In March, most of Fit for Cleaning’s customers canceled their regular appointments, leaving owner Lawanda Haney in a tough position. How was she going to pay her staff?
So she got creative.
Although primarily a residential cleaning company, Lawanda was able to secure a new commercial account that, on its own, has brought in 50% of the Fit for Cleaning’s usual monthly revenue. Here’s how she found the new account and what she’s doing to find new customers and bring in new sources of revenue.
She Created Crisis-Related Resources
Lawanda recognized that most people are afraid to have someone coming into their home, but they’re also worried about effectively sanitizing their homes. To help with this problem, she began doing community outreach by creating how-to cleaning videos and posting them on her business’s Instagram account and Facebook page. Then she’d link to the videos in community Facebook groups, as well as Nextdoor.
This started to spread word about her company while simultaneously offering valuable information for folks.
She Spotted a New Need
Through these same outlets (Netxdoor and Facebook groups), Lawanda started noticing the anxiety building around toilet paper, and it gave her another idea. She could order toilet paper in bulk, along with other supplies such as gloves, paper towels, and hand sanitizer, from her janitorial supply company.
She began ordering these products and creating care packages that she could sell to people in her area, as well as donate to first responders and senior care centers. She gets the supplies at wholesale prices, but is careful to keep the costs low to customers. She also offers free delivery of the care packages. In return, customers have been tipping really well.
Not only does delivering care packages bring in extra income, but it’s been a successful marketing tool. One
video about the service she posted on her Facebook page
has had over 5,000 views and 20 shares. The service was also covered by her local newspaper.
Between the how-to videos and the care package service, Lawanda has started receiving more and more phone calls asking about her services, including an assisted living facility.
“By doing a sincere community service, I had really great tips, and people who reached out saying ‘I’d never heard of your company. When this is all over, I’d really like to for you to give us a quote and clean for us,’” Lewanda explained in a
virtual roundtable discussion we hosted with several pros
. “That has happened so many times. The word is out.”