I last updated this blog in November, 2009.  Much has happened since then.  At that time, business was growing at a very fast clip and really with very few bumps in the road.

Something interesting happened in 2010 that almost took us out, as it clearly changed the entire course of our company, at least for a while.

The “Uppercrust ship” was sailing along just fine until one day I received an email that—in hindsight, I should have deleted.  It was from a local start up telling me that they wanted me to pick up a ton of new clients instantly.

Via email, the polite man explained that I would offer a significant discount to potential clients and that in return, his company would act as the marketer for us, finding clients to purchase.  And I’d give his company a tiny percentage.

That sounded nuts to me and I told him I did not see a way I’d earn a profit.  He agreed that I would not earn a real profit up front…BUT if I would win over enough clients, the profit would come in the back end.

Against my better judgment, I dove in.  The deal was to clean 6 rooms and the clients could choose the 6 rooms.  The charge for the coupon?  $60.

I did not know it then, but the less coupons you sell the BETTER.  The more coupons you sell, the higher probability of your ship going down.

Fortunately, we only sold 34 coupons (they were a start up company) and consequently, of those 34 sold, only 21 of them cashed in.  Of the 21 that booked cleanings, one couple became a regular client.

It was a financial success, as the client that booked stayed with us and we earned our money back and then some!

So why am I sorry I went along with the deal?  Well, the success of the deal spoiled me and gave me a false hope that if I ran a larger deal, I’d have a larger success.

The next company I worked with was Groupon.  We sold about 300 coupons.  Fortunately the coupons were only for 90 minute cleanings. I was given a false hope early on because people were booking.  However, unlike with the first deal, the people were not staying with us.  They were “false positives”.

In other words, they would book. Then they would realize that they honestly could not afford regular service, so they would drop after a few sessions to continue chasing coupons.

I fell for the false positives and went on to schedule with Living Social, the company that almost took our ship down.  Groupon actually broke even for us.  Our saving grace was that we only offered a 90 minute cleaning.

The horrifying disaster that I made with Living Social was allowing them to talk me into offering FULL HOUSE cleanings, as opposed to a set number of rooms or a set number of minutes.

We sold 1,300 or 1,400 of them (I cannot recall the exact number).  Imagine over a thousand FULL HOUSE cleanings that are dirt cheap.  In hindsight, I must have been out of my noggin!

I DID tell the coupon purchasers that the cleanings did not include basements or attics and that helped a little bit.

It was about that time that I realized that the false positives from the Groupon deal were dropping and not becoming real clients after all. And by then—because of the Living Social coupons particularly, I was on a sinking ship with no legal way out.  Fortunately Groupon offered a 6 month expiration and that helped.

The Living Social experience was the closest thing to hell that I can fathom. First of all, that coupon attracted some of the meanest, most vile human beings you could imagine.

Some of our experiences with them:

1. Sociopaths – When you deal with 1,400 human beings, some are bound to be sociopaths and I encountered them!  These wicked people are void of a conscience.

The sociopaths tried to take advantage of our self scheduling system.  They knew that they only had purchased 1 coupon, for example. However, they would put themselves on schedule multiple times, hoping that I would not double check to see if their coupon had already been used.

AND when I would catch them attempting to steal a free cleaning from the company, they would run to social media to try to punish us for catching them.

Then there were the sociopaths who would purchase a 1 bedroom coupon KNOWING that they lived in a 6 bedroom house. And they would get angry when we refused to service them.

I could go on and on about the sociopaths. They were like demons.

1. Clutter hounds/hoarders/filthy house keepers – This coupon clearly was designed to give a sample of our work so that people could decide whether or not to use our services in an ongoing manner.  It was NOT to offer a deep cleaning. Yet,  99% of those who purchased the coupon had homes that were filthy beyond imagination. Homes that had never been cleaned since they moved into it.  And they had the gall to expect that their dirt cheap coupon would solve their issue in one cleaning session.

1. Sweet talkers – These are people who would stand us up and then threaten to report us to the BBB or threaten to sue us when we refused to deal with them because clearly, they had forfeited their coupon. They would start off speaking in such a falsely sweet voice. And then when they failed to move us to allow them to reschedule after the forfeit, the threats would come.

1. Inconsiderate bunch – This group KNEW that they lived in areas where parking was either an impossibility or where tickets were guaranteed…..yet they purchased these coupons, costing our company so much in ticket fees. Eventually we just started refusing service to such people. We told them to contact Living Social for refunds.

When the smoke had cleared, we were left with ONE Living Social client out of 1,400 coupons and that one client is a once per month client, okay?  We also have one Groupon client still with us.  The Groupon client is a twice per month client so I can now say that we actually earned money on Groupon, as opposed to simply breaking even.

In spite of that….because of Living Social, when the smoke had cleared, we were on a ship that had been so ravaged it’s a miracle we survived the trauma and drama.

Our company literally BLED money.  Yet we survived and are the better for it.  Never would I advise any company to offer a coupon.  Offer personal deals. But don’t offer a coupon deal.  When you offer deals from your own company, you can pick and choose your clients. When you deal with coupons, you get what they send you and trust me, with few exceptions…..they send the lowest form of human life.

I still get calls and emails from local companies who want us to run coupons. NO WAY.  Never again.  I would not wish such an experience on my worst enemy. If people cannot afford to have their homes cleaned, they can clean their own homes.  I’m looking for real clients who have disposable income to afford this luxury service.

My advise to cleaning companies. Market your company. Gain clients the old fashioned way. NEVER run a coupon!

From time to time, however, a client will call and it will become clear that the person cannot afford to have a cleaning service.  Of course they “want” a cleaning service but they really cannot afford one.

Cues that the person cannot afford your services:

a.  After you explain the fee structure and the fact that you start with deep cleanings, they ask, “Can we skip the deep cleaning and just do the maintenance cleaning?”

That is a surefire sign that they honestly cannot afford to hire your company.  If I sit there and explain to a client that we offer maintenance cleanings only after the home has been brought up to standard and their response (knowning the condition of their home) is for us to skip the deep cleaning, that’s a bad sign.

b.  The potential clients inquires, “Instead of the full deep cleaning, can you just do about 2 hours worth and stop there?”

c.  After you give your price, they comment, “I’ll discuss this with my husband”….OR….”I hope my husband agrees to this”…..OR….”I’ll see what my wife says.  She makes all these type decisions”.

d.  After making it clear that you don’t offer once per month cleanings (if that’s the case), they hear you out and after hearing your fees they ask, “I know you don’t like once per month cleanings, but can we just do one time per month?” 

Warning:  Do not waste your time and gas going out to the homes of such people. They honestly cannot afford your services.  Get as much information as you can over the telephone.  It is truly an effort to go out to homes, only to discover that your time has been wasted.

Either a client can afford your services or they cannot.  Listen with a third ear.  Read between the lines.  Be polite and professional, but firm.  Do NOT allow your time to be wasted. Time is money!

What he found was that those who succeed made the conscious decison that they will continue to forge ahead in spite of any obstacles that may have appeared.  They did not allow cashflow problems to stop them.  They ignored family issues.  The moved past betrayals and disappointments.  They overcame doors slammed in their faces.

I love that.  I love it when folks decide that “Hey, the next guy is no smarter than I am and if he could do it, so can I”.

When I first decided to start a house cleaning business, I recall being on a forum where a man and a woman both tried to feed me with all types of negativity.  They had a million and one reasons why my business would likely fail.

Guess what?  My company is now two years old, thriving and growing.  And the woman?  Her business imploded not long after she tried to convince me that mine would fail.  The man?  He’s in his 60′s still cleaning houses (as opposed to showing business growth by hiring some employees).

Ignore naysayers.  Determine in your heart that regardless of what comes or what goes or what problems you may encounter, you will not give up until your business is exactly where you want it!

While reading one of his books recently, he mentioned a concept that really caught my attention.  He suggested that people STOP advertising the conventional way.

Why?  Because the world has changed.  We no longer have 3 television stations, for example.  There are now hundreds.  People are busier now and capturing folks’ attention is much tougher.

When I stopped to think about my own advertising, I faced the following reality:

1.  95% of my business comes from Google, word of mouth, free consumer lists and other search engines.

2.  The other 5% of my business comes from advertising.  Rarely does a person tell me that the called me as a result of an ad that I had running.

I will say this.  About once every 4 – 6 months I send out several thousand direct mail post cards and the post cards do very well.  However, I have excellent mailing lists and I target neighborhoods appropriately.

I cannot advise anyone not to advertise.  However, for my company, advertising is pretty much a thing of the past.  I will continue the direct mail campaigns.  I’ll continue with my barter advertising.  But once my present ads expire, I won’t renew.

Another thing that Seth Godin mentioned was that it’s best to do great things that bring the news to you.  Start an association.  Donate part of your business to a charity, for example.  Do something that is newsworthy because the goal is to get people to discuss your business.

I think about Debbie Sardone (who I absolutely admire!)  She started a nonprofit organization called “Cleaning for a Reason”.  That alone brought her in a tremendous amount of  press, so Seth is correct.

My advice to readers is to think about what I have said.  Think about what Seth has said.  Study your ad results.  Have an OUTSTANDING WEBSITE!  Once search engines send you traffic, the website becomes your sales person.

I am personally about to dump my present design and start all over again.  My plan is to have a totally re-vamped website by December, 2009.

If you choose to continue advertising, that’s fine.  But think ahead and undertand that advertising has changed and so should you and your company!

In the cleaning business just as with any other  service business, you will occasionally experience turnover and therefore, will need for any new employees to be trained.

The goal should be to train at least one of your stable employees (the ones you know will be with you for a while) to be a trainer.

You can call that person whatever you desire:

Examples:

Trainer

Team Manager

Team Leader

Team Captain

Whatever you want to call that person based on how your company is set up, is fine.

This person needs to be paid more than you pay your other workers because they will have more responsibilities.

Because you want consistency in your business, be certain to train the trainer!

In my case, there is a certain way I want kitchens cleaned and certain products that I want used.

There is a certain organized method for cleaning bathrooms and I know which products I want used.

Some of my products come in a concentrated form so there needs to be a uniform way to make the products.

And so on and so forth.

It is important that the trainer knowsthe method so that he or she can train new employees.  As as your business grows, you will need more trainers.

The goal is to work yourself  totally out of the physical end of the business so that your concentration is on running the business and networking and marketing.  The goal should be to get to a point where the business runs like a well oiled machine.

My tip for today:  Elevate at least one of your workers to the position of  Trainer.  And before you can do that, be certain that you have established a uniform method for cleaning houses.

An interesting thing happened as I was reading a book yesterday.  It was titled, People are Idiots and I can Prove it! – The 10 ways you are sabotaging yourself and how you can overcome them  by Larry Winget

About 3 paragraphs into the book, I realized that the most that was about to happen was that the author was going to offer me further confirmation of information I already know.

Sure enough, that’s all that happened.  I finished the book because I paid for it.  I’m not one to borrow library books. 

I’m actually happy for that experience because it showed me that I need to change the types of books I purchase.  I already have a successful business.  I already have my business plan on paper.  My vision is established.  The business is on a solid foundation.  All that is in place so I no longer need advice on the the obvious.

What I need now are books on branding, marketing, advertising.  And so I’m about to start reading a book called The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Marketing – 2nd Edition, by Sarah White

When I look at my needs, I can always use more marketing or even branding tips.  Fresh ideas are useful.

Where are you in your development?  Have you outgrown basic business books?  If not, then keep buying them.

In fact, I’d definitely advise you to read the E-Myth by Michael Gerber. Read that if you don’t read anything else.  It’s actually the only business book you will ever need—-as long as you do what he suggests!  But another good one is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People  by Stephen R. Covey.  I’ve been using the Franklin-Covey planners for  over 10 years now and those planners are the best for organization.

Of course, I’ve read many other business books but won’t list them all here because I actually don’t advise you to spend all your time reading tons of books when in fact the authors will all tell you the same thing, in different ways, of course.

DO be certain to search out and read books specifically on the house cleaning industry.  I read Start and Run a Home Cleaning Business by Susan Bewsey and I read How to Start a Home-Based Housecleaning Business by Laura Jorstad and Melinda Morse.  Those were the first two books I read when I was starting my company.

Engage in a self examination.  Where are you in business development? Perhaphs you now need to read some books on book keeping or organization. Do continue to educate yourself but be certain that you choose your books based on need.  If your business is up and running, you no longer need books to tell you how to get started.

And that’s my tip for today. Continue to read but monitor what you read, based on where you are.

Are you taking advantage of your business cards or are they sitting in your car, your wallet, your house?

Carry a stack with you every place you go.  Store them in your glove compartment.

If you go to a grocery or deli or restaurant or local boutique that offers either a community bulletin board or place where you are welcome to place your business cards, take advantage.

Every time I go to a local ice cream store in my community, I take with me a stack of my cards.  I always notice that when I return, either most or all are gone, so I replenish.

What people do is hold on to the card until they need it.  Just today I received a call from a woman who had picked up my card from that ice cream store.  Today is Thursday. She wants her home cleaned on Monday. I completed an in home estimate and she agreed to the first time cleaning price.  She is scheduled to have her home taken care of on Monday.

Had I not left my card at that ice cream store, she never would have known that I exist more than likely.  And it’s possible that maybe she would not have thought about having her house cleaned had she not seen the card.

Put the idea of a house cleaning into the minds of those who pass by.  Keep a steady stream of business cards and drop them off regularly.  Don’t allow a week to go by when you are not dropping off cards someplace.  And when you notice that they are disappearing, replenish.

I’ll come back with this reminder often because it’s free advertising that’s so important.  Keep a steady supply of cards. Pass them out liberally.  Seek out places where you can drop them off.  You will eventually start to receive calls as a result of that free advertising.

Whoever said that starting or maintaining a cleaning company is inexpensive was definitely lying.  There is nothing cheap about running a reputable company that’s worth its weight.

One thing that will help is to purchase in bulk.  Some of the things you can buy are bulk are as follows:

a.  paper towels

b.  all cleaning products

c.  rags

d.  vinegar (this is a must-have product for natural companies and should be ordered in bulk)

e.  protective gloves

f.  equipment such as dusters, mops, brooms and even vacuums and floor pads to protect employees’ knees

g.  replacement bags for the vacuum cleaner

In the long run, you will save money by buying products and equipment in bulk.  And you will be spared the inconvenience of  having to run back and forth to the local store, paying higher prices when employees run out of  products.  When you have bulk items set aside in a box, you are assured that these produts will last much longer.

Wipe from your mind the thought that running a cleaning company is inexpensive.  Of course, if you are using your clients’ products and equipment, as opposed to your own, that may be true.  But at UpperCrust Maids, we use our own products. To us, it’s more professional and employees are trained on their use.

Start surfing the web for places that you can go to buy your paper towels, etc. in bulk.  You’ll be glad you did!

My business is now a year and a half old. Up to this point I have not had a formal uniform picked out for my workers.

I’m one who puts thought into things before making a move. I knew that I wanted khaki works pants for my crew because khakis look so polished and professional.

The big decision for me boiled down to the color shirt I’d choose for the business image.  At first I looked at green shirts and even red shirts. I initially avoided blue because of how common that color is in uniforms.

What I decided to do, however, was research the meanings behind colors. I discovered that there is a reason why so many businesses put their people in blue uniforms.

The fact is, studies show that consumers prefer the color blue. Blue offers a sense of calmness and makes people feel more productive.

In the end, I went with blue tee shirts with my company logo embroidered on them and khaki pants. That offers a crisp, sharp and professional look that actually is worthy of my company’s name.

With a name like “UpperCrust Maids” I want my employees to have a certain look. It’s all about building an image, a brand. I want clients to view my workers as being “clean cut” as opposed to sloppy.  And quite frankly, I believe that even the employees will take a greater pride in their work when they are dressed the part.

What about you? Have you given any serious thought yet to the image you want your cleaning company to project? If not, start thinking about it today!

By:  Cathy Green

As a new maid service company, most likely your first employees will be hired as part timers as you build up a caseload.

Part time workers generally need a way to supplement their income. So, your company will not be their only means of employment.  You might be their second or even third job.  Or, they may have some venture of their own happening and are using your business as a way to supplement.

What you will run into with part time employees is that in many cases their “first love” will be either their other job or their other side venture.  If they are viewing your business as a way to compliment their #1 priority, you might have a problem brewing.

Be careful that you don’t have people under your employment who are treating your business like a “jump off”—that is, something that they can use until they can do something else.

When searching out potential employees, tell them that your goal is to start them off part time and have them build up to full time.  Ask them if that might work for them. Ask them where they see themselves a year from now…two years from now.

There ARE people out there who enjoy cleaning houses and who would like to make house cleaning a career choice. Your goal should be to find such people.  If companies can find maintenance workers and janitors and building services crews to clean their buildings and/or schools for an entire career, why can’t you find some some employees who would want to clean houses for a career?

Training takes months. I’m talking about professional training.  The goal is to train an employee to clean houses exceptionally well so that they can work for your company for many years.  It would not be to your advantage to put all that time and energy into training an employee, only to have that employee leave after a few months to do something else.

People will use you. Don’t allow that to happen. The probability of it happening is when you are dealing with part time employees.  It decreases when you get to the point where you can offer them full time jobs. Therefore, work to build up a caseload. As soon as you can, get someone in there full time.

Formulate the types of questions during the interview that will give you an idea of what this person’s plans are.  If their plans are to return to school, that is GREAT—-but don’t hire someone who is about to return to college because they will leave you.  If their plans are to go into the nursing field or some other field, and they actually tell you that, please don’t hire them. It’s terrific that they plan to persue their dreams, but not at your expense!

Once your company grows to the point where it’s a huge cleaning enterprise, you will have more freedom and flexibility. While you are small, however, your goal is to hire full time employees and part timers who, at a minimum, are serious about their job with you and who plan to stay with you for a while.