Trash Talk: Tip of the Week

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Note from Jean and Steve


Welcome to Trash Talk!
ISSN 1556-7648


If you'd like to read the online version of the newsletter go here:
http://www.janitorialstore.com/2009/121509.html

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View the Cleaning Tips Archive


We wanted to share an email we received from the winner of last week's drawing for a one year membership to The Janitorial Store. Congratulations Kayode!

"I want to say a big thank you to both of you (Jean and Steve). Your resources prepared me for a great start in my cleaning career. Your ebook on how to start a cleaning business is awesome. God bless you.

Thank you for the drawing and I must say this is my best gift this month. I look forward to utilizing this great opportunity richly. Thank you so much.

Kayode Watson, CEO. Spic-n-Span Solutions"

Have a great week!

Jean & Steve Hanson

P.S. You're receiving this newsletter because you signed up for it at The Janitorial Store or requested one of our f.r.e.e ebook, which comes with a subscription to the newsletter.

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Feature

Member Interview: Matt Kitzmann

Listen as Steve Hanson interviews Matt Kitzmann, member of The Janitorial Store.

Matt shares the following advice:

  • how he was able to keep his start up costs down
  • his marketing strategies
  • books, CD's and training materials he recommends for learning the business
  • the best and worst parts of being a business owner
  • what he would do differently if he had it to do over again
  • and advice for people just starting out.

Tip of the Week

Do You Dread Cleaning Customer Phone Calls?

Many of us started our business by doing the cleaning ourselves. And because we were excited about our new venture, we took extra care to make sure we did a good job for our customers. We laid the foundation for good customer service because it was our name and reputation on the line.

Because we did such good work, we gained a following and the business started to grow. Soon it was time to hire employees. We hired them, took care of the required paperwork, then took them out on the job with us and showed them the ropes.

As the business grew and we hired more employees it became harder for us to follow up on every employee every day. And that's when it started. We came into the office one morning, the phone rang and it was a customer who called to complain that 2 trash cans weren't emptied and the toilet paper is empty. Oh, and by the way, this isn't the first time this has happened, it's been going on for a while.

Does any of this sound familiar? As business owners, we work very hard and we work very long hours. Don't we deserve to have employees that take care of business so we don't have to come into the office every morning only to dread our customer's phone calls? How did we get to this place and what are we going to do to change our attitude about our customers?

How you handle customer complaint calls will affect many things in your business. If you handle them right your business should continue to grow. But if you let your emotions and frustrations take over; if you begin to "hide" from taking customer calls, chances are you may not even want to stay in the business any more. It's the difference between whether or not you'll be happy running your business or wondering how you can get out of the business.

Keep in mind that customers who call to complain actually want to continue working with you. Many of us have had customers who fired us for no apparent reason, but when we started digging we found out that there were in fact problems with the cleaning, yet they never bothered to call and tell us there was a problem. Chances are, you never had much of a relationship with them in the first place. So when a customer calls to complain, keep this in mind and then deal with the issue quickly, and in an understanding and caring way. When you do this you will have loyal customers who know they can call you when they need help. You will gain their respect for taking care of business and they will have more confidence in your ablility to handle whatever comes up.

And finally, make it easy for your customers to complain. Yes, that's right! When they know they can reach out to you, it means you have a relationship with them. And as long as you take care of business and maintain that relationship, you will have long-term customers.

Copyright (c) The Janitorial Store (TM)

Cleaning Success Blog

A Marketing Lesson. Can You Get People To Do What They Don't Want To Do?

Sometimes it's hard to get people to buy cleaning services. They really don't want to have to spend the money to have their home or business cleaned! So how do you get them to do what they don't want to do? Think outside the box when it comes to marketing!

Read the rest of the post and add your comments

 

HR Outsourcing Helps Cleaners Focus On Operating And Growing Their Business Instead Of On Employee Issues

If you're like many business owners, you may want some additional help when it comes to Human Resources issues. Face it...you didn't get into the cleaning business because you want to spend your day handling employee questions and issues. You probably got into the business because you saw an opportunity to start your own company, grow it, and make a good profit.

Read the rest of the post and add your comments

 

What's New

One Year Membership Drawing

This Week's Drawing for F.R.E.E One-Year Membership: organixclean

If this is the first part of your email address, contact us with a subject line of "One Year Membership Drawing" and we'll tell you how to get signed up for your one-year membership to TheJanitorialStore.com. You must reply within 2 weeks of the date of this newsletter. Read more about membership.

Note: If you're already a member and you see the first part of your email above, contact us and you'll receive a full year added on to your membership.


Training Series for Janitorial Business Owners

Training Series for Janitorial Business Owners: 5-CD Set

Here is what you get in this 5-CD Set:

  1. Bidding & Estimating Basics Webinar (plus bonuses)
  2. How to Use Twitter to Market Your Cleaning Business Webinar
  3. Marketing & Sales Success Audio Class (plus bonuses)
  4. I Want to Offer Green Cleaning Services. Where Do I Begin? Audio Class (plus bonuses
  5. Carpet Cleaning Training Program Audio Class (plus bonuses)

Non-Members: $303
Members: $147

Read more and order


Christmas Clipart for Cleaning Companies

Christmas Clip Art for Cleaning Companies

Personalize your holiday cards, letters, newsletters, flyers, and promotions with clipart created especially for cleaning companies. This is a set of 8 images. You will receive a high resolution and a low resolution file of each image.

Order your Christmas Clip Art

Membership

Membership Has Its Advantages!

The discussion forum topic and articles listed below are available to members of TheJanitorialStore.com as a part of their membership. If you're not a member and would like to have immediate access, we'd love to have you join us!

""Jean and Steve - I am so happy that I found this website. Because of you all, I was able to sell my franchise and start my own cleaning business. I am so excited but at the same time nervous.Steve and Jean you are truly a blessing. I am so free. There is not enough words to say how grateful I am that I found this site, you all are so helpful. May God continue to bless you." Samantha Samuels, Legacy Cleaning Services, LLC, McDonough, GA

New Articles

How to Choose The Right Dusting Tools For Your Cleaning Company

Dusting is a time-consuming task required in any type of facility or residence. What is the best product to use to accomplish this? Not all dusting equipment is created equal. As with any purchase you make, you get what you pay for. Skimping on your dusting supplies may save you money on your initial purchase, but in the long run you may spend more in labor costs and by having to replace cheaper products more often.

Press Releases: The Best-Kept Secret To Free Advertising
One of the most underutilized and best kept secrets in effective marketing is the use of the Press Release. It is an easy, no-cost way to spread the word about your business. A well-written press release can be used to describe events, grand openings, new services you provide, new personnel, or even new products that you are using in your business.



Discussion Forum Recent Post

How much insurance should you start out with?

"I'm in the beginning stage of my business and would like some input on what things I should be asking about the type of coverage I will need and how much should I get. I was told maybe around 100,000 or 300,000, because I was just getting started, but I am not sure. Any help? I could certainly use some."

Join in the discussion and add your advice


About Us


Jean & Steve Hanson
The Janitorial Store (TM) is an online community of people who either own a cleaning business or are considering starting their own cleaning business. This active community is for those who are serious about building a more profitable and successful business. The discussion forum is packed with extremely helpful, real world advice and tips straight from successful cleaning business owners. We provide you with all the tools and resources you need to achieve your dream of running a successful cleaning business -- without having to learn it all the hard way.

Why not have the profitable cleaning business you've been dreaming of? You can struggle, or succeed. The decision is obvious...
Join Us Now!



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