Jean Hanson

Many people will tell you that price is all that matters these days. But is that really true? When a prospective client immediately shifts the conversation to price, do you cringe and feel yourself starting to give in? Are you ready to lower your price in order to get the client?

What would you really rather have - a customer focused on price or a customer focused on value? A non-profitable account or a profitable one? A customer that you only speak to when there's something wrong, or one that you have a relationship with?

If you chose the latter in the above questions, then you need to keep some things in mind:

• What do you believe in your own mind? If you don't truly believe in the value you are providing your customers, then no one else is going to believe you either. Get rid of the negative self-talk in your head and start believing you are perfectly capable and worthy of having a profitable, successful cleaning business.

• Providing value doesn't mean lowering your price. It means you need to raise the awareness of the value your cleaning service provides to your customers. Show them what you are doing to protect their property (background checks, safety training); show them your quality control program so they know you have procedures for inspecting the work being done in their home. These are just 2 examples of ways you can convey value to your customers.

• You need to care about your customers if you expect them to care about you. Customers can show great loyalty when they sense that you truly care about their concerns and want to help solve their problems.

• Customers sense self-confidence and are drawn to it. You need to be confident in your own ability as a business owner and demonstrate that confidence through your presentation - hold your head high, speak powerfully, and smile.

• Be humble. Having confidence, as mentioned above, doesn't mean being arrogant. Being humble can be demonstrated with a simple thank you. Tell your customers how thankful you are for their business.

• The last thing to keep in mind is the quality of the relationship with your clients. When you build relationships with people you also build their loyalty. And loyal people are willing to pay more for the value they receive from your services.

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Copyright © MyHouseCleaningBiz.com. All Rights Reserved.
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.