The “Competitive Edge”
Every Carpet Cleaning Company is Looking for that “Competitive Edge.” Reprinted from the Bane-Clene Cleaning Digest™
Every month carpet cleaners, most of them new to the business, attend Bane-Clene Institute. There are usually a few established operators in the class seeking ways to help their business grow and become more profitable. Everyone is looking for that “Competitive Edge.”
Efficient equipment and chemicals are readily available, training schools are abundant and certification is even available on the internet.
So just what is the “Competitive Edge?”
Here are some questions that relate to the “Competitive Edge:”
- Do potential customers even know you’re in business? Do you have an advertising plan, or do you count on people to pass the word?
- Does a trained person answer your phone? Do you think people want to talk with people who can answer questions or to an answering box or voice mail?
- Do customers feel a sense of cleanliness when your vehicle arrives? Does your customer’s first perception of your technician and vehicle show your commitment to hygiene?
- Do uniformed technicians wear official identification badges and greet customers courteously and with a warm smile? Are customers concerned with the brand of equipment you use, or do they worry about the people they allow in their homes?
- Are technicians careful with the customer’s furnishings? Do you train them to be servants and not guests in a customer’s home? Do they offer to return to remove foil tabs and foam blocks?
- Do technicians dust baseboards and the backside of heavy furniture while it is away from the wall? Do you know that cleaning a throw rug for free or moving a heavy piece of furniture creates a third-party emissary who will recommend you to friends and relatives?
- Do technicians inquire if there is a need for pet odor treatment, soil and stain protection or furniture and drapery cleaning? Do you realize that these are not “bait-and -switch” tactics but are legitimate plus-sales opportunities that people need and will buy if asked?
- Do technicians leave instructions about the care of carpet after cleaning? Does a client who relies on your advice keep your company’s name in mind?
- Do technicians thank the customer? If your client has paid you, do you think this deserves a genuine “thank you” or do you figure that you have earned the money and that’s enough?
- Do you follow up on job performance? Or do you believe that a customer’s silence means satisfaction?
Service is a people business. When all else is equal, the individual running the company sets the standard that ensures success, mediocrity or failure.
Related Carpet Cleaning Business Information and Articles:
- ABCs of Advertising
- Add-On Carpet Cleaning ‘Plus Sales’
- Advertising - the Essential Element
- Bait and Switch in the Carpet Cleaning Industry
- Customer Service in the Carpet Cleaning Industry
- Image in Carpet Cleaning
- Phone Courtesy
- Telephone Etiquette in the Carpet Cleaning Business
- There Is No Substitute for Service
- VIDEO: Bane-Clene® Business Management School
- What Makes a Company Successful in the Carpet Cleaning Business?
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