By Larry Galler

The performance difference between companies (and sports teams, educational organizations, non-profits, professional firms, etc.) with high standards compared to those with lower, or no standards, is amazing. It is visible to a casual observer and very obvious to customers and prospects.

The difference is apparent when seen in person – like walking into a store, office, warehouse, even the parking lot. It’s apparent in the way the telephone is answered, by a smiling, engaged voice or with a flat, dull attitude. I could use all the space on this page to continue to list differences between high and low standard companies but you undoubtedly can list them also.

The real question is, “How do “high standards” companies get that way and how do they maintain their standards?”

High standards start at the top. The leader sets those standards and communicates expectations to the key people who then communicate them throughout the organization, whether the whole organization consists of one person or thousands. They train people on the standards, create metrics and review procedures to insure the standards are maintained and enforced.

If, or when, it is found that standards are not being maintained, remedial action is activated. I know this sounds simple, but it isn’t. It takes a constant, never-ending effort to accomplish year-in and year-out. But the benefits are enormous.

In general, businesses (et.al.) with high standards enjoy higher customer satisfaction and greater customer loyalty, lower levels of staff turnover and a happier workforce, better reputations and more referrals, and higher profit margins which allows for greater investment in growth because customers are, typically, willing to pay a little more to get the results and benefits of those higher standards. The result is a more sustainable, more profitable and more enjoyable business for all concerned.

All that said, assuming leadership is able to create and articulate those higher standards, it has to be realized this isn’t a “snap-the-fingers-and-it-happens” project. It takes patience, fortitude and gumption to get higher standards in place and achieved but when it works very good things will happen.

Larry Galler works with business owners to create management and marketing breakthroughs. Sign up to subscribe to his weekly newsletter and newspaper column at www.larrygaller.com.

(as seen in the November issue of Cleanfax)

By Steve Marsh

In this time of digital advertising, it can be tough to grab and hold on to the interest of consumers.

As people turn to Google, Yelp and other digital media, they are fully aware that they can easily jump to a competing service company in a matter of seconds. The public’s attention span shortens by the day. In our quest to command customer attention, it is now more critical than ever to use new tools and techniques in our marketing to stand out from the crowd.

Make discounts exciting

Consumer gift cards can empower your advertising and marketing to grab the interest of your audience. They change the plain traditional incentive discounts into fresh, fun and exciting gifts. Instead of the old and dull “20% off” discount, you can offer a gift of a $25 Visa shopping spree, night out at the movies or coffee with friends at Starbucks.

Dollar or percentage-off discounts are forgotten by customers seconds after they are offered. Gift cards on the other hand are tangible items they can hold and think about. Customers will put them in their wallets and remember that there is a good time waiting for them when they put them to use. When they are redeemed, it’s hard to not think good thoughts about the company that gave them the gift.

If I had the choice between two otherwise similar companies, where one offered a $25 discount and the other a $25 gift card, my strong desire to get free stuff draws me to the one offering the gift card.

Sometimes the consumer appointed with the chore of selecting a service company is not the one responsible for paying the service bill. In this case, a gift card becomes a bonus treat to the person making the choice. In this scenario, the companies offering traditional discounts don’t stand a chance.

Referral rewards

Gift cards can also radically change the effectiveness of referral reward programs. Instead of the common discount-off of future service, these cards instead offer a fun reward which clients can actually visualize enjoying. They create a far more powerful motivation for them to mention your company to friends.

The cost

I can imagine some people are now thinking about how expensive it will be to purchase a big handful of gift cards. If this is the case for you, you have proven my point. You see cash value in the gift card, but not in your own man hours.

Many owners do not consider cash-off discounts to be real money. Consumers often think along the same lines. Since the discount is subtracted before the final invoice total is calculated, it is easy to pretend it never existed. The truth is that every dollar you have given away as a discount would have been pure profit if you had gotten the job and not given away the discount.

Ultimately, there is no difference to the company bottom line of profit whether you offer a discount in the form of a gift card or give it away as a discount off the total amount on the invoice.

Brand restrictions

Please be aware that some gift cards have restrictions for use of their copyright brand. For example, I found that Starbucks would not allow me to use their name and logo in my advertising to the public. So instead, I chose to offer a generic “coffee gift card” in my ads. On the other hand, I was allowed to use their name and logo when communicating with existing customers. In those cases I offered a “Starbucks gift card” as a referral reward.

To find out if a branded gift card has any advertising restrictions, you only need to send the corporation an email and ask.

Providing the gift

I found it most effective to present the advertising incentive gift card at the time the invoice was paid at the consumer’s home. If the consumer was mailing me a check following the job, I would return a thank you card and include the gift.

When I use a gift card as a referral reward, I send it out along with a “thank you for the referral” card as soon as the referred job is completed.

Stand out from the crowd

Using gift cards as purchasing and referral incentives is easy to do. Few, if any, of your competitors are taking advantage of this fun way to offer discounts and rewards. This tool allows you to stand out from the crowd of service companies battling to grab the attention of consumers. Making a little bit of effort to incorporate this powerful incentive will be well worth it.

Steve Marsh is a 40-year veteran of the carpet cleaning industry, an instructor and a Senior Carpet Inspector. He helps home-service companies quickly establish profitable clienteles and then progress on to serve higher quality customers. To help companies achieve these goals he created the step-by-step programs Single Truck Success and Be Competition Free. For more information, visit www.professional-carpet-cleaning-service.com.

Restoration Contractors:
Don't forget about the upcoming Restoration Strategies insurance marketing workshop. You will learn how to get work directly from insurance companies, how to effectively network and do business with agents and adjusters, how to get work from customers by using your website, SEO and pay-per-click, different methods to using your social media reach and much more.

Click here for all details

No matter who you are, no matter where you live, you never sleep alone.

But don’t panic…those sleeping with you are somewhat peaceful. And not really that noticeable, until the “Welcome” sign goes up and they start inviting a bunch of guests over. Once the invitation goes out, there can be millions that end up in one mattress alone!

Yes, we are speaking of dust mites, those super-tiny eight-legged creatures that live in every house and take up residence in virtually every pillow, mattress and other comfortable abodes in the world.

Commonly called the “house dust mite,” (there are a couple of different types known to inhabit various parts of the world) this little creature feeds on flakes of shed human and animal skin and known to be a cause of asthma and allergic reactions.

Dust mite feces contain a powerful digestive enzyme that causes all kinds of breathing problems — if there are enough of the creatures in your home.

Some people are highly sensitive to dust mites, while others never have a reaction.

What can you do?

First of all, like we already said, don’t panic. Dust mites are everywhere, and there’s nothing you can do about that.

What you can do is keep things clean. Dust mites reproduce quickly in mattresses, beddings, pillows and other areas because these absorbent items take up moisture, such as saliva, perspiration and blood, from body contact. Dust mites prefer those warm, moist environments created by sleeping bodies.

Besides moisture, they need food. Dust mites are like any living creature. They need to eat. The skin flakes, dander and other protein sources are food for dust mites, so regular vacuuming is smart, especially using one with HEPA filtering. And running an air cleaner in your home with HEPA filtering will help, too.

Professional cleaning is a good investment for your home. Deep cleaning all fabrics on a regular basis means you are taking food away from these unwanted tenants. Logically, this equates to fewer dust mites coming over to party at your house.

So be a smart homeowner. Keep things clean and keep some of the pests away! Call your cleaning pro today.

You read about this last week, how a popular restaurant chain decided to cut carpet cleaning in order to increase profits.

I would like to hear from you on how you deal with commercial prospects like a restaurant or office building when they start talking budgets, etc. What do you do to convince them they need to have their cleaning services on a regular (and logical) schedule?

Or do you avoid these types of jobs (such as restaurants) altogether?

Share your negotiation best practices.

(and if you missed that article from last week, here's the link below)

Click here to read the Olive Garden story about carpet cleaning.