"One of the interesting facts about the residential carpet cleaning industry is that although more than 90 percent of the technicians in the field cleaning are men, more than 90 percent of the residential clients they are dealing with directly are women.”  Just as that statement is true in the carpet cleaning business, it is also true in the blind and drapery cleaning business. So what are important things to remember?

A woman’s home is her haven filled with family treasures and memories.  She treats it with love and care and so should you. 

Inviting a stranger (i.e. cleaning person from the phonebook) into her home can be a fearful and uncomfortable experience. 

Women are relationship-oriented and it’s important to build a relationship with your customer.  Three phases should be focused on: before the job, during the job, and after the job.

Her first contact is either via the Internet or the phone.  Does your internet site give the needed information about your company? Does the person answering the phone have a “smiling” unhurried voice able to listen to her needs and answer her questions?

When you arrive at the home, be on time, preferably in a company-labeled vehicle, looking (and smelling) sharp in a company uniform.  Spend the necessary time to walk through the house listening to her concerns, and jotting down areas of concerns on paper.  Show your care of her home by doing the “extras”:  putting down plastic, protecting the furniture, taking off your dirty shoes, etc.   Work as quickly and quietly as your job allows.

When the job is done, don’t just pack up and leave the bill.  Do a post-job walk-through.  Point out areas where you worked on a stain but it just wouldn’t come out.  Provide any after-cleaning care instructions or any concerns you have about the “life” left in the product.  Follow up with a call or letter, making sure they are satisfied and thanking them for their business. 

These points are from "What Women Want and Why We Should Care" written by a cleaning industry expert, the owner of her own rug cleaning business, and the CEO of Piranha Marketing, Lisa Wagner.