Why do customers or prospects value your services by the "square foot", or by the "room"?

In the marketing world that is called the "Thud Factor", refering to the noise a package makes when you drop it. Bottom line, if people spend a lot of money on a service purchase, they want something they can understand to justify the cost in their mind.

Of course this works differently for various types of physical products and professional services, but it all boils down to one critical part of the buying process: "Perceived Value".

When a prospect buys from you, they generally buy on the basis of the results you promised. However, todays media marketers have caused many buyers to develop a comparison mode that kicks in when they purchase your service that causes them to judge services rendered as though all were of the same value - by volume. (sq foot, pound, rooms, or pages) This has actually become the norm with "commodities".

NOTE: Like it or not, carpet cleaning teeters on the ledge of becoming a "commodity" while upholstery cleaning continues to be widely accepted as a skilled service by prospects. Why? (Give that some thought).

So, What Can You Do? .  .  .  .  You Must Break The Pattern!

Warning: Don't  mistake volume for value and don't teach that to  your prospects either!

You and your unique service must be different, and different in ways that matter to your prospects and customers.

If you don't make your service more valuable for your customers in a way that's relevant to the services you deliver, you're wasting your time, and your business will not be able to grow.

In order to take advantage of the 21st century "Thud Factor" in a way that your customers will respond to and appreciate, you must actually make all of your services more valuable, plus increase their "Perceived Value".

SUMMARY:
Today I see a small, but growing number of Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Professionals using the Internet effectively to provide specialized resources for their customers. And that sets them apart!

Why not use the Internet to improve your personal service:
Consulting & problem solving work really well. Several cleaners I have noticed are doing a tremendous job with the "HomePro" customized spotter program coupled with an online spotting resource for their customers.

Anything that involves you directly interacting with your customer is clearly a substantial value. Look at your service, and see what you can come up with.

There's a very strong chance that you can add significantly to both the perceived and the actual value of your service offering without adding substantially to your costs.

That means you make more money AND the customer gets more real value. Everyone wins.

SPECIAL NOTE:
My suggestion is not that all cleaning professionals need to actually transact business online. Not so! The suggestion is that everyone who has ever had a listing in the Yellow Pages needs to be available on the internet today. It's where your customers expect to find you. It's where today's consumers look first! It's where they go for help!