Business Strategies continued
- Article Dates:
- 2009
- All Months
Displaying Matches 1 thru 22 of 22 Found.
Sooner or later you'll need to invest in software for your residential cleaning business. When making your decision on what to buy, you'll want to look at several features....
Many people will tell you that price is all that matters these days. But is that really true? When a prospective client immediately shifts the conversation to price, do you cringe and feel yourself starting to give in? Are you ready to lower your price in order to get the client?...
Press Releases: The Best Kept Secret To Free AdvertisingOne of the most underutilized and best kept secrets in effective marketing is the use of the Press Release. It is an easy, no-cost way to spread the word about your business. A well-written press release can be used to describe events, grand openings, new services you provide, new personnel, or even new products that you are using in your business....
Accidents are going to happen, so it's best to be prepared for the inevitable phone call from an employee calling to tell you she broke something. Having a Replacement Policy for damaged items will help your employees know what to do and will help your customers know what to expect. It also helps to have a written policy for those "sticky" situations where the value of the item is in question....
Should You Accept Credit Cards from Cleaning Customers?As our society is becoming more and more "paperless," there are an increasing number of choices for your cleaning customers to pay their bill. Many people find that writing checks is becoming obsolete in a world of online banking, automatic payments, electronic checks, and debit and credit cards. Even carrying cash with you is becoming less important, as most businesses now accept debit and credit cards right at the checkout counter. What does this mean for you as a business owner? Most people like the convenience of paying with "plastic," but there are distinct advantages and disadvantages for you....
The phone rings and it's a prospective client who wants to know how much you charge to clean a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home. Before you even get a chance to get any more information about the home, she takes over again by saying, "I don't want you to come to the house, I just need a ballpark price"....
Attending Cleaning Trade Shows, Part TwoTrade shows serve a useful purpose for the commercial and residential cleaning service owners. Like most things in this world, it is all about your attitude going into it, how much work you put into it, and what you do with the knowledge you learn. In Part Two of this series of articles about trade shows, we will pick up where we left off and discuss the things you need to know while you are attending the show....
Pandemic Flu and Your Role as a Cleaning Company Owner -- Part 2Pandemic flu continues to be an issue worldwide. In our two-part article, we are discussing how cleaning business owners are affected. In the last article we talked about what you need to do internally within your organization to prevent the spread of swine flu/H1N1. Now we will move on to how you deal with your customers in a pandemic crisis....
Attending Cleaning Trade Shows, Part OneAs a small business owner, I'm sure you have received many invitations to attend a trade show. If you are anything like I used to be, these invites ended up in the trash. You probably thought they were for he "big" cleaning companies or for those who looking for an excuse to attend a convention on the company dime, when in fact you were looking for a mini-vacation. Those thoughts are misconceptions. Trade shows serve a useful purpose for residential cleaning service owners. Like most things in this world, it is all about your attitude going into it, how much work you put into it, and what you do with the knowledge you learn. In this two-part article, you will learn about what trade shows are, how to prepare for them, what to do while attending one, and the benefits you can achieve....
The Grant Process for Cleaning CompaniesSo you want to start a cleaning service or expand your current one. You have the knowledge, skills, and ambition to do so, but are missing one thing -- money. Personally financing your business is often not an option. How about a loan? While a common choice for many people starting out, sometimes loans are not possible due to your circumstances or credit rating or for whatever reason. Plus, they have this built-in disadvantage: they have to be paid back!...
Compensation Plans for Residential Cleaning ServicesOne major question that comes up when residential cleaning services are hiring its employees is "How much should I pay them?" Many factors are involved in answering that question, taking into account such factors as geography, demographics, competition, and your marketing strategy, just to name a few. However, one question you need to think about is HOW you determine what to pay your employees....
WEBINAR ON CD: How to Use Twitter to Market Your Cleaning BusinessTwitter is the hottest thing to hit the internet in a very long time. It is the most used social media website in the world right now. Are you there? To get a better grasp on Twitter, watch this pre-recorded webinar, where you'll learn how to master the art of using Twitter to build relationships and market your cleaning business! The cleaning industry is starting to get on board with Twitter and you don't want to be left out while your competitors are "tweeting" with your customers or potential customers....
When you own a business, your employees are out there representing your company. But just how much do they really know about your house cleaning business and why does it matter?...
Blogging for Residential Cleaning CompaniesIf you spend anytime on the internet, you've probably come across many blog sites. Teenagers, stay-at-home moms, news agencies, and CEO's of major corporations are all jumping on the blog bandwagon. Find out why your residential cleaning business would benefit from having your very own blog....
We talk to people in the cleaning industry every day and it seems that more and more are being affected by the recession. We've had many discussions over the past few months about this topic and have shared lots of ideas. Today we'll share some ideas for expanding your house cleaning services so you can be a "one stop shop" for your clients....
Foreclosure Cleaning: Do You Really Want to Do It?One of the fastest growing segments of our industry today is cleaning homes that have been placed in foreclosure. Sadly to say, the demand for cleaning these properties is unprecedented in recent times. Although a foreclosure property is someone's misfortune, it at the same time, is an opportunity for the cleaning business owner to keep employees working and to charge a premium for their work. While it is another income source for the business owner, is it worth your time and effort? Can you benefit from targeting this fast growing market?...
In Part 1 we discussed one of the reasons you may be leaking profits in your house cleaning business. If you've set your rate and estimated your time correctly, each account should be netting you a profit. But if your employees are spending more time than you estimated cleaning an account, your profits will quickly dwindle....
PayPal Benefits Residential Cleaning Companies and Their CustomersTaking payments through PayPal can be worthwhile for both you and your residential cleaning customers because it is so easy and convenient to use. In this article, you'll learn step-by-step how to get started with PayPal....
Does it feel like you're working like crazy but not making any money? You're not alone - many house cleaning business owners feel this way. Usually it's because we're simply too busy to pay attention to whether or not all our hard work is actually creating a profit for our business. In order to assess your own situation, you need to stop and take a close look at your business to see where the leaks are....
Do you struggle with the ethics of making a profit? Are you constantly finding yourself giving away your profits in one form or another? When you look at your bottom line are you pleased with the results?...
Marketing Gift Cards For Your Residential Cleaning BusinessThe retail gift card industry has ballooned to a 35 billion dollar a year industry and seems to be gaining momentum each year increasing by 35% during the holidays. That's a lot of gift-buying and second-party sales that maid services are missing out on for the most part....
A lot of house cleaning business owners second guess themselves when they get price resistance from potential clients. When a customer says "your price is too high", some people suddenly back down or become unsure that the price they just quoted is justified....
Displaying Matches 1 thru 22 of 22 Found
