Want to learn how to get cleaning clients for your business? Try a referral rewards program.
No matter how good your advertising is, there’s no better plug for your cleaning company than a current customer referring a friend, family member, or colleague. If a customer helps you build your business through referrals, it’s fair to say you appreciate them for helping you grow. The logical next step is figuring out how to get cleaning clients through a dedicated referral rewards program. Referrals from a reliable source plant the roots of trust in a business relationship right away, and trust is the basis of a successful relationship with clients.
If you have a sales team, you pay them commissions for generating leads that turn into clients. Why not do the same with your current customers? After all, everybody likes to be rewarded, and the investment in whatever reward you choose will likely have a healthy ROI.
Reward yourself with janitorial management software that helps you get the job done. Check out a free demo to learn more about what Janitorial Manager can do for you!
How to get cleaning clients: Starting your referral program
Even when you decide to create a referral program, you might not be sure how to get cleaning clients. There are a few ways to incentivize clients for sending business your way, but the most straightforward approach is to provide a discount on their next cleaning service for every new client that comes to you as a result of their referral. Or you might offer a free cleaning for every four new clients a customer refers. You can even provide a monetary incentive, though this method may have some tax implications.
Whichever style you choose, make sure you have a way to track the referrals so that a customer doesn’t have to come to you to collect their reward. Create special business cards that a customer can write their name on and give to a friend, who can then turn the card back into you. Or keep a log in your janitorial management software.
When you strategize about how to get cleaning clients with a rewards program, think about how you’ll make that program a success. Offering the incentive and telling customers about it won’t be enough. Put up signs on your cleaning carts or send coupons through direct mail to remind clients that there’s something in it for them. You might even promote the program on invoices or status reports. The key here is to remember to get the word out and keep it going.
How to get cleaning clients: Making your referral program a success
There are, of course, a few things to remember when you create your program. First of all, make sure that the program details are spelled out very explicitly. Tell clients precisely what you expect from them to collect on the referral. Nothing turns a referral program sour faster than not delivering on your offer, so manage expectations from the beginning and outline how the program works.
Deliver on the rewards without waiting for customers to ask. Being proactive tells the customer that you appreciate what they’ve done for your business, and it further incentivizes them to do it again. Some customers may feel awkward or uncertain asking for rewards, and if you don’t step up and give them out, you’ll leave business-generating customers with a bad taste in their mouths.
And while this may sound rather obvious, it’s worth saying: Remember to make sure that your rewards program won’t break the bank. Rewards are an investment in your business, but they won’t stay an investment very long if you end up losing too much money on them. Offering a free cleaning for each referral, for example, may get pricey pretty quickly, as opposed to offering the free cleaning for every three or four referred customers.
Now that you know how to get cleaning clients with a referral rewards program, go out there and put your knowledge into action! You may be pleasantly surprised by how much new business you can generate from just a few customers telling others about the great services you offer. Yes, it may cost you a little in service, but the return is worth it, and in the end, both you and your customers get a reward, which is a win-win for everyone.
Keep track of customer referrals and more with Janitorial Manager. Learn more today with a free demo!