Cleaner Q & A: The Keys to Success

Success means something different to each individual, and most everyone goes about trying to achieve it in a different way. You could be the best carpet cleaner in the world, but is skill the only thing that equates to success? Not necessarily. Since every cleaner runs their company a little differently, we thought it would be interesting to get some different opinions on the topic of success and what it is that helps cleaners ‘win’ every day.

So, we asked the question: “What one thing is crucial to your success on a daily basis?"

Here’s how some of your fellow cleaners responded.

‍1) Having fun with your customers.

‍Brad Mastrangelo, Mastrangelo's Carpet Cleaning

‍“Making your customers smile and laugh. I have been in this business for 25 years. I have also been a professional stand-up comedian for 23 years. Many of my customers know this and many find out when I leave. I believe that we all have access to the same equipment, chemicals, and training. I feel strongly that if you make a customer feel comfortable with you the person, you will have a customer for life.”

‍2) Taking notes.

‍Jeremy Higley, Ultimate Carpet Cleaning

‍“Absolutely it has to be time management. Google Keep keeps me on track with goals, to-do's, etc.”

‍3) Family support.

‍Tom King, Rug Gallery Flooring

‍“My wife's hard work and great people skills.”

‍4) Conversations with customers and staff.

‍Shen Schulz, Environmental Carpet and Air Care

‍“Communication! It is the foundational basis for everything going right in our business. We could not stay as organized with our schedule and demand without communication. We could not have strong marketing and online presence without communication. Our customers experience good customer service and understand everything they need to know regarding their job, because we proactively communicate with them all details. Our different departments work together seamlessly (senior leadership, accounting, customer service, cleaning techs, web marketing) because we instill the importance of communication in our culture.”

‍5) Sincerity.

‍Pavlin Zarkov, Master’s Touch

‍“Be honest, win customers’ trust and turn them into a cheerleaders for your business.”

‍6) Always being open to learning.

‍Joseph Rodgers, Quest Floor Care

‍“Taking the time to learn new things and integrate them into the business when helpful. The key is actually taking the time to learn and understand the new thing, whether it's a process, a piece of equipment or a form of technology (like another form of social media).”

‍7) Going above and beyond.

‍Jessica Zuniga, Zorro Carpet Cleaning

‍“Getting to know our customer’s needs and exceeding expectation.”

‍8) Always giving it your all.

‍John Stewart, Healthy Choice Carpet Cleaners

‍“I got rid of my ego -- stopped making excuses. I became determined that only the best will do -- even if I lost money on some jobs. While running my business with these guidelines I managed to serve some people who became cheerleaders for my business and helped it grow. And I was a decade ahead of the ‘green, eco-friendly’ thing."

‍9) A solid foundation.

‍Russ Terhaar, The Clean Machine

‍“Integrity, hard work, and faith. Not sure what order to put those in because they all work together for me. Take one out and I'm dead in the water...”

‍10) Acting like a cleaner that YOU would want to hire!

‍Ron Beatty, Ron Beatty Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning

‍“Consistency, reliability, humility, and a lot of hard work.”

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This throwback ServiceMonster Blog post was originally posted in July of 2015.