How To Create a Memorable Experience For Your Residential Cleaning Customers

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Jean Hanson

The pressure is on. Can you feel it? Every residential cleaning business owner is under pressure to retain existing customers and find new customers. Not an easy task when the economy is unstable. The advice you've heard from the experts is to differentiate yourself from your competitors, but how do you do that? One way is to create a memorable experience for your customers -- an experience they've never had with another cleaning company.

Creating a memorable experience is also a great way to strengthen your brand. So how do you do this? By changing the culture within your business and making sure every employee is on board with the process. Creating an experience for your customers starts with their first exposure to your business (perhaps through your marketing materials), to the presentation of your New Customer Welcome Packet, to the attitude of the employee you send to clean their home.

Every time your customers are exposed to your business is an opportunity to create a memorable experience. And when they have an emotional connection with your company, it makes them feel special. The trust they have in your business is also strengthened by the experience, as long as it is a positive one. Negative experiences can erode the relationship, which is why it's important to make sure everyone in your company is on board.

What is your potential customer's first experience with your company? Perhaps they called you and asked how much you charge to clean a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house so you quoted them a price and hung up, hoping for the best. Or did you engage them by asking the questions you need to give an accurate quote and then get their email address so you could send them a coupon?

When you are given the opportunity to meet with the home owner, what do you do make your first meeting memorable? Do you "wing-it" and once again hope for the best? Or do you come prepared to ask specific questions, listen to the home owner's concerns and then give examples of how you have helped other customers with the same issues? Do you solidify your meeting by quickly following up to answer any questions you promised to research? Do you send a hand-written Thank You card? Do you personally deliver a New Customer Welcome Packet that explains what happens next?

The memorable experiences don't stop when you've gained a new customer. In fact, this is when you start building trust and solidifying the relationship. Your team leaders and employees play an important role in creating more memorable experiences for your customers. Do they come to work dressed appropriately, and are they cheerful and polite to home owners and their families? Do your team leaders work to build a relationship with the customer and strive to please them by responding quickly and cheerfully to requests? Do they add a special touch such as leaving a carnation in a bud vase or leaving chocolate with the invoice on the kitchen counter?

Your office personnel also play an important role in the customer experience. How they answer the phone and deal with customers and potential customers goes a long way in creating a memorable experience. Even the bookkeeper can help by putting a message like "Thanks for your business!" on the invoices, and perhaps enclosing a newsletter or special offer with the invoice. As you can see, there are unlimited ways to create a memorable experience for your customers.

In order to stay profitable in the cleaning industry, you must find new ways to retain your existing customers and gain new customers. Think about the times you've had a positive and memorable experience. Didn't you want to tell other people how great it was? That's the benefit of standing out from the crowd. Start making a list today of how you can create memorable experiences for your customers in your own company. And be sure to solicit ideas from your team leaders and employees. Getting them involved in the process empowers them to carry out the goals for your company.

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Jean Hanson helps owners of residential cleaning companies build a more profitable and successful cleaning business through her online community at MyHouseCleaningBiz.com. Read inspirational cleaning success stories at http://www.cleaning-success.com, and sign up for House Cleaning Profit Tips at http://www.MyHouseCleaningBiz.com.