contractor success Quick Tips For Building Service Contractors Ten ways to make your cleaning business stronger and more profitable. By: Todd Hopkins W While many companies tempered their sales efforts in response to the bleak econ-omy to achieve success, others proactive-ly engaged customers in discussions about how their company could support their clients through budget challenges. Some companies went above and beyond what was expected of them to meet the needs of clients across the nation and, as a result, witnessed record revenues. Through willingness to creatively help clients get the most service for the price they could pay, proactive companies helped increase client retention rates while executing aggressive expansion plans throughout the country. I run my company based on biblical prin-ciples, including honesty, integrity and hardwork, and I am convinced that these core values are paramount to success and can set any company apart from the com-petition. Here are 10 tips and some advice to help your cleaning business become stronger and more profitable. 1. Be forceful about stopping cus-tomer attrition Many contractors have been surprised by the number of cancellations over the last 18 months and have quickly discov-ered that the same old, complacent serv-ice does not keep customers these days. Great customer service used to be a competitive advantage; now it is a survival strategy. I have seen many contractors lose cus-tomers and blame the cancellations on the economy. However, while it is a fact that the bad economy does force many customers to cut costs, it is often the relationships the customers have with their contractors that help them choose which costs to cut. 2. Reduce debt and dependence on banks The banking crisis is not over, so you should be careful about making any com-pany decisions that depend on your bank sticking with you. Many times, the local people you know lose control of those decisions. 3. Execute the fundamentals Define accountability within your organi-zation and how results will be measured and rewarded. Accountability should become as much a part of your culture as honesty and integrity. 4. Be proactive in your customer rela-tionships Call your customers before they call you because you need to know what they are thinking. If you leave customer satisfaction to chance, the odds will be against you and you will likely lose business to another com-pany that shows how much they care. 5. Upgrade your staff There are a lot of good people out there looking for work and it is your duty to find them. Now is not the time to hang on to those employees who don’t care about your com-To ensure company success and longevity, you need to show your customers that you can provide com-plete solutions to their challenges, no matter what the economic environment. 44 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • November 2010 Image courtesy of Earth Friendly Products
CMM – Archives Nov 2010: 44
