Harness the Power of Referrals

Word of mouth is still one of the best (and free) ways to get new customers for your cleaning business. You could put out an advertisement claiming to be the top cleaning business in town, but this is likely not as effective as hearing it from someone who as actually used your services. People who have heard good things about your company from their friends, co-workers, family or anyone they trust are more likely to purchase your services than someone who has little or no knowledge about your company. Asking for referrals can be an awkward process, so often companies avoid even asking. We’ve put together a few tips to help you harness the power of referrals.

Why are referrals so important?

Referrals increase the speed of the sales cycle leaving you more time to focus on your customers’ satisfaction rather than trying to convince people to use your services over another. Referred leads are typically 6x more likely to end up doing business with you than leads you have sought out that may not be qualified. This saves you time and money on searching out potential customers.

How to get referrals?

Create a plan – Set a goal of how many referrals you would like to get in the next few months. It’s also important to decide when you will be asking your customer for a referral. You want to make sure they are satisfied enough with your services that they would consider recommend your cleaning service to a friend.

Create a referral program – Create a rewarding program that encourages your customers to provide referrals. This typically involves your customer and the person they have referred receiving a discounted service. You could also offer an even larger incentive by offering a contest for a free cleaning service with each referral counting as an entry. Make sure to have this program visible by being featured on your website and on your social media accounts for an extra marketing boost.

Related: 6 Essential Marketing Tips for Cleaning Businesses

Once you have a solid system in place for gathering referrals, you should see an increase in business and hopefully secure repeat customers. Do you have any tips or ideas on how to master the referral game?