Good morning, Steve,

I’d like to do something “different” to make me the preferred carpet cleaning company to choose over the competition and get more residential sales. I am considering doing something new that I heard about another carpet cleaner doing. This other cleaning business markets a value added service option which means that if they clean the customer’s carpets then the home owner also gets a free “emergency” spot or spill touch up job whenever they want it.  Or maybe I could do a free touch-up 6 months after the initial visit … ?

Have your Strategies for Success members done carpet cleaning marketing like this? Or is it “spend a certain amount with us and get the free spotting call as a bonus”?  I heard that less than 3% of customers actually ever use a free spotting call.

Searching for “Something Different” in Idaho

Dear Searching,

First, congratulations on “differentiating” yourself from the hordes of hungry (and cut-rate!) carpet cleaners out there.  Your efforts will be richly rewarded.

I like the “Spot and Spill Warranty” concept.  However, many of our SFS members are offering it as a bonus ONLY when the customer buys the Scotchgard protector finish.  This 12 month “Spot and Spill Warranty”  offers some very real advantages.  A) It shows the customer you have confidence in the product since you are willing to offer a free warranty, B) they now have extra incentive to buy the Scotchgard and C) most importantly one year later you will have a “time dated urgency” for them to re-clean the carpets and reapply the Scotchgard!

“Mrs. Jones, I noticed that your 12 month Scotchgard ‘Spot and Spill Warranty’ expires in three weeks on June 14^th.  Now if you want to keep the warranty in force we have an opening next week …”  And of course the ONLY way they can continue under warranty is to have you clean AND reapply the Scotchgard!

I concur in that you don’t need to worry about the percentage who will actually use the program.  When I interview SFS members using our Scotchgard 12 month “Spot and Spill warranty” program they tell me less that 1% of their covered clients ever actually use the program.  Look at this great program detailed here.

As for any other ideas for value or why someone should hire you to do their carpet cleaning rather than another (possibly cheaper) carpet cleaner?  Check out this link.

Best regards,

Steve

P.S. There are myriads of ways to differentiate yourself from the competition.  Value Added Service is my favorite.  We like to say in the Strategies  for Success seminar, “when you take care of the customer everything else takes care of itself.” Making cheerleader customers (repeat customers that actively tell others about your cleaning services) is by far your most effective marketing tool!

Related posts:

1. A cleaner reaches out to local carpet retailers …
2. Adding this “Extra Services Check List” will promote carpet cleaning up-sells!
3. Never “oversell” the Scotchgard application to your residential carpet cleaning customers
4. How can I get my carpet cleaning techs to upsell?
5. Should carpet cleaners accept credit cards?