You are finally ready to take your cleaning business to the next level. You have done the hard work of getting established with a few loyal clients, but now it’s time to grow. Don’t worry, we’ve got your back. This comprehensive guide will give you tons of tips, tricks, and ideas to help ramp up your cleaning business in 2024.
We’ll cover everything from optimizing your online presence to expanding your cleaning service offerings. You’ll walk away with actionable strategies to get more clients, increase profits, and take your cleaning company further than you ever thought possible.
With dedication to your customers, a strong marketing plan, and a well-oiled operational machine, your cleaning business will be poised for success. Growing a company is challenging, but you can build something great by leveraging your skills and staying focused on what matters.
12 Tips to Grow Your Cleaning Business
To grow your cleaning business, you need to build a strong foundation. Focus on avoiding the most common mistakes, and you’ll be on the path to success. But to scale up, you have to take action. Here are 12 key tips to grow your cleaning business:
1. Analyze Your Current Cleaning Business Model
Once you have an understanding of your target customers and competition, it’s time to evaluate your own business.
Do you offer residential cleaning, commercial cleaning, or both? Think about the specific services under each category and whether you need to expand into other areas. For example, if you focus on residential cleaning, consider adding on extras like oven cleaning, window washing, or carpet cleaning.
Make sure your rates are competitive but still allow you to make a good profit. You may need to adjust prices up or down for certain services. Also consider offering discounts and package deals to attract new customer bookings.
2. Set Goals & Create a Growth Strategy
To grow your cleaning business in 2024, you need to set concrete goals and develop a strategy. Think about where you want to be in 12 months and what key milestones you need to achieve to get there.
Set specific, measurable goals like increasing your client base by 25%, raising your weekly revenue by 30%, or recruiting two more part-time cleaners to your team. Write these goals down and break them into smaller action steps. Review your progress monthly and make adjustments as needed.
Next, determine how you’ll achieve these goals through your growth strategy. Focus on the areas that will generate the biggest impact: sales and marketing, customer service, and operational efficiency.
3. Improve Your Cleaning Services Offerings
To grow your cleaning business, focus on improving and expanding the services you offer. With Housecall Pro’s scheduling and automation features, you’ll have more time to develop new service offerings that meet your clients’ needs.
Some cleaning businesses find success by providing high-demand specialty services. For example, you might offer post-construction cleanup, hoarding cleanup, biohazard cleanup, or disaster restoration services.
These types of jobs typically command higher rates and set you apart. You’ll need proper certifications and training, but the investment can be well worth it.
4. Invest in Effective Marketing & Advertising
Marketing your cleaning business never stops, so you need to commit time and money to attract new customers. Even modest investments in advertising and social media can deliver solid returns.
Create ads for Google and Facebook that highlight your business’s strengths, like experience, training, equipment, and services offered. Target homeowners and business owners in your area—sponsor posts on neighborhood Facebook groups and Nextdoor to increase local visibility.
Start an email newsletter to stay in regular contact with clients and keep your business top of mind. Share cleaning tips, announcements about new services or specials, and links to your latest blog posts. Ask clients to write reviews on Yelp, Facebook, and Google to build social proof of your quality and reliability.
5. Focus on Building a Strong Online Presence
Building an online presence is key to growing your cleaning business in today’s digital world. Start by creating social media profiles on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. These allow you to raise brand awareness, connect with potential customers, and share updates on your services.
Post eye-catching photos of your work, share tips on keeping a clean home, and promote current deals or discounts. Engaging with your followers by liking and commenting on their posts also helps to build community.
A website is also essential for establishing your credibility and authority. Your site should highlight your experience, the types of services you offer, testimonials from happy clients, and your contact information. An attractive, mobile-friendly design and easy navigation will make a good impression on visitors.
6. Improve Your Networking Skills
Networking is crucial for growing your cleaning business, but for some business owners, it can be intimidating. The key is to focus on listening, asking questions, and building genuine connections. Look for local business organizations, networking groups, or chambers of commerce in your area to join.
Becoming an active member of relevant groups exposes you to new people and opportunities. Attend meetings, volunteer, and get to know other members. Don’t go in with a hard sell—focus on learning about them and their needs. When the time is right, they may become customers or refer others to you.
With practice, networking can become an exciting opportunity instead of an obligation. Focus on community, listen well, and stay engaged with your connections. Strong networking skills, combined with providing excellent service, are the keys to growing a thriving cleaning business.
7. Implement a Referral Program to Increase Customer Retention
A referral program is one of the most effective ways to keep your current customers happy and gain new ones. When you offer an incentive for existing clients to recommend your services, it’s a win-win. Your customers get rewarded for their loyalty and word-of-mouth marketing while you gain valuable new leads.
To set up a successful referral program, start by choosing an enticing reward. Offer your customers a discount on their next cleaning or a gift card for every new referral. Make it easy for them to spread the word about your company on social media or through email. Provide pre-written posts and messages they can share with friends and family.
Don’t forget to also reward the new customers they refer. Give a first-time discount or free trial cleaning. People will be more inclined to try out your services if they’re getting a good deal. Once they see how great your work is, they’ll become long-term clients.
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8. Hire and Train a Great Cleaning Team
One of the biggest mistakes that cleaning companies make is pausing hiring employees for their janitorial business when they’re staffed for their current job schedule. Great team members are essential in every growth strategy, from providing outstanding service to implementing compounding sales techniques.
It’s easy to get sucked into a pattern where you wait until your team is overwhelmed by demand, then hire to catch up. Instead, cultivate high-quality applicants year-round. You’ll reduce turnover, improve your services, and instill in your organization the talent it needs to overcome future challenges and sustainably grow your cleaning business.
Look for candidates with experience in the cleaning industry or a related field like hospitality. Develop a thoughtful interview process and cleaner job description to assess soft skills like work ethic, communication, and problem-solving ability.
9. Plan For Growth in Every Aspect of Your Operations
To scale your cleaning business, you need to plan for growth across all areas of your company. Review your operational procedures and see where you can implement automation or new technology to streamline workflows.
Revisit your marketing and sales strategies. Build a content marketing plan to increase brand awareness and attract new leads. Start with your website and social media, then expand to blogging, video, and partnerships. Train your sales team on effective prospecting and closing techniques so they can convert more leads into customers.
10. Build partnerships with other businesses.
Building partnerships with complementary service providers is one of the best ways to grow your cleaning business. Referral relationships, in particular, are invaluable. Reach out to local businesses like carpet cleaners, window washers, nannies, and landscapers.
Explain that you’re interested in providing referrals to each other’s clients. This benefits you both by saving time finding new customers and building goodwill through trusted recommendations. Make sure any partner business provides high-quality service.
When entering a referral partnership, start small by exchanging a few leads to test the waters. If you’re happy with the results, consider negotiating an official agreement to exchange a certain number of referrals each month.
11. Reach Out to New Customers Within Your Community
Get out there and start making connections in your local neighborhood. This might not seem like much fun, but it’s actually a good way to get your name out there and can be very effective in gaining new business.
Door-knocking is a great way to create face-to-face contact and leave a lasting impression. Canvas in the evening to ensure people are home, but make sure you’re respectful of their space. If nobody’s home, leave a house cleaning flyer or brochure so that when they need a cleaner, they’ll think of you.
Put ads in community Facebook groups, Nextdoor, and neighborhood email newsletters. Social media is a simple way to spread the word about your business to locals. Offer a special discount or free first cleaning to new customers in your area.
12. Provide Excellent Customer Service
Happy customers are essential to answering how to grow a cleaning business. Not only will they share your company with their network, but you can also count on them for service revenue year after year. If you experience high churn, your sales team can only sustain your operations, and growth will remain out of reach.
Use customer relationship management (CRM) software to track and resolve any issues. Something as small as providing your existing customers with dedicated attention can set you apart in a crowded market and ignite momentum to expand your cleaning business.
Take your customer communication to the next level with software like Housecall Pro. Our automated emails, SMS, and in-app chat software let you send confirmation texts and emails to keep your customers in the loop. You can also turn your missed calls into booked jobs with the integrated 24/7 answering service.
What Makes a Successful Cleaning Business?
To build a thriving cleaning business, you need to provide high-quality service and value to your customers. Your customers want a clean home or office and an overall positive experience. Pay close attention to the details that will make their experience great, like friendly and professional staff, flexible scheduling, and clear communication.
Successful cleaning businesses run like well-oiled machines. Develop standardized procedures and systems to ensure consistent quality and enable your staff to work productively. Provide ongoing training to help employees improve their skills and work efficiently as a team.
With hard work and persistence, you can establish a successful cleaning business. Focus on service, reputation, meeting client needs, and continual improvement. When you get the fundamentals right, your cleaning company will prosper and provide real benefits both for your customers and your own financial and professional well-being.
Grow Your Business With Cleaning Service Software
You’ve got this! You now have a solid plan of attack for growing your cleaning business in 2024 and beyond. But the real work starts now—it’s time to take action. Start by choosing one or two of the strategies outlined here to implement right away.
You have so much potential, and there are many opportunities in this industry. Stay dedicated, work hard, and keep your eyes on the bigger picture of building a business you can be proud of. Sign up for Housecall Pro today with a free 14-day trial to experience all that our cleaning business software has to offer.
