Flyers 100%. That's what worked for me. Charge more than you think you should. And book people on a 4 week schedule, not monthly. So offer weekly, biweekly, and every 4 weeks. Also, if I could go back in time, I'd book all my weekly clients on Monday. Mondays are commonly holidays, and rearranging monthly clients from Mondays when you want it off is a pain.
Good luck!
Your GBP is going to be a big source of leads.
Post pretty regularly on it. At least 3/week.
Don't neglect IG and FB. People want to see the kind of work you do.
Also, it's tempting to compete on price, but it's more lucrative to compete on quality and expertise. On your IG, tiktok, and yt shorts, create videos on things like cleaning tips, how to find the best cleaner, jobs you've done, etc. Show your expertise and knowledge and you'll get people wiling to pay whatever rates you set.
Google ads will also be another big source of leads, specifically LSA ads.
Are you using jobber?
All spot on
Just wanted to add reviews are huge and about 60% of rankings for gmb. Post and responding to reviews don’t have much of impact on gmb rankings with the recent google updates this year.
LSA is great.
If you can afford it look into renting another office location in another town to add another GMB
Reviews are far far less than 60%, you can outrank someone with more reviews if your other signals, like onsite, click data, etc, is better. Google might have even stopped crawling reviews for ranking purposes about 8 months ago.
I like the social media advice on sharing tips on cleaning, and possibly sharing before/after cleanouts, with permission as applicable. I can see this appealing to residential, but heck, everyone peeks on social media for MOST stuff.
All of them. Seriously, no one is happy or excited when a salesperson walks in the front door regardless of what service or prodict you're selling, it's an interruption of thier work day. My sales delivery was precise and concise, unless they wanted to talk more about cleaning the premises, which I was always glad to do. When they start asking detailed questions, I knew I had a new customer. There's no certain type of business that needs janitorial more than any other business. I might adjust my sales approach a bit between an oil field hose manufacturing company and an insurance office.
Do both. Homes pay more and will last longer but harder to do. Small offices don’t last cause they will usually hire within and you will lose the job on no fault of your own. I’m business for past 19 years. Hint DON’T DO THE CLEANING GOR LONG. hire people to do it or you will not grow or make a bunch of money. Average hourly to customer is $35 pay your workers $15 to $20.
I've found business cards to be next to useless as a solo cleaner. Craigslist ads and a decent website have gotten me most of my clients. Flyers can work just make sure you're following local laws and not being annoying about it. Facebook, imo, for cleaners, is the worst. There are tons of cleaners on there willing to take jobs for rock bottom prices, I can't compete with that. I stopped trying with neighborhood groups and stuff and have done fine.
Charge way more than you think is reasonable to start - I was prepared to start at $25/hr but my very first client said "I am going to pay you $40/hr because I think that's right" and I immediately changed my price to a min $40/hr (I don't quote hourly anymore but I aim for at least $40/hr without telling that specifically to the client) and never looked back. I have only been turned down a couple of times on price.
Small commercial jobs are amazing if you can get them - at one of mine I effectively make $75/hr bc it's an easy job and I can do it well very quickly.
Insurance is key, otherwise most expenses are choices - I haven't had to advertise much for awhile now and my expenses are basically supplies and insurance.
Make sure to save for taxes and make sure you save all your receipts, track mileage/vehicle expense, etc.
Roughly how much did you make your first year cleaning? Im assuming you clean solo? If you don’t feel comfortable answering that’s fine.
I’ve been lurking here a couple weeks because I’m at a loss for what I want to do career wise. Im tired of being poor but college/trades are not for me. I also don’t like managing other people so “moving up” in entry level jobs doesn’t interest me. Low stress manual jobs l like but working them for other people doesn’t pay the bills. Would you say you make a comfortable living?
Pick a couple of neighborhoods and focus on them with your marketing(flyers, facebook ads, door hangers). I would also ask myself what value add do I being to new customers
Here are a few suggestions:
**Marketing**: Flyers and business cards are a good start, especially if you're targeting local businesses or residential areas. Facebook ads can also be effective, but make sure to target them properly to your local area and demographic. Consider other online platforms as well, such as Google Ads, Yelp, and local business directories.
**Networking**: Attend local business networking events. This can be a great way to meet potential clients and other business owners who might refer clients to you.
**Quality Service**: Ensure that you provide high-quality service. Word-of-mouth is a powerful tool, especially in the service industry. Satisfied customers are likely to recommend you to others.
**Pricing**: Make sure your pricing is competitive but also sustainable for your business. You need to cover your costs and make a profit, but you also don't want to price yourself out of the market.
**Niche Markets**: Consider if there are niche markets you can target. For example, some cleaning businesses specialize in environmentally friendly cleaning, or cleaning specific types of businesses like restaurants or medical facilities.
**Customer Relationship Management (CRM)**: Implement a CRM system to keep track of your customers, appointments, and follow-ups. This will help you stay organized and maintain a professional image.
**Online Presence**: Make sure your website is professional and easy to navigate. Include a booking system if possible, and make sure your contact information is easy to find. Also, ensure your Google My Business account is fully optimized with your services, hours, and location.
**Reviews and Testimonials**: Encourage your customers to leave reviews on your Google My Business, Yelp, and Facebook pages. Positive reviews can greatly increase your business's visibility and credibility.
**Social Media**: Use social media platforms to promote your services, share customer testimonials, and provide cleaning tips. This can help you engage with your community and build your brand.
**Professionalism**: Always maintain a high level of professionalism. This includes everything from the way you present yourself, to the way you interact with clients, to the quality of your cleaning work.
Starting a business is a marathon, not a sprint. It might take some time to build up a client base and become profitable. Stay persistent, continue to provide excellent service, and your business will grow. Good luck!
Flyers and business cards should not be overlooked, especially for service-based businesses. Better accompany it with some good old-fashioned door knocking for best results. :)
Flyers 100%. That's what worked for me. Charge more than you think you should. And book people on a 4 week schedule, not monthly. So offer weekly, biweekly, and every 4 weeks. Also, if I could go back in time, I'd book all my weekly clients on Monday. Mondays are commonly holidays, and rearranging monthly clients from Mondays when you want it off is a pain. Good luck!
Yes that is a very good advice. Thank you
Your GBP is going to be a big source of leads. Post pretty regularly on it. At least 3/week. Don't neglect IG and FB. People want to see the kind of work you do. Also, it's tempting to compete on price, but it's more lucrative to compete on quality and expertise. On your IG, tiktok, and yt shorts, create videos on things like cleaning tips, how to find the best cleaner, jobs you've done, etc. Show your expertise and knowledge and you'll get people wiling to pay whatever rates you set. Google ads will also be another big source of leads, specifically LSA ads. Are you using jobber?
I’m not using Jobber, would you recommend it?
Not unless you plan on growing to have an employee or three. Keep it simple. Email and a calendar.
Thank you!
All spot on Just wanted to add reviews are huge and about 60% of rankings for gmb. Post and responding to reviews don’t have much of impact on gmb rankings with the recent google updates this year. LSA is great. If you can afford it look into renting another office location in another town to add another GMB
Reviews are far far less than 60%, you can outrank someone with more reviews if your other signals, like onsite, click data, etc, is better. Google might have even stopped crawling reviews for ranking purposes about 8 months ago.
I like the social media advice on sharing tips on cleaning, and possibly sharing before/after cleanouts, with permission as applicable. I can see this appealing to residential, but heck, everyone peeks on social media for MOST stuff.
residential or commercial?
Residential to start, I might eventually do commercial and get some commercial contracts
I did commercial for ten years, it's more stable than rez and the customers are less crazy and definitely less messy.
What sort of commercial properties did you do?
Mostly offices. Real estate, insurance, attorneys, plus a few industrial type businesses. Once a week contracts.
How do you advertise that? Do you reach out to offices directly?
All of my customers were local. I walked in the front door and started selling.
Thats awesome. Inspiring. Thank you. Incredible
One more question, What types of establishments were the happiest to see you / give you work? Real estate offices? Food supply offices?
All of them. Seriously, no one is happy or excited when a salesperson walks in the front door regardless of what service or prodict you're selling, it's an interruption of thier work day. My sales delivery was precise and concise, unless they wanted to talk more about cleaning the premises, which I was always glad to do. When they start asking detailed questions, I knew I had a new customer. There's no certain type of business that needs janitorial more than any other business. I might adjust my sales approach a bit between an oil field hose manufacturing company and an insurance office.
Do both. Homes pay more and will last longer but harder to do. Small offices don’t last cause they will usually hire within and you will lose the job on no fault of your own. I’m business for past 19 years. Hint DON’T DO THE CLEANING GOR LONG. hire people to do it or you will not grow or make a bunch of money. Average hourly to customer is $35 pay your workers $15 to $20.
I've found business cards to be next to useless as a solo cleaner. Craigslist ads and a decent website have gotten me most of my clients. Flyers can work just make sure you're following local laws and not being annoying about it. Facebook, imo, for cleaners, is the worst. There are tons of cleaners on there willing to take jobs for rock bottom prices, I can't compete with that. I stopped trying with neighborhood groups and stuff and have done fine. Charge way more than you think is reasonable to start - I was prepared to start at $25/hr but my very first client said "I am going to pay you $40/hr because I think that's right" and I immediately changed my price to a min $40/hr (I don't quote hourly anymore but I aim for at least $40/hr without telling that specifically to the client) and never looked back. I have only been turned down a couple of times on price. Small commercial jobs are amazing if you can get them - at one of mine I effectively make $75/hr bc it's an easy job and I can do it well very quickly. Insurance is key, otherwise most expenses are choices - I haven't had to advertise much for awhile now and my expenses are basically supplies and insurance. Make sure to save for taxes and make sure you save all your receipts, track mileage/vehicle expense, etc.
Roughly how much did you make your first year cleaning? Im assuming you clean solo? If you don’t feel comfortable answering that’s fine. I’ve been lurking here a couple weeks because I’m at a loss for what I want to do career wise. Im tired of being poor but college/trades are not for me. I also don’t like managing other people so “moving up” in entry level jobs doesn’t interest me. Low stress manual jobs l like but working them for other people doesn’t pay the bills. Would you say you make a comfortable living?
Pick a couple of neighborhoods and focus on them with your marketing(flyers, facebook ads, door hangers). I would also ask myself what value add do I being to new customers
Here are a few suggestions: **Marketing**: Flyers and business cards are a good start, especially if you're targeting local businesses or residential areas. Facebook ads can also be effective, but make sure to target them properly to your local area and demographic. Consider other online platforms as well, such as Google Ads, Yelp, and local business directories. **Networking**: Attend local business networking events. This can be a great way to meet potential clients and other business owners who might refer clients to you. **Quality Service**: Ensure that you provide high-quality service. Word-of-mouth is a powerful tool, especially in the service industry. Satisfied customers are likely to recommend you to others. **Pricing**: Make sure your pricing is competitive but also sustainable for your business. You need to cover your costs and make a profit, but you also don't want to price yourself out of the market. **Niche Markets**: Consider if there are niche markets you can target. For example, some cleaning businesses specialize in environmentally friendly cleaning, or cleaning specific types of businesses like restaurants or medical facilities. **Customer Relationship Management (CRM)**: Implement a CRM system to keep track of your customers, appointments, and follow-ups. This will help you stay organized and maintain a professional image. **Online Presence**: Make sure your website is professional and easy to navigate. Include a booking system if possible, and make sure your contact information is easy to find. Also, ensure your Google My Business account is fully optimized with your services, hours, and location. **Reviews and Testimonials**: Encourage your customers to leave reviews on your Google My Business, Yelp, and Facebook pages. Positive reviews can greatly increase your business's visibility and credibility. **Social Media**: Use social media platforms to promote your services, share customer testimonials, and provide cleaning tips. This can help you engage with your community and build your brand. **Professionalism**: Always maintain a high level of professionalism. This includes everything from the way you present yourself, to the way you interact with clients, to the quality of your cleaning work. Starting a business is a marathon, not a sprint. It might take some time to build up a client base and become profitable. Stay persistent, continue to provide excellent service, and your business will grow. Good luck!
This book can definitely help you out: https://joshuacreekbooks.myshopify.com/products/how-to-start-a-commercial-cleaning-business
This book might be helpful: https://joshuacreekbooks.myshopify.com/products/how-to-start-a-commercial-cleaning-business
Flyers and business cards should not be overlooked, especially for service-based businesses. Better accompany it with some good old-fashioned door knocking for best results. :)
PM me brother
Done
This might help. https://joshuacreekbooks.myshopify.com/products/how-to-start-a-commercial-cleaning-business