Episode 56: Should You Use Subcontractors To Offer New Services In Your Cleaning Business?

One of the best ways to grow your cleaning business and increase profitability is to offer more services to your existing clients. But what do you do if you don't know how to perform the service? This video explains the pros and cons of learning how to provide the service yourself versus subcontracting the work.

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Episode #56 - Video Transcription

One of the best ways to grow your cleaning business and increase profitability is to offer more services to your existing clients. But what do you do if you don't know how to perform the service? Let's say you're getting a lot of requests for carpet cleaning and stone floor care but you know nothing about how to perform these services. And then there's the equipment - you'll need to invest a few thousand dollars in specialized equipment. For the most part, you have two options. The first option is to educate yourself and your employees by taking classes and maybe asking your supplier to train you on how to use the equipment. The second option is to subcontract the work to a professional.

Now learning how to perform the service is the most profitable way to go, although you WILL have up front expenses for training and equipment. But it typically takes just a few jobs to get your investment back.  Subcontracting might be the way to go at first because you won't have to spend any additional money on equipment and training. Plus, you can act as the middle man and make a small profit for yourself, while keeping the client happy. But subcontracting can work against you if you're not careful. You need to keep in mind that ultimately your company name is the one on the line.  So if the subcontractor creates any issues with the client, it's you and your company that is going to hear about it from the client.

Your reputation and future business could depend on the quality of work that the subcontractor does. So you want to make sure you choose a company that you completely trust. Don't just pick someone just because they're in the same networking group as you. Put them through their paces by interviewing them to make sure they're a good fit for your needs, and get recommendations from their clients. If it's a carpet cleaner, have them clean the carpet in your home or office before sending them into a client's home or office.

For some, hiring subcontractors is the way to go. But ultimately, you can make a lot more money by providing the service yourself. Just make sure you get the proper education first. Plus, if you use subcontractors, you may not be able to price the work competitively because you are adding a middle man. And in these days of competitive pricing, you don't want to lose out on these additional services to your competition. Another thing to keep in mind is that if you've got another company coming in to your client's space to perform a cleaning service that you don't know how to do; you've just given them an "in" with the client to eventually take over all the cleaning. Remember - even carpet cleaners are expanding their services to include house cleaning and office cleaning.

So I hope I've given you a few things to consider before deciding to hire subcontractors to do the specialized cleaning services you want to offer your clients. Now, I'd like to hear from you! Do you use subcontractors for the services you don't know how to do? How is it working for you? Go ahead and post your comments below the video.