How to Run a Successful Floor Cleaning Business
A floor cleaning business offers homeowners and companies janitorial or maintenance services for floors. There is plenty of work available for cleaning, waxing and buffing hardwood floors, and tile, ceramic and marble flooring. While floor cleaning services are in demand, there is also a lot of local competition. But there are several things you can do to distinguish yourself from the competition. By following basic marketing and management principles, you can run a successful floor cleaning business.
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Continue learning. Educate yourself about the newest products and technologies available for floor cleaning. Being able to offer your customers excellent results or shorter appointments can help you grow your business. Attend trade shows to see demonstrations of the latest products and machines for floor cleaning.
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Write about floor cleaning. One way to illustrate your expertise in floor cleaning is to write articles about the subject. Local newspapers are always looking for fresh content, so this is an opportunity to get the name of your company in the press. Maybe you can set up a housekeeping or cleaning column. If you don't write, you can hire a ghostwriter at Guru or Elance, two websites that bring freelancer and clients together (see Resources below). Maybe a member of your staff enjoys writing. You can also place how-to articles on your website. Many people find service providers by reading their articles.
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Offer good customer service. The people who go out on service calls should be knowledgeable, professional and well-trained. Some customers may have question about the floor cleaning process, and your staff should be able to answer these questions. The service staff should be on time for appointments; if they are running late, someone needs to call the customer to let her know. Also make certain the staff doesn't leave a mess behind. The technician should leave every home or office as he found it. Customers are more likely to use your floor cleaning service again if they liked the results and the service.
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Market your floor cleaning business. Promoting your business is the only way to make it a success. Placing ads in the yellow pages is expensive, but it can bring in business because many people don't have recommendations for this service. Also place ads in local newspapers, particularly in the home section. Offer discounts if people want two or more floors cleaned. Or maybe offer a free waxing or a free buffing to new customers. Set up a website for your business that explains in detail the various ways to clean floors. Tell people what to expect during a service call. The website is a good place to post your articles. You can also set up a blog for your business to bring in traffic and potential customers (see Resources below).
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Give customers free stuff. After a service call, give customers small free gifts like samples sizes of cleaning products, especially eco-friendly or green products. Giving out floor mats is also a good idea because these reduce the amount of dirt brought into a home or office. Hand out pens with the company's name printed on them as a good promotional item. Also make certain the technician hands out plenty of business cards at the end of each service call.
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