Are the warmer months a bad time for business? Try these tips and use custodial management software to have a more successful summer.
You’re all alone. Stuck in the middle of a wilderness.
All you have to survive is the following: a map, a bow and arrow, binoculars and a flare gun. You must figure out how to use these tools to stay alive and make it back to civilization.
The summer months can feel like such a scenario for some cleaning businesses—far removed from the busier times of the year, with only a few options to help you endure the slow season.
We’ve learned four effective tactics from our own experience to keep your cleaning business thriving. Here is how you can use the earlier list of tools to survive the summer “wilderness.”
Be active in the outdoors
Idly sitting in the shade, waiting to be rescued, is not an option if you want to make it out of the wilderness. Put that map to use, cover some terrain and seek out civilization.
If your cleaning employees just stay glued to their custodial management software and fulfill work orders indoors, your company will miss opportunities to find new customers. Inspire your employees to be outgoing and not slip into “hibernation.”
Go where most of the people are: out enjoying the weather!
Small Business Trends offers amazing ideas for your business to get increased summertime exposure:
- Find a community calendar and select which local events you could participate in or sponsor. Set up an outdoor booth.
- Recruit business locations around you to participate in an outdoor group summer event where you can all promote yourselves.
- Host a summer party at your location and email invitations to customers with summer deals.
Target social media
You won’t last long in the wilderness unless you start hunting for food with that bow and arrow. Sustenance isn’t just going to walk up and find you.
Social media is one of the best ways to reach out to clients who might be vacationing and are hard to contact. You can also track down conversations that relate to your products or services and build connections with potential clients.
Innovative Global Vision, a web design and digital marketing company, suggests doing things like engaging more often with your followers and running contests or special deals that will catch attention and draw in leads.
If your cleaning business has not been very involved on social media before, now would be the perfect time to experiment and try out platforms like Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.
Create a new business strategy
The more you use the binoculars during your wilderness trek, the more you could avoid upcoming hazards and threats on your course. You might also discover better routes to take. Why not take advantage of slow days and have management participate in reviewing and restructuring your business strategy for the upcoming months?
Discuss what has brought success and what you should avoid repeating. Decide on new things that your cleaning business should try, like implementing custodial management software to boost your income and productivity.
“Even though marketing should be a priority all year round, sometimes the planning and implementation gets put on the back burner during busy times,” said Jason Lucash, a contributor to Entrepreneur magazine.
“Creating . . . email blasts, updating social media, the website and planning for the next year are all good things to do while it is slow.”
Get your clients’ attention
If you hear a plane flying overhead while you are in the wilderness, you will want to pull out your flare gun and use it. Otherwise, you will be easily overlooked.
During the slow summer months, you can also focus on grabbing the attention of your current customers. Remind them of why they need you as a cleaning service provider and how valuable you are.
Reach out to those who have been clients for a long time with a thank you note, visit or phone call. Work more closely with people who tend to have regular complaints. Show them you’re committed to solving their problems and improving your services like inspections.
When the busy season returns and you can’t invest as much time, you can rest assured that your clients are pleased with you.
CleanTelligent Software offers many different services to help cleaning businesses grow, such as inspections and work orders.