Sometimes, walking away is just the right thing to do. A few years ago we had a medical clinic account where we did all the carpet cleaning and hard floor care. The surgery center that was affiliated with the clinic called us up one day and asked us to give them a price for cleaning their space.

 

We met with them to find out more about their needs and found that they were practically ready to hire us that day because they trusted the fact that the clinic was very happy with our work. After walking through the space, we realized that if we were to take on the account we'd be getting in a little over our heads. You see at that time, we did not have enough specialized knowledge and training in cleaning a surgery center, and it would take time for us to get that type of training in place.

 

It would have been so easy to take on that account since they were practically handing it to us. But because we didn't feel comfortable in our ability to handle it at that time we decided to turn it down. It was the right thing to do for the prospect. Of course after that opportunity came along, we decided that this was a niche that we should become educated in, which we did over the next year. And that gave us the opportunity to re-connect with them in case they ever needed a new cleaning service.

 

What it comes down to is integrity and making sure you don't place more importance on dollar signs over what is right for the prospect. Customers today want to deal with credible people who will tell them the truth. If you're walking into a situation that requires more skill than you have, or it's a much larger account than you're prepared to handle, then do the right thing and walk away. Your customers will respect you for it.

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Jean Hanson helps owners of commercial cleaning companies build a more profitable and successful cleaning business through her online community at TheJanitorialStore.com. Jean is also the host of the popular Web TV show CleaningBiz.tv and author of the newsletter Trash Talk - sign up today!

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