How to Get More Customers for Your Cleaning Business

Running a cleaning business brings endless challenges — pricing, finding good employees, insurance and tax regulations — the challenges never end. But the most important challenge is of course to build a profitable business, that’s what this is all about.

In order to build a profitable cleaning business, acquiring and retaining customers is the number one priority that we should devote the majority of our time to.

The 4 most powerful ways to get more customers are:

(1) Referrals

(2) Email Campaigns

(3) Yelp and Google Business

(4) Social media marketing.

Let’s dive into how to get the most out of each.

1. Referrals 

Who were your first customers? They were most likely friends and family or people you already knew. This is because people buy from people they know and trust. Even huge enterprises like AirBnB and Uber attribute their success to the power of referrals.

Just because you’ve been in business for one or two years doesn’t mean it’s too late to leverage referrals—it’s always a good time to leverage referrals.

How do you leverage a referral program, you ask? Simply ask for it! Simply ask customers once you finish a job by sending an email or use a referral software to send to customers and friends and family. Use a software referral program like Vyper, Ambassador, or even just create a special coupon code that’s assigned to each person you reach out to.

2. Email Campaigns

Launching email campaigns is one of the most effective ways to get new leads and convert them to customers.

Collecting emails is as easy as it can be. All it takes is asking for the prospect’s name and email address, by offering them a free or discounted product in exchange.

This can be done by offering them a free Ebook or infographic once they hop on to your website’s homepage. Make sure it’s something relevant to your audience than they can get value from. A free Ebook would be a better option.

Not only do they help convert traffic into sales, but you get a chance to build a relationship with the prospective client, which increases the likelihood of customer retention.

Take advantage of email marketing services like MailChimp/ConvertKit/Constant Contact to help you automate your email marketing and make the best out of it.

3. Your Yelp and Google Business Page

The goal of social media isn’t to sell people things. The goal is to be social, that is, to form relationships. The biggest mistake I’ve seen in social media is when companies try to use social media solely as a place to sell.

It’s like going to a BBQ with friends and having that one guy try to sell you on some product while you’re trying to relax?

There are 3 goals of social media:

To make your company easily accessible to potential customers

Interacting with your customer base

Social trust

Do these 3 things well and watch the leads pour in.

Setting up the accounts is pretty straightforward so let’s take a look at some best practices for the top 3: Yelp, Google, and Facebook.

Yelp: There are roughly 140 million users visiting Yelp every month! In my cleaning business’s first year I had $60,000 worth of leads come from Yelp alone (picture of Revenue between April 2019 – March 20th. Here are four tips for successfully running your Yelp account:

Add your photo (owner/manager) to the profile. This will give you a personable edge over those big faceless companies.

Add before and after photos of your best work to the highlights page.

Make your Call to Action links to the next step to book appointments.

Create response templates To streamline getting back to Every inquiry you get. Don’t Ghost on your customers!

Google: In 4-5 months I usually get 400+ leads come in from Google, with the average job being over $130, granting me at least $52,000. Apart from the same tips from Yelp, make sure to:

Take time and constantly adjust your target market.

Start off with a big budget and then move down if it seems ineffective or too expensive. This will help you better understand where to spend your time and efforts as you’ll have more data to analyze.

Try multiple strategies (A/B Testing) and always track and measure its progress

Facebook: Facebook is a place where people spend tons of time looking for ideas and are open to exploring. In other words, everyone is ready to mingle with your company! You’ll want to balance just being helpful with gently guiding people towards your company. With Facebook you’ll just want to make sure to:

Prioritize helping others over trying to help yourself. By doing so you’ll actually end up helping yourself more.

Take risks and put out content that creates energy. Mix it up
once in a while and get people’s attention. Bring up topics like: “5 things Customers do that offend maid service workers.” This type of content will drive traffic and gives you a platform to show how your service is unlike any other. But remember: play nice.

4. Social Media Networking

 The secret to success, whether you’re trying to become CEO or trying to get more law clients is: you need to network. Social media platforms, like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, are magical tools that allow you to foster impactful relationships right from your desk or phone.

There are 2 main ways to use social media to your advantage, let’s take a look at both.

Directly interact with people in common/general groups or online networks. Since we are trying to gain cleaning clients, which are normally homeowners and complex residents, we’re going to want to “hang out” where these people hang out. Join Facebook groups from your city where people ask general questions about where to go for services, join neighborhood groups, or request to become a preferred vendor for a neighborhood HOA website.

Create your own social media page (instructions here) or forum where you can foster your own specific community. The main goal here is to engage with your customers by building customer relationships, increasing brand awareness, and by sharing your industry expertise.

Top tips for running a successful Facebook page are:

Earn responsive badges by responding very quickly to messages and inquiries

Make quality posts and worry less of quantity

Post at the best times (Facebook = Wednesday at 3p or 12p-1p on Saturday and Sunday)

Use high-quality images to build your site

Mix it up with videos by using Facebook live

Here’s a full list of 26 tips from the marketing masters at Hubspot.

Your Guide to Properly Training Cleaning Staff

Proper employee training plays a big part in the development of modern businesses. This is especially true for cleaning and similar business branches. 

Being a cleaning business owner myself, I learned that proper employee training is one of the crucial factors for success. The employees are the face of the company, so you want to make sure they go through proper training and education, which are in compliance with your company’s standards and practices.

In this guide, I’ll be sharing my experience and knowledge as a cleaning business owner.

The goal of proper training goes far beyond the actual cleaning and revolves around optimal results, effectiveness, and understanding of every client’s specific need. 

Therefore, make sure to read the following guide specially created to train your cleaning staff properly.

Training Cleaning Staff

Find a concise, individual approach for every employee and understand their mindset. Doing this will help new employees apply essential rules and instructions quickly.

1. Creating Standards

I recommend creating specific standards for your cleaning staff to follow, which are in accordance with the company’s policy. You can always look up what other companies are doing while dealing with this particular issue. 

Contact a lawyer just to ensure you are heading in the right direction without technical issues. Creating this sort of document is essential and it should represent the first step in proper training.

2. Setting Hiring Standards

Besides creating documented standards, it is vital to look for a good attitude rather than cleaning skills, when hiring new cleaning staff. Why? You can easily teach newcomers cleaning abilities, but you can’t create a positive attitude (teamwork, desire for learning new skills, friendliness) if the person simply doesn’t have it.

Strive to hold a worthwhile interview and check whether the person is a good fit for your cleaning company. 

Questions to Ask When Hiring Cleaning Staff

What are the most frustrating events related to your prior work experience, and how did you handle those situations?

Would you help a fellow cleaner if he called you at the last minute?

Did you ever work in a team, and how big was the most prominent team you worked with? 

How did you get along with your colleagues?

These are just some examples; you can always come up with your questions. Just make sure to find out how the person acts under pressure and handles stressful situations.

3. Training and Educating on Company’s Practices

Define training areas and work equally on every single one. I highly recommend working on the following segments:

Practicing the universal cleaning procedure

How to apply the cleaning products and tools your company uses

Safety measures and avoiding risks

Following the company’s policy and standards

How to read the standard property appearance document

It’s a good idea to match old and new employees for some of the onboarding tasks mentioned above. That’s precisely the topic I’ll be covering in the next part.

4. Work in Pairs

One of the most common advice for training your new employees is to set them up in pairs. Setting a new cleaner to work with an older, experienced cleaning crew member will help both of them.

The new member will surely learn most of the cleaning methods from an experienced individual. On the other hand, the older crew member will renew and boost their practice while sharing experiences.

Also, remember that it would be best to pair up cleaners for at least two weeks to see potential results.  Just be patient and give the new employees enough time to adapt to the new work environment.

5. Proper Coaching

Proper coaching doesn’t apply only to new employees, but should instead be part of your company’s policy in order to progress. 

Effective coaching skills will help you bring your newest employee onboard without any struggle. Besides that, coaching skills are most important for improving the performance of the entire team.

To be a good coach, you must first realize one thing – that coaching isn’t a one-size-fits-all endeavor. All of your employees are different in one way or another, and this also applies to the newcomer. To get the coaching done properly, you will have to tailor your approach to each individual. 

Benefits of Proper Coaching

Performance improvement

Skill improvement

Knowledge transfer

Consistent coaching will produce a talented and agile workforce, which is essential for the company’s growth.

The most successful companies frequently attend numerous seminars on self-improvement, especially in employee coaching and training, as this particular segment requires constant growth.

6. Reviews and Evaluation

Performing evaluations and seeking out client reviews is one of the most effective instruments for proper employee training. 

Some companies send out comment cards for clients to fill out. This kind of feedback is highly beneficial for improved employee training.

Also, you can always invest in opening an individual line for complaints and praises, if the scope of work is getting vast and it’s hard to keep track of every client. This way, you’ll have a clear view of every single employee.

7. Frequent Training

As mentioned before, constant practice is a big part of training your cleaning staff. 

I recommend opting out for at least an hour every week to share their experiences, troubles, questions, and concerns.

How Do You Train a New Cleaner? 

Training a person that’s new to the industry comes as a challenge in every company, whether you’re a cleaning business or a construction company. But everyone has to start somewhere, right?

Training a new cleaner does come as a challenge, but there are numerous benefits to it. Most notable being that you’re getting a young and motivated employee who in most cases, becomes loyal to the company.

To train a new cleaner just follow the guide on training cleaning staff I wrote, but make sure to give the new cleaner more attention and be patient. You want to emphasize learning the theoretical part in the first week. Remember, this is a person that has never done this job before. 

Make sure to let the rest of the team know that their colleague is new to the industry. It will set their attitude in the correct direction and make them help the newcomer more often. You want your veteran employees passing the knowledge to a new cleaner. 

Why is Employee Training Important?

Proper training of employees is vital for any business to survive, not to mention thriving and maximizing the profit without sacrificing the quality of the service.

One of the main reasons I support investing a high amount of revenue into further development, is improving the skills of the entire staff while constantly sharing new knowledge on the given subject.

After all, any given business needs to educate and train the new employees that should bring your company profit.

Most surveys state that companies that invested a significant amount of money in education and practical work were more than happy with the earned income and the improvements in several areas.

Continued Training and Support is Essential

In general, proper training and education of employees in every work branch is essential for optimal results, satisfying productivity, and effectiveness. 

Being supportive and understanding is also an essential aspect of proper employee training. Employees will be grateful, perform better, and they will get to learn much faster.

I recommend following this simple guide to go through the whole training process properly. In the end, you want your cleaning staff to perform at its best, and none of that is possible without proper training.

Definitive Guide on Getting Commercial Cleaning Clients

Marketing your business can be quite time consuming and stressful, but in a few steps you can make the process much less painful. Here is a short list of helpful tips that have helped my journey and improved the growth of my business

How to Get Commercial Cleaning Clients?

Clearly State Your Customer Value Proposition

Set up & Optimize a Cleaning Business Website

Set up Google my Business Location

Use Social Media

Spread the Word With Friends & Family

Go Door-to-Door and Offer Cleaning Services

Ask Current Clients for Referrals

Run Paid Campaigns on Google & Bing

Advertise on a Local Radio in Your Area

Clearly State Your Customer Value Proposition

A customer value proposition clearly shows the manner in which the service you offer exceeds those of your competitors. The most important thing is for it to show potential customers what extra values they will receive by choosing your offers. 

The key is to make it concise! I have formulated my customer value proposition in a manner that is understandable for everyone, not just people in the industry. That way potential customers will be able to follow and understand my offer and the benefits of selecting my services.

To write my customer value proposition, I had to sit down and really think about how my business is more suitable to customers, compared to other commercial cleaning services.

Set up & Optimize a Cleaning Business Website

First things first, in this modern age a website has made my life so much easier. Setting up the website was not too complicated and it gives you the ability to net new customers while giving me visibility in my local commercial cleaning market.

I did not overcomplicate the website either. Using informal, everyday language is the best way to go about it. Everything on the website is easily readable, to give the customer a sense of comfort. Complex words and phrases will not impress anyone. In fact, they can confuse customers and make them lose interest.

By focusing on the most sought after questions, I have managed to improve my relationship with the customer basis.

Set up Google my Business Location

Setting up a Business Location on Google was also one of the best things I have done. By adding my address, business name and categorizing the services I offer, Google My Business has given me more visibility. When potential clients search for commercial cleaning businesses in my local area, my business will be among ones that pop up. 

This, combined with my reviews, has managed to earn me new clients. My current customers can leave reviews about the service we provided to them. This is very important because it builds social trust with potential customers looking to book a cleaning service for the first time. ‘

Positive reviews provide customers with comfortability and assurance that they will be taken care of. That will allow new clients to decide whether my business is well suited for their needs or not. In most cases, positive reviews will aid you in gaining new clients.

Use Social Media

After my website, my social media accounts are my best friends. Social media allows me to stay in touch with clients. You might think that cleaning businesses do not have much to showcase on such apps – and you might be correct, but they have allowed me to keep up my relationship with my clients effortlessly. 

Since commercial cleaning businesses do not operate based on interaction between the cleaning service and the clients, it is important to utilize all tools in your arsenal to maintain that connection. That is where social media apps come into play.

Facebook Groups

Joining and creating Facebook groups has kept my business in the limelight. By joining groups, connecting with people and answering their questions about the cleaning business, I was able to keep my company relevant online. 

Facebook is a beginner-friendly platform, you are able to ask questions if you are new to the business, and share content from your website. It is recommended to post often about relevant topics, but make sure to not overdo it as people will take it as spamming.

Instagram

Instagram has given me a perfect way to show the world how I operate. I do not necessarily post “how to clean this or that” type of content, but maintaining an aesthetically pleasing Instagram page has allowed my business to stand out. Furthermore, Instagram DMs and stories are also a good way to stay in touch with current clients.

LinkedIn

As a commercial cleaning business, my clients are fellow businesses. As businesses they have LinkedIn accounts, where I have made connection requests. In this manner, I am able to keep up with the news they share. Interaction between their page and mine shows them I have not forgotten about them after I was paid, which is an easy way to stay in a positive lane with them.

Spread the Word With Friends & Family

I have asked for help when I have started my business. Friends and family members are a great way to help spread your influence. They can either hire you themselves or give recommendations to people they know are looking for cleaning services. 

People are more trusting with in-person reviews. What I mean is that they will more likely choose my services if they are recommended to them by someone they have a personal connection with. I have used this power to my benefit.

Friends and family have also helped me in the review department. I have asked the people in my closer circle who have used the services I offer to leave positive reviews and spread the word. While the most popular review websites are Google, Bing, Facebook and Yelp, them leaving reviews on these websites has made my business more well-known.

This will also possibly generate more clients, as most potential future clients are bound to check my reviews online, and base their decision on them. With the reviews, I have also asked them to write a few sentences on why they liked my services, as too many 5-star reviews without any text can come off as suspicious.

Go Door-to-Door and Offer Cleaning Services

It might sound cliché, but going door-to-door is also a good sales tactic. This approach in gaining new clients has allowed me to give a lasting first impression to potential clients. 

Some businesses will not appreciate this approach, but focusing on the ones who find it a pleasant gesture helps you spread your business quickly.

However, it is of the utmost importance that you go about this the correct way, as it can be damaging to your reputation. This face-to-face first impression leaves a longer lasting memory of you and the business you represent. Due to this, the correct door-to-door sales approach needs to be selected so as to not turn off potential clients.

An important factor with door-to-door offers is how I represent myself. I make sure to look the part of a professional business owner when I go to talk to potential clients. If I want to be taken seriously, I need to look sharp and speak in a respectable and concise manner. Being too friendly on the first meeting can be off-putting to most businesses.

Ask Current Clients for Referrals

There is not a better way to get new clients for a commercial cleaning business than by the referrals given by current clients. I always ask satisfied clients to give recommendations to their business partners, family and friends. Most satisfied customers have referred me to others without asking, but a friendly smile and kind words go a long way. 

Another way to go about this is asking current clients about the businesses they would recommend to you. If my client is not on good terms with a business and they recommend my services, it will probably not be a positive outcome. By ensuring I know which businesses my clients are on friendly basis with, I know which direction to start moving in.

Run Paid Campaigns on Google & Bing

Paid campaigns on Google and Bing are a good investment if you have a marketing budget to work with. These are ads that you pay for, which will be visible on the search sites. 

I have used these services to ensure visibility in my local area. As new customers, who have decided to hire a commercial cleaning service search for such businesses in their area, my ads will appear to them. 

Most people will not want to waste time searching through the numerous pages on Google and Bing, and will be satisfied in choosing the first option the search engines offer to them. This is where paid ads are important. By paying for them, I have made sure to be the first result they see and click on.

Advertise on a Local Radio in Your Area

This method can be archaic, who listens to the radio anymore? Surprisingly a lot of people!

In the same manner as with Google and Bing, I have paid for an ad at my local radio. This makes sure that people listening to the radio will hear about my commercial cleaning business while they are commuting to work, relaxing on a break or stressing at work trying to locate the exact services I am offering.

Getting Commercial Cleaning Clients Done Properly

The before-mentioned methods have all helped me in gaining new clients for my commercial cleaning business. Of course, you do not need to utilize all of them to achieve success. If some make you uncomfortable, you can tweak and change them to suit your needs.

However, all of these methods are profitable in the long-run if they are used correctly. Be sure to combine and adjust them in accordance to your goals to successfully expand your business.

7 Ways to Promote Your Cleaning Business

Looking for ways to find new clients and improve your cleaning business marketing strategies? Even if you provide top-notch cleaning services, potential clients can’t book with you if they don’t know about your business. This article will walk you through the best cleaning business marketing tactics with surefire tips to grow your cleaning business.

1. Know Your Customers

Marketing your cleaning business begins with audience research: getting to know your customers, discovering what they want, and then answering those needs. 

Who are your customers? Do some research to learn about their interests, habits, behaviors, where they live, age, etc. This information will help tailor your marketing strategy and messaging. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Speak to them “in their language”. 

For example, busy professionals don’t have a lot of time, so you’ll want to keep messaging short and to the point with catchy headlines. Explain why your service can help save them time, money, or whatever pain point you answer. 

2. Tidy Up Your Cleaning Service Website

Think of your website as a modern day storefront. It’s the face of your business, so you’ll want to create a website that looks professional and user-friendly. If you don’t have one already, set up a cleaning business website right away. Then make sure to follow these tips:

✓ Choose a cleaning business website template or design that looks professional 

✓ Include consistent branding 

✓ Use a user-friendly design that encourages customers to book your services

✓ Add a place to collect customer contact details, such as gated content, so you can stay in touch with customers with new services and promotions.

3. Make Booking A Breeze

You want to make it as easy as possible for customers to book your cleaning services. 

Ways to improve booking: 

✓ Offer easy online scheduling through your website that customers can find right away

✓ Accept booking modification and cancellation requests online

✓ Send out follow-up emails and reminders so your customers don’t forget their bookings

✓ Keep track of new and loyal customers, through client relationship management software

Your best bet? Invest in a quality client relationship management (CRM) software. The Maidily cleaning service tool offers a robust cloud-based CRM platform specifically designed for cleaning businesses. 

With Maidily, your customers can book cleaning services right from your website (even during after hours, when you’re not in the office). Plus, you get a full customer management platform along with dynamic features that streamline customer scheduling. Maidily has an entire suite of solutions for your cleaning business so you can schedule and track bookings and client information all in one place.

4. Connect With People Locally

Wondering: “How do I get clients for my cleaning business“? Cleaning business owners often overlook sites like Yelp, Google, and Thumbtack. Some business owners are turned off by the fact that you have to pay to advertise on these sites, but keep in mind that people using these sites are ready to buy. 

Potential leads from these high-quality, highly-targeted ads could turn into recurring monthly revenue. These ads, combined with a CRM that provides online booking services, can increase your cleaning business sales by thousands a month. 

Make sure to fill out your profile correctly. Build a solid reputation so your business profile has a good amount of positive reviews on these three sites. You’ll grow your cleaning business substantially using just this tactic by itself.

5. Use a Combination of Online and Offline Advertising

When it comes to cleaning service marketing, you want to cast your net wide. Think locally to target potential clients, with traditional offline methods like pamphlets, directory listings, and sponsoring local events. Promote your cleaning business online, too, with email marketing or social media. Include the following on your marketing checklist:

✓ Explore Social Media Advertising

Social media platforms have made it easy and affordable to advertise effectively online. Use Facebook’s Creator Studio, a free tool which you can use to post on Facebook and Instagram.  Create posts and ads that target your audience or drive traffic to your website.

✓ Google Ads (Formerly Google Adwords)

Google’s powerful algorithms determine how businesses appear in search results when consumers look for goods and services. Google Ads is the platform you can use to place ads for your business. Cleaning businesses should especially consider Google’s SERP for Local Business to advertise to customers in your area.

✓ Network, Network, Network!

The old saying “it’s not what you know, but who you know” still holds true. Get out in your community and network. Attend local events and talk to other community members. Consider sponsorship opportunities with local charities and sport teams.

✓ Use Direct Mail Services

Direct mail provides an effective strategy for local cleaning business marketing. Target specific neighborhoods in your service area where you believe people have the need (and the extra income) to hire a cleaning service. This could mean targeting neighborhoods with large homes or parts of town where young professionals tend to live.

6. Ask For Customer Feedback

Once you start a cleaning business, positive reviews help gain leads from sites like Yelp, Google, and Thumbtack. Ask your customers to provide feedback by leaving reviews that highlight their positive experiences with you. Don’t forget to respond to negative online reviews.

7. Encourage Customer Referrals

Never underestimate the power of word of mouth when it comes to marketing your cleaning business. You can encourage personal referrals by asking satisfied customers to refer their friends and family. You can even offer a refer-a-friend promotion, with discounts on services for customers referred. It’s a win-win for you and your customers!

Figuring out how to market your cleaning business can take a bit of trial and error before you get it right. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Start by offering the best cleaning service possible. Get to know your customers, what they look for, and how to answer those needs. 

From there, make booking and communication simple, with automated customer communication and online booking, for maid service made easy. Use these tips to start growing your cleaning business and mop up your competition!