Do You Ever Trash-Talk Your House Cleaning Competitors?
Has this ever happened to you? You're walking through a home with the prospect and they start complaining about their current cleaning service. They just opened the door for you to trash-talk your competitors; how will you respond?
"Yes, I see what you mean! The dust on the base boards is really thick, there is a lot of build-up around all your faucets, and your heat vents are filthy. I can't believe how poorly they perform their cleaning duties. I can certainly see why you want to change cleaning companies!”
It can be very tempting to trash-talk the other company – especially when the client starts bad-mouthing them first. And besides, they are the competition, the enemy, your nemesis, right?
It's never a good idea to bad-mouth the competition to benefit your home cleaning business
Today's cleaning industry has become very competitive and some people believe by trash-talking the competition, their employees, or the way they do business, will give them the upper-hand. Although this approach may seem rational, it's not. Instead take the high road. When someone opens the door for trash-talking, simply change the subject to something positive. Engage the prospect with your ideas, skills, and knowledge of the cleaning industry. Launch into a list of what YOU can do to solve the prospects cleaning problems. Here's how.
"Well, Mrs. Smith, there are certainly companies out there that aren't going to meet your expectations. It could be the result of faulty or inconsistent training or just plain lack of knowledge, skills or supervision."
“While I cannot guarantee there will never be a problem with the services we provide, what I DO offer is a set of systems for ongoing training, quality control and supervision. These are all requirements for our business – and it's not something we just say, it's what we do and we bet our reputation on it. Let me give you an example..."
This is where you begin to differentiate your home cleaning business from the competition and show the prospect how YOU plan on solving their cleaning issues.
Here is what to day instead of trash talking the competition
For example;
“We use several inspection methods to determine the effectiveness of our cleaning processes. Once a month, our Team Leader will perform a visual inspection as well as ATP testing during our quality assurance rounds at your home. Although naked eye inspections are effective, when combined with scientific ATP Meter Testing, we can guarantee that your home is clean.”
Another example would be;
“We have in place what we call ASAP Customer Service. We address customer concerns ASAP, no waiting days for a reply. When you have questions or problems arise, you want a quick resolution, right? Our ASAP Customer Service ensures that no matter what time of day it is, we'll answer the phone at the time of your call, or we'll call back within 30 minutes, period.”
Let's do one more;
“From orientation forward, we provide all of our cleaning technicians with the knowledge and experience they need to be successful. This begins at orientation, where we provide all employees our company operations and policy manual and thorough training on our systems, procedures, policies and values. Next, we train our cleaning technicians on how to perform the work effectively and efficiently using first class cleaning practices and method, which includes what we call our 10-20-40 rule. This includes 10 hours of classroom training, 20 hours of on-site training, and 40 hours of shadow training, all under the supervision of the Team Leader. All this is mandatory before our cleaners are allowed to step foot in your home. And finally, all our employees are thoroughly trained and versed on our customer care program, which teaches respect, feedback follow up, handling complaints, understanding our clients' needs, and going above and beyond to meet those expectations.”
Differentiate your cleaning business from the competition; provide solutions to their problems including testimonials on how you solved other clients cleaning problems, explain how your systems, processes, and procedures work, and preach up your impeccable customer service.
Look, it's quite simple. Your prospect is looking for peace of mind. You and your cleaning technicians will be working throughout their home, in their bathrooms and bedrooms, and around their most personal possessions. They are looking for someone who is personable and trustworthy.
Your professionalism, follow through, competency, communication, and reliability is what your prospect wants and what you need to deliver. This is the foundation that will move your cleaning business to the next level, not simply trashing-talking the competition.
Customer Care Training Program for Residential Cleaners
(PDF Download)
