Recently, I have been expanding my cleaning business.
I have been getting new accounts from customers who were no longer satisfied with their current provider.
There were several reasons for their dissatisfaction, but the main reason was they let the appearance of the building deteriorate.
So it is a given that one of the main things these customers are looking for is someone who can assure them that this won't happen on their watch.
Convincing them that you will adhere to high standards of cleaning is essential in closing the sale.
But how do you do this? Apart from telling them that you have the experience and expertise to clean their building the right way, and that you will put in the necessary time to do it, the final step is to assure them that you will take care of ALL aspects of the building's cleanliness.
By being a FULL SERVICE cleaning company, you are saying that you can perform basic cleaning, you can do floor maintenance, you can clean windows, and also that you can clean their carpet.
You see, the more services you can provide, the less they will have to worry about their building.
They won't have to remember to clean their carpets twice a year, or to clean their windows every few months.
Plus it will be cheaper for you to do it in-house.
So as you can see, it takes a load off your customers mind to know that you can take care of all their cleaning needs.
But it also benefits you with an increased revenue stream.
Additionally, services such as window cleaning and carpet cleaning can generate more money per hour than general cleaning.
Think of it this way: your basic cleaning is your meat and potatoes, and your specialty cleaning services are your desert.
Many cleaning contractors find that they can have their employees provide the routine cleaning and they can keep busy with supervision and with providing the more skilled specialty cleaning services.
Some cleaning contractors include the periodic cleanings into their monthly cleaning invoice.
For example if they are going to clean the carpets twice a year and the windows four times per year, they add up the total cost of these services and divide this by twelve and add to the monthly bill.
However, I find that this higher monthly charge makes it harder to outbid other cleaning contractors for the job.
Plus it forces the customer to do periodic cleaning on a schedule.
They may want the carpets cleaned more times than you decide or less times.
I find that giving them reminders that they are due for a specialty cleaning and giving them a separate invoice works best.
You don't have to be an expert on every type of cleaning however.
You always have the option to subcontract any work that you don't feel you are sufficiently qualified to do expertly or that you simply do not want to do.
For example, I will provide weekly buffing of customer's tile floors, but I will sub out stripping and re-waxing, because it is very tedious and time consuming.
Just make sure to always communicate with the customer what is included in your weekly cleaning and what is considered a specialty cleaning and will be charged extra for.
For example, I include the cleaning of all interior window panes in my regular maintenance cleanings.
I just clean a few windows each visit.
However exterior window cleaning is a specialty cleaning and will need an appointment.
Making the transition from a "regular" office cleaner and a "full service" cleaning provider will, I believe, be beneficial to both you and your client.