Grow Your House Cleaning Business by Selling More to Current Clients

Every residential cleaning company owner is focused on growth—bringing on new clients, hiring new employees, and generally expanding their operation. One thing many of them overlook in their growth strategies, however, is leveraging their current client base.

You are well poised to forge very strong relationships with your clients. They trust you enough to allow you into their private space. And you provide a service that dramatically improves how their home looks and how they feel about it. Do your job well, and it doesn't take long for them to view you as an essential part of their life and budget.

This relationship is an important doorway for growing your house cleaning business. 

Let me guess. By now you're thinking, "They're already my clients, so how can they help my business grow?" The answer is tied to your deepening relationship.

Grow Your Cleaning Business: Sell More to Current Clients

Tips for Growing Your House Cleaning Business that Doesn't Involve New Clients

More Trust = More Access

Nearly half of companies spend more time on acquiring new customers than nurturing the ones they already have. This unfortunate because it costs five times as much to attract a new customer as it does to keep an existing one.

Shift your primary focus to making the most of the customers you already have and who already love you. Upselling to existing, satisfied customers can be a profitable opportunity.

More than likely, you already have marketing campaigns for each holiday or season. Also more than likely, these promotions and specials are limited to new or first-time clients. My challenge to you is to create a second set of offers to upsell or cross-sell your current clients so they buy more from you.

An upsell is a simpler extra service that can be added onto an existing cleaning appointment, while a cross-sell is a bigger extra service that requires a separate appointment.

Not sure what you can offer your existing clients? The answer is anything in your menu of services that they aren't already paying you to do!

Here are a few ideas to get you thinking:

Also, train your employees to notice for-sale signs in front of your clients' homes. When they pop up, have a conversation with them about where they are moving. If they are staying in your service area, be sure to let them know you are happy to move with them and discuss rates for their new (possibly larger) home.

Clients = "Unpaid" Sales Staff

Your satisfied customers are not only more likely to buy additional services from you, they are also your best resources for referrals and references.

There's a distinct difference between a referral and a reference. A referral is when a customer is happy enough with your service to pass it along to friends and family when they hear someone is looking for a cleaning service. While extremely helpful, referrals are not as powerful as references.

With references, extremely satisfied clients may go the extra mile and actually speak to prospective customers on your behalf. In effect, they act as unpaid sales representatives, helping prospective clients realize the value your service has already provided for them, and can provide for the potential customer.

How to Build Relationships with Your Clients

The best way to turn clients into sales reps is to build strong, meaningful relationships with them. When there's a strong foundation of trust and satisfaction, they'll be extremely comfortable doling out references. In fact, they may even do it without prodding.

How do you establish this type of relationship? It starts by talking to your clients often and, when possible, making sure the conversations touch on subjects other than cleaning. The goal is to create a genuine connection, and help them see that you (or your technicians) aren't talking to them only because they pay you.

Also important is anticipating your client's needs. Offer extra services in advance of major holidays before the client has to ask you. Also, train your staff to pay attention in the customer's home. Did they get a new pet? Did they have a baby? Are they remodeling? Proactively offer suggestions for tweaking your services to address the customer's lifestyle and environmental changes.

Most importantly, you must offer top-notch services that impress your clients. Train your cleaning technicians on best practices and let them you won't tolerate them cutting corners. Also, consider adding some “extras” to your customer service—such as leaving a personalized note after each service and sending small tokens of appreciation each quarter.

Training employees to thoroughly and politely communicate with clients, proactively anticipating and solving your customers' needs, and frequently offering above-and-beyond service, you'll quickly establish a solid relationship that will pay dividends.

Growing your business is not always about seeking out new clients. Often, the tools to grow your cleaning business are already there in the clients you currently service.