Every business encounters its own set of problems, but if you want to run a business that will last, you need to know all the facts before you start. This article isn’t meant to stop anyone from starting a cleaning business because it has many good things.
1. Customers who have unrealistic expectations
Most times, I don’t know who is to blame for this, but a salesperson will make a lot of promises to explain why they are charging high prices. Some salespeople will even say that the cleaning will make the home look like it did before, but this isn’t always true.
Solution
- Find out what the client wants. Before taking on a job, find out what the client wants from professional cleaning services. During the home or office tour, the customer should tell the cleaner what they want from the cleaning.
- Do a test or demonstration. During the site analysis, you can bring some of the cleaning tools with you to observe if the stains can be removed. Talk to the customer ahead of time. This makes it easy for you to close a sale because you will be giving a demo and making promises that you can keep.
- Be honest. Don’t make too many promises and then fail to keep them. This will always harm you in the long run. You might make that one sale, but you might miss out on other business chances. If the chance comes up, a happy customer will tell their friends about you. Cleaning is something that needs to be done over and over again, so if you run a cleaning business, your goal should always be to win a customer, not just make a sale.
2. There are too many other cleaning companies
Let’s be honest: starting an office cleaning business is one of the least difficult businesses to start. Because of this, the cleaning industry in Kenya is one of the most crowded. In economics, demand and supply are always linked in a direct way. This will change how you price your services, how you market them, and other things. So, how do you solve this problem?
Solutions
- Stand out from the crowd. This is easier said than done, but how do you really set yourself apart? Here are some suggestions. Make a name for your business. Developing a brand takes a lot of different things. People can tell who you are by how you look. Make sure your business looks different and appealing to potential customers and the community as a whole. Your uniform, business cards, and logos will all be part of your physical brand.
- A brand is made up of things like your company’s reputation for honesty, being on time, doing the best job possible, etc., and the only way to make a brand is to always act the same way.
- Sales and marketing: In this crowded market, your main goal should be to be in the right place at the right time. So, what do you do to stay ahead of your rivals? Make sure you have a good marketing plan in place so that when a chance comes up, your company will be the first thing people think of. Some of the best ways are targeted advertising, optimizing for search engines, and reaching out to customers. The key is to make sure your business doesn’t fade away and always stands out.
3. How prices are set
Because there is high competition in the market, it is nearly impossible to set prices in a standard way. Before choosing a cleaning service, most people compare prices to find the best deal. Most of the time, companies have a prequalification process for suppliers that involves getting at least three quotes. So, most of the time, you will be competing with other cleaning companies whose prices are so low that you wonder how they can even cover their costs, let alone make a profit. So, what do you do?
Solution:
- You shouldn’t underbid to get a job, because then you’ll have to cut back on the quality of your work. Sometimes, it’s better to miss a chance than to feel like you were cheated. Also, it is better to have 100 customers who bring in money than to have 1,000 customers who cost you money. Try to sell the value to the potential customer when you talk to them.
4. Convincing customers to switch from cleaning their own homes to hiring a cleaning service
Not too long ago, the idea of hiring outside help to clean was introduced in Kenya. Kenya has a lot of unemployed people, so the cost of unskilled labor is lower than in most first world countries. So how can you justify outsourcing cleaning services when a customer could easily hire someone for a lower price?
Solution: There are many good reasons to hire a cleaning service. Here are some.
- To clean, a professional cleaning service will use special tools and cleaning products. Getting to the point, using a floor scrubber is like a magic trick. Imagine using a scouring pad on a machine that spins at a speed faster than the speed of sound to clean your floor. It works like magic.
- A cleaning company will take care of all the paperwork for the cleaning staff. From managing leaves to screening, training, disciplinary actions, managing payroll, and any other problem you can think of. In this situation, a client should expect excellent services that don’t stop without dealing with all the drama.
Conclusion
In the cleaning business, there are many jobs available. But in order to make the most of these opportunities, the industry’s problems must be accepted and understood. Mostly, these issues or problems can be rectified by technology and software.
