House Cleaners Impress with the Mulligan @SavvyCleaner

What the heck is a Mulligan?

A mulligan is a second chance to perform an action. Usually, after the first chance went wrong through bad luck or a blunder. Its best-known meaning is in golf whereby a player is informally allowed to replay a stroke (though this is against the formal rules of golf). The term is also used in other sports and games, and to other fields generally. The origin of the term is unclear. (Description from Wikipedia)

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How Do You Play the Mulligan Game?

 

I am part of a network of other house cleaners that compare notes, offer suggestions and peer support. We love to play the Mulligan game – and you can too. We use the term Mulligan as “going the extra mile” or “doing something extra” that is not part of your routine cleaning. And you don’t get paid to do it. And you can never mention it to your client, or other clients for whom you clean. 

We’ve got a private Facebook group for House Cleaners, Janitors, and Maids where we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to hear what your Mulligan of the day is. Please share with us.

Here is one that Courtney Morse shared with us (she gave us permission to share it with you.) 

My “Mulligan” for the day! The client told me to just leave the playroom since she didn’t have a chance to pick it up before she left. Thanks to this group for the inspiration, I decided to take the time to surprise her! – Courtney Morse

 

When a client finds your Mulligan they have the same feeling as if you were to leave chocolates on their pillow. It is a moment where their eyes light up and their heart beats a bit faster. And they think “Hey wow, my house cleaner did something extra for me. I’m not just another cleaning account. I am somebody important.”

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Wanna Play? Here are the rules:

Do all your paid work first. If you have a moment to spare – what one extra thing can you do on your way out the door? It has to be something the client will notice immediately. Or it has to be something that would make them smile.

Clients love to brag about their mulligans to neighbors while waiting at the school bus stop. They share mulligans on Facebook and Nextdoor. And when their neighbors ask for recommendations, the house cleaner who does Mulligans gets the referral.

The Mulligan will bring you lots of referral business. Work them into your schedule if you can. Think of it as doing a kind deed on your way home. Play a game and see if you can do one Mulligan at every house.

Your Mulligan should take 2-3  minutes ten tops, and is a gift. You do NOT charge for this bonus.

In my company, we build time in for Mulligans and my employees get a bonus based on the frequency and creativity of their Mulligan. It’s a customer service thing and it promotes good will and referrals.

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Example Mulligans:

  1. Bring in the trash can on garbage day that is out on the curb.
  2. Water droopy neglected house plants.
  3. Clean the inside glass of a china hutch.
  4. Organizing a toy box or game shelf.
  5. Scrub an electric toothbrush that has muck on the charging station.
  6. Clean front door porch lights.
  7. Clean the glass transom over the front door.
  8. Scrub out the animal food and water dishes.
  9. Refilling the Q-tips jar or the toilet paper holders.

The list has endless possibilities. If time is no object you would do these extras at every house. Unfortunately, time is a big factor at every house and you have to budget your time and projects. But as you clean, you’re sure to see “something else” that needs attention.

So you come back to this as your last stop if you can arrange it. Mulligan accomplished. Client impressed.

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