Does My Website Really Matter?

Episode 72

Many of my consulting clients have asked, “Does my website matter? We’re just a cleaning company.” I often receive these questions when my cleaning clients are experiencing fatigue and frustration. Let’s consider how those conversations are started.
Fatigue
Their fatigue is saying to me, “I’m so #$%S!**#####! tired after the cleaning, chasing my staff, reviewing the taxes and paying bills. I don’t want to DO this website stuff! I don’t understand it. Joel, if you’ll just tell me I don’t HAVE TO, I’d love it! Because then, when something goes wrong, I can say it wasn’t my fault”.
Frustration
Their frustration is saying to me, “I don’t understand websites. I know cleaning. All that computer-stuff looks complicated! What if I get my website wrong? What am I supposed to learn about this web-stuff? I could be doing this for hours and days. I just don’t want to. How much is THAT going to cost me?”

Let’s take a Step Back

I understand. As a cleaning professional, I found the topic of website very intimidating at first. However, as a Sales and Business professional I also understood the need to increase my knowledge. If you’re a commercial cleaning company owner, this is critical! That gap in knowledge and understanding about the importance of your website may be where you are. Please keep reading and when you’re able, go to our podcast. Listen and then, leave a comment.

The Importance of Your Competitor’s Website

I compare this to a relay-race. Your job as the cleaning company owner is to:
• Understand your work and your tools
• Provide good services to your clients
• Ensure your front-line cleaners have what they need
• Ensure your front-line cleaners do what they’re supposed to do
• Bring in new commercial cleaning clients (AKA “Sales”)
• Collect payment & pay bills
• Ensure no laws are broken
• Answer questions
• Return to the first leg of the race and start all over again

Every stop in that short version of your role is part of the relay race. And without a good website, your competition in commercial cleaning starts every day ahead of you. Every day they’ve already completed the first hand-off of the baton before you’ve even started.

Don’t Be Lazy About Your Website

Forgive me for asking a blunt and challenging question. Would you choose to be ignorant?
By that I mean, if there was a janitorial solution to a common customer-problem, would you CHOOSE not to learn about it? And if you DID choose not to learn about that solution, what would you expect? How would you respond when you discover your competitor is already telling their customers how to fix it? By avoiding the use of a good website, that is the choice being made. There IS a simple solution.

You don’t need to BE a website expert. You need to HAVE a website expert.

Making Your Website Work FOR You

Yes, your cleaning company website is important. But if you treat it like your employee, it may make more sense to you. Creating a website that collects quote requests and operates as a sales rep means YOU are still the boss.

Contact Us About Your Website

We’re developing website for our consulting clients. Our own team is responding to the need for sites that speak the “cleaners’ language” and are good for your customers and prospects, too. If you’re looking for more information or a price, contact us here.

This Week’s Podcast transcript can be found below.

Ray
Joel, we’re talking websites today.

Joel
YAAAA. This is one of my favorite topics.

Ray
It is not.
The question is, “Does my website really matter?”

Joel
Yes, websites really do matter. My company, in the early days, we didn’t have the best of websites and things like that. That’s how a lot of people start. Maybe a person has a Facebook account or Instagram account. And that is the only way that they’re being found on the internet at the time.

Ray
Because frankly, those are all free accounts.

Joel
They’re free or even starting with a low cost, such as the do it yourself kits, out of the box, website design. Long term, they’re not going to be as searchable. We all started out working out the back of our vehicle. But when you start getting into clients that really are looking for a company that’s legit, when they see that all you have is a Facebook or all that you have is an Instagram. Or they see a cookie cutter type of a website, they’re going to know that, okay, this may not be where I want to go. And there’s a lot of mistakes made. Early on, even with my own website. I was proud that I owned a company. I was proud that I owned it. At that time, the woman I was going to marry. (She) was going to become my wife and my boss. And it was almost like an engagement picture. And I think the first time I met you, you said, “What are you selling? Cleaning or dating?” So, our pictures matter. They do. And I did realize it at the time, I was just proud that, “Hey, this is the person I’m going to be working with.” And, “Hey, this is us.”

Joel
So, it’s important. And other things I’ve learned from you over the course of time. Also, I see a lot of people that pull pictures off the internet.

Ray
Oh, that’s dangerous.

Joel
It’s very dangerous. And it becomes even more dangerous. These bigger companies are watching. And you and I know an individual who started a consulting company at one point, and he named it after a Disney movie. And Disney found him. And they made him cease and desist and fined him for every day that that site was up with their name.

Ray
Oh, I recall. I don’t do “I told you so” because I don’t like receiving “I told you so”, but it sure did occur to me.

Joel
You know that. I’ve seen people who have put up pictures of vacuum cleaners that they pull a picture off of a company’s website and use it as their own. Now, you can take that same picture if that’s the equipment that you’re using. But you took the picture. There’s so much with your websites and if they’re working for you. Because you want to make it. Ultimately, as you grow as a company, you want to make it more searchable. You want to make sure it’s on the right platform. You want to make sure that you get some search engine optimization out of it. You want to call to action. We work in the cleaning world. I’m not a website designer, so I lean on

Ray
That’s why the partnership works so well, Joel.

Among the cardinal sins that I routinely see; There’s no shame in starting with free accounts. A lot of companies start there. They’ll start with a Facebook page, they’ll start with an Instagram account. Again, those things cost nothing. But even buried inside a Facebook account is a link to a website, is a link to email. You insert telephone information. I’ve seen companies that previously had websites, had them linked to the Facebook page. By the way, every company who’s operating successfully now should also have those social media accounts. When you transition from that, or if you are able to start with an honest to God website, link to those. But they’ve had just the Facebook account because they discontinued their website. Well, guess what? They’ve still left the website link in the Facebook account. I realize it’s a very small piece. But when your prospect goes there and says, “Oh, there’s a website”. And they click on it, and there’s nothing there.

Joel
It’s the abyss! The great beyond!

Ray
Your company is suddenly diminished in their eyes. Because if you can’t pay attention to that detail for your business, what are you going to do for me?

Joel
Exactly. And broken links in a website. Your website not having the security feature up on the top.

Ray
Yeah, SSLs. Sure.

Joel
Those are all important. And as a cleaning contractor myself, I didn’t know all that stuff. And I have learned a lot from working with you so that my website works better, looks better. It’s transitioned over time. I think I’m on my third or fourth generation website at this point.

Ray
No more dating pictures.

Joel
No more dating pictures. I like the fact that I’ve got to meet my team with real people, with real pictures, with real things that we’ve done. Because, again, that makes a difference It’s because people then can relate. Years ago, it was you had to have a brick and mortar. And now you got to have that website. So, people want to have that warm, fuzzy and see that you actually have a website.

Ray
It validates who you are, who your company is.

Joel
Correct. There’s no shame in the early days when you’re out grinding and don’t have any accounts. Working out of the back of your car, did it myself. And I did it for a long time until I was able to legitimize myself and get into an office about two and a half, three years after I started the company. But I had a real website before I got into the office.

Ray
I will include the link to the contact page, right through Docs. We are actually developing websites for our cleaning company customers. Feel free to contact us there. Note that you’re looking for a website. Note that you’re looking for a quote. We would be happy to help you. Thanks, Joel.

Joel
You’re welcome.