Three Tools to Improve Your Cleaning Business’s Cash Flow

Three Tools to Improve Your Cleaning Business’s Cash Flow

Check out a list of our three favorite tools for managing and improving the cash flow of your cleaning business.

Three-Tools-to-Improve-Your-Cleaning-Businesss-Cash-Flow-Fresno-CA

Manage and Improve Your Cleaning Business Cash Flow

Managing and improving your cleaning business's cash flow falls under three specific criteria:

  • Customer acquisition.
  • Customer and request management and tracking, and;
  • Invoicing and tax preparation.

 

Customer Acquisition

One of the best ways to acquire new cleaning customers, whether home or commercial, is through social media marketing and advertising, specifically on Facebook.

However, Facebook has recently updated several of its policies, including the organic reach of native and shared content, meaning that merely posting content, regardless of quality or the number of Likes and Followers your Page has, is insufficient to engage your current and prospective audience.

Fortunately, all is not lost--paid advertising on Facebook, if correctly implemented, has the potential to reach a massive target audience on several platforms, including Instagram and Facebook's Audience Network.

 

The key to success is a combination of:

  • Correctly identifying your target market, often referred to as a buyer persona.
  • Creating an appealing offer.
  • Installing the Facebook Pixel on your landing page to track traffic and conversions, and;
  • Retargeting leads with an upsell offer.

 

General Facebook Tips for Beginners

  • Familiarize yourself with the reporting options and terms of use to avoid delays in publishing your ad or having your account canceled due to a TOS violation.
  • Set a daily target budget that ensures you reach your desired audience, as well as aligning with your budget. The lowest amount that can be spent is 5.00 per day.
  • Connect your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) database to Facebook, or use a third-party tool, such as Zapier, to send the leads into your CRM to automate your sales and marketing process.

 

CRM's and Ticketing

A cost-effective CRM with ticketing or customer request management is mandatory for documenting engagement and the status and scheduling of work orders.

As time progresses, systems become more sophisticated and costs go down, so it's important to do your research.

One of the most prolific services for small service-oriented businesses is a cloud-based system called 17hats, which allows you to:

  • Manage leads.
  • Track projects.
  • Automate emails and workflows.
  • Create and manage contracts and quotes, as well as;
  • Track time.

There are several other features that you may want to use or purchase additional software solutions for, primarily invoicing and bookkeeping, but the price is hard to beat for startups on a tight budget.

 

General CRM and Ticketing Tips for Beginners

The faster you respond to a lead submission, the more likely you are to close the deal.

To that end:

  • Create templates to standardize your sales and marketing process, and;
  • Create workflows to automatically respond to the prospect to let them know someone will be in touch with them shortly, as well as notify you, so you reach out quickly.

 

Invoicing and Tax Preparation

Electronic invoicing, bookkeeping and tax preparation decreases the amount of labor required to accomplish necessary, but tedious and time-consuming tasks.

Quickbooks Online (QBO) is another cost-effective cloud-based solution that does just that, and in a manner that is relatively intuitive, even for the inexperienced business manager.

QBO also allows you to automate electronic (email) billing and payment reminders, as well as accept credit card and ACH payments, making it much easier for customers to pay you, and less likely you'll have to waste time on common payment collection issues.

QBO also connects to your bank accounts and credit cards, allowing you to run detailed financial reports to monitor your progress.

Finally, QBO simplifies the process of submitting your books to a tax service or professional.

 

General Invoicing and Tax Preparation Tips for Beginners

Invoicing, bookkeeping, and tax preparation are areas that you should invest in quality services early on.

Invoicing is simple, bookkeeping less so, and tax preparation and form submission, depending on how your organization is structured, can be extremely difficult and costly if you fail to file the proper paperwork or submit a payment on time.

If you're not comfortable keeping your own books and reconciling your accounts, there are several virtual services that come in at a startup-friendly price tag that you can research with a quick Google search.

Nothing beats the expertise of hiring a high-quality CPA to help with your taxes, as well as form and payment submissions, especially if you also own a home, have investments, or additional sources of income.

The price you save in avoiding penalties for late payments or incorrectly filled or filed paperwork alone is easily worth the cost of hiring a competent tax professional.

 

Takeaway

Starting or growing a small business is one of the most rewarding challenges a person can pursue.

In order to compete in today's modern business world, small business owners must adopt proven online technologies and virtual services in order to compete in a rapidly growing and saturated market.

The true key to success is moving away from working in your business to working on your business, and we can help.

If you are a small cleaning business owner and would like to learn more about the benefits of merging your current commercial cleaning business with the Vanguard Cleaning Systems Franchise Program–contact us today!

In Bakersfield CA, call (661) 4373253

In Fresno CA, call (559) 206-1059

In Valencia CA, or Santa Clarita CA, call (661) 437-3253


Vanguard Cleaning Systems of the Southern Valley

Vanguard Cleaning Systems of the Southern Valley