5 don’ts of the cleaning business, what are they and how do you avoid them? Some habits of successful entrepreneurs may surprise you.
If you’re not sure how to operate a cleaning business successfully, you’re in luck. Have a look at these tips that every house cleaner should know.
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Watch: 5 Don’ts of the Cleaning Business
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. You can find this and 400 other answered questions in this series on our YouTube channel.
The Five Don’ts of the Cleaning Business
The five don’ts of the cleaning business. These are five things you don’t want to do if you want to be successful. And they’re all very small things that aggregated over time, can absolutely bring your business down.
Don’t Waste Time Wandering Through Day-to-Day Stuff
Number five. And this is in no particular order. They’re all super important. But number five is, do not waste time aimlessly wandering through the day-to-day operations of your business. Get up every day and plan your business and go with laser focus. Because when you squander time, you squander your life. Now there are only 24 hours in a day.
Once the time is gone, it’s gone. You never get it back. So, don’t squander time. That means don’t waste time idly with clients, with employees, or screwing around doing things that have no value to your business. It’s like you jump online. You go to Facebook, you’re hanging out, and five hours later, you’re still in a fight or a tiff with somebody that has nothing to do with your business.
So, go in, do what it is you meant to do. Cross it off your list and get back out again. You have a business to run. This is your business so do not squander time.
Don’t Be Afraid to Communicate With Clients
Number four, do not be afraid to communicate with your clients. Now this has been done many times. There are lots and lots and lots of house cleaners that are scared to call a customer on the phone and have a real conversation.
They want to text, but there is a real live beating heart on the other end of the phone, and that person is willing to pay you money for the services you provide. So there comes a time. Who knows when it’s going to be for you, but it will happen in your business when you’re going to have to show up live and in-person for your business.
And you’re going to have to have eye contact, and you’re going to have to have vocal variety and gestures, and a personality, and you’re going to have to be a person speaking to another person. So, do not be afraid to learn how to communicate.
You Can Learn to Communicate With Clients
There are lots of books. There are lots of programs. One that is highly recommend is Toastmasters International. And if you are afraid to look a customer in the eye and you are afraid to have a real conversation, sign yourself up.
Don’t walk, but run to the nearest club. They’re very inexpensive, but it’s one of the best things you’ll do for your business and for your career. Don’t be afraid to communicate.
Don’t Feed Your Body Crap
So,number three, don’t feed your body crap. Now you say, “What does this have to do with house cleaning?” But as a person, as a physical person, you are your company’s biggest asset. This is what you take into a house every single day to clean. And so, if you feel awful and you feel lethargic and have a headache, you don’t feel like going.
What are you putting inside your fuel tank? Because it’s the fuel that you’re putting inside your body that is driving you for the rest of the day. And so, if you’re filling your body with chemically-processed foods, that’s not going to sustain you for the long haul.
You need real live food that is raw, healthy food that has real enzymes in it that is going to fuel you honestly for the duration of your job. So, don’t feed your body crap and expect it to produce amazing results for you because that’s insanity.
Don’t Give Discounts to Get New Business
Number two. Don’t give discounts to get new business. Now I know it’s kind of counter intuitive, lots of marketing experts will say, “Give a $25 discount, give a $50 discount, just get people in the door.”
This is not a good idea at all, because if you offer discounts, what you do is you train the people that hire you to nickel and dime you, and to always look for a better deal.
And if you train them to always look for a better deal, they will still be looking for a better deal when the next flyer comes through their mailbox and they might bump you right out of position for somebody that offers a lower price.
You Need to Start Selling on Value
You need to start selling on value, and you need to be confident enough about the value that you provide, that you are not always offering discounts, because when you offer discounts, you attract the type of people that are never satisfied with your work because they’re buying on price.
And if at any moment they don’t feel like the price matches the value, they’re going to go somewhere else and take their business with them. So, don’t offer discounts, sell on value.
The Worst Thing to Do is Expect Overnight Results
And the number one thing that you don’t want to do is don’t expect overnight results. Overnight results never happen. Nobody wakes up tomorrow. Boom, I’m successful. It just doesn’t happen.
It’s a series of small steps that are repeated over time however boring, will lead you in the direction of your dreams. So, it’s like running a marathon, for example. You don’t go from ground zero to like mile 26.2. It never happens. You don’t go from here to there. It’s lots of little steps between. And it’s a lot of hills. It’s lots of valleys. It’s lots of ebbs and flows.
And it’s a lot of frustrating moments where, you know you’re out of fuel and you sit there and you say, “One foot in front of the other. I got this. One foot in front of the other.”
You Have to Put in the Effort Every Day
Every single day in your business, you put in the effort, you put in the time, you do what it takes. Even if it’s boring, even if you’re burned out, even if you think, “You know what, I’m at the end of my rope.”
If you’ve ever run a marathon and you’ve been at mile 23, you’re at the end of your rope. You’ve burnt through all your fuel. You’ve burned through all your energy. Your mind is gone. You think you’re half crazy, and you’re say, “I still have three miles to go. What on earth am I doing out here?”
And there’s one thing that will keep you going, “I‘ve gone too far to go back. I’ve gone too far to quit.” So, you keep going half out of insanity, but half out of because you’ve worked your tail off to get to this moment.
You Can’t Expect Overnight Results in Any Business
It’s the very same in business. Don’t expect overnight results because it doesn’t happen. There’s going to be a whole lot of mile 23s in your business. Where you’re going to just go, “You know what? Why am I doing this?”
And then just remember, “I’ve gone too far to go back. I’ve gone too far to stop. I got this. One foot in front of the other. I can make it to the end.”
So, those are five things you don’t want to do in business. Don’t expect overnight results and don’t give up.
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