Cleaning Business Life
Cleaning Business Life
is your go-to weekly podcast, co-hosted by Shannon Miller, founder of Klean Freaks University, and Jamie Runco, CEO of Above All Cleaning Company in Northern California.
This podcast is designed to support cleaning business owners at every stage of their journey—from launching a startup to scaling to seven figures. Whether you're just starting out or already running an established business, you'll find actionable strategies, proven systems, and expert advice to help you streamline operations, boost profitability, and grow with confidence.
In each episode, we cover critical topics like:
- Building effective systems and structures that drive sustainable growth.
- Product reviews and recommendations to equip your team with the best tools.
- Exclusive interviews with industry leaders sharing tips and success stories.
- Q&A sessions addressing your most pressing business challenges.
- The latest industry trends to keep you ahead of the curve.
Join us weekly to elevate your cleaning business and gain the edge you need to thrive in a competitive market!
Want to get a hold of us, please email us at cleaningbusinesslife@gmail.com
Cleaning Business Life
CBL Episode #100-Get your Value Statement's ready...What to say when a Client Belittle's your price!
Can the art of cleaning command the same respect as nursing or other esteemed professions? We promise you'll find the answer in our engaging discussion with Shannon Miller and Jamie Runco.
Together, we unravel the often-overlooked complexities facing cleaning professionals, especially when clients make belittling remarks about pricing.
Learn how to stand firm with confidence and professionalism, even when faced with unfair comparisons. Our episode is packed with strategies for crafting polite yet impactful responses, helping you to highlight the value and quality of your services while maintaining your dignity.
We provide practical advice on handling judgmental perspectives and price negotiations, focusing on the importance of showcasing expertise and care in every service offered.
Discover how to present a polished image in all communications, and when it’s necessary to assertively set boundaries to navigate belittling behavior. Through this conversation, you'll gain insights into maintaining the balance between professionalism and assertiveness while reinforcing the worth of your trade.
Want a copy of the value statements we made for the show?
Click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10OIDxfcAd-pGop5pXOGkmymfV7NQtcDg/view?usp=sharing
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Shannon Miller: cleaningbusinesslife@gmail.com
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Okay, welcome everyone. This is Shannon Miller, and I'm here with Jamie Runco, my co-host, and today we're going to talk about what to say back to a potential client who belittles you over the phone, also known as a value statement, and the reason why I wanted to bring this up is because sometimes well, not sometimes a lot of the times people will make offhanded remarks, this flippant, whatever, and without any regard to anyone's feelings or what goes behind the actual. You know us showing up, doing the job, making sure the job is okay, getting paid without having to wrestle the client, making sure that you know the towels got folded, the sheets got put on and all the other things that go along with cleaning. Sometimes I have seen this more so because everyone is very price sensitive that they say the most offhanded remarks. So one of the ones that comes to the top of mind is I was a nurse or I am a nurse and I don't even get paid that much money per hour. What do you think about that, jamie?
Speaker 2:All right, I, I see it all. I mean this is almost a daily, at least several times a week. I see this in the groups, Right, and especially for people that are still new and haven't done the research and been in these groups as long as probably we have. You know, I know a lot of people can get complacent and just eye roll like geez. This question again, however. You were new once too, right, and whenever somebody says that to you, it just it takes me back to uh, you're not running a business though you're, you're not rising, you're, you, we're not making all that.
Speaker 2:Fifty dollars an hour, sixty national yeah, you know the national average right in my area.
Speaker 1:Uh, I I make any barriers between 75 and 125 an hour per cleaning tech she has to because she operates out of california, so don't be shocked about that price, because that's pretty norm on the coast.
Speaker 2:It's on the coast. I, whenever I am in the groups and I I always say you know, give a minimum, don't charge hourly, charge flat rates. Our clients are looking for results. And whenever somebody's offhandedly says something like that to you, honestly, it just just it does, it takes you back. You know it, uh like. And then you're questioning yourself like, am I too high, am I too low? No, you have created and perfected your craft, which is um cleaning and learning how to. You've paid your dues of insurances and you know you're just and you need to learn how to um start speaking professionally to people by telling them this is why my prices are not to go into a long explanation, but um, there have been some really good responses, but I've also seen some very unprofessional responses.
Speaker 1:Right. The response that I give is on the border, because it's a little snippy, because it can be frustrating. It's frustrating when you get 27 calls or 50 calls and then half of those are like I was a nurse and I cannot believe this is what you charge. And the reality is is they just don't have the concept of what it actually costs to run a legitimate business. So I sometimes will retort. You know, it sounds like it's a budget thing. So if you know if that's the case and that changes, please let me know. I'm happy to put you on the schedule. But sometimes they want to argue with you.
Speaker 1:So it's like a battle of throwing down the phone before who's going to hang up first or who's going to get the last word in over, whatever the dynamics are. And sometimes you can say you know it's to run a legitimate business and there's still a whole plethora of you guys out there I know you are out there, I'm going to change this in our industry who don't operate as a business. You operate as a side hustle, no crime in that, but you need my whole educational process. The reason why I push so hard is that everybody should charge roughly the same, around the same price, so that we don't have this price stipulation of I'm better than you. How dare you want to charge more money? It's an actual trade. A lot of us paid training to be here. It's not like it was free and we DIY'd it.
Speaker 2:There was involved right Very much, so yes.
Speaker 1:So sometimes we're going to go over some of these responses. These are polite and professional so that you can actually use them yourself, and we're going to put these in the show notes. I'll copy and paste them. And one response to someone who says oh my God, I used to be a nurse. And if you were a nurse I'm not picking on you, it's just an easy example how can you charge that? And you can say I understand that price can sometimes be surprising, but my rates are based on the value and quality of service I provide. I take pride in offering professional, thorough cleaning tailored to your needs, which ensures exceptional results each and every time. If you have any concerns or questions about what is included in the cleaning that you have requested, I am happy to discuss them with you. I truly want to ensure that my services are right fit for you. So, basically, you're plopping it right back in their lap. Is that your puppy?
Speaker 2:I'm trying to. No, I'm sorry, I just seen her head go.
Speaker 1:I was like there's like little fluffy things. So, yes, totally. So that is a quick response that you can give. It's scripted, it obviously will take practice saying that, but it's definitely demonstrates professionalism, confidence and a willingness to address concerns without engaging in negativity. Because once they you, once you bait them, it really does become who's going to get the last word and who's better than the other person. And sometimes in our industry, unfortunately, there will be like I have a phd and I never got that, or I have this and I never got that, or you should be ashamed of yourself and that's not the point. It. It's a business we can't go into, neiman Marcus and I know I've had this conversation before and ask for a pantsuit and say I'm only going to pay you for the pants, but I'm going to take the jacket and the pants and the shirt and the shoes. They're not going to let you leave the doors. It just doesn't work that way.
Speaker 2:That's such a great example that that that I can wrap my head around. That's such a great example that that that I can wrap my head around. You know, I just got into I mean I can really read you the text, because this was last night and I remember telling my husband I was like I don't know why people feel that they can barter with the cleaners, the cleaning companies, right, uh, or try to and um, but they won't barter with, say, you know, his industry, which is the roofing industry, or, or, you know, but I like that, I like that uh response. Or the the idea of Neiman Marcus. I had somebody said well, I gave them a price between and I give them a range, right, 325.
Speaker 2:They just wanted it freshened up. It's only a cross. Please get the four dog smell out of a 2100 square foot before my open house on Tuesday, or I would like for it to be done on Monday or Tuesday. Um, no, deep clean, um, just dusting and the, the pet smell of four dogs and three, okay, and it's an old Victorian house. And I gave a range of 325 to 400 for just a standard, right, you know, standard clean and she goes well, can't you just do it for the 200? I that's no, I that's no. Uh, and there's a reason why I'm paying work comp. There has to be money to flow into this business, to still run where all my girls go and get their supplies and you know girls and guys because I'm, you know, getting ready to do another interview.
Speaker 1:Equal opportunity employer.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. And that money as a PA, you know, if you have your PhD, I wish I made the money that you did too, you know, because I don't, I don't make that money, you know right?
Speaker 1:well, it's the it's. I'm better than you because I'm more educated than you that I don't like, and I will flat out tell you that I don't like it. It's not. We're all here to learn our own life lessons, and I'm big on this. So jamie is here to learn her life lessons. I am here to learn my life lessons. We're each put here to provide a service to humanity. Mine happens to be this. Right now, I'm pushing everybody in the cleaning industry and very soon Miss Jamie is going to be doing it with me to where the whole industry needs to go. When people make a statement like that, that tells you a lot about their mindset and their own arrogance at stating as much we don't care, we're non-judgmental. If we were judgmental, we wouldn't be cleaning houses. We see everything in our industry, everything I have seen. I can legitimately tell you. I have seen everything from blow-up dolls to um sorry, let me get this out of here to um I walked in last tuesday, not this, the Tuesday following.
Speaker 2:It was actually January 14th and I walked in and I found a dead body. Right, we, yeah, he passed away. He'd been there for a while days and there's nothing to prepare your house. Can we talk about it? Yeah, we talk about it. Yeah, oh, of course, but there's nothing in your house that it's going to shock me. I've walked in on pot billy pigs, chickens as pets, it's just whatever you know. We've seen it all. Yeah, we've seen it all and I'm very nonjudgmental, right.
Speaker 1:And I think that from a consumer point of view, they are judgmental. We do have a lot of stigma in our industry that we're all criminals or we're all past criminals, especially the carpet cleaning industry. To this day, it is all thought of that way. But it's just that there is this hierarchy of we're better than you because you're having to do this, and I always teach everyone to say you can laugh all the way to the bank because I know more millionaires in this industry than in any other industry. So there is opportunity here. There is. That's my goal.
Speaker 1:I want you guys to all make as much cash as you possibly can in the lifespan that you have when you're doing this or you know to build something that you're going to sell. There's another a few more polite and professional responses that you can use when someone goes oh my God, I was a nurse and I never made that much money. It's the. I appreciate your feedback. My pricing reflects the level of care, experience and attention to detail I bring to each and every job. I aim to deliver a clean and comfortable space for my clients while ensuring long-term satisfaction. If you're looking for high quality results, I believe you'll find my services worth the investment. Boom Boom.
Speaker 2:Done, done. I mean, what can you really? What could be the rebuttal of that? It's either going to be okay, thank you, and that'll be the end of the conversation, the uncomfortable conversation, or it'll be like okay, right, no-transcript.
Speaker 1:That's not the professional way of doing things, so you have to have a value statement that is useful and professional and that one certainly exudes the confidence that we all have Right.
Speaker 2:And it sounds really professional. You know you sell and you have to learn how to become professional, because there's a lot of times that sometimes I really they really want to pull the ghetto-ness out of me.
Speaker 1:There's some cleaning business owners are like I said this. I'm like oh, oh, my gosh, did you already send that? They're like yeah, I'm like, oh, I might want to change the word. It's usually on a yelp review. I would change the wording a little. Let me help you.
Speaker 2:It's like yeah, yes, the reviews, the respond. You know people are reading those. They are and just look professional you know, yeah, definitely.
Speaker 1:And then there's a couple more that we can read out for you. This one is empathetic and understanding. I understand that my budget is a consideration. I truly value your perspective. My prices are set to reflect the time, effort and quality I dictate to every cleaning. If you'd like, I can explain what's included in my services so you can see the value behind the numbers I like that.
Speaker 2:I like that one too. You can see the value behind the numbers. Oh, I like it. And then there it goes on. For professional boundary, you're going to, you're going to put these in the show notes, right, right, so that way they can paste that, because I think this would be great for them to have, gentle rebuttal and affirming your standards. So there's a couple of them, there's.
Speaker 1:I believe five or six One, two, three, four, five, six, and then the seventh one, the snarky one that I gave you in the beginning. It's depending on my mood. Most of the time I'm professional, but every once in a while someone just gets me. So the one that's professional boundary. It reads like this I respect that everyone has different expectations regarding pricing. My rates are designed to ensure a sustainable business while providing my clients with reliable and a professional service.
Speaker 1:I hope that you can appreciate that I'm happy to discuss how my services can meet your needs.
Speaker 2:I love that. I think that's a great one for me to use. Yeah, just, can you do it just for $200? Nothing, nowhere close to the price range I gave.
Speaker 1:Right, I want half. You see it a lot too in the VRBO and Airbnb. I have this $22,000 a night thing, but I want to have my event there. Can you do it for five? I'd really love to be there, I know I yeah, I'm just like what I know but it doesn't.
Speaker 1:I gotta give you snaps for asking, but it's not polite. You don't go to your contractor and go oh, can I have that at half off? You don't go to the plumber. My husband gets it too. He's a plumber and they people with plumbing. You're literally dealing with people's poo, so people don't care. They'll just pay whatever you're charging because they don't want to deal with your poo. So so it's just um, and every once in a while people question the price. He's like you're more than welcome to go. He goes I have 30 years in. It's just like I'm a master plumber. Go, figure out how to go by.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I exactly again perfected your craft, and then now you're going to, you're going to perfect the way we speak to people that try to talk us down or belittle, to people that try to talk us down or belittle, you know.
Speaker 1:Right, yeah, it is a form of belittling, it's a hotness in you and I wish that we could just be kind to each other all of the time. There are days that are absolutely fabulous and everyone is excited to talk to me, and then there are days where people are just angry about whatever.
Speaker 1:And you just go ooh, ow, ooh ow, ooh, ow, right, I'm like, I'm not, I'm not taking this. I mean, just let it go to voicemail or someone else you know answer the the phone for me today. Um, and then there's a couple of others. Um, I don't remember if I read. Did I read the gentle review? No, you haven't. No, you haven't.
Speaker 1:I understand my pricing may feel higher than you expected, but it's designed to reflect the high level of care and service that I provide. My clients often share that. The results far outweigh the cost, and I hope you'll experience the same, and this is why you need to charge a flat rate and not an hourly rate.
Speaker 2:Please, you know, gosh, yeah, I see, I still see it, but it's okay, they're still getting in. I think people that are just getting in, you always think automatically, especially if you're just starting off, you think what's the hourly rate? I just seen a post in um our area and of course I told I I told them, you know, I see that what. What are people charging to do house cleaning? They posted it on anonymously, was in Humboldt Mons it was a mom looking for a deal.
Speaker 2:No, she was looking to start probably a side hustle, and I think that a lot of people start this off as a side hustle. There are some people that go out and do a lot of research before they open up their doors, but and I referred them over to, of course, cleaning Business Life and that Charging Flat Rates and do you know that there's so many likes on that post? Because I still think whenever they're first starting out, people can't wrap their heads around how to price properly on flat rates, price properly right on flat rates. You know, and I'm sure whenever they say a hundred dollars, try and try. You know, depending on where you're at, uh, you know, someplace in kansas might not get, you know. Uh, our minimum starts here around almost at uh 200 for just a standard claim, just about um, but uh, he has a really small condo and we were pricing stuff out for her and it was 200 bucks.
Speaker 1:200 for just a standard clean, just about. She has a really small condo and we were pricing stuff out for her and it was 200 bucks for her 600 square foot condo.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and it just. But you know, somebody in Kansas I was like try your minimum at. You know, say 145, 150, you know, give it a try. 150, you know, give it a try. You don't want every. I promise you guys, you don't want every single client that comes your way. Make room. This is something that I had to learn because they're very hard to get to see themselves out. Whenever you have grown, these people will come. Uh, don't panic, don't press the panic button. They will come and, um, save that spot for somebody that values and doesn't belittle your price, and just, they may be oh, I wasn't expecting it, but they will see the value, Right, that you know that, they know that you're going to bring and they are out there. The clients are out there and sometimes they're happy just to pay whatever. Just help me. Right, they've hit their panic button.
Speaker 1:Well, sometimes too and we've talked about this before is they'll try everybody and anybody and go. I can't find a cleaner. That's a red flag, um, but they genuinely are people like we had a um a vet who, um was handicapped and he couldn't get his laundry done. He's like like I need someone to do laundry. I'm like, great, yeah, it was easy peasy and he was really grateful and he was low maintenance. And those times I'm like here's my cards If you want to. You know, I don't know if any of your buddies in here yes, I know Exactly and that's how that happens.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, it's unfortunate whenever people try to barter and it is, it's a form of belittling you and it does make you, in the beginning of know, a professional response. You're going to just and the confidence, the confidence that you gain from that, it's not, it's mental, it's a mental workout for you too. It's like, yeah, yeah, I did it, like and I sounded great and I sounded well put together, and you're going to have people like that that'll just zip their mouth. Yeah, and these statements that Shannon's given to you there, I mean it's not really hard to even come back on.
Speaker 1:What are they going to say? It's a stop sign, right, and I can tell you, if you relent and give someone a discount, especially on a deep cleaning, or you're just taking them over and you give them a discount, they're high maintenance and they have unreasonable expectations 99.9999% of the time. They're going to be difficult. Once in a while you'll get someone who's just happy that you're there. Oh my God, the cleaning lady's here. You know that type of thing. But most of the time the people who are getting the discounts have burned through everybody else in your town and are unreasonable and have really high expectations. So just something to keep in mind. We do have one more that we have as an example for you to give back, that someone questioned your pricing and it's affirming your standards and it says I appreciate your honesty.
Speaker 1:My rates are based on far, far, far, far it's like far, far and away market value and the quality of service I guarantee. I strive to exceed expectations and ensure my clients have a hassle-free, professionally clean space. Let me know if you'd like more details about what's included. So these are all things that you can use to help, um, navigate the sticky waters of someone going. I can't believe that's what you charge, or I used to be a nurse, or I used to do this, and it's not about a hierarchy. We're all here together to grow. The cleaning industry is getting ready to do another spurt. We were just talking to Ricky Funk about AI and the growth that's going to happen in the next 12 months. I'm excited but yet nervous And's like Ooh we really are.
Speaker 1:It's stepping off the curb and being on the forefront of like massive change for the industry it was. It was a really great conversation to have had. So that these are beneficial for you. Again, they will be mentioned in the show notes. I might even throw a document in there so you can download it and make it easy pe beneficial for you. Again, they will be mentioned in the show notes. I might even throw a document in there so you can download it and make it easy peasy for yourself. It just depends on time and if not, you can just copy and paste. We look forward to your questions and don't forget to subscribe. No, that's YouTube Download and yeah, download, download, like and share. You know, download, like and share. I think it's actually review, right? We, oh we need reviews.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this is what happens when you do three podcasts back to back, like what am I supposed to say now?
Speaker 2:but in any case, for those that don't know that me and Shannon do a couple of shows a day to keep up with everything.
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely, and sometimes by the end we're just muttering. We're like what were we supposed to say?
Speaker 2:We love each and every one of you.
Speaker 1:We appreciate you and we look forward to your questions. You guys take care, bye Bye, and we look forward to your questions. You guys take care, bye Bye. Hey everybody, if you're looking for more information on the bidding process, there's virtual bidding, which is episode number 88. And then learning how to bid at a flat rate, which is episode 46. I hope those are helpful episodes for you. If you have any questions, reach out.
