Episode 34: 5 Rules of Marketing That Will Guarantee a Steady Stream of Cleaning Clients

Before you can convert prospects into cleaning clients, five things must happen. Learn the five basic rules of marketing that will guarantee a steady stream of cleaning clients.

Are you using the five rules of marketing?

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Episode #34 - Video Transcription

When thinking about cleaning services, most people don't usually think of it as an impulse purchase. So before prospects will BUY your service, there are generally five things have to happen. And these are known as the five basic rules of marketing.

The first basic rule is very simple: they need to know who you are. For those of you just getting started in the business, you simply CANNOT sit in your office and expect people to find you because you put up a quick website and sent out a few introductory letters. And for those of you who've been in business for a while, you can't expect that just because you are busy running your business and don't have time for marketing, that your business will continue to grow on its own. So in order for people to know who you are, it's imperative that you get out in your community and become visible -- because people need to know who you are.

Number two: they need to know more about you and what makes you different from everyone else. And the only way to do that is to build relationships with the people in your community. But don't lead with your sales foot when attending networking events. Instead, make it a point to learn more about THEM and what THEY do. When you approach it this way, they'll reciprocate by wanting to learn more about what YOU do.

Number three: they need to hear from you regularly. How do you stay in touch with people? Some people go to networking events and never do any kind of follow up. Some people go for coffee for a "get to know you" meeting. But what happens then? Do you have any other strategies for making sure they hear from you regularly? What about connecting with them on Facebook? How about sending your newsletter?  What about sending a greeting card that says "Thanks for meeting with me" and then offering a referral? There are all kinds of ways to stay in touch with people, but you need to have a strategy and then work the plan.

Number four: they need to trust you. People don't trust strangers, and if you're randomly sending introductory letters or a one time postcard mailing, you are probably throwing your money away. But if you do some of the things I just talked about, people will start to recognize you from participating at different events, from connecting with them on Facebook, and so on. Pretty soon, when they see you at a networking event, they'll call you by name and come over to talk. THIS is when you know you've started building trust.

Number five: they need to respect you, and of course you need to earn that respect. So don't be that pushy, desperate person at your networking events. You know who I'm talking about - the ones that are in a competition to get as many business cards into people's hands as possible, and not talking about anything but themselves and their business.

The people that are really successful at earning respect are the ones that take the time to listen and learn about others so they can offer referrals or resources that would help their business. These are the people that quickly earn other's respect because they're not self-centered, and they truly care about helping others become successful in their business. They know, that eventually the referrals and clients will come to them because of the friendships they've made.

Ok, so let's recap. In order for prospects to buy from you they need to know who you are, they need to know more about you, they need to hear from you regularly, they need to trust you, and finally they need to respect you. So there you have it! If you always keep these five rules in the back of your mind and focus your marketing on these principles, then your efforts will result in a steady stream of clients.