Offering a range of carpet cleaning packages that allows your potential customer to choose the level of service they desire is a tried and true marketing principle for the professional carpet cleaner. Simply stated, package selling your carpet cleaning service gives your customer a good, better, or best choice to choose from. There are several reasons why package selling can be so beneficial to your company.

Package selling defines the minimum expectation that the customer should accept for the cleaning job. Without saying anything bad about the competition, your good or minimum level of service defines that these steps (e.g. preconditioning, extraction, spotting, and grooming) are the very minimum steps it takes to do a professional job of cleaning carpet. Package selling also sets limits on the opposite end of the spectrum. It helps your customer establish realistic expectations from the cleaning job itself. By defining the best, or premium package, it demonstrates what the absolute maximum level of performance is going to cost.

Package selling can work well for both what Howard Partridge refers to as "Saturn" and "Mercedes" Clients. It actually helps "price shoppers" feel like they have accomplished their goal of getting a "better" price by the fact they can choose the less expensive option. It allows the "Saturn" client to "3-bid" comparison shop without exposing the client to the competition. The bidders are you, and you only. It allows "Mercedes" clients to feel like they are buying a premium product that provides them with a higher level of service. Providing a customer with three options to choose from also allows your potential customer to feel less "pressured." Package selling also allows you more flexibility in your guarantees and warranties because it establishes expectations for a minimum and maximum cleaning.

Perhaps one of the most overlooked benefits of package selling is that it follows one of the primary rules of selling. In sales, you should never ask a yes or no question. Package selling asks which one do you want, not do you want one? The best part about package selling is that when given a choice of good, better, or best, most consumers will choose better or best.

For more information about the benefits of package selling, and how to implement it in your business, consult with the Fast Track Marketing for the Owner/Operator Business Growth Module. Inside you will find a discussion of package selling, plans for implementing in your company, and a ready to print customizable package selling brochure.

Other opportunities for package selling include:

• Residential Selling Brochures

• Pet Urine Deodorization Programs

• Fabric Protection Selling

• "Upgrading" to Residential Maintenance Contract

• Double Bidding Commercial Carpet Cleaning Bids

• Restoration competitive bidding