Episode #28 Is all the talk about building relationships to build your cleaning business just a bunch of hype?
Everyone talks about building relationships to build your cleaning company. But most people don't have the patience to do this. This episode will explain why it's not just a bunch of hype – it really works!
When it comes to marketing your cleaning business, is all the talk about building relationships just a bunch of hype? I don't believe it is. In fact, we built our second cleaning business by networking and building relationships.
Have you ever heard the analogy about planting seeds? The seeds you plant today will eventually take hold and grow. A similar analogy is; be a farmer and not a hunter. It's all about cultivating relationships with people who eventually get to know, like, and trust you. The problem is, most people don't have the patience to do this. They'd rather spread their business card and brochure around town, and then wait for people to call them up. And sure, once in a while this strategy does work, because you happened to catch a person on a day they weren't happy with the cleaning service. But this is the exception, not the norm.
We've all heard the saying, it's not WHAT you know, it's WHO you know. But I've found that it takes more than that. It's not just WHO you know, it's how well you KNOW them that counts. If you understand this one key point when it comes to marketing, you will have more opportunities to build your business, and many more opportunities to build your business through word of mouth. And when it comes to word of mouth referrals, here is another key concept that you need to remember. Not everyone is a prospect. But that doesn't mean this person is not worth getting to know. Because you don't know who THEY know. They may be good friends with that bank manager you been trying to get in touch with, and a simple good word from this "non-prospect" could be just what you need to get your foot in the door.
I mentioned that Steve and I built our second cleaning company through networking and building relationships. We moved to a small town where we didn't know a single person. We joined the Chamber of Commerce, one networking group that is similar to BNI, and a volunteer organization that held lunch meetings every other week. Steve attended every single networking event he could, he volunteered as much as he could, and he eventually joined two Chamber of Commerce committees. This got him out into the community on a weekly basis, which means he became a familiar face around town. Nothing happened right away, but he stuck with it. After about three months, he got his first account from a woman he had gotten to know at Chamber events. After that the seeds started to grow, and after a few more months he was steadily gaining new accounts.
Most people give up after the first three months. And Steve was a little frustrated too because we were in a small town that had a good old boys club, which was hard to break into. But because he never gave up, and spent time nurturing the relationships he had with new clients and prospects, he became very successful and the largest cleaning company in town within a short period of time.
One more thing I wanted to mention about building relationships. Think about the relationships you have with businesses that are not in direct competition. For example; your accountant, your financial planner your lawyer and your banker. All of them have clients that could be potential clients for you. If you have a good solid relationship with these people, all you have to do is put a bug in their ear that you are looking for referrals. And if you can have a referral bonus, even better.
So if you think building relationships is not worth your time, then good luck to you. But for those of you who want to exponentially increase your business, then spending time building relationships in your community is an absolute must. Take it from me, it works.
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