ForumsStarting a Business

Word of mouth is a great way. Give your current customers a discount or gift for referrals.

Fliers in common places that people go to (like the supermarket and the gym). You might also want to post on the bulletin boards of any nearby businesses (ask the receptionist to do this). Business people often don't have the time to clean their houses and have the money to get someone else to do it. Make sure your flier gets the point across quickly and stands out. If you can come up with a clever title, that will help.

How about contacting people whose homes are for sale? Let me tell you about how my last house cleaner was hired to explain what I mean: She saw the "For Sale" sign in my yard, knocked on the door, introduced herself, handed me a sheet with her name and references, and asked me to give her a try. I turned her down (I do my own house cleaning), but after a couple of weeks of trying to keep the place "show ready" all the time, I decided her services would be well worth it. I found the sheet she left, verified her references, and called her. She did a great job, and I hired her to come in twice a week to clean for the remaining time my house was on the market. When it sold, I referred her to friends four blocks over. Their house still hasn't sold (8 months), so she has been cleaning for them this whole time. I think she has a dozen or so jobs like that going on that she got just by knocking on a door -- and at least one family who moved to another place in the same town kept her on to clean their new home on a regular basis.

Hopes this helps you. Best of luck!

Lighthouse...that is a great idea.... also.....contact builders. They employ people to clean houses during construction as well.

Following are my suggestions:

1. Distribut flyers in the neighbourhood once a month.
2. Join Chamber of Commerce and introduce your business to all.
3. Join women association meeting and inform them your work.
4. Distribute Flyer in multiunit appartments.

What a great story BullsEye! I like your suggestion. Something else that works is "referrals" so if you get a job for one house/apartment - - soon, you may start getting business from the entire street. That's how we found our cleaner - is via neighbor referral. So, always do a great job, and word will start spreading about your services. Our cleaner does 5 houses on our street!

Find the pricier hair and nail salons in your area, especially those that cater to professional women by offering evening and weekend appointments. Or, if you don't like their clientele, find other salons that cater to the type of people you want to clean for.

Make a presentable flyer or postcard and mail or drop them off at the salons. Look for other businesses that cater to the home & recreation interests of the clients you want, and leave your card or flyers there as well.

While you're at it, find a shop and established stylist you like, and start going to them. If you can't afford regular haircuts at their prices, choose a service you can do every few months--highlighting, etc. Become a regular client. Your stylist will get to know you, and if you are honest, reliable and conscientious, you will be on an excellent referral list in a few months. Lots of people start cleaning houses but drop out quickly, so don't expect referrals on the first visit.

If you need home-related services, ask for referrals from your stylist or barber. That way you will meet other business people working for the same community, and they are also likely to refer you if they trust you to do a good job for their customers.

There are some great answers here, and I'll see if I can add a few.

First, determine who your customers are. Is it individuals, property management, contractors and the like, or all of them. My suggestion would be to pick the one -- two at the most -- that is most viable and profitable and concentrate on that market. You usually get better results from concentrated efforts.

Say for instance you decide its individuals with a particular income and lifestyle and you learn that a majority of those people drop off their kids at daycare. Then some of your efforts can be directed at marketing thru the local daycare operations. You may also learn that these people order a great deal of take-out because they are often rushed, then establish cross-promotions with the more popular take-out restaurants in your area. The same can be done for other places where those people frequent -- perhaps children's dance studios, etc.

When marketing, remember to sell the benefits you provide, and that   goes for both the end user and those who you cross-promote with. For instance, the benefit to the end user may be to have time to do the more important and/or enjoyable things in life. Another benefit may be, that because the end user is so rushed, your service offers them the satisfaction of knowing that their home is clean and presentable. However, when approaching a company for a cross-promotion, the benefit to the company may be that their customers appreciate the connection and that they also get added exposure from your efforts.

Good luck!

Peter George, The Marketing Coach