How to Market a Cleaning Business Archives

How To Market Your Cleaning Business Online

June 20, 2017 by Lisa Macqueen 5 Comments

Lisa Macqueen – CEO & Founder, Cleaning Marketer

How on earth are you supposed to market your cleaning business online if your website like a ‘ghost town’…. ?

Tumbleweeds instead of prospects?

You literally can’t remember the last time you received a lead from your website – and instead, you spend a fortune in either your time, or $$ trying to drive sales for your cleaning business by cold calling or telemarketing…

It’s exhausting….

Believe it or not, a few simple ‘tweaks’ could be the difference between your prospects landing on your page and staying to find out more, or clicking away in a hurry because it looks like your site was designed in the 90’s…

Your prospects “live” online – and if you’re not there – you’re no-where and you don’t exist as far as they are concerned… (Want to know more – check out my “Meet The Millennials” blog post here).

Not great if you’re wanting to keep winning new clients for your cleaning business…

In today’s video, I share 3 really simple strategies for improving your website. Go check it out by clicking on the image below, and let me know what you think in the comments..

Would You Like Me To Help You?

Best-selling author, Ultimate Marketer and Small Business ICON Award Winner, Lisa Macqueen knows how to use strong management skills, smart marketing strategies, systems and automation to help cleaning business owners around the world succeed.

With over 22 years as a cleaning business owner herself, and growing to a multi 7 figure cleaning business and experiencing tremendous success, her mission continues. Lisa took her husbands’ ‘average’ office cleaning company and turned it into a multi-million dollar international empire in a little over 2 years, and is now in hot demand as a cleaning business coach, speaker, and mentor.

Lisa was recently named as one of “America’s Premier Experts” and appeared on the Brian Tracy Show on CBS and NBC & FOX Affiliates in the US, and also co-authored a book with Brian Tracy, Power Principles for Success which reached best-seller status in two Amazon.com categories.

While many people frequently call her the “Queen of Cleaning” she will be the first to say that what she really helps cleaning business owners with, is teaching them how to run a cleaning business with a combination of tough love, great systems and strong marketing strategies that actually work for cleaning businesses…

If you’re serious about your cleaning business and would like to get to the next level, Lisa can help you get there. Click here to schedule a free 30 minute discovery call with Lisa.

Follow Lisa on Facebook, Linked In, YouTube or Twitter.

5 Top Cleaning Industry Events You Should Attend in 2017

April 19, 2017 by Lisa Macqueen Leave a Comment

It’s one of my favorite things to do… Attend cleaning industry events – either conferences or exhibitions and literally surround myself with people who are passionate about the same things as me – entrepreneurship, marketing, their businesses and of course, cleaning..

As far as I’m concerned, attending industry events are a must do if you’re looking to grow your cleaning business.

Why? Because you get the opportunity to hang around other successful people and learn from experts while you’re there. AND, you’ll not only get a host of new ideas and inspiration, you’ll also start to operate on a new level (and probably make some great industry friends and contacts while you’re there).

So that’s our focus today – getting inspired, and making a decision to take action and book an event to attend…

Before we dive in though, I wanted to share something that happened to me a couple of weeks ago while I was at an event. .

My husband Hamish and I attended a 2 day marketing conference event in San Diego, CA and as with most events, there were various networking opportunities where you could informally meet other business owners and entrepreneurs.

It was a great event and a lot of fun..

But there was something that happened while we were there that I wanted to share with you, because I know you don’t want to make this mistake.

So, there we were at the first “official” event the night before the conference actually began. Three hundred and fifty business owners and entrepreneurs in this lovely hotel, all asking *kind of* the same question to each other…

“So… what business are you in”?

And you can imagine, some people in the room were powerhouses of the “elevator pitch”, while others just shared what they actually did.

It was great…

Until, we met let’s just call him “Jason”.

Now Jason, was from Alabama, and he was in a bricks and mortar business. And “Jason” was kind of a big deal. He regaled us with stories of the different cleaning businesses he’d hired (and fired) over the years, and each sounded worse than the previous. And then he said:

“So tell me, why would you fly all this way to go to a conference – how could being here help your business when all you do is clean”?

Um… whaaaaaaaaat?

For the record, I put him straight right away… but, his comment made me think about you guys. And to be honest, I rarely meet many other cleaning business owners at events I go to (and I go to a lot of conferences each year).

So where are you, and what conferences ARE you attending?

Is it because you believe what “Jason” thinks is true (and I really hope that’s not the case)… because in the cleaning industry we need to stay up to date. Things have changed (big time) and as business owners, it’s important to stay connected and keep learning.

I’m about to fly back to the US in a couple of days (yes, that’s right. I’ve flown to the US twice in the past month from Australia)

Why?

Because if you’re not continuously working on educating yourself and staying connected by attending cleaning industry events, you and your business may find you’re being out-marketed by your competitors, and you’re using outdated methods that have stopped working.

Have you ever wondered why what worked a few years ago, now is a lot less effective?

It’s because things in our business are changing all the time…

That’s why I head to conferences like the Infusionsoft’s annual user event, ICON every year in Phoenix, AZ. Even if you aren’t an Infusionsoft customer, this event is THE event for small business – because of the amazing speakers, and the educational content alone it’s worth the trip.

And full disclosure here – it was at this event that our very own cleaning business, Cleancorp, won the Small Business ICON Award in front of 3000+ business owners (you can check that out here.)

And I really LOVE attending this event – but even if we didn’t have automation, this is a cool event to learn great sales and marketing principles from..

So, want to know what other events you should be putting on your calendar?

Infusionsoft ICON 2017 Event – 25-27 April, Phoenix, AZ – Going? See you there.

Lisa Macqueen, Infusionsoft Cleaning Business ICON, Infusionsoft for Cleaning Businesses

Meet Us At ICON – Phoenix, AZ – 25-27 April, 2017

Reframe Janitorial Conference by Swept (My friends at Swept have invited me to speak at a few of their Reframed events, so keep an eye out for those dates)

ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo (I’ll be speaking as part of a panel – Melbourne, Australia)

ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo

Here’s a few more that you should definitely aim to attend:

ISSA Interclean North America (September, 2017 in Las Vegas, NV)

BSCAI Annual Convention (September, 2017 in Las Vegas, NV)

ARCSI Event (September 2017 – venue TBD)

So “Jason”, let me put you straight on this…

Cleaning isn’t just cleaning. It’s a thriving business full of dedicated and hardworking business owners and entrepreneurs who see the value in investing in their own education, and offering 21st century solutions to their customers.

I’d love to hear from you – what conferences are you planning on attending this year? Leave me a message below, and who knows, I just might see you there… 🙂

“People don’t resist change, they resist being changed”. Peter Senge

Lisa x

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First time to our blog…? Welcome, it’s great to have you here 🙂 Want to know more about us – check us out here.

Cleaning Marketer works exclusively with cleaning businesses to help them attract more prospects, make more sales, and keep their clients longer.

PS A FREE REPORT FOR YOU: “How To Get Cleaning Clients Even If You’re Brand New To The Cleaning Industry”

Go Grab Your Free Copy By Clicking On This Link: Here

Want fast access to great information to help you build and grow your cleaning business? Go ‘Like’ us on Facebook or hit the ‘Subscribe’ Button on You Tube.

5 Top-Secret Questions You Need To Ask Your Prospects – How To Grow My Cleaning Company

January 31, 2017 by Lisa Macqueen 16 Comments

5 Secret Questions You Need To Ask Your Prospects (So You Can Grow Your Cleaning Business )

I was on an interview recently, and asked what my top 3 Secrets To Grow Your Cleaning Business in 2017 were (you can checkout that interview I did with Joshua Latimer here) and I thought…hmmm

“That would make a great post for this week….”

because as we get into the year, the better equipped we are with information, the better our year will be right?

So, let’s start off with our customers… and making sales because..

Sales are 100% of Profit

..Sales are 100% of profit

But to get a sale, we have to attract a prospect, and then do a great job and turn them into customers, and then KEEP THEM (which is where a lot of cleaning businesses come undone.

Keeping customers can be HARD

Some customers aren’t shy at all about expressing their opinions. They know they’re paying for a cleaning service and they aren’t afraid to communicate exactly what they want and need.

But then there are others who may be hesitant, unconfident, or at least less forthright with you for dozens of reasons. But the hesitant ones could be the ideal customers, the loyal ones that want your services for years to come. They just need to confirm that you’re the right fit. To unlock this information, you need to know what they’re not saying.

Throughout my years in the cleaning industry, I’ve gathered up the most essential ways to reassure current and potential clients so that your business will be booming. And stay that way…

Here’s what you really need to know:

# 1. They’re dying to figure out how you’ll be different.

You know, different from the previous cleaning service that clearly didn’t work out (because otherwise they wouldn’t have called you). The way to not only reassure them but to actually stand out is by asking them this very simple question (learned from the indomitable Skip Miller)..

What’s causing you to change your cleaning service?

And then be quiet. This is their turn to speak! And, they’ll tell you all the things that they haven’t been happy about – which is valuable information for you, because these things are their ‘hot buttons’….

When you know your prospects ‘hot buttons’ you can tailor-make your proposal like a laser guided missile to it’s target – because you’re offering them targeted solutions to their (already existing) problems.

And no-one else will be doing that, (trust me, most cleaning business sales people just talk about themselves and their company incessantly) instead of talking about solutions to their prospects problems…

…Which is how you win your prospects’ trust..

The ‘ol one two’

And if you want to give them the ‘ol one-two punch’ then hit them with this next question (courtesy of the lovely Angela Brown Oberer…)

How will you know your home or office is really clean?

And guess what? This question will tell you EXACTLY the areas that they ‘see’… That is, the areas that are more visible to them than others.

Meaning (insert drumroll here…)

You can focus on those areas and know in advance, that your shiny new customer will see it, and appreciate it…..and stay with you longer..

It’s simple, but crucial for client retention.

# 2. They want to know how you hire and screen your employees.

What is DIFFERENT about your employees and team?

If you have a special “5 step on-boarding process” that includes some cool new ideas for bringing on efficient team members with a great eye for detail – shout it from the rooftops! (And if you don’t -2017 is the year you need to get your talent acquisition strategy as strong as your customer acquisition strategy).

Remember, your job is to be as DIFFERENT as you can from your competitors, otherwise, you’ll end up competing on price because your prospects won’t be able to make a clear distinction between your services and your competitors, so they’ll go with the lowest common denominator – THE PRICE

# 3. They want to know how long you’ve been in business (and whether you have the proper credentials).

Ok, truthfully????? They don’t care.

…..(insert a barrage of negative comments here… ) wait, wait, just hear me out first…

At the beginning of a new prospect relationship, this is simply not the most important thing to your prospect.

Why?

Because you’re not ‘there’ yet (and by ‘there’ I mean, on their mental short-list for the job).

They’re just checking you out… Just think of this as your first date… The time when you bring out “funny, charming you” who’s super interested in everything they have to say….

That my friends, is what a first date is all about…

You’ve Got To Date Your Prospects Before You Ask Them to “Marry” You….

Of course the whole licensed-bonded-insured thing is a great form of outward-facing credibility to the people who matter. How many years of experience your company has is also very telling. These clues speak to your legitimacy and trustworthiness.

And these things ARE important.

It’s just that going on and on about it at the first appointment is just going to bore your prospect to death because, THEY DON’T CARE YET..

But they will.

# 4. They want to know exactly what will be covered.

Whether you use a checklist, talk over problem areas or ask for a list of specifications, clients want reassurance that your team will do a much more thorough job than they’d do themselves if they had the time. That your team will take the time to tackle the areas that matter most (remember, this where you should be talking about those ‘hot buttons’). This should be part of the on-boarding process.

# 5 They want to know what happens if they’re less than pleased with the results.

Nooooooooo….. I just put that point in to mess with you!

Because you, the cleaning industry professional, are going to grow your cleaning business by beginning this relationship positioned as an expert. And you’re going to set your client’s expectations correctly right from the word go.

How would this sound in a real sales appointment? Something like this:

“John/Sarah, as a business, my team and I strive and work towards excellence, however, as with everything in life, it’s impossible to get a perfect score or 100/100 every single day.

Wouldn’t you agree John/Sarah?

So with that in mind, I’m going to be calling/emailing/dropping by on a weekly/monthly/quarterly basis and asking you – ‘are we meeting all of your needs’?

If you feel there’s even a small improvement that could be made, would you do me a favor?

‘Sure..’

Would you let me know before it becomes an issue so we can make any ‘course corrections’ needed, so you can have the service you signed up for, and my team and I can proudly call you our customer for many years to come?

Try this strategy… by getting your customers’ help right from the beginning, it sets up the whole shiny-new relationship on the right footing…

Why?

Because they’re worried about trusting you (they’ve been let down before, remember).

And you’re worried about asking them because you may be afraid those questions will open a can of worms. That’s always a possible outcome, but what’s more likely is that your team’s services will improve, you’ll learn a lot about what makes people lifelong customers AND your business will flourish because you weren’t afraid to ask.

So there you have it… how to grow your cleaning business by knowing what some of the thoughts are that are typically in the back of prospects’ and customers’ minds (but aren’t always addressed out of fear), AND knowing some of the right questions you can be asking to relax your prospect.

What do you think? I would love you to share some of your own experiences. Do you have another ‘top-secret’ question that your prospects ask? Leave me a message in the comments below and share your thoughts – I promise, I read and reply to every message..

“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t said.” – Peter Drucker

Lisa x

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First time to our blog…? Welcome, it’s great to have you here 🙂 Want to know more about us – check us out here.

Cleaning Marketer works exclusively with cleaning businesses to help them attract more prospects, make more sales, and keep their clients longer.

Want fast business growth? Register for the next Cleaning Business School – Fast Growth Ideas for Cleaning Businesses who want to attract more prospects, make more sales and keep their clients longer.

Prefer a live event in either San Diego or New York City in 2017? Get inspired, empowered and take your market by storm. Book now

PS A FREE REPORT FOR YOU: “How To Get Cleaning Clients Even If You’re Brand New To The Cleaning Industry”

Go Grab Your Free Copy By Clicking On This Link: Here

Want fast access to great information to help you build and grow your cleaning business? Go ‘Like’ us on Facebook or hit the ‘Subscribe’ Button on You Tube.

How to Get New Cleaning Clients – STOP Trying to Figure it Out

January 4, 2017 by Lisa Macqueen Leave a Comment

Okay, so maybe 2016 was a year you’d rather forget in your cleaning business.

When you look back and reflect on the year that was, you feel like your cleaning business just ‘stood still’, sure you managed to grow a little here and there, but it was tough, and you’ve made a promise to yourself that….

….2017 is going to be different.

Why?

Because you can’t do another year like last year (or the year before…)..

Listen to me.

You’re a cleaning business entrepreneur in a relentless search for business success, profit and time freedom.

DO NOT GIVE IN.

You are a producer. You create.

You, the cleaning business owner, take the risks, you lose the sleep, you give up family time in pursuit of growing your enterprise, you suffer disappointment and loss when things inevitably go wrong, you endure the scorn and ridicule of others who are too afraid to take the chances you’re willing to take.

Too afraid to create what you create. Too afraid to build what you build.

You accept 100% of risk, pain, worry, toil and WORK.

Yet, you SHARE in the rewards.

You create jobs. You pay the most taxes. You provide services that HELP people.

Without you, the machine stops.

YOU. ARE. ATLAS

Like Cleaning Business Owners, Atlas Has The World On His Shoulders

WE NEED YOU. DO NOT GIVE IN.

Lisa xx

Here’s How to Get New Cleaning Clients

Tip # 1 – Know your ideal client.

It sounds simple, but identifying the types of clients you prefer to work with is the first step. Because the best client is a recurring one, your target audience should consist of the people who continually rely on your services. Try to be as specific as possible when identifying your ideal client profile. What careers do they have? What neighbourhoods do they live in? What social media sites are they on and where do they hang out so you can find them?

PRO TIP: If you’re reading this thinking “I can clean for anyone” – you’ll miss the mark. Get laser-like focus on who your best client is – and then get your messaging to be addressing their problems, frustrations and concerns – when you do that, they’ll feel like you’re talking to them, you understand them. And that, immediately makes you much more attractive to them…

Tip # 2 – Develop a marketing plan.

Speaking of social media, having an online presence these days is more crucial than ever. Keep your website and social channels up to date. Clearly state what services you cover on all promotional materials to reduce any confusion in advance, and remember that every time you’re putting something up on social media – have your ideal client in mind.

Would they be interested in that photo of a dirty bathroom (my guess is probably not…), but if they were a business, maybe they’d be interested in something related to their business, or a problem an Office Manager might come across during their day – see how that’s different?

BE DIFFERENT.

It’s also helpful to list your company in relevant directories and sites like Google, Bing, Yelp, Yellow Pages, Angie’s List, etc.

PRO-TIP Get a blog happening on your website, start posting regularly, get out there and target your audience!!

Tip # 3 – Remember your current relationships are a jumping off point.

Ask for referrals from current clients that you like doing business with. Chances are, they have similar friends, colleagues, family or other business owners in need of what you provide.

PRO TIP: Make sure you have a system for referral-getting, don’t just use the “hope” marketing strategy for this…. Referrals are an AWESOME way for you to build great relationships with your existing customers (remember to always recognize and thank people for referring you), AND, build your business with more of your Ideal Clients

Tip # 4 – Build credibility and your network.

What’s your strategy for getting regular testimonials (is that crickets I can hear…?)

In the cleaning business, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

ASK!

And make it easy for them to give you a testimonial. If you send them an email, put in a link to your Facebook page or Linked In, so they don’t have to find it themselves – remember that in the 21st century we now have an attention span of 8.2 seconds.

<<<— Same as this goldfish

So, you have to do all the ‘leg-work’ – make it easy, ask for just 1 or 2 lines, and then, are you ready for this huge piece of advice????

SHARE THAT TESTIMONIAL EVERYWHERE – AND OFTEN

PRO TIP: Are you being a good referrer? If you have business clients, try and make a conscious effort to understand their business, and look for opportunities you can help and promote them to your friends, family and network. You will be AMAZED at how this one strategy will help you build enormous goodwill with your customers.

The final piece of advice may be the most revolutionary. Stay with me. Are you ready?

Tip # 5 – Raise your prices.

It may sound crazy, but sometimes reaching those top tier clients means knowing when to charge more. Obviously make sure that your prices are consistent with the results they can expect first.

Tip # 6 – Articulate your VALUE PROPOSITION

What are you bringing to them that is of value? What are your benefits? HINT: It isn’t that you’ve been in business since the dark ages, it isn’t because you’re a husband and wife team, it isn’t because you have great training, it isn’t about you at all.

IT IS ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS ABOUT THEM

Both features and benefits sell. But consider this… no-one cares about how you’re going to do the cleaning, they just want a clean home or business.

So focus the emphasis on the benefits. The benefits close the sale. Why? Because most people buy on emotions. Benefits help bring out emotions in your prospects and then they justify their buying decision using logic.

Bottom line: Clients willing to pay more are the ones who appreciate value & quality – and it’s your job as a cleaning business owner to demonstrate that to them.

Remember, if you charge more, and can clearly outline the VALUE and BENEFITS that your business will bring to their lives, people will perceive you as more valuable, and will be prepared and willing to pay more for your services..

So, What’s your 2017 going to be like? If you’re tired of struggling and going-it-alone, ask yourself this one question:

Are You Ready to Systemize & Streamline Your Cleaning Business in Just 8–Weeks? Learn how to streamline and simplify your cleaning business as well as how to sell and market your business so you can get your LIFE BACK. … If you‘re committed and ready to make a serious change in your life and your business, then Cleaning Business School is exactly where you need to be.

8 x Weekly Video modules, blueprints, checklists, cheat sheets and scripts delivered in an easy-to-understand step-by-step system, PLUS a weekly LIVE GROUP VIDEO CALL with me, where we get to work on your business, so that 2017 can be your best year yet.

Go check out Cleaning Business School here.

Inspirational Quote

“The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention….” Rachel Naomi Remen

Lisa x

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First time to our blog…? Welcome, it’s great to have you here 🙂 Want to know more about us – check us out here.

Cleaning Marketer works exclusively with cleaning businesses to help them attract more prospects, make more sales, and keep their clients longer.

Want fast business growth? Register for the next Cleaning Business School (Starting Jan 2017) – 8 Weeks of Fast Growth Ideas for Cleaning Businesses who want to attract more prospects, make more sales and keep their clients longer.

PS A FREE REPORT FOR YOU: “How To Get Cleaning Clients Even If You’re Brand New To The Cleaning Industry”

Go Grab Your Free Copy By Clicking On This Link: Here

How Top Cleaning Businesses Use Social Media

November 28, 2016 by Lisa Macqueen 8 Comments

Are You On Social Media With Your Cleaning Business?

Social media can be tricky for cleaning businesses. Let’s face it. There’s nothing ‘sexy’ or ‘social’ about cleaning right? And yet other cleaning business owners are nailing it online – so how do they do it?

It’s kind of an unknown world for so many cleaning business owners, and yet almost without exception…

…that’s how your next client will find you….

Online.

So instead of trying to ignore social media and thinking of it as a huge time waster, or thinking of it as something you’ve never needed before, (so why should you need it now…?), think of it this way…

Social media is the place where all your potential clients (and existing clients) are… and somewhere you NEED to be.

So, how do you ‘do‘ social media then?

How do you take this fantastic unwieldy ‘beast’ and tame it so that it delivers customers and fans to your cleaning business, and builds your brand in the process?

Step # 1 Keep it Fun

dogs-your-competing-with-on-social-media

Keep It Fun… Great Images Engage!

You want to keep a professional, yet fun tone and not seem like a teenager Snapchatting with friends. Think about your audience – yes, once again, it’s all about THEM….

Don’t bore them to tears. Remember earlier I mentioned that cleaning isn’t sexy or social? Well that’s true – but there’s plenty of stories and images you can share with your community that don’t include dirty toilets (please, please, please, don’t be THAT cleaning business!!).

Remember you’re competing for attention online with cute pictures of babies, puppies and kittens – so the likelihood of someone stopping to check out a picture of a dirty bathroom or dirty floors is very low.

You want to engage with your peeps… not send them running from their computers or their mobile phones!

Step # 2 Don’t be a ‘Fair-Weather Friend”

The Attention Span Of Your Prospect Is A Staggering 8.1 Seconds – Same As A Goldfish!

It is super important that you are consistent with your community, and post updates regularly – remember the average attention span for someone online is now less than a goldfish – just 8.1 seconds…. you’ve gotta connect – fast!

So what would your prospects tune into you may be wondering? Stories. Stories that connect on a human and emotional basis.

It’s easy to dismiss social media channels as not actually that important, but in reality, these platforms can make a major impact when it comes to reaching your audience and sealing your expert status in the industry, particularly if you choose stories that will connect with your ideal clients.

Step # 3 Model What Others Are Doing

Several thriving cleaning companies are already taking advantage of social media to supplement their marketing tactics and are seeing plenty of results. If you feel like you’re doing it wrong, or not maximizing its potential, or maybe you’re even too overwhelmed to start, below are some examples of cleaning companies doing things right.

But first, the best place to start is by keeping a company blog on your website. Consistently post blogs that are relevant to the cleaning industry with keywords, several mentions of your targeted geographic region, plus infographics, images or videos where appropriate. Then, voila, you have content worthy of sharing on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and any other platform you choose to use.

Continuously staying in front of your target audience allows you to be seen as the reliable expert that you are within the cleaning industry.

Follow the examples of fellow cleaning professionals in order to spur some ideas of your own:

The award-winning cleaning company Dura-Shine Clean uses Instagram to post images of smiling faces and stunning projects. That way, potential clients are able to see stunning results with one click. They also follow tons of accounts in order to gain followers relevant to their business. The plethora of hashtags found in their posts isn’t hurting either.
Clean Conscience Boulder uses Facebook to produce frequent posts and customer reviews. Plus, you’re automatically able to see the five stars they’ve received since Facebook makes a point to highlight this feature. Nothing speaks louder to your target audience than rave reviews.
Kling Kleen uses Twitter to tweet out helpful cleaning tips that instantly showcase their expert advice. They also link to their site often in order to boost traffic and get future clients one step closer to calling them.
Cleancorp uses YouTube to upload videos of testimonials, which is a highly effective tool. They use Linked In extensively to build relationships with their ideal clients in a strategic and powerful way, they use Facebook to connect with articles and stories, and they also use Twitter and Instagram to add to the mix and engage with their followers, prospects and clients.

Cleancorp have taken it to a pro-level by linking their website PLUS all of their social media to reinforce branding and messaging across the board.

Don’t be afraid to use social media as a tool to get attention for your cleaning business. Have fun with it while using your authentic, professional voice. Social media can also be a great resource for announcing discounts, coupons and giveaways. Nothing gets a customer signed up faster than getting a deal.

Step # 4 Learn How To Use Social Media

If you’re interested in learning how to make social media work for your cleaning business the right way, I’m considering putting together a free webinar to teach cleaning business owners just like you, how to harness the power of this incredibly powerful lead-generating tool. If I get 20 people leave me a message in the comments section below with a “YES”, I’ll create a free training session for you to learn…

And if you’re serious about growth, consider joining your cleaning professional colleagues by becoming a Cleaning Marketer. Discover a strong community of like-minded entrepreneurs intent on growing their cleaning businesses. Bolster your company’s profit margins with access to information that attracts prospects and makes sales.

How To Get More Cleaning Clients, Even If You're New To The Cleaning Industry

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PS A FREE REPORT FOR YOU: “How To Get Cleaning Clients Even If You’re Brand New To The Cleaning Industry”

Go Grab Your Free Copy By Clicking On This Link: Here

The Secret Behind All Great Cleaning Businesses

August 2, 2016 by Lisa Macqueen Leave a Comment

How Do You Target Customers?

What’s the secret behind all great cleaning businesses?

The great cleaning businesses have multiple attributes that create their success – they work with a cleaning business coach, they have great people in their Organization, they’re passionate about serving their clients, and they’re dedicated to having outstanding systems and processes. All of these are very high on the list, but another thing this group of cleaning businesses do very well, is that they know how to look for, (and find), their ideal clients.

You see, in today’s economy, success in business is all about search. Get good at search and it changes everything.

Think about it: to build a great database you need a number of contacts, and then need to be able to filter those contacts to the ones that count, based on recent events i.e. when their current contract is up, or when they are moving etc…

Here’s some searches to think about:

Bring up a list of every prospect that you’ve ever provided with a quote for your cleaning services. How many of them have changed their cleaning service since you last spoke? Maybe they’re ready to change right now and just need a call to get the wheels in motion…
Geographic search – Got a great staff member or subcontractor in a certain location? Look at your prospect list –who do you know in that area who might be looking for a great new cleaner?
Find your top 100 clients, based on those that have done multiple transactions with you, or those that refer you the most.
Create your ‘dream list’ of clients you’d like to work with and start building up a relationship with them on social media – start following them, liking, sharing or commenting on their posts…
Of course, search can also include using Google Adwords and/or Facebook and buying ads to advertise your business. These are very effective also, but remember, there are costs involved in setting up and then having your ads displayed… and, if you’re targeting isn’t done right, it could end up costing you a lot of money for very little return on your investment..

The secret is finding the right list to call at the right time, because being relevant wins.

So how can you do that easily?

If you have a cleaning business coach, have the conversation with them – what do they recommend? Here at Cleaning Marketer, we’re totally focussed on having cleaning business automation to handle all of the ‘heavy lifting’ with prospecting that will handle this process for you and keep you ‘in front’ of your ideal prospects on a regular basis, and save you a lot of time without the headache of having to ‘figure it all out’ by yourself..

Are you a great cleaning business? What’s been the number # 1 secret to your success..? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below..

Today’s quote:

Even great people need constant opportunities for improvement. Thomas Crosby

Lisa x

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First time to our blog…? Welcome, it’s great to have you here 🙂 Want to know more about us – check us out here.

Cleaning Marketer works exclusively with cleaning businesses to help them attract more prospects, make more sales, and keep their clients longer.

Want fast business growth? Register for Cleaning Business School – 4 Weeks of Fast Growth Ideas for Cleaning Businesses who want to attract more prospects, make more sales and keep their clients longer.

Prefer a live event in either San Diego or New York City? Get inspired, empowered and take your market by storm. Book now.

5 key points every cleaning business should know before marketing online

July 13, 2016 by Lisa Macqueen 9 Comments

Lisa & Hamish Macqueen, Owners of Cleancorp

Do You Know the 5 key points every cleaning business should know before marketing online?

What are the 5 key points every cleaning business should know before marketing online? If you’re running or own a cleaning business, one of the most important things you need to know is that in today’s economy, you need to stay relevant. Especially when it comes to marketing your cleaning services.

Whether your focus is on janitorial, residential, carpet cleaning, industrial cleaning or all of these services, your customers needs are evolving faster than at any other time in history – it can be overwhelming for some cleaning businesses just to know where to start in order to keep current with their marketing.

Today’s marketplace is shifting and changing in ways that most of us wouldn’t have predicted even 5 years ago. Make no mistake, if you don’t market your cleaning business you won’t make sales.

And sales is 100% of profit.

Here are the 5 key points every cleaning business should know before marketing their business online:

# 1 – Decision makers are everywhere – not just at the top

This is especially important if you are a B2B (business to business) operation, like Janitorial. Just because someone has the authority to make a purchase for a business, does not mean they are going to be the one making the actual decision. This is an extremely important distinction to make because if you direct all your marketing towards the higher level executives of a business, or the perceived decision makers – you’re missing a huge opportunity.

# 2 Change your focus

In business today, dismissing junior employees could mean overlooking the exact people you need to be noticed by… Remember, it’s often the more junior employees who do the researching for new cleaning services. If you can build a good relationship with them right from the start, they will be much more likely to influence a decision in your favour…

What’s the definition of a “Millennial”?

# 3 – You cannot avoid millennials any longer

Because Millennials are the first generation to have grown up with the Internet, they are far more focussed on technology, and they use technology for everything. What this means for cleaning businesses, is that to market yourselves effectively to millennials, you need to get online. From now on, you should be using technology in a whole new way.

Millennials will be influencing workplaces more and more, especially as they move into more senior roles in the future. If you aren’t marketing to this group yet, you definitely will need to in the future… so, my advice would be why wait? Start right now.

# 4 – Mobile is more crucial than ever

You’re possibly reading this on your mobile device.. These days everyone uses their mobile to gather information before they make a buying decision – and yes, that also goes for businesses.

As a cleaning business, it’s wise to give your potential new customers the opportunity to interact with you over mobile at every stage of their buying process (even the purchasing stage… if you don’t have this automated, you are missing out on a lot of opportunities)…

# 5 – The role of video in marketing has changed

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ll know that video is now an essential part of having a conversation with your prospects. In fact, your prospects, are using video as a way to compare products, check out reviews and share with colleagues or friends.

What this means for a cleaning business is that because video is forming such a big part of the decision making conversation, you need to make sure you have plenty of engaging video content available for your viewers, so that your target audience – whether carpet cleaning, residential, commercial or any other type of cleaning service, can engage with your brand at each stage of their buying journey.

Conclusion

Marketing strategies that may have worked even a year ago for your cleaning business, will lose their effectiveness over time. As more and more tech-savvy consumers look for cleaning services, it will be the cleaning services who use modern marketing methods to reach their audience, who will win.

What are your struggles in marketing your cleaning business? Let me know in the comments below (I read and reply to every comment)…

Today’s quote:

“Stay focused, believe in yourself and trust your own ability and judgment”.

Mark Cuban

Lisa x

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First time to our blog…? Welcome, it’s great to have you here 🙂 Want to know more about us – check us out here.

Cleaning Marketer works exclusively with select cleaning businesses to help them attract more prospects, make more sales, and keep their clients longer.

Prefer a live event in either San Diego or New York City? Get inspired, empowered and take your market by storm. Book now.

3 Costly Mistakes Cleaning Business Owners Make in Sales Conversations

June 6, 2016 by Lisa Macqueen Leave a Comment

3 Costly Mistakes Cleaning Business Owners Make in Sales Conversations

If you’re a cleaning business owner, or you’re involved in the sales process for a cleaning business, the whole point of your sales and marketing is twofold; to fill your calendar with loads of appointments with your prospective clients and win more clients. BUT, here’s the thing. If you can have a conversation with your prospective client but then can’t navigate your way effectively through the sales conversation

you’ll be wasting a lot of your sales and marketing efforts (not to mention $$)….

Which is why in today’s post, I wanted to shine the light on why it’s so important to focus on the needs discovery conversations – in other words, why does your prospect feel like they need your service?

So let’s look specifically, let’s look at three costly mistakes you want to avoid…

Costly Mistake #1: Not vetting the prospect

Every cleaning business owner has one guaranteed want: a hot prospect interested in working with them on the other end of the phone…

And look, we all get excited if a great new potential opportunity comes to our cleaning business. But here’s a question we as cleaning business owners need to ask ourselves

… Do YOU want to work with THEM?

And the only way to really answer that question is to have a vetting process.

What I mean is having a method to assessing whether you actually want to work with this particular client or not.

Are they invested in making a change in the cleaning at the home or business? Are they communicative and accessible to deal with? Will they pay you on time? Do they value the expertise your cleaning business has, or do they simply want their existing cleaning problems to go away?

PRO TIP: One of my favourite questions to ask when I’m just getting to know a prospect is… “Can you tell me what is driving you to make this change in your cleaning service provider” How your prospect answers this question will tell you a lot about them.

Costly Mistake #2: Trying to answer every question as it is asked

More often than not, when we’re sitting in front of a prospect, they will be firing questions at us in an effort to make a decision on whether you’re ‘what they need’ and they want to find that out as fast as possible.

And good manners dictates that we should answer every one of their questions right? It might be impolite to do otherwise right? We might make the wrong impression if we don’t – right?

Wrong.

PRO TIP: Conversations with your prospects are NOT interrogations people! Just because they ask a question, doesn’t mean you have to answer it. A fantastic method to avoid answering a question is to go to the bridge… When you use a ‘bridging’ statement, this will help slow things down, i.e: “I’m glad you asked that question Bob, but I think the real question we should be looking at here is…”

In fact, often times that polite knee-jerk reflex means you will find yourself responding to a question that you shouldn’t be answering in the first place.

For example, you may be asked a question by a prospect that, once you step back to think about it, you realize you probably should have answered it in a different way, but because the questions were coming at you so fast, and you really wanted to win this cleaning contract, that sometimes, you’ll almost tell them what you think they want to hear, or what you think it will take for you to win the business.

PRO TIP: Set a pace from the start of the conversation that when your prospect asks you a question you take a calm breath before responding. If you do this from the get-go, not only will you set an expectation with your potential client that you’re someone who is thoughtful in your responses — but this will also help you to condition yourself to slow down in your responses.

Costly Mistake #3: Not understanding that your biggest competitor is actually your prospect’s inability to move forward

A lot of cleaning business owners drive themselves absolutely nuts worrying about what their competitors are doing, and the possibility of missing out on opportunities. But the truth is, you’re losing more deals to clients who are doing NOTHING to fix their cleaning problems, than you are to people who offer similar services to you (hard to believe, but trust me, this is true..)

And this is something really important for you to remember when you’re having a conversation with your prospective client.

Why?

If you’ve been reading my blogs or following me on Facebook or YouTube, you will have heard me say many times, that only 3% of prospective clients are what we’d call “hot” prospects, or in other words, ready to make a change – ready to hire a cleaning service right now. The other 97% are not. Essentially, the chances of your prospect deciding not to move forward at all is usually a lot greater than the chances of them moving forward with someone else.

PROTIP: Make sure that you spend time in your initial sales conversations talking with your prospects about why they feel they need to fix their cleaning problem right now — and why they feel they need your help to do it.

It’s absolutely critical that they hear the words coming out of their own mouths first. The next step is that you then reframe what they just said to you, back to them and get their agreement that you’ve understood those points accurately. This strategy will deepen their commitment to their decision to fix their cleaning problems, and get the help they need – from your cleaning business.

Are you having great conversations with your prospects..? What’s getting you great results and filling your sales funnel?

C’mon over and let me know in the comments below.

That’s the great thing about the Cleaning Industry, you meet so many people who’ll join you for sections of the journey. It’s a relationship business, where happiness and business success comes from within. If you think well, you’ll do well..

Today’s quote:

We pay respect to one of the greats today. “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”. Muhammad Ali

Lisa x

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First time to our blog…? Welcome, it’s great to have you here 🙂 Want to know more about us – check us out here.

Cleaning Marketer works exclusively with select cleaning businesses to help them attract more prospects, make more sales, and keep their clients longer. To learn more about our industry-leading Client Attraction System, click here.

Ready for business growth? Register now for Fast Growth Cleaning Business MasterClass New York, or San Diego in 2016. Get inspired, empowered and take your market by storm. Book now.

3 Tips for Getting Personal with Your Cleaning Clients

April 25, 2016 by Lisa Macqueen 2 Comments

3 Tips for Getting Personal with Your Cleaning Clients

Why are so many cleaning businesses seemingly ‘afraid’ to show who they are and get personal with their prospects and clients? They hide behind ‘corporate speak’ all over their website, and not a personal photo or bio in sight…

How can your prospects and clients connect with you, if they don’t know who ‘you’ are..?

What would your prospect’s or client’s experience be like if you put something of yourself into your marketing – what about into your “thank you” notes after your new clients’ first visits.

If you’ve been in the cleaning industry a while, you probably have a system to thank new clients for choosing your cleaning business. If you don’t, you should. Every contact with new clients increases the odds of them remaining your clients – if you do them right.

That’s where the “personal” comes in. Way too many thank-you notes are written in business-speak. You know: “Thank you for choosing Joe’s Cleaning. We hope we exceeded your expectations and that you will continue to choose us for all your future cleaning needs.”

Blah…how bland and uninspiring.

Look, I guess it’s better than sending no card, but the point I’m trying to make here is that there’s no “person” in that message. People don’t really have relationships with brands or companies…

People buy from people –

Attracting and retaining quality cleaning clients depends on the relationship you and your staff develop with them.

New clients aren’t selecting you over your competitors because of your mopping or vacuuming skills. It’s fairly safe to say, they assume you’re capable and competent in that area. So why do they select you?

While clients may not consciously realize it, they hope that there are people in your business who will take good care of them.

Your new client follow-up needs to keep the personal aspects, because that will help keep new cleaning clients coming back.

Putting the personal in follow-up to your new clients isn’t always easy. It will require you to reveal a bit about yourself to maintain that personal connection.

Here are some ideas to get you started

1. Tie your thank-you into the reason they reached out to you

If someone’s home was a mess before you came in and cleaned it up and made it lovely for them for the Holidays, that’s a great place to start – you can mention why you got into the cleaning business in the first place – to help people.

Maybe a new corporate client asked for a special clean up before the CEO from out of town comes into the office for a visit. If they mention to you how happy they were with the whole process, or how satisfied with the results, use that as a personal tie-in in your thank-you. After all, those kinds of reactions are really gratifying to hear.

2. Focus on the results for them

For a commercial cleaning client who’s spilt photocopier ink on their new carpet, will feel better after you’ve returned their carpet back to clean and ink free, or for someone who’s time poor, but house-proud, they’ll be able to enjoy their fresh clean home after you’ve been in to do their cleaning service.

By focusing on the benefit for the client, you’re implicitly expressing concern for them.

3. Bring the visit back to the client.

If your new client was a pleasure to deal with, mention that. If your new client was super organized, and efficient, congratulate them for how much easier that makes your job on the day…

Remember, to write your cards as if you were chatting to a friend, and always keep it personal. You can automate this whole process if you like, Send Out Cards, offer a great solution, which you can combine with a customer relationship management system, to do this automatically if you like.. (our favourite is Infusionsoft – check out how well they help cleaning businesses here.

So what’s your verdict, would be more personal help your cleaning business? If you’re already doing this, I’d love to hear how you personalise your interactions with your clients in your cleaning business – what’s working (or not working…) for you right now…? Let me know in the comments below…

Today’s quote:

Action alleviates anxiety. Unknown.

Lisa x

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Ready for business growth? Register now for Fast Growth Cleaning Business MasterClass New York, or Los Angeles in 2016. Get inspired, empowered and take your market by storm. Book now.

Cleaning Business Automation. Is It Right For Your Business [Part 3]

January 25, 2016 by Lisa Macqueen Leave a Comment

Cleaning Business Automation. Is It Right For Your Business (Part 3)

If you haven’t had a chance to check out the first 2 videos in this series, here they are again – Part 1 and Part 2 (each video is only about 2 minutes long)

It’s a big step taking your cleaning business to the next level, and my aim with this video series is to help you make a decision on whether or not, your cleaning business is ready for cleaning business automation.

And let’s face it – being in a service business, it’s a business where you need to give. As a cleaning business owner (CBO), you’ve got to go all in.

The CBO’s who win in this market, are the ones who can hold their prospects attention the longest.

So what’s your verdict? After you’ve had a chance to watch, I’d love to hear if you think cleaning businesses need automation, or not. Let me know in the comments below, and if you already have automation, we’d love to hear how its working in your cleaning business.

Today’s quote:

I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past. Thomas Jefferson

Lisa x

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Ready for coaching? Register now for Fast Growth Cleaning MasterClass Sydney, Australia or Phoenix, AZ, in 2016. Get inspired, empowered and take your market by storm. Book now.

Want to maintain momentum and growth this year? Missed my latest Coaching Tip? – Watch now. ………………………………………………………………………………………………

Lisa Macqueen Speaker – Trainer – Coach

www.cleaningmarketer.com lisa@cleaningmarketer.com

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The function of knowledge is not how much you speak, it’s in the questions you ask.

Would You Like Me To Help You?

Follow Lisa on Facebook, Linked In, YouTube or Twitter.

So where are you, and what conferences ARE you attending?

So, want to know what other events you should be putting on your calendar?

Infusionsoft ICON 2017 Event – 25-27 April, Phoenix, AZ – Going? See you there.

Reframe Janitorial Conference by Swept (My friends at Swept have invited me to speak at a few of their Reframed events, so keep an eye out for those dates)

ISSA Cleaning & Hygiene Expo (I’ll be speaking as part of a panel – Melbourne, Australia)

Here’s a few more that you should definitely aim to attend:

ISSA Interclean North America (September, 2017 in Las Vegas, NV)

BSCAI Annual Convention (September, 2017 in Las Vegas, NV)

ARCSI Event (September 2017 – venue TBD)

So “Jason”, let me put you straight on this…

..Sales are 100% of profit

# 1. They’re dying to figure out how you’ll be different.

What’s causing you to change your cleaning service?

How will you know your home or office is really clean?

# 2. They want to know how you hire and screen your employees.

# 3. They want to know how long you’ve been in business (and whether you have the proper credentials).

# 4. They want to know exactly what will be covered.

# 5 They want to know what happens if they’re less than pleased with the results.

Here’s How to Get New Cleaning Clients

Tip # 1 – Know your ideal client.

Tip # 2 – Develop a marketing plan.

Tip # 3 – Remember your current relationships are a jumping off point.

Tip # 4 – Build credibility and your network.

Tip # 5 – Raise your prices.

Tip # 6 – Articulate your VALUE PROPOSITION

So, What’s your 2017 going to be like? If you’re tired of struggling and going-it-alone, ask yourself this one question:

Step # 1 Keep it Fun

Step # 2 Don’t be a ‘Fair-Weather Friend”

Step # 3 Model What Others Are Doing

Step # 4 Learn How To Use Social Media

# 1 – Decision makers are everywhere – not just at the top

# 2 Change your focus

# 3 – You cannot avoid millennials any longer

# 4 – Mobile is more crucial than ever

# 5 – The role of video in marketing has changed

Conclusion

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