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One of the fastest ways to grow your
cleaning business is to get referrals from your current customers. There may be
times when a customer will pass your company's name along without any prompting
from you. However, to really get your clients to work for you, it's important to
encourage referrals. You do this by developing and implementing a business
generating strategy.
A business generating strategy may sound complicated, but it's really quite
simple. All you need to do is set up a system to track where referrals come
from, and then reward the individuals (including your own employees) or
companies that have sent new business your way.
Before you begin actively seeking referrals, take a look at your clients and
make sure that they are happy with your services. If you're not sure how they
feel about your cleaning services, send out a customer survey to see what areas
they are happy with and where you might need improvement. There are also a few
simple, but often neglected rules of courtesy that you should adhere to:
* Make sure that you show up on time to clean buildings. If you are delayed for
some reason, explain why you were late to your customer.
* Take care of any complaints quickly.
* Do what you say you are going to do - whether it is dropping off supplies or
showing up for a meeting with a customer. And remember, whenever you are meeting
with a customer, turn off your cell phone!
* Always remember to say please and thank you.
You may provide the best cleaning service in your part of the country, but what
your customer will remember is that one time you had a meeting and your cell
phone went off or the time a complaint went unanswered.
Once you are happy with the level of service you are providing your customers,
it's time to set up your "referral machine". Begin by deciding what type of
rewards you will give your customers (and employees) for sending referrals your
way. Are you just going to send thank you notes, or will you send gifts? Gift
certificates are an excellent way to reward customers who send referrals; and
cash is a good incentive for employees.
How do you get referrals from your cleaning customers? Ask! Think of the
different ways you communicate with your customers.
1. When sending out monthly invoices include a referral form that they can pass
along to anyone looking for cleaning services. Make sure you have a tracking
number on the form or a place where they can write their name so they get the
credit for the referral.
2. Do you send out a newsletter? That's the perfect place to let your customers
know you appreciate your business and that you are accepting new cleaning
customers.
3. Call or schedule an appointment with your current customers to discuss how
things are going. Ask if you can send them a referral form that they can keep on
hand.
4. Ask for testimonials from your current customers. Then print part of their
testimonial on a referral form that they can give to people who are looking for
a cleaning service.
5. Put together a list of the individuals and business that could send referrals
to you. This includes not only current customers, but employees, networking
groups, suppliers and professional service providers (your accountant, lawyer,
tax preparer, etc.) Send information to all the individuals on your list letting
them know you are building your business and are looking for referrals.
6. People are busy with their own lives and their own businesses. So it is
important that you thank them when they take the time to send a new customer
your way. Taking the time to send a thank you shows that you appreciate the
referral.
As any successful business owner will tell you, referrals from current customers
are the best way to grow your business. Indeed, it is more cost-effective to
give cash and gifts to individuals that send referrals your way than to it is to
run an ads in your local media. Provide good service to your cleaning customers
and remind them you are growing your business and the referrals you get will pay
off much better than any money you spend on an advertising campaign.
Steve Hanson is co-founding member of The Janitorial Store (TM), an online
community that offers weekly tips, articles, downloads, discussion forums, and
more for anyone who would like to learn
how to start a
cleaning business. Visit The Janitorial Store's blog and get inspired by
reading cleaning
success stories from owners of cleaning companies.
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