The first step in any revolution is to realize that it starts with you and your commitment to make a difference.
You, the business owner, need to commit to changing your own perception of this industry, all change starts from within.
A long time industry leader, Mr. Lynn Krafft a service business owner and member of the International Custodial Advisors
Network was having an online discussion with some industry peers. Mr. Krafft made a very strong statement and
I asked his permission to reprint here and being the upstanding man that he is, he agreed.
In
the almost 40 years that I've been in the cleaning industry, I have heard constantly the complaint that we aren't
getting the respect we deserve.
I
don't agree with that at all. We are getting all the respect that a cost-cutting, misleading, bribe-offering, stab-the-competition-in-the-back
industry deserves.
Anyone who believes that an honest, straightforward
business approach must be set aside in favor of a misleading, false promise filled enticement cares nothing about the industry
or personal integrity.
If
you wish to make a first contact by phone, do it without becoming a phony.
1)
Select a building you want to clean and can handle. Some jobs you don't want.
2)
Call on the phone and ask to speak with the person who manages the cleaning.
3)
Tell that person who you are and what you do.
4) Ask for an opportunity
to do a building survey, without which no proposal should be made.
5) Get
an appointment or make a follow up note for a later contact.
Forget the clever come-on offers and the phony promises of the shyster. If you want respect, respect
other people's intelligence. I don't want to work for anyone who is crooked and willing to use his employer's
money to get perks for himself. Nor should you.
Anyone who thinks dishonesty should be winked at need only look closely at the economic crisis the
country faces.
If we want the industry to prosper, it cannot
be perceived as filled with untrustworthy crooks and that is what lies and misleading statements show us to be.
Lynn
Krafft.
