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christinekells's avatar
christinekells
Contributor 3
2 months ago

How do I get leads when I move my cleaning business to a new city?

Hey Y'all, 

 I'd like to introduce myself. Hi! I'm Christine owner of a solo house cleaning service. I started my journey in CT and recently moved to Charlotte area. I'm having a hard time starting my services out here and could use some advice on what to do to help promote myself and get the leads going.

In CT, I mostly was a word of mouth advertised service and had to do minimal posting on social media, or ads or flyers. Since relocating I've posted on all my platforms, handed out business cards and left flyers. I've even offered free cleaning/ mother's helper services just to show my work and I still can't get any leads. I've gone from having a booked schedule with waiting list to absolutely nothing and money saved is just about gone.

Please help, any advice is needed. Thanks y'all...

Please help!!

cleaning
sales & marketing

5 Replies

  • AnthonySalazar's avatar
    AnthonySalazar
    Jobber Ambassador
    2 months ago

    One thing that stood out to me in your post is that you’re focusing heavily on visibility right now:

    • social posts
    • flyers
    • business cards
    • free work

    The issue may not be effort. It may be that people in a new market simply do not know why they should trust you yet.

    When you were in CT, your reputation was doing a lot of the heavy lifting for you.

    In a brand new market, you usually have to rebuild:

    • trust
    • local proof
    • local relationships
    • local visibility
    • local authority

    A few things I would probably focus on immediately:

    • Google Business Profile optimization
    • aggressively asking for reviews from previous clients if you have not already
    • joining local Facebook groups where homeowners actually ask for recommendations
    • partnerships with complementary businesses already serving your ideal customer
    • neighborhood-specific marketing instead of broad marketing

    I also would not continue offering too much free work personally. Discounted introductory offers can make sense. But completely free work sometimes attracts people who were never serious buyers to begin with.

    Speed-to-lead matters a lot more in competitive markets. Many service businesses lose leads simply because they reply too slowly or the customer keeps searching while waiting.

    Word of mouth works best once density and reputation already exist. In the beginning, you may need:

    • more outbound effort
    • more partnerships
    • more follow-up
    • more direct outreach
    • more reviews
    • more repetition than you needed before
  • judithvirag's avatar
    judithvirag
    Builder 1
    4 days ago

    christinekells​ - moving business is hard. Have you researched the area you are trying to get business at?  Is it an area where residents can afford cleaning?  If you find an area where residents can afford the cleaning as you are a solo cleaner I would continue with the doorknockers.  Once you get couple clients you can ask for referrals. Not sure how many new clients are you looking for?

  • Springtime's avatar
    Springtime
    Contributor 2
    4 days ago

    I know that must be rough for you. Try looking into local networking groups in the area. BNI is a great one that is international. I know you mentioned that you are low on savings, but it would be worth the monthly investment if you were to join. 

  • ReadySetCleanOK's avatar
    ReadySetCleanOK
    Contributor 2
    2 days ago

    Leads are hard to find, especially moving to a new area. I posted pictures on Facebook and I had a cleaning company reach out to me. Not for as an employee but as someone to help with there overflow of leads. Maybe find a local cleaning company and see if they need help with their overflow?