|
Home / Home / Home Improvement / Interior Design
House Cleaning Business - The Professional Business
By:Gail Metcalf
Most people get into house cleaning to earn some extra money. You may have family, friends and neighbors as your regular clients. Are you ready and motivated to take your part-time business to the next level?
Growing any business takes time and patience. And if you have a loyal client base now, set aside a portion of your gross revenue for advertising, custom business forms and your own products and equipment.
Expanding your house cleaning business also takes planning. How can you start getting new clients without a large advertising budget? A small one-time investment in custom business forms is the first step.
So what's wrong with not using business forms? Absolutely nothing if you're satisfied with your client base right now and not interested in making more money.
But I hear from a lot of professional house cleaners that are struggling in their business. They wonder why they don't get more of the jobs they bid on. They ask why people won't pay their rate and instead want to negotiate the price down.
If you're not presenting yourself as a professional cleaning business, your prospects assume you just need to make some extra money; you don't have their respect and they think you'll be happy to take whatever they offer to pay.
Now think about this for a minute. Who would you be more likely to hire: the plumber that shows up to estimate your job with a clipboard and custom business forms or the plumber that shows up with a flyer? Be honest with yourself; you are going to trust this plumber inside your home around your personal possessions. What if this person were to break or damage something? Do you think about this issue with the plumber with the clipboard and custom business forms, or is it more of a concern with the plumber with just the flyer?
Your prospects are judging you and forming an opinion from the moment you answer their call. And you know what they say about first impressions? It's absolutely true in running a business. Not only are they judging you before they hire you, but they judge you again when you arrive on the scheduled service date.
- Use the Service Agreement to define your terms of doing business and to document the service for each client. This form performs a dual purpose as it is also your estimating form that you use during your in-home or telephone bidding. You will discuss the content with your prospect and then have them sign it, not as a contract, but to provide you and them with an understanding of your terms and the service start date. - The Customer Checklist records your estimate for your new client and has all the cleaning tasks listed that you perform. This form alone can get you the job immediately or even later after your prospect has tried other services.
- The Work Order is created from the important notes you recorded on the Service Agreement during the walk through or telephone interview. It specifies the client, the address and phone number, information pertaining to pets in the home, client specific requests and directives, including important notes you documented about the home.
The Service Checklist is used by you or your team on the scheduled service date. It is a reminder of the regular service tasks that are to be performed and is used to maintain quality. One of the biggest complaints from clients is that quality deteriorates over time. If you're not using a Service Checklist, you're not instilling trust in your clients, especially new clients. They will auto- matically check your work on every appointment to make sure you didn't miss anything. And if you did, you'll hear about it - quick!
When you start to use business forms for your existing clients, they will probably ask you why the sudden change. This provides you with a chance to tell them that you're expanding your business and would appreciate referrals. This leaves them impressed and knowing that you are serious about running a professional business and will be more likely to make referrals.
Custom business forms speak loudly to your prospects and in the long run land you more jobs, referrals and larger profits for your house cleaning business!
Digg
del.icio.us
Blink
Stumble
Spurl
Reddit
Netscape
Furl
Article keywords: house cleaning business, starting a house cleaning business, how to start a house cleaning business
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com
Gail Metcalf built her cleaning business from the round up. Permission is granted to reproduce this article but credit must be given to the author. No part of the article content can be modified, and a link must be provided to: http://HouseCleaningPro.com
|
|
| Top Interior Design Articles |
- 1). 7 Steps for Easy Elegance: Visually Enhance Any Room with Panel Molding By : Patricia Tomaskovic
Panel molding dates back to the Georgian period of the 1700’s. Georgian architecture is characterized by a sense of proportion and balance. Symmetry and adherence to the classical rules were valued as regular and desirable. Today, panel molding is used to break up large surfaces, which adds a formal feeling to most designs. It is also utilized as a border separating colors or textures.
|
- 2). Heart of the Home - Faux Finishes For Kitchen Cabinetry By : Jay Dorman
Faux finished cabinets are finding a welcome home in today's kitchens. From the most timeworn distressed looks to high-end lacquered finishes, a decorative painter can add just the right touch from his artist's pallet to create the exact design and style most appropriate for your dream kitchen.
As we all know so very well, the kitchen is the heart of the home.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- 6). French Country Kitchen Design By : jmahoney
A kitchen can be more than just about its role in function, organization and efficiency. Kitchens need a personality and a look and feel that can liven up the senses in addition to being a functional place for the preparation of food. The French Country Kitchen design is one of many classic kitchen design themes that you could consider. It can provide your kitchen with a traditional look that has its roots in the hillsides of rural France.
|
- 7). Futons beds By : Roger King
The word futon comes from the English spelling for a Japanese-style bed known as a "shikibuton," or floor mat. The classic Futon sits straight on the floor though there are now many designs of the bi-fold that have legs
The first futon introduced into American culture was constructed of a simple cotton mattress that could be placed directly on the floor and easily folded to save space.
|
- 8). Tips For Bathroom Design By : John Francis
You might be building a home and designing an entirely new bathroom. Maybe you're remodeling and adding a new bathroom or changing an existing bathroom. In any case, you have a certain amount of room to work with. Here are some ideas.
First, list the items you absolutely need in your bathroom. This list includes, of course, the toilet and the sink.
|
- 9). Modern Furniture 101 By : Megan Roberts
As the name suggests, ‘Modern Furniture’ is furniture of our times that is comfortable, affordable, and stylish to match modern tastes and perspectives. Technically speaking, the phrase Modern Furniture refers to furniture from the latter half of the 20th century and on into contemporary styles of today. A microscopic view of this kind of furniture reveals that designers more often than not use the phrase for furnishings manufactured in the 50s and 60s in post world war II America, and to a lesser extent in Europe.
|
- 10). Choosing A Window Covering By : T Nacc
There are many ways that you can decorate your windows. You have the choice of horizontal blinds, vertical blinds, shutters, or even roller shades, and that is just to name a few. Before you head down the road of confusion you should begin by asking yourself a few questions.
What kind of space are you working with?
Do not only focus on the window space but take a look at the whole room.
|
| New Interior Design Articles |
|
|
|
|
|
|
- 4). 7 Steps for Easy Elegance: Visually Enhance Any Room with Panel Molding By : Patricia Tomaskovic
Panel molding dates back to the Georgian period of the 1700’s. Georgian architecture is characterized by a sense of proportion and balance. Symmetry and adherence to the classical rules were valued as regular and desirable. Today, panel molding is used to break up large surfaces, which adds a formal feeling to most designs. It is also utilized as a border separating colors or textures.
|
- 5). Saving Money with Kitchen Cabinet Refacing By : jmahoney
Want to remodel your kitchen but think I would be to costly? Then consider kitchen cabinet refacing.
The cost of kitchen cabinet refacing is considerably less than the cost of completely gutting your kitchen and in a much shorter time period.
Kitchen cabinet refacing can be a terrific option to consider if you want a whole new look to your kitchen without breaking your budget.
|
- 6). Tips For Bathroom Design By : John Francis
You might be building a home and designing an entirely new bathroom. Maybe you're remodeling and adding a new bathroom or changing an existing bathroom. In any case, you have a certain amount of room to work with. Here are some ideas.
First, list the items you absolutely need in your bathroom. This list includes, of course, the toilet and the sink.
|
- 7). The Bedroom Refuge By : Parvati Markus
Is your bedroom a haven — a sanctuary where you can rest and rejuvenate? If not, here are some suggestions for making your bedroom into the room that provides peace of mind along with bodily comfort.
Your bedroom reflects who you are. So the first question is, how do you see yourself? Imagine yourself in different settings. Does traditional furniture.
|
- 8). Take Your Kitchen to the Country By : Parvati Markus
Tired of the ultra-modern black and white and chrome of your kitchen? Have you gone beyond the desire for sleek minimalism and long for the comfort of a warm and cozy country kitchen? Many of us spend a lot of time in our kitchens, so comfort is right up there with convenience. Here are some ways to create that feeling of warmth in your kitchen.
Let’s start from the bottom up.
|
- 9). Let There Be Light in Your Bedroom! By : Parvati Markus
Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, and then the light slowly starts returning to the northern hemisphere. But that still means we have many months of the year when our bedrooms get very little or no light in the mornings, when we get up, and are dark long before we go to sleep. If you’re someone who gets blue without enough light in your life, try brightening up your bedroom by making it feel like summer!
Think summer.
|
- 10). What to do With a Large Kitchen By : Parvati Markus
Everyone loves a big kitchen. There’s lots of room for more than one cook, and enough space for informal dining. However, a large kitchen can sometimes feel cold and uninviting. By following certain guidelines, you can have a warm and cozy kitchen no matter the size.
First, consider the scale of your furniture when decorating a large kitchen. You’ll want a substantial table with comfortable seating rather than a small café table.
|
|
|
