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Introduction
Having finally summoned the courage to start your own cleaning business, it is important to grow it and ensure that you attract potential clients and you keep the ones you’ve managed to snag. Just like any other business, growing a cleaning business requires efforts and commitment. Whether it’s office cleaning or home cleaning, the basics to grow a cleaning business remain the same. Here are a few steps to grow your cleaning business:
Steps To Take To Grow Your Cleaning Business
Offer Fair Prices
Clients always go running to cleaners they believe offer them fair prices. Develop a pricing range that suits both you and your client. Don’t underprice your services as this gives off the opinion that you’re not competent. Don’t also over charge your clients as they will believe you have cheated them, and may not return to you. In choosing prices, check the size of the apartment and how long it will take for you to clean. You can’t charge the same price for a small apartment as you would a larger one. Also, discuss prices with your clients; make them see why you’re charging at that particular fee. Ensure that there is a mutual understanding for your payment.
Preserve Customer Relations
It is important to build and maintain good customer relationships. Follow up with your clients consistently. Sit down with them and ask them how they want their job done. This lets them know that care about their needs and that you have their best interests at heart. Charge them fairly, so they don’t feel cheated. Ask them for feedback, ask them what they feel you can do better, listen to them, and do a commendable job. Great customer service not only keeps your current clients, but also pushes customers to recommend you to other people who might require your services, there by building your clientele. It also keeps your business in the minds of your customers and ensures customer loyalty.
Marketing
You need to put your business out there. Create enough awareness online and offline. The world is highly digital now, and so you need to push your business. Have an intense online presence using an official website, effective social media accounts, an e-mail address, e-flyers, and lots more. Be good at networking; inform people of your services, leave a good impression of your business on them, attend events within your community where you can meet with people and talk to them about your services. Have a business card, flyers, posters, and always be ready to give them out. You could also have a T-shirt with your brand name and logo on when going to work.
Take Care Of Your Employees
Your employees are critical to your success. Since they do the important job of cleaning the apartments for your clients, the quality of their performance determines the satisfaction of your customers. Find ways to encourage them to do their best. Train them well enough to do the job satisfactorily even without your supervision, treat them with trust and respect, provide bonuses and incentives for excellent performance, consider offering perks such as allowing them use company equipment in their homes.
Find and Concentrate On Your Niche
It is essential to stand out and be unique in an already crowded market such as the cleaning services market. Provide a difference in your services. Provide an uncommon solution to a common problem. Narrow down your services and focus on a specific service within that market. Make a decision to specialize in one service that matches your interests and skills . For example: carpet cleaning, small apartments, offices, etc.
Invest In Your Business
As your business grows and as you make profit, don’t lavish your profit. Invest in your business. Spend money on getting quality equipment, making eco friendly equipment. It is also important to review your your business plan. Find innovative ways to expand, improve, adjust to trends, set up strong business systems, advance your style and technology, ways to ensure that you’re constantly making progress, to grow faster and stronger.
Stay Organized
Develop a system for everything. Take advantage of the advancement in technology to provide yourself a structure that allows you work efficiently and effectively. Keeping a system helps to stay organized and helps to recall or draw information from the past. You’re able to keep records and track everything that happens in the business. It also ensures that your business runs whether you’re there to supervise or not. Keep a system for payments, customer database, accounting, management, your profits, expenses, equipment owned, estimates, payroll, etc.
Be open to new information
To keep your business growing, you must always be ready to learn. Take advantage of the advancement in technology to educate yourself. There will always be technological changes that affect the kind of equipment you use. Pay attention to safety regulations that may affect the kind of chemicals you clean with. Find ways to develop your organizational and managerial skills. This helps to keep important records in the business. Read publications related to the kind of cleaning services you offer, go for conventions where you can meet with competitors, participate in trade organizations, and be warm enough to encourage your suppliers to keep you up to date on the different products. Network and ask questions from more experienced business owners. Learn from their past mistakes. Find how to stay on top of economical changes that might affect your business. For example, an increase in the price of essential equipment such as gloves would most likely affect your business.
Take Extra Caution
While it is understandable that accidents happen, it is wiser and more beneficial to your business if you avoid any unnecessary accidents. Ensure to be extra careful when cleaning clients’ spaces; not breaking anything. This would not only cost you the unplanned cash expense, but may also put a dent in the reputation and good brand name you’re working so hard to build. So, do your work with extra caution.
Conclusion
Finding ways to ensure growth in your cleaning business is quite achievable. With more attention to detail, discipline, and following the steps mentioned above, your cleaning business is on its way to being to best.
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