How to End a Job, Get Paid and Leave

The Ask a House Cleaner Show and Podcast with Angela Brown

How to end a job, get paid and leave without the house cleaner and homeowner chatting forever. We Ask a House Cleaner tips to end a job after cleaning when you don't have anywhere else to go. Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says the maid service and house cleaning training should have tutorials on how to end a job. If you run a business it's not just house cleaning. You're still working when you're doing paperwork, social media, inventory, marketing and more. Chatting is not scalable for future employees you hire. Today's sponsor is https://HouseCleaning360.com where we partner a savvy cleaner with a happy homeowner. #HouseCleaning360

How to end a job, get paid and leave without the house cleaner and homeowner chatting forever. We Ask a House Cleaner tips to end a job after cleaning when you don’t have anywhere else to go.

Angela Brown, The House Cleaning Guru says the maid service and house cleaning training should have tutorials on how to end a job.

If you run a business it’s not just house cleaning. You’re still working when you’re doing paperwork, social media, inventory, marketing and more. Chatting is not scalable for future employees you hire.

Today’s sponsor is https://HouseCleaning360.com where we partner a savvy cleaner with a happy homeowner. #HouseCleaning360

Listen: How to End a Job, Get Paid and Leave

Watch: How to End a Job, Get Paid and Leave

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: How to End a Job, Get Paid and Leave

Today a house cleaner who start to know, “How do I get out of the house? How do I end the cleaning process? I want to wrap it up and get out of the house without the customers chatting for long periods of time. But they know I’m just starting out and I don’t have anywhere else to go. What do I say so I don’t hurt their feelings. They are like friends.”

In another video about Chatty Cathy, we mentioned starting and ending on time was a must.

Answer: How to End a Job, Get Paid and Leave

That’s an excellent question, and I’m glad you asked, but the answer is this.

Just because you don’t have another house to go to, that doesn’t mean you’re not still working.

In the house cleaning business, you have plenty to do.

You have paperwork and inventory. You have to clean up today’s cleaning equipment and get it ready for tomorrow. And you have marketing, you have social media.

There is More to Running a Business

There’s a bunch of other stuff that goes way beyond just cleaning houses.

Since we clean houses, we have a tendency to think that’s all we do for a living, and so do our customers.

But you run a business. So even if you don’t have any other cleaning accounts for the day, you have things to do.

You’re either training your customers to chat with you or to hang it up and call it a day.

Now it’s like training a dog. If you do things over and over and you reward that positive behavior, they will respond in kind.

Not Scalable

So you’re only one person right now and you’re at a customer’s house and they’re chatting. And you think you’re just having a friendly conversation, that is not scalable.

This is what I mean by that. Your business might grow and you might hire employees. The customer that you are training that its okay to chat, will think its okay with your employee.

If those people are on the clock and you’re paying them, you need them to get to the next job.

Create Boundaries Now

It’s important. Even if they’re friends of yours, that you create boundaries up front so they know what the rules are.

Because as your business grows, you’re not going to have time to sit and visit. If you visit for 20 minutes per visit every other week, that’s eight and a half hours over the course of the year.

This is the time that you did not get paid for. That is time out of your schedule.

Keep Business and Personal Lives Separate

If you want to invest that time in your friends, that’s great, but my suggestion is to do it off the clock.

Invite them over for a cookout or for drinks or game night or something like that.

Hang out and interact with the people you call your friends without it cutting into your work time.

Have a System

My suggestion is when you’re working, be clear this is work time. Then when you leave, wrap it up.

Have a system. Explain the system on your initial walkthrough. “All right, every time I’m getting ready to leave I’m going to have this checklist. I’m going to leave the checklist here with you. I’m going to collect a check on my way out the door.”

Now if the customer works out of their house and they’re going to be there, you can say, “Here’s your checklist. Give me the money.”

You take the money or you run their credit card. One of those two things happen. There will be some chitchat while you’re running the card or while they’re giving you the check.

Be Consistent

What you’re going to do is, “Hey, I did all these things. You’re welcome to check them off. Thanks again for the business. I appreciate it. Hate to run but I got another place I need to be.”

Let them know quick, “Hey, I’m out of here,” and then get out of there.

By setting that up and doing it every single time. You train your customers that is your process.

60 Second Rule

60 seconds when you arrive, 60 seconds when you leave.

That is your transition period from one house to the next. That is, in fact, scalable.

Make sure that you know that. Make sure your customers know that. And make sure that all the employees that you’re going to hire in the future are also playing from the same page.

That way there’s no wasted time and you’re able to focus on what matters most, which is your business.

Alrighty, that’s my two cents for today. Until we meet again, leave the world a cleaner place than when you found it.

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