By figuring out what basic behavioral type you are dealing with, you can tailor your behavior and message. Editors note: On October 27, 2016, Derek Christian and Liz Trotter gave a presentation for ISSA called Making All Customer Types Happy. We’ve asked them to share some information about their presentation here. In our ISSA [...]
You have to focus and eliminate unnecessary distractions. - by Alonzo Adams The Money Struggle Money: It all comes down to the bottom line. When there's not enough money, it's a major problem. I have been in business for over two decades and I have had the opportunity to work with business owners from [...]
The pros and cons of hourly vs commission, plus compensation plans in between - by Derek Christian One of the most common questions we hear from cleaning services, especially startups, is “What is the best way to pay your employees?” There are basically two options, hourly and commission rate, with some variations of the [...]
6 steps to make hiring easier and less scary - by Liz Trotter Hiring isn’t hard – just find someone who is good at cleaning and hire them, right? I hope you can hear me laughing! Unfortunately, that’s probably the last thing you want to do, but we’ll get to that. Other than the [...]
Innovative cleaning business charges by number of guestsTwo young entrepreneurs in New Zealand may be very late to the party, but their new cleaning business is off to a fast start. Rebecca Foley and Catherine Ashurst of Auckland, New Zealand have launched Morning-After Maids with a unique clientele: hungover party hosts. Their services include not only [...]
