How can I set my carpet cleaning service apart from the rest?

Question: What will make prospects choose me?

Steve’s answer: Strongly consider our SFS “12 Month Spot and Spill Warranty” program! It is free to you!

Good morning, Steve,

I’d like to do something “different” to make a prospect choose me over my competition. I’ve hear of other carpet cleaners offering an extra cost option where their customer 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 graduates 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 attempting to “differentiate” 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 FREE bonus but ONLY when the customer buys the Scotchgard protector finish.  This 12 month “Spot and Spill Warranty”  concept offers you some very real advantages.

A) It shows the customer you have confidence in the product since you are willing to offer a free warranty plus…

B) They now have extra incentive to buy the protector and…

C) Most importantly one year later you can use “time dated urgency” to motivate them to re-clean their carpets AND reapply their protection! Here’s what you say…

“Mrs. Jones, I noticed that your 12 month free ‘Spot and Spill Warranty’ with us expires in three weeks on June 14^th.  Now if you want to keep the warranty in force for free 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!

FREE BONUS: You can download the SFS “Spot and Spill” Warranty HERE, add your company contact info and logo and test the concept immediately. Just get some nice paper at Office Depot and run a few sheets through any ink-jet color printer!

NOTE: You absolutely don’t need to worry about the percentage who will actually ask you to come out for free.  SFS members using our 12 month “Spot and Spill warranty” program tell me less that 1% of their covered clients ever actually use the program!  Look at this great program detailed here.

Want more ideas on why someone should hire you to do their carpet cleaning rather than another (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!