AboutWalter L. Gibson Expertise I can assist with starting and growing a successful house cleaning business. Specific questions should relate to: marketing; customer relations; estimating jobs; employee hiring and management; office procedures; equipment and supplies procurement; data management; and scheduling.
Experience Experience in the area
I have run an independent residential cleaning business since 1989, and have experienced all aspects involved with this venture. I have created an owner's manual, daily procedures manuals for both office & cleaning staff, employee handbook, business letters, forms and documents necessary for an indepentent business owner to develop a successful cleaning business. These cleaning business forms, letters and manuals are available at MaidDocs.com
Over the summer I started a small lawn mowing business and its doing well. Due to our excellent lawn care - people have recommended us to their friends and so forth.
I advertise on free sites to generate business. But am wondering if having a website of my own for lawn care educating my customers about what a neatly mowed lawn represents, how to cut grass at the right height and pictures of how neatly we do the lawn mowing - would this be helpful?
Answer Having a professional site can help a new company seem more established. However, there are few sites that can be found on page one of search results, and very few people (if any) will keep reading through the search results past page two. If you search any category of a local business (i.e. House Cleaning in Greensboro, NC) you will find that the Yellow Pages, Super Pages and pay-per-clicks will dominate page one of the results. You'd have to have a phenomenal website (with a multitude of search terms) in order to be listed on page one! Not only does your website need to be phenomenal and have a multitude of search terms, you also need to freshen it and add new material consistently. The other way to be on page one is to have unlimited funds in a credit card account to pay for "pay-per-click" advertising.
If your marketing budget is limited, your money may be better spent on a functional website and a phenomenal business brochure, door hanger, or postcard. Any of these can be hand delivered, and if your budget allows brochures and postcards can be mailed. Don't forget a business card that you can turn into magnets for your customers, yard signs to plant in friends and neighbors yards, and of course magnetic signs for your truck!
For a thorough marketing plan, read our article "Marketing Guidelines" at http://www.MaidDocs.com which explains in detail marketing for a house cleaning business, but will help with any service business.
Best of luck!
Walter L. Gibson is president of <a href="http://www.maiddocs.com/shop">MaidDocs.com. MaidDocs offers a very affordable turn-key business system and a-la-carte documents, marketing pieces, business forms and how-to guides for residential cleaning businesses.
