| |
| |
|
Small Business Information |
|
|
|
Professional House Cleaning - The Dirty Little Secret
Are you tired yet of all the books out there telling you how easy it is to start a house cleaning business? I'm not inferring that all their information is bad, but let's be honest about how "easy" it really is. There's a dirty little secret hanging over the cleaning trade that nobody talks about, but every professional cleaner runs into. And unfortunately, if you buy one of the books on how to start your own cleaning business, they won't tell you about this issue and probably don't even know it exists. Why don't they know it exists? Because the book was more than likely written by a business professional and not a cleaning professional. To share the responsibility, I'll be honest and reveal that even the professional cleaners don't talk about this issue. And I can't figure out why; are they in denial, do they decide to just ignore it or are they resolved to keeping their place in society? What's the dirty little secret that nobody talks about? The issue is that most of the customers that pay people to clean their house think you are cleaning because you can't do anything else and automatically think you will work for pennies. OK - I said it. Now it's out there because I think this is an important issue that people should know before they start a cleaning business. And it's also important for the people that are currently cleaning to acknowledge that it exists and know there is a way around the issue. And once you know about it, you shouldn't let it deter you from building your business; just know how to handle the issue for success. I know a lot about this issue because I started my own house cleaning business and grew it into a company with teams of employees. And I didn't just start the business and immediately hire the employees to do the cleaning. I started the business and did the cleaning myself. I had been self employed in the computer industry doing software design and development consulting for large corporations. This is a stress-filled career because you're on-call 24/7, must fix software problems immediately, and you have project deadlines to meet. After doing this for 18 years, I was burnt out and needed a change. I started the house cleaning business because I always had my house cleaned by professionals. And I wasn't happy with the quality of the work. I definitely knew what customers wanted and knew I could build my business based on that. With my business and technical background, I had no problem preparing the advertising and bidding on jobs. In fact, I landed 98% of the jobs I estimated. When I showed up to do the cleaning, I got a whole different reaction from my new client than when we met for the estimate. Suddenly, they thought I needed supervision while cleaning. They also thought they could ask and get more work done for the original quote I gave them. And imagine my surprise when they started telling me what I was going to clean on their next appointment! I had always treated the people cleaning for me with professional respect. So it took me a while and a few customers to figure out what was going on and why. Obviously, other cleaners working alone would fall into this trap and the customer got their way. I snapped out of my obvious surprised stupor, dug in my heels and ran my business as I had planned it. I learned that when I estimated a job, the customer had to decide if they wanted what my business offered and I also had to decide if I wanted to clean for this prospect. I used professional, custom business forms that I designed and always required new customers to sign a Service Agreement. It was up to me to decide if I wanted to bend my rules, not up to the customer to demand that I bend them. And you know what happened? My business kept growing, the referrals kept coming in and this dirty little secret no longer affected me. I truly believe that every house cleaner can earn a full-time income and enjoy the cleaning trade by knowing what to expect before they get into a business they may not be fully prepared for. Gail Metcalf built her cleaning business from the ground up. Learn more with The House Cleaning Pro Turnkey System and the Pro Tips and Tricks. Site Map available on The House Cleaning Pro website. Permission is granted to reproduce this article but credit must be given to the author. No part of the article content can be modified, and a link must be provided to: http://HouseCleaningPro.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Small-Business - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Small Business Opportunities And The Tens You may find this Newsletter a little long winded but it's for a good cause: It's all designed for Your Success!One of my favorite quotes is by Alfred d'Souza. It goes like this:"For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin, real life. Don't Quit Before You Get to the City! We were more than excited. Our women's doubles tennis team had won our division, successfully competed in three rounds of the playoffs and had emerged as finalists in the city competition. Creative Marketing Tips: Simple Things You Can Use In Your Business To Attract More Clients The single most important activity you can do in your small business is create a unique marketing strategy and plan. When was the last time you saw a company marketing themselves in an outrageous way? In this day and age it looks like everyone has read the same book on marketing - and sorry to say - that book doesn't work!What does work - is a little creativity, a little personality and a lot of effort to make yourself so different from your competition - that there is no real competition. Designing a Franchise Training Program If you intend to franchise your company you will need to design a bullet proof training company for your new franchisees. This is above and beyond the training program you will design for them to administer to their new employees. Internships: Good for Everyone Many job applicants want a job but often do not have the prerequisite experience, experience that they can only have by getting a job. Managers who take the chance and hire them may have to spend considerable time and effort training them, only to find the new recruits unsuitable or unhappy with the jobs and looking for employment elsewhere. SBIR vs STTR SBIR vs. STTR: If you are participating in the SBIR program you may also want to consider participating in the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program. Increase Sales in Your Home Business With These 10 Simple Ideas Every home business has the same problem of how to increase sales without a hugely expensive marketing campaign. By utilising the following simple ideas you will be able to do just that. Pressure Washing at Golf Courses There are many potential niches for pressure washing companies that often go unchecked. Some are quite lucrative and are worth investigation if you own a pressure washing business. Pressure Washing of Paving Equipment and The EPA Many pressure washing companies will be glad to take on additional work when a company calls them up to come and wash, but the days of cleaning asphalt compactors, steamrollers, paving equipment with diesel fuel are gone forever. If you are caught doing it the old fashioned way it's a $1,000 fines in the United States, fist offense and you pay for cleanup. Tips For Successful Home Show Businesses Opportunities for home show businesses have never been more abundant. If you're thinking about joining the ranks of those in the many show businesses at home available, use these quick tips to get going. Success Tips for Small Business Owners Running a small business requires many skills. However, to do this successfully you need to organize yourself first. 10 Ways to Start a Business on a Budget If you've been thinking about starting a business, but are held back due to cash-flow issues, there are plenty of ways you can get your plans off the ground. Though your vision may be to own a big store, restaurant, warehouse, or office, consider starting on a smaller scale. The Skills Gap: It Pays to Use Experts By outsourcing to skilled professionals you'll be able to grow your business without adding overhead.Here are some of the costs associated with growing a business through acquiring staff:* recruitment* payroll and tax obligations* national insurance* employers liability* benefits (pension, car, medical, dental)* holiday pay / sick pay / maternity pay / water cooler pay!* office space* equipment or general office supplies* legal responsibilities that include employee policies on working hours, sexual harassment, sick time, leave of absence, holidays, benefits, performance reviews, grievances, terminations* training* managementDo not underestimate the time and money involved in recruiting and retaining staff. Implementing an Internship Program CONSIDERING COMPANY NEEDS: In identifying your needs for the internship, you need to examine the chief responsibilities of the position. And the broader they are, the more flexibility you will be giving yourself and the intern. The Greatest Challenges the Internet Consultant Faces! While there are few career paths that some would call perfect, being a consultant comes pretty close to having it all. Yet while it is one of the best ways to earn a living, there are challenges and pitfalls that are sometimes overwhelming and unexpected. How to Start an Office Support Service Office support services can range from basic data entry to a fully-staffed office handling all the details of a client's business.An office support service company can start very small, offering only a limited selection of services and expanding as you gain the capacity to do so. Equipment Maintenance Manual for Mobile Cleaning Business Outline Service Cleaning Businesses must maintain their equipment in order to insure it is ready to go when the company vehicles reach their customer. It does not matter how many service vehicles or employees you have, a manual can save you both time and money. The Care and Feeding of Your Small Business While I was hard at work last week, an everyday drama was playing out in a hospital room in the next town. My niece was working on presenting me with a new great nephew. How to Effectively Design Your Business Image In many industries, image is one of the last things business owner looks at. If business is not booming, they assume there is something wrong with the sales method, as opposed to the image. The Business Autopsy: A Fact Of Life Last week we discussed the importance of performing an autopsy on a dead business. No, I haven't been watching too many of those wonderfully graphic, TV forensic investigation shows.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
