The Most Important Thing

The most important aspect to being a successful service company is a positive, can-do attitude. With the recession that all of us have faced, this has never been more important.

The most important aspect to being a successful service company is a positive, can-do attitude. With the recession that all of us have faced, this has never been more important. The doom and gloom is all around us, everyday, from what we hear on the radio and television to conversations that we have with our clients, family, friends etc. It can be very difficult to be inspired to run your business in a profitable way when the negativity surrounds us.

The past few years have brought various forms of advice for small business owners. Cut back on spending: this could mean eliminating your monthly or quarterly newsletters to your existing clients, taking those certification classes required to become an IICRC Journeyman Textile Cleaner or Master Textile Cleaner, purchasing quality products from your distributor, maintaining your van, etc.

It can be very tempting to implement drastic changes such as these in order to survive these tough economic times. However, these types of changes will damage your credibility with your clients and hurt your profitability.

You must maintain regular contact with your clients in order to build a relationship with them as well as inspire loyalty. Your clients will notice if your follow-up marketing with them slows down or stops. They will also notice if you aren’t as pleasant as you were on other visits, weren’t as detailed in your cleaning process, didn’t maintain your appearance as you did before, as well as your vans, didn’t get that bottle of spot cleaner with your company logo on it.  You get the idea.

Positive, upbeat people and companies are fun and inspiring to be around.  Never complain about tough economic times to your clients; they listen to the news and are probably going through their own tough times like most people. Have an aura of success about your entire business structure. That is uplifting and you will be a welcome guest in your client’s home.

Help your clients out by maintaining their textiles as opposed to replacing them.  Help them out by being as flexible as you can be as to an appointment.  Ask your client which rooms need to be put into use first and speed-dry those. Our mission to our clients should be that “we are the very best service company that you use,” the most professional and worry-free for their hectic lives. They never have to worry if their service experience will be the best, they already know it due to the relationship and trust that has been built.  They know that you will stay in touch with regular informative newsletters, will send them a reminder card when it is time for their next visit, will leave them shoe covers after every visit, a bottle of spot cleaner, and a heavy-duty magnet that goes on their refrigerator. They also know that if there is a re-occurring spot or any issue as to the cleaning visit, it will be taken care of immediately.

We are in a great industry that needs to be represented to the highest levels by all of us.  Stay informed, educated, take certification classes, join trade associations, and attend chapter meetings, network with other successful business owners and observe what works for them.

Your clients are your cheerleaders; they like you and want you to succeed.  Be the very best service company, with the best attitude, and most pleasant, that they work with.  Always stay in touch regularly with your follow up system. Clients may be waiting longer in between visits these days, but when they have a need, they know where to find you; they know you are in demand because you are the best, and when you arrive at their home, the experience is always the same… the best.