This requires a level of trust that generally isn’t as important in a commercial setting. Cleaning in a residential setting is a mat-ter of details. Your staff will be working for a much lon-ger time in a much smaller space. This may sound simple enough, but don’t forget that a residential space is going to be filled with a lot more content than would normally be dealt with in a commercial space, and the client will be attached to each and every item your staff encounters. This means that while bumping into a desk in an office wouldn’t be a problem in many commercial settings, in a residential setting, the client may see this as a lack of care with their belongings; that desk bump can knock over a priceless heirloom. In addition to being surrounded by per-sonal and valuable items, a residential cleaning is going to be far more heavily scrutinized by the client than a commercial cleaning might be. Because of these, and for many other reasons, temperament is an important thing to consider in a staffer that you may be transitioning from a commercial to a residential position. One bad exchange between a staff mem-ber and a client can have tremendous neg-ative implications for your company, so you need to ensure that your staff can handle what can sometimes be a tense situation. Residential cleaning is a high-pressure, high-responsibility position, and this is most definitely something important to contemplate while hiring new or cross-training existing staff for a residential clean-ing position. Service Trumps Price For most commercial customers, price is king. If you can offer the lowest price point, you’ll win the account most of the time. The residential market, however, is a dif-ferent animal. For residential customers, while price is one factor, comfort and customer relations are the biggest obstacles you’ll have to overcome to win the client; your marketing will reflect that. So, you’ve read all of this, you’ve thought about it and you’re still ready to make the leap? Residential cleaning is not for the timid, but it can be tackled by those with a proper game plan. From the pride you’ll feel at having tackled a new market and ridden out an economic storm, to the financial benefits of expanding your company, there’s little downside — if you succeed. But, how best to ensure that success? One word: Training. To any company considering expanding into the residential cleaning market, I would stress that a well-trained staff is going to make or break your expansion effort. So, before you start purchasing new equipment and booking those new jobs, spend your time on training. Your staff will be grateful on those first new jobs, you’ll be confident that they can handle the work and your new residential customers will be pleased to know that they’ve put their trust in the hands of qualified people who care about them and their homes. CM connect with www.CMMonline.com ELIMINATES ODORS original formula NEW products www.facebook.com/CMMonline Twitter.com/CMeNewsDaily cigarette smoke dumpster & chute ire & lood www.cm-enews.com www.cminstitute.net CMM Online Bulletin Board www.CMMonline.com/board.asp laundry SUBSCRIBE/RENEW www.CMMonline.com/Subscribe TO REQUEST A SAMPLE Phone • E-mail • Visit our Website 888.873.3442 www.odorcide.com [email protected] PRODUCT INFORMATION www.CMMonline.com/FreeInfo Circle Product Information no. 212 on page 32 www.cmmonline.com 35
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