Don’t discount the telephone when you’re looking at new ways for growing a cleaning business.
As you’re growing your cleaning business, there’s always the hope that your phone will ring and the caller wants to hire you right away. But you don’t need to wait for those calls to come in. The phone is an excellent tool for marketing your business. It’s personal, it provides immediate feedback from the prospect, and it creates a great scenario for an upsell if you’re successful in earning the prospect’s business.
Next to knocking on doors, cold-calling is one of the most traditional ways to gain new customers. Yes, it can take some time, but the return is well worth it if you know a few tricks of the trade. And the beautiful thing about cold-calling is that it’s relatively inexpensive, making it ideal for growing a cleaning business that’s starting without much cash or name recognition.
To help you get started on making those calls, we’ve compiled a list of tips for success with cold calls. Read on to learn more.
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10 Tips for growing a cleaning business with the power of your phone
1. Choose your prospects wisely
From universities to office buildings, hospitals to hospitality facilities, there are plenty of industries to choose from to help a new cleaning business get up and running. Decide ahead of time which industries appeal most to you and which ones you’re most equipped to clean. (Hospitals, for example, may require specific training or certifications for you take them on as a client.) Once you’ve got your list of prospects, you’re ready to start calling.
2. Use a CRM
Now that you’ve figured out who you’re going to call, it helps to keep that information in a CRM like Blitz Sales Software. You’ll be better able to track calls, record results, and generally manage your new clients as well as those who may not become new clients immediately, but still will someday. Some CRMs even let you create call scripts or templates that will help you keep your sales calls short and to-the-point.
3. Time your calls well
Did you know that there’s a best day to cold-call businesses? Statistics show that Thursdays have the best conversion rate, followed by Wednesdays. No one knows for sure why this is, but it’s helpful information to know so you don’t spin your wheels on the worst day of the week to make calls, which is Monday.
There’s also a best time to call. Reaching out to prospects between 4 pm and 5 pm gives the most return, followed by the hour between 11 am and 12 pm. The worst times to call are first thing in the morning and during lunch hours.
4. Speak in a clear, bright voice
The tone of your voice makes a lot of difference when you’re placing a sales call. If you sound bored or mechanical, people will be underwhelmed by your offering, even if your services are outstanding. Don’t lose customers because of a dreary tone. It may help to stand up and smile or even go for a walk while you speak, to keep the tone bright and exciting.
5. Keep the call short
If you’re growing a cleaning business over the phone, you’ll want to learn how to keep your pitches short and to-the-point. If you go on too long, a prospect may lose interest and if you don’t get to the point, the prospect will suspect they’re being sold to, which turns most people off.
6. Tailor your calls
When you’re growing a cleaning business, it’s easy for your sales pitches to become stale and similar to one another. Avoid this by tailoring each call to the specific client you’re reaching out to. Include something about their business, address how you can meet their particular needs, and make them an offering that they feel is personal and thought-out. It will take a little time, but you’re likely to get much more business this way.
7. Use a call script
Call scripts help you stay on track and also help make sure you don’t leave out any important information. Write your call scripts out and practice them before you start making calls. Once you’re reasonably comfortable with them, put them to the real test. Just make sure not to sound like you’re reading off a page. Use the call script as a guide and be prepared for the conversation to go in a different direction.
8. Be conversational, not sales-y
Growing a cleaning business over the phone isn’t just about having the right tone. It’s essential your calls are conversational as well. Remember, the first thing you’re doing is establishing a relationship. The pitch comes later. Find some common ground that you have with your prospect, like a sport you both like or a school you both went to. Engage them on a personal level, and they’ll be more likely to buy into your business.
9. Set next steps
Once you’ve got a prospect on board with your offering, make sure to set next steps with them over the phone. Maybe you’re going to perform a free cleaning for them, or perhaps you’ll get right to the paperwork. Either way, it’s a good idea to hash those things out over the phone first so that you can both be aligned.
10. Follow up with an email
Finally, following up is critical to growing a cleaning business, and email is usually the best way to do that after a call. Why? Because it puts everything you agreed upon in writing before you sign a contract, giving the client a chance to make any changes without having to redo the official paperwork. A CRM may be able to help you with email follow-ups, which you should do the same day if you can, and no later than 24 hours after the call.
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