I almost left the guarantees out!
I was finishing up writing my book on advertising for cleaning companies.
…It’s coming out soon. I’ll keep you posted.
During my final review, I realized I left out a very important component…Guarantees.
I don’t mean a vague “Satisfaction Guarantee.” I mean a compelling, meaningful, spelled out guarantee.
5 types of guarantees for cleaners:
- 100% No Questions Asked Guarantee. This one says that if you’re not happy for any reason, just call us back. We’ll come back out to re-clean the areas you’re not happy with. If you’re still not happy, you’ll get a full refund.
- Spot removal guarantee. This is mostly for carpet, tile, and rug cleaning. I use this one a lot when doing media like newspaper or direct mail. It simply says, “If any spots return after cleaning, we’ll come back in XX days at no charge.”
- No Mold or Mildew Guarantee. This guarantee promises your carpet will dry quickly. If it takes longer than 24 hours for your carpet to dry, we’ll return at no charge to re-clean your areas.
- The stains come out or we pay a competitor. Here we say that we’re the best in the area. If we can’t get a stain out of your carpet, we’ll pay a competitor to remove the stain. Of course, we limit the amount we’ll pay to the total dollar amount the client paid us for cleaning.
- Double your money back guarantee or 200% Guarantee. This one is pretty bold, but it says if you’re not happy, I’ll refund your money plus pay a competitor to re-clean those areas, up to the amount you paid. In this case, the client gets free cleaning and they get paid for the cleaning. Do this only for ultra high-end clients and referral sources.
I have several clients in my cleaning company that have told me they use us strictly because of our guarantees. They won’t use anyone else. They’ve tried other companies that did a bad job, had spots return, and the company wouldn’t come back for a follow up service. Because of our strong guarantees, they’ll keep using us and pay a higher price.
I’m not saying you have to do all these guarantees. But the stronger your guarantee, the more you can charge. You want them to feel like they can’t lose if they hire you.
If you make these guarantees, very few people will ever take you up on the money back guarantees. But someone will take advantage eventually. Be prepared for that. However, making such a strong guarantee will attract many more people to your business who are willing to pay your price. It’s worth it.