Barter for Anything!

1. Make a list of what you need–vinyl wrap for your company vehicles, free marketing, coaching, equipment, supplies, training, web site services, accounting, equipment repair.

2. Identify Potential Barter Partners.  Start with partners located within your market whose company is a comparable size to your own.  Research the prospective partner companies online or by asking around about the company.

3. Design your “Ask” by thinking through what both sides need and get from the Barter.  Be clear and honest about it for both sides.  Use language such as “win-win partnership” or “partnership that genuinely benefits both of us.”  Offer, “and you may have other benefits I haven’t thought of.”

4. Ask the Barter Partner.  Start by asking only one company in each service area at a time–don’t ask three accountants for instance, approach one and then wait for the resolution of this potential partnership before approaching another accountant.  Have your calculations done in advance, your service for my company is a $1500 value and therefore I would happy to provide monthly house cleaning of your home for 12 months, a $1560 value.

5. Be specific about the exact steps involved for both parties.  Be sure to identify steps involved, frequencies, support required, resources involved, expected results and remedy or resolution suggested in the event the partnership does not work out for one or both parties.

Don’t forget that you also have gift cards to use, as well as vouchers for free cleanings in addition to the service of house cleaning.

Some great resources online:

www.barterplanet.com

www.bizxchange.com

www.craigslist.org

www.u-exchange.com

Your Dream Client

Your “Dream Client”

Identifying your “Dream Client” is critically important.  The process of defining your Dream Client pushes you to become far more clear and specific about the nature of your business and your marketing focus.  The creation of your Dream Client allows you to identify exactly the client with whom you want to work the most.   This simple yet powerful concept will empower you to make better decisions for your business as well.
Highest Profit, Most Enjoyable, Best Client Relationship, Least Problems, Most Referrals

For instance, knowing that X is your Dream Client, helps you stay focused upon their issues, needs and likes/dislikes.

You can make better decisions about where to spend your marketing dollars and your efforts.

Who do you want as your Client?

What are your most profitable services?

What frequency is most profitable?

What is the “3-D Picture” of your Dream Client?

  • Home Value $XXX,XXX.00
  • Bedrooms/Bathrooms/Square Footage
  • Age of Home
  • Services Provided—Cleaning with Carpets, Windows & ?
  • Household Income
  • Dual Income or Single Income Couple
  • Children
  • Pets
  • How many cars
  • Professions or Careers of Homeowners
  • Own Additional Homes
  • Travel Volume per month
  • Pay by Credit Card; Pay for service in advance–# of months
  • Phone Estimate or In-Home Home Health Audit
  • How many Affiliate Services Used in One Year

Here are some examples of actual Dream Clients

Actual Dream Client (middle-income buyer)

$195,000 Home

2BR/2Bath

1780 sq. ft.

Weekly Service is $105 (averaged)

5 year old home

Weekly Cleaning with Windows 2X/yr., Carpets 1X/yr.

$78,000 Annual Income

Dual Income-Both Full-time

2 Children under 10—daycare or school full-time

1 dog

2 cars

Teachers, Engineers, Computers, Office, Paralegals

No additional home

Travel less than 2 weeks per year

Pay by Credit Card (pays two weeks in advance)

Phone Estimate

Uses 3.5 Affiliate Services per Year—painter, landscaping, lawn service, pest control, carpets are the most commonly used

Refers 3 or less new Clients per year

Residential Cleaning Service Owner loves this and only hopes to improve this Dream Client by:

  1. Increasing Carpets to 2X/yr.
  2. Pay by Credit Card with one month in advance
  3. Uses 5 Affiliate Services
  4. Refers 5 or less new Clients per year

So now the Owner has a focus upon which to work in terms of what they are targeting as their best Clients, along with “stretch goals” upon which to focus with their existing Dream Clients in order to maximize annual revenues from these current Dream Clients.

Actual Dream Client (Affluent Buyer)

$550,000 Home

5BR/3.5Bath

3450 sq. ft.

Weekly Service is $265 (averaged)

10 year old home

Weekly Cleaning with Carpets & Windows 2X/yr., Pest Control monthly, Outdoor Pressure Washing 2X/yr., Two cars washed/detailed 12X/yr.

$310,000 Annual Income

Single Income

2 Children—16 or older

2 dogs

4 cars

Business Owners, Lawyers, Doctors, Executives, Old Wealth

2 Additional Homes

Travel 8 weeks per year

Pay by Credit Card (pays 6 months in advance)

52% are Gold Plan Service Clients (Silver, Gold, Platinum)

24% are Platinum Plan Service Clients

Phone Estimate

Uses 6.5 Affiliate Services per Year—painter, landscaping, lawn service, pest control, carpets, party servers/bartenders/valet parkers, and home theater or computer tech support services most commonly used

Refers 3 or less new Clients per year

Provides team members $500 Holiday Cash Bonuses annually

Residential Cleaning Service Owner loves this and only hopes to improve this Dream Client by:

  1. Pay by Credit Card (pays 9 months in advance)
  2. 35% are Platinum Plan Service Clients
  3. 60% are Gold Plan Service Clients
  4. Use 8 Affiliate Services per Year