In 1989, before the maid service franchise boom, Walter Gibson started a residential cleaning service. His goal was to provide a service where the community would benefit as a whole; Providing good jobs for honest, hardworking employees, and providing a high quality service for a customer base of two-career couples, singles who worked more hours than average, the elderly and those with disabilities. Walt´s dedication to honesty and value has remained constant through the years, and his knowledge of the industry grew. In 1989 he began learning that there was much more to the business than hanging his sign and buying the equipment. Managing employees, marketing the service, and retaining customers were equally challenging feats. Finding the right employees was a time consuming, energy draining task. Through years of trial and error Walt built his Employee Handbook and added documentation which aided the process of hiring and releasing employees, while increasing productivity and reducing negative impact on the business. Marketing in the early 90´s required no more than placing an ad in the yellow pages. However, as the industry grew so did the competition, as well as the cost of yellow pages advertising. With more competition crowding the yellow pages, an alternative marketing plan had to be found. TV, newspaper, and radio were tried, each being fruitful for a period, but the growing population and advent of the internet took its´ toll on the success of these avenues also. In 2003, a business consultant was hired in order to gain a lead on the competition. A direct marketing campaign was established, and high quality documents were developed. Precise, explicit language and appropriate formatting were applied to every existing document. Advertising copy, customer correspondence and employee communications all benefited from the make-over. New documents and manuals were created, incorporating the new professional appearance, persuasive wording, and powerful statements. The website was updated and infused with the same principles applied to printed materials. The main staples of Walt´s business became key factors in advertising and selling; honesty, integrity and competence; thoroughly screened and properly managed employees; full insurance coverage; and a solid customer satisfaction guarantee. Business intensified immediately and Walt´s attention was focused on retention of the growing customer base. To retain customers Walt insures that his entire staff is continually motivated to be dedicated to customer service. Honesty, integrity, trustworthiness and a strong work ethic are necessary characteristics of all employees. Each employee signs an agreement to comply with company policies and procedures; and all customers are requested to notify management of unacceptable performance. When Walt was offered the option of franchising his business, he did extensive research and found franchising to be undesirable. Always the defender of small-business entrepreneurs, Walt decided to go national with his business plan in order to help others avoid the pitfalls of buying a franchise. Hence, the formation of MaidDocs®. Providing an alternative to buying a franchise, MaidDocs® offers an entire business package, or portions thereof. You can buy what you need, when you want, and start running the best maid service in your area - then keep the profits in your own pocket! | | |
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