Odor management

Now here is a topic you will not find on any of the boards, but it is part of your marketing so it matters.

How you present yourself to a customer is vital. You want to give off a sense of trust, politeness, professionalism, etc. so you make sure that your appearance is appropriate. Groomed hair, clean uniform / attire, clean shoes, and good breath are all part of a successful business contact, but the big one is odor management.

Just like you want your waste tank to be under control, you also want to make sure you don't ruin the encounter by stinking up the joint. Proper deodorant, changing into a fresh shirt between jobs, and good sanitary habits are a given, but what about cologne? Do you wear cologne on the job?

I think you would be surprised by what a little cologne can do for your image. Remember what the biggest demographic is for our trade, the woman of the house and we all know the benefits of what a good cologne can do as an accessory, so do you wear any on the job? Why not?

I know that some will perspire more than others and that has a huge effect on the performance of a cologne, but how about when you show up to greet the customer? Do you apply a little "salesman magic" prior to ringing that door bell? Maybe even a light spritz on the receipt or with a sample spotter left behind to link your service to that scent might make a surprising impact.

I used to keep a cologne in the van (sat inside my ticket book holder) and all my receipts picked up the scent. It always brought compliments from the customer...well, almost always. It was just another way to keep you relevant long after you left the job.

Well said truth. Just yesterday my wife got after me for taking my coat off in the car after working all afternoon in and out of our friends studio preparing for today's jujitsu tournament. Sorry honey i'll put my coat back on to cover up the terrible odor. The same when i'm running the wand and cleaning, I sweat like a pig eliminating toxins from my body and shrinking my holiday stomach. Cleaning is a good workout or maybe I put to much effort into it.

Sometimes the simple things help greatly. Like wearing some Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen in the summer or wearing an undershirt made from performance fabrics that both wick moisture as well as being anti-bacterial.

It is all part of the show in my view. Any time you are tasked with making a first impression (like meeting a new customer), think beyond just washing the van or having that cool vinyl wrap. They will mean nothing if you present yourself as an offensive boar.

Don't wear any just deo. A good majority of my custies prefer the cleaning solutions and carpet cleaner odorless. Rob now that you have that TNT you may want to redirect the exhasut so its doesn't blow right on your shirt

Mo wrote:Don't wear any just deo. A good majority of my custies prefer the cleaning solutions and carpet cleaner odorless. Rob now that you have that TNT you may want to redirect the exhasut so its doesn't blow right on your shirt

I was considering that fact, I do have several customers who like the low-odor cleaning, but I am not sure that it has been a large percentage for my area. Lately, I have been getting customers asking what brand of cologne I was wearing during the walk through and it isn't an overly strong cologne either. I think it helped make a good impression and hopefully nets a referral or two.

Maybe they were just being nice?

Cleaning carpet is part of my weight management.
I sweat a lot and a wet shirt is a negitve moment of truth. So I went to white poly shirts; wetness doesn't show as much.
On the flip side; 80% of my work are empty rentals. So I don't have to deal with face to face meet and greets. When I do have a face-face, its the end of the job post clean visit. I towel off then go and talk but I keep it short

I spent a long time landscaping in the summer heat and I just dont really sweat from carpet cleaning.... easy money as the mexicans that used to work for me would say.

sometimes a customer will crank the heat in the house thinking it will really help dry times which is funny but I just ask them to turn it down lol

carpet cleaning is physical no doubt but building retaining walls and patios, laying sod etc is really tough work.