Communication skills are on the top of every house cleaning business owners list.
Dynamic communication skills will help you clarify and articulate customers’ expectations. Reconnect with clients in a way that helps you understand, and be understood. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru gives tips on joining a Toastmaster club. Hone your communication skills with eye contact, vocal variety, hand gestures, speaking with sincerity.
Today on Ask a House Cleaner we discuss when to text a client and when to use the phone. Communication is more than speaking with clarity, it’s about reconnecting and memorable interaction. Don’t just be a house cleaner, be a savvy cleaner.
Today’s show sponsor is https://HouseCleaning360.com
HouseCleaning360 is a business referral network for house cleaners and maids and housekeepers.
Listen: Communication Skills – House Cleaner Tips
Watch: Communication Skills – House Cleaner Tips
Hey there, I’m Angela Brown, and this is Ask a House Cleaner. This is a show where you get to ask a house cleaning question, and I get to help you find an answer.
Question: Communication Skills – House Cleaner Tips
Now, today’s question comes from a house cleaner who wants to know; “What one thing should I learn to improve my skills this year?”
Answer: Communication Skills – House Cleaner Tips
Now I love this question. You might think I’m going to say something like “learn how to clean shower walls better.”
But what I am going to say instead is: work on your communication skills.
This is important is because all your interactions with your customers need communication.
Use All Your Communication Skills
And so, this means you being able to understand what the customer is saying. And you being able to articulate what you need in return. 
So, if a customer has a series of requests, and you don’t understand those series of requests, you may need to clarify.
Ask the customer “now, please, could you clarify that?”
Or “I didn’t quite understand what you were saying. Could you rephrase it and use different words so that I can understand exactly what you mean?”
Because you want to make sure that the picture that you have in your mind, is the same picture your customer has in their mind.
That way, the two of you are playing on the same page and you can deliver the job in the way they expect.
Employee Communication Skills Are Huge 
Now, as your business grows and you hire employees, communication is huge. Because you have to communicate what the customer needs to your employees.
And you have to make sure that they understand in a way that the customer and your employee are playing on the same page.
So, communication skills are paramount as a house cleaner.
It’s easy to get caught up in “Oh, I’m just going to clean houses. And if something goes wrong, I’ll just text my customer.”
The problem is that things do malfunction from time to time. And the customer needs more than a text.
Communication Skills Are More Than a Text
Let’s suppose you have a scheduling conflict and you need to reschedule a cleaning.
Now, the old-fashioned way was to pick up the phone and actually call them. And say “Hey listen, something has come up.”
I know a lot of house cleaners are private people they’re introverts. They don’t like phone calls and they never call their customers or their employees.
But we have to go back to the moment where the customer hired us. The customer did not hire a cleaning service. They hired you.
They hired you because they like you as a person.
Good Communication Skills Are Knowing When to Reconnect 
And there are opportunities in the house cleaning business to pick up the phone and to reconnect with your customer. And sometimes that’s necessary in order for you to keep your job.
If something malfunctions let’s say you break something from a client’s house, it’s unfortunate. It happens in this business.
And in those moments sometimes it’s best to pick up the phone and offer a sincere apology.
And that is one of those communication scenarios where you’re now reconnecting on a human level, not just a bland text.
So, there are times for texts. Like a quick reminder “Hey I’m coming tomorrow at 10 a.m. just wanted to give you a reminder.” That’s okay.
Choose Face to Face Communication Skills When Possible
But if there are important issues choose to address these in person or by phone.
Spend sixty seconds when you arrive at a clients home to chat face to face. Say hi and reconnect.
This is a chance to remind them in a short moment why they hired you.
Because clients hire house cleaners they know, like, and trust. And so every interaction with your customer is another opportunity to build your brand.
So, if you’re going to work on one thing this year. My suggestion would be to enhance and improve and up level your communication skills.
Consider Joining Toastmasters
You can do this by learning about the elements of communication which are things like eye contact. And hand gestures, and vocal variety. It includes speaking with sincerity. And explaining, things that may not be easy to understand.
Sometimes you might use a big word. If it’s a child that you’re speaking to at a customer’s house, you may want to say “and what that means is…”
And then explain what you just said so that it makes sense to the child.
Because there are times as house cleaners we are inside customer’s homes and we have to ask the children “can you run in the other room?” just for their own safety.
We don’t want them around our cleaning chemicals. And if it’s a tiny child, we might want to encourage them to go play in the other room.
And we have to ask them in a way that the child wants to go in the other room.
So those are all communication skills.
Work Smart Not Hard
The communication skills you learn you will use for the rest of your life. Even if you choose another profession.
Communication skills are an investment in you and your business. But that is what would recommend focusing on this year as you improve your business.
Alrighty, so, that’s it for today. And until we meet again, leave the world a cleaner place than when you found it.
Disclosure
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About the Show
Learn how the show came to be, interesting facts about the show host, and other frequently asked questions about the show.
Resources For This Episode
Toastmasters International – http://www.Toastmasters.org
4 Essential Keys to Effective Communication in Love, Life, Work–Anywhere!: A How-To Guide for Practicing the Empathic Listening, Speaking, and Dialogue Skills to Achieve Relationship Success – http://amzn.to/2wclkaL
131 Conversations That Engage Kids: How to Get Kids Talking, Grow Their Friendships, and Inspire Change – http://amzn.to/2v1OyL8
You Can Quote Me On This: Words To Empower You and Awaken Your Consciousness – http://amzn.to/2wbYNL8
Communication Skills Training: A Practical Guide to Improving Your Social Intelligence, Presentation, Persuasion and Public Speaking – http://amzn.to/2v1KVVe
Social Intelligence: A Practical Guide to Social Intelligence: Communication Skills – Social Skills – Communication Theory – Emotional Intelligence – http://amzn.to/2v3xaE9
Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships – http://amzn.to/2v3GkjQ
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Show Sponsor
SAVVY CLEANER – House Cleaner Training and Certification – https://savvycleaner.com
HOUSECLEANING360 – Referral database of the world’s most prominent home service providers and the homeowners they serve. https://housecleaning360.com
