And on-time arrival guarantee is something that will get you more clients.

But it can’t start when… “You’re late!”

And you’re thinking, “Great, another angry customer who thinks their time is more important than mine.”

Wait, you don’t think like that, do you?

I mean, you did tell Mrs. Jones you would be there between 10-11 a.m., right? And, of course, by no fault of your own, you are only two hours late. Did you bother to call?

The cable company has the “options wide open” thing going on.  Their schedule is known for making the customer wait all day. When you call to book an appointment, they say, “We’ll be there between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.” 

Maybe that’s acceptable for the cable company, but to be honest, it won’t fly for most other services.

It seems carpet cleaners are held at a higher standard even if customers think that their service is just a commodity. It’s true. They would rather wait for hours holding their breath all day for the chance to have 200 channels of nothing beamed into their home then wait two extra minutes to have the dirt, crime and unhealthy stuff removed from their mists.

Well, the key to over coming this travesty of time confusion and make what you do seem really important in the eyes of the customer is offer an on-time guarantee.

“Sure, Mrs. Jones, we can be there tomorrow. Would 8 a.m. work for you?”  Be specific with a locked-in time and let your customer know that’s exactly what time you will be there.

“Ma’am, we have a few appointment time slots you could choose from. Which would be more convenient for you 10 a.m.., 1 p.m. or 3 p.m.?”

Now that you scheduled your customer, go a bit further and guarantee that arrival time.

“Ma’am, we have you scheduled for tomorrow at 1 p.m. If we are more than 30 minutes late for any reason, we’ll deduct $50 off your invoice. Does that sound fair? We know that your time is very important and we are just guests in your home, so we will provide the best service we can offer and be on time to deliver it.”

Can you imagine the cable company doing that? Not a chance.

Do your competitors do that? To some degree, perhaps. They might be able to offer preselected time slots, but very few will ever guarantee it.

You will now have an advantage over 99 percent of your competition. On-Time…Guaranteed!

Why offer a guarantee on time? For starters, it’s the one thing that most people value above all else…their time. And since time equals money, if you’re on time, you are giving your customer money.

It doesn’t matter if your price is higher than your competition; your customer perceives your on-time commitment as money saved. It’s a no-hassle win for your customer and a client for life for you.

Rob Anspach has been in the cleaning industry for 18 years. He is an IICRC Master Textile Cleaner and the owner/operator of Premiere Carpet Cleaners in Lancaster County, PA. Rob is also a savvy marketer! He teaches entrepreneurs how to monetize their online & offline marketing experience, how to attract & retain affluent clients and how to profit from their passions. For more information, go to www.RobAnspach.com