Think how often our residential customers feel like they need to “clean up for the carpet cleaner”! As we learned in the Strategies for Success seminar when you perform any service in a customer’s home (including cleaning the carpets) you are going to be viewed as a “tolerated irritation”! Ease the “emotional trauma” for your customer and you will likely create a “Cheerleader for life”!

When the homeowner starts apologizing for the deplorable, filthy condition of their carpets, don’t add to their embarrassment by agreeing with them as in, “Yep. You are so right. Your carpets are disgusting!”

How much better to reply, “Well, they ARE due!” (Then smile at the customer as in “this can be our little inside joke” and get back to work!)  By saying this you are implying that carpet soiling is just a “normal and natural occurrence”.  No apology required!

I would sometimes reply with a laugh, “Even the Queen of England’s carpets get dirty!” This procedure relieves the customer’s guilt and at the same time affirms the wisdom of their decision to call you.

This is a classic example of how finely tuned you can get with Value Added Service details. Sure, no one is going to become a negative Cheerleader just by you agreeing with their obviously accurate assessment that their carpets are FILTHY! But remember, “God is in the details!” Cheerleaders are made by adding up dozens of little positive Moments of Truth including your “Queen of England response”! Let us know how this quickTIPS works for you.

Steve

P.S. So how can you build on this “great diplomatic response”  that eases the customer’s embarrassment?  By delivering even more positive “Moments of Truth”(MOT)! For example Jon-Don offers furniture slides, shoe cover booties, wall buddy corner guards and a nifty isolating door guard. These “MOT tools” serve important practical purposes but more importantly show your “care and concern” for the customer’s feelings AND her home.

Related posts:

1. Pre-orient/ educate your carpet cleaning clients
2. Five bucks to get started off right with your carpet cleaning client
3. Winning over a traumatized fire or water damage client!
4. Create a great Moment of Truth BEFORE you ever start cleaning their carpets …