Unlocking Sales Success in the Cleaning Industry - Building Customer Relationships Through the Art of Listening
Recently, our entire team of talented Virtual Assistants had the pleasure of joining a training session with the incredible Carrie Knight. Even our very own Maria Dorian, the owner of Task Away, had the opportunity to participate in an exclusive one-week-long sales training organized by Castle Keepers, a maid service owned by Tom Stewart in Charleston, North Carolina. Let’s just say, it was an absolute blast, and we all walked away with invaluable knowledge!
Learning from a Cleaning Industry Expert
Carrie Knight is not only a successful maid service owner, but she’s also an exceptional coach for other maid service owners. Her businesses - Cleaning Boss and The Cleaning Business Secrets podcast - continue to flourish year after year, consistently generating seven figures.
With her wealth of knowledge and her unique way of presenting information in a tangible and actionable manner, Carrie is the go-to expert in sales training. Her specialty is helping cleaning service owners find success through client acquisition, revenue generation, and business transformation.
Sales & The Art of Listening
In the cleaning industry, we strive to offer a quality service, provide value to our customers, and of course, turn a profit. During Carrie’s insightful webinar, she emphasized the power of building relationships with customers to boost sales conversions.
When it comes to connecting with customers and earning their trust, there’s ample room for growth and learning. Across all industries, the average close rate of a sale is just 19%. Carrie shared with us several ways to increase that percentage in the cleaning industry through relationship building.
The key takeaway from the training was the art of listening. If we don’t truly listen to our customers’ needs, wants, and the reasons behind their calls, we won’t be able to offer them the right package or service.
By actively listening and simply using personalized techniques like using a customer’s name throughout a conversation, we can engage better and gain a deeper understanding of what they truly need. Once we grasp their unique circumstances, we can address their pain points—the reasons why they reached out to us in the first place.
To learn more about how to build better customer relationships by addressing customer apathy, click HERE.
Addressing Pain Points
Pain points are the underlying issues or challenges our customers face. A high-powered business person will have different pain points than a single mom with four kids, but the core concept remains the same—they are in need of a solution.
By truly understanding our customers and their pain points, we can follow Carrie’s system of identifying, agitating, and ultimately offering them a way to solve their challenges. That’s what sales is all about!
Selling with Strategy
Armed with a solid understanding of our customers and their pain points, it’s time to make the sale. But here’s the thing—selling with strategy is key.
Sustainable businesses thrive on repeat customers, not one-time sales. In the cleaning industry, this means focusing on our weekly and bi-weekly services. While not everyone requires weekly service, our selling points should emphasize the value and benefits of our bi-weekly services. These customers become our loyal, long-term clients, generating consistent revenue over time.
So, how do we win over these clients? The answer lies in creating an irresistible offer and selling with strategy.
When our entire marketing approach revolves around competing on price, it’s not sustainable because there will always be someone who can undercut us. However, building our marketing and selling strategies around irresistible offers is not only sustainable but also highly effective. Countless successful companies across industries have proven this time and time again.
Crafting an Irresistible Offer
When it comes to crafting an irresistible offer, there’s a simple formula to follow—the “Main Dish,” the “Bonuses,” and the “Limiters.” This powerful combination creates an offer that customers simply cannot refuse.
The “Main Dish” is your core service or solution—the reason they reached out to you. You’ve identified what they need and have a solution for their pain.
The “Bonuses” set you apart from the competition, adding value and making a higher price worth it for the customer. These are “extras” your offer includes that your competition does not. It’s the tangible aspects of your unique selling proposition. The “Limiters” are the elements that create a sense of urgency. Most buying decisions are based on information, not time. So, incorporating “limiters” helps customers make a decision without spending excessive time on it.
Final Thoughts …
We all strive for sustainable businesses with consistent growth. So those of us in the cleaning service industry are quite thankful for Carrie’s expertise in developing and sharing a proven system to help maid service owners and their VAs convert prospects into long-term, repeat customers.
By implementing these systems into the training within your maid service, you’re sure to witness remarkable growth in your business.
Our Task Away Virtual Assistantss have studied Carrie’s sales training, and their expertise shines through. In fact, one of our delighted maid service owners recently shared this feedback about her own VA:
“As always, Chrystal is kicking butt!! It’s amazing how she even manages to win back lost leads!” – Michelle A, Sparkling Clean Homes
If you have any questions about how a virtual assistant can help you with your business, please feel free to contact us: Task Away Virtual Assistants