1. Don’t waste money on advertising…for 95% of the business population this is a pointless exercise in terms of lead generation and also carries a huge cost.

2. Use your current client list…most of you won’t know that you can actually achieve more from existing clients. Be honest with yourself, do all of your clients know everything that you do?

3. Give your clients news of your business that is progressive. For example, “Hi John, just thought I would give you a call to see if there is anything else we can do for you at the moment – whilst I am on the phone, we have just installed a new widget machine to bring the cost of widgets down for our clients.” If you tell your target market that you are investing in new people/kit/expansion then they will have an impression that you are a stable and successful company.

4. Editorial…lots of local news and trade magazines will take good quality copy from you and publish it in the business news section for free. If you can strike an ongoing relationship up with editors and you always submit good newsworthy copy that is not a big sales pitch for your business then you will eventually get them calling you for you to help them fill a space! Remember, there are 1000′s of trade magazines in the UK – most sectors have 4 or 5.

5. Networking…still one of the best ways to get business locally and spread the word cost effectively about your business. There are lots of local networking meetings and some National ones too. Costs are very low, normally between £10-20 and you get to meet lots of business people, who in turn become your sales people.

6. Letter campaigns…for the cost of a few stamps you can send out relevant information to prospects. Don’t dismiss this activity – a client of our marketing agency won Coca Cola as a client from this activity. Keep the letter one page maximum and remember to tell the prospect what is in it for them – not just you.

Thank goodness starting an office cleaning business isn’t anything like skydiving! If
you fall flat on your face, there’s no chance that it’s going to hurt that bad. Learning
to handle the inevitable occurrence of rejection to the best of your ability will help
you refine your office cleaning business and your business techniques.

Rejection is simply par for the course when you first start an office cleaning
business — it will happen occasionally. So instead of hoping that it never will, it’s
good for your business health to come up with some strategies to handle it, learn
from it and even grow your office cleaning business with that knowledge. As you
start an office cleaning business, aim to minimize your experiences of rejection,
while at the same time, be prepared for it.

Reasons for Rejection.

Not “clicking” with your client when you first start an office cleaning business can be
cause for rejection somewhere down the line. An initial awkwardness between you
may just never go away, and could result in the end of that job. Or you may take on
a new client but you feel some anxiety on their part about your fees. They may hire
you for one or two sessions, and then tell you they aren’t interested in having you
back.

When we first started an office cleaning business we had a continual scheduling
problem with one office manager, who changed her cleaning date many times
during the holiday season. We were as flexible as we could be with her, changing
our other clients’ scheduled dates around in order to accomodate her several times.
But when it came to settling on a regular cleaning date, this person could not be
flexible with us. Funny thing was, Ev and I just knew something wasn’t right with
this particular job from the start. We hadn’t ever really “clicked” with her, so the
schedule problem became bigger than it should have been.

Be aware that scheduling is one of the most important elements of starting an office
cleaning business. Get it right with your clients, and you’ve got a good opportunity
to keep your clients happy. Get it wrong with them, and you may find yourself
moving on.

Superficial concerns like personal style, or appearance, can be a cause for rejection.
People’s perceptions are very important. We’re not saying those perceptions are
right or wrong, only that they’re important. When Evan started to get serious about
making good money with his office cleaning business, he cut his shoulder-length
hair short. His business picked up.

People do make snap judgments on appearances. It’s just a game. If we want the
business, we have to play by the rules of the game. We’re aware that there are a lot
of flaky office cleaners out there who disappoint their clients regularly. You’ll
succeed by playing against the stereotypes. Dress well (as well as you can
considering the nature of this job–you do get dirty on occasion), always be on
time, and communicate well with your clients.

What to Say If and When it Happens.

Let’s say your new client, Mrs. C, calls you on the day after your birthday. Feeling
fine as you pick up the receiver, you assume for a moment that she’s calling about
your schedule. But her voice is quavering, and she proceeds to tell you that she
thinks you are charging too much. Her company no longer wants to do business
with you. She’s nervous, which makes you suddenly nervous. The conversation is
awkward for you both.

You don’t know what to say except, “thank you for your call, I appreciate your
honesty. It’s been a pleasure to work for you. Have a nice day.” (Please note: I have
actually told people to have a nice day, but seeing it in print makes me cringe. Trust
me, you’ll think of something better to say.)

While you’ll never like losing a client, be honest with yourself. Would you want to
clean Mrs. C’s office for less? Would it be worth your time and effort?

So, when Mrs. C calls, you decide. If you want the job enough to lower your
fee, ask if she would be interested in re-negotiating. But if you realize that you
simply can’t do that job at a lowered fee, then say a little mental thank you to her.
She’s opened up your schedule for another, better client to come along. And you
can see how important it is to try and set the fees right at the time of the estimate.

Keep up your marketing campaign.

Do not agonize over it, just do it. And be on the alert while talking to the people in
your daily life. Let them know what you do. Ask them for referrals. Many people
don’t realize how extraordinarily helpful your average person can be. So just ask.
Sometimes that’s all it takes. Don’t allow yourself to skate along smugly on the thin
ice of your regular schedule. Something out-of-the-blue could always happen.

Marketing consistently is especially important during the first three or four months
when you start an office cleaning business. It doesn’t take much time to continually
sow the fields of your daily bread this way. Then when a client drops into the abyss
you can call the people who are patiently waiting for your schedule to loosen up so
you can fit them in, and reap the harvest.

Workplace Trends.

This is a good time to mention that in accordance with the latest workplace trends,
even employees with seemingly secure jobs are being advised never to get too
comfy. “Always be prepared to move on to your next job,” is the advice of career
counselors, who also recommend that employees be discreet about looking for
another job while at work. Companies have no loyalty to their employees, and in the
current economy you never know when companies may be forced to downsize.

How does this translate into language for self-employed people like you and me?
“Always be prepared to move on to your next job.” It’s exactly the same advice.
Except, unlike employees with other companies, you and I do not have to be covert
about it. It’s both smart and natural for self-employed people to always keep a keen
lookout for new clients. It’s all considered intelligent networking.

Shift happens.

As you start an office cleaning business you’ll learn that it isn’t simply that people
are fickle and unpredictable, although they can be both those things. Your clients
are working under the same strenuous system as you, and they are as susceptible to
job loss, solar flares, family crises, illness and temporary insanity as you are. So be
kind to your clients. Even when they can you for no good reason that you can see.
Forgive them, forget them, then go on and market some more.

Author: Suzanne Arthur
Article Source: EzineArticles.com