Marketing & Sales Archives - Cleanfax https://cleanfax.com/category/marketing-sales/ Serving Cleaning and Restoration Professionals Fri, 28 Jul 2023 15:26:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.2 https://cleanfax.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/cropped-CF-32x32.png Marketing & Sales Archives - Cleanfax https://cleanfax.com/category/marketing-sales/ 32 32 Unleash the Full Potential of Your Cleaning or Restoration Mobile Website https://cleanfax.com/unleash-the-full-potential-of-your-cleaning-or-restoration-mobile-website/ Thu, 27 Jul 2023 20:38:48 +0000 https://cleanfax.com/?p=70143 In this episode of Take 5 With Cleanfax, ISSA Media Director Jeff Cross interviews John Clendenning, Carpet Cleaner Marketing Masters founder and CEO, regarding ways to optimize your mobile website for better engagement and lead generation.

The post Unleash the Full Potential of Your Cleaning or Restoration Mobile Website appeared first on Cleanfax.

]]>

Chances are good that you not only have a cell phone—you’ve got a smartphone, with all the bells and whistles you’d find on your laptop or desktop computer. You’re not alone. Your customers have smartphones as well, and they are using them to visit your website.

What can you do to make their experience of your website on their smartphone as good as possible? 

In this episode of Take 5 With Cleanfax, ISSA Media Director Jeff Cross interviews John Clendenning, Carpet Cleaner Marketing Masters founder and CEO, regarding ways to optimize your mobile website for better engagement and lead generation.

To learn more about creating a strong presence on smart mobile devices, watch the complete episode of Take 5 With Cleanfax below.

Click and Watch:

You can also listen to the full conversation via our Cleanfax Podcast here:

For more video content by Cleanfax, check out the  Cleanfax Video page and start learning invaluable cleaning and restoration tips today.

Subscribe or update your subscription to Cleanfax.

Become an ISSA member to  manage and grow your restoration company

ISSA membership provides unparalleled opportunities to improve your operations, boost your profits, and make valuable connections. Learn more about the benefits that are in store for you as an ISSA member by viewing the  ISSA membership form page today!

The post Unleash the Full Potential of Your Cleaning or Restoration Mobile Website appeared first on Cleanfax.

]]>
Optimize Your Sales Force With Tools That Measure https://cleanfax.com/optimize-your-sales-force-with-tools-that-measure/ Thu, 27 Jul 2023 18:21:13 +0000 https://cleanfax.com/?p=70139 On this episode of Straight Talk!, growth and strategy consultant Ed Marsh, Consilium Global Business Advisors founder and principal, discusses the importance of measuring your sales data for continued success.

The post Optimize Your Sales Force With Tools That Measure appeared first on Cleanfax.

]]>

It’s hard to know how your efforts are paying off if you don’t measure your results.

On this episode of Straight Talk!, growth and strategy consultant Ed Marsh, Consilium Global Business Advisors founder and principal, discusses the different sales data that can be measured, along with the tools that help get the job done.

To learn how you and your sales team can stay on top of your important numbers, watch the complete episode of Straight Talk! below.

Click and Watch:

You can also listen to the full conversation via our Cleanfax Podcast here:

For more video content by Cleanfax, check out the  Cleanfax Video page and start learning invaluable cleaning and restoration tips today.

Subscribe or update your subscription to Cleanfax.

Become an ISSA member to  manage and grow your restoration company

ISSA membership provides unparalleled opportunities to improve your operations, boost your profits, and make valuable connections. Learn more about the benefits that are in store for you as an ISSA member by viewing the  ISSA membership form page today!

The post Optimize Your Sales Force With Tools That Measure appeared first on Cleanfax.

]]>
How to Know Your Marketing Is Working https://cleanfax.com/how-to-know-your-marketing-is-working/ Thu, 27 Jul 2023 15:00:19 +0000 https://cleanfax.com/?p=70137 Finding an affordable marketing strategy to grow your business can be challenging. Companies often make marketing decisions based on cost without considering return on investment (ROI). Check out these important questions to ask yourself in order to measure your results and set realistic marketing goals.

The post How to Know Your Marketing Is Working appeared first on Cleanfax.

]]>
Finding an affordable marketing strategy to grow your business can be challenging. Companies often make marketing decisions based on cost without considering return on investment (ROI). To measure your results and set realistic marketing goals, you should be able to answer these questions:

  • What is your customer lifetime value for a new account?
  • What is your cost to acquire a new account?
  • What is your ROI of the marketing strategy you’re using?
  • What marketing budget do you need to meet your goals?

If you’re having difficulty answering these questions, you probably haven’t been measuring your marketing results. If that’s the case, here are some tips that will help you make more informed marketing decisions.

What are your business goals?

Before deciding which marketing strategy to use, you should ask these questions:

  • What types of accounts would you like to target?
  • How many new accounts would you like to add each month?
  • What is your attrition rate—on average, how many accounts do you lose each year?
  • How many new accounts can you handle operationally and financially?
  • What marketing strategy can you use to acquire the contracts you want?

Calculating your customer lifetime value

Do you know what an average client is worth to your business’s bottom line? If you can’t assign a dollar value to your clients, you can’t evaluate the effectiveness of your marketing program. Customer lifetime value (CLV) represents the total profit you can expect over the life span of an account.

As the size and life span of accounts can vary, you need to look at several years’ worth of current and past client data to calculate an average CLV.

For example, let’s assume the following:

Number of accounts 25
Gross income $300,000
Net income $75,000
Average account life span 2.5 years

You can calculate your CLV in two steps.

Step 1: Calculate the annualized profit per account

$75,000/25 accounts = $3,000 (on average) of profit per account per year

Step 2: Multiply the profit per account by the average account life span

$3,000 × 2.5 years = $7,500

The average customer lifetime value for this example is $7,500.

Calculating your cost per acquisition

Your cost per acquisition (CPA) is best defined as the cost to acquire a new client, not a lead. The CPA for any marketing strategy will depend on your cost per lead and your close rate—the percent of leads that become clients. Your close rate can vary from one marketing strategy to another. For the following CPA calculation, let’s assume marketing costs of $1,000 per month and that you close two contracts per month. Divide your monthly marketing spending by the number of contracts closed to calculate your CPA:

Monthly marketing spending $1,000
Contracts closed per month 2
Cost per acquisition $500

The CPA for this marketing strategy is $500.

How is your close rate?

You can’t close every account you bid on. Unless you’ve had years of sales experience or a good mentor, you probably won’t close the majority of accounts you quote. However, the higher your close rate, the better your ROI, so it behooves everyone to get better at bidding and find a reliable source of qualified leads.

Your close rate depends on you and the quality of your lead

Marketing strategies can help you get more leads, but the ultimate goal of any marketing program is to close accounts. Pay-per-lead services and online marketing strategies will get your foot in the door, but once your walkthrough appointment is set, three factors will determine your close rate:

  • The competitive landscape
  • Your sales and bidding skills
  • Whether or not the lead was qualified.

The competitive landscape is difficult to control, and you will close more accounts by fine-tuning your sales and bidding skills. If you aren’t bidding on qualified leads, though, you could be wasting valuable time and money.

What is a qualified lead?

Most marketing agencies would define a qualified lead as a potential client who has expressed interest in the services of the seller. If you aren’t getting qualified leads, you won’t close as many accounts as you could be closing. For best results, prequalify your leads before setting appointments.

Calculating your custodial marketing ROI

ROI can be defined as how many dollars in profit you get back for every dollar you spend on marketing. If you earn $10 for every $1 you spend on marketing, your ROI is 10-to-1, or 10 times your investment.

Once you know the CLV of an average client and your CPA, you are ready to calculate your ROI. For our purposes, ROI will be calculated based on net profit to show how much it impacts your
bottom line.

To calculate ROI, divide the total profit from the accounts you’ve closed by your marketing spending. Here’s how the formula would work using our example:

Customer lifetime value $7,500
Accounts closed per month 2
Total profit realized $15,000
Monthly marketing spending $1,800
Return on investment 8-to-1

Many marketing agencies consider a good ROI to be at least 3-to-1.

Setting a custodial marketing budget

Now that you know your CPA and CLV, you can set a realistic custodial marketing budget to meet your goals. Follow these five steps to calculate your marketing budget:

  • Step 1: Set goals for the number of new accounts you want to add for the year
  • Step 2: Add the number of accounts you lose on average to attrition
  • Step 3: Determine the CPA for the marketing strategy you’ve chosen
  • Step 4: Multiply the CPA by the number of accounts needed
  • Step 5: Divide by 12 to determine your monthly marketing budget.

These steps can be applied to the following example:

New account goal 12
Account attrition 3
New accounts needed 15
Cost per acquisition $900
Monthly marketing budget $1,125

The monthly marketing budget for this example is $1,125.

What to do if you aren’t meeting your marketing goals

If you haven’t been meeting your marketing goals, it could be due to one or more of the following factors:

  • Your marketing strategy’s ROI is low
  • Your marketing budget isn’t adequate
  • Your close rate is too low.

ROIs can vary based on the marketing strategy used and other factors. If you’re not meeting your marketing goals with the strategy you’re using, you can either find out why the strategy is underperforming and take steps to improve it, or you can look for a different strategy.

If your results don’t improve, you can seek help from a marketing professional with cleaning and restoration industry experience.

The post How to Know Your Marketing Is Working appeared first on Cleanfax.

]]>
PuroClean Introduces ‘Flat Walter’ and ‘The Flats Summer Campaign’ https://cleanfax.com/puroclean-introduces-flat-walter-and-the-flats-summer-campaign/ Wed, 26 Jul 2023 01:01:59 +0000 https://cleanfax.com/?p=70115 Property restoration and remediation franchise company PuroClean has created a character—Flat Walter—to assist with morale and positivity on job sites. Walter and The Flats Summer Campaign were inspired by the “Flat Stanley” concept, which began as a children’s book series and evolved into a literacy project that spanned the nation and beyond. Flat Walter, also…

The post PuroClean Introduces ‘Flat Walter’ and ‘The Flats Summer Campaign’ appeared first on Cleanfax.

]]>
Property restoration and remediation franchise company PuroClean has created a character—Flat Walter—to assist with morale and positivity on job sites.

Walter and The Flats Summer Campaign were inspired by the “Flat Stanley” concept, which began as a children’s book series and evolved into a literacy project that spanned the nation and beyond.

Flat Walter, also known as PuroClean’s version of Flat Stanley, and his family, The Flats, are the newest addition to the PuroClean family. According to a press release, Flat Walter is more than just a character—he is a symbol of the PuroClean brand, a source of motivation and inspiration, and a fun and engaging companion that follows team members on each and every project.

Alex Pericchi, PuroClean vice president of marketing and online learning, said that the “Flat Family” was inspired by PuroClean’s core values and culture of leadership, collaboration, and positivity.

“At PuroClean, we breathe a culture of servant leadership, extreme ownership, and active collaboration, where our franchise owners emerge as everyday superheroes, fearlessly entering people’s homes and businesses during their darkest hours to work wonders,” Pericchi said. “And so, the brilliant idea struck us—drawing inspiration from the iconic Flat Stanley, we created our own ‘Flat family’ of diverse PuroClean representatives.”

Pericchi said this initiative became a powerful tool that provided engaging visual content, humanized the brand, showcased PuroClean’s community involvement and goodwill, and most importantly, sparked user-generated content that captured the PuroClean ideal of turning a bad day into a much better one.

“From broken pipes and flooded basements to menacing mold or the aftermath of a fiery blaze that leaves properties full of foul smells and smoke, to the damage caused by biohazards, our dedicated franchise owners step up to the challenge and extend their helping hands,” Pericchi said. “However, our humble teams often shy away from the limelight, camera-shy while rescuing those in need. We felt compelled to show the world how thankful we are for our franchise owners and their teams, who selflessly serve our communities with top-notch restoration services.”

Pericchi said encouraging franchise owners and teams to snap pictures with the Flats at their jobs, community events, or anywhere representing PuroClean was a game-changer and boosted morale tenfold.

“This innovative initiative not only fosters team camaraderie but also fuels creativity, inspiring our locations to share stories of their invaluable work. It enables communities to grasp the true essence of the property disaster restoration industry and the immense value we bring to their lives,” Pericchi said. “I would encourage every restoration service to add a dash of positivity and fun to the worksite. It really goes a long way.”

The post PuroClean Introduces ‘Flat Walter’ and ‘The Flats Summer Campaign’ appeared first on Cleanfax.

]]>
AI-Generated Content—What Marketers Need to Know https://cleanfax.com/ai-generated-content-what-marketers-need-to-know/ Mon, 24 Jul 2023 22:40:22 +0000 https://cleanfax.com/?p=70109 While the intelligence of AI-generated content is currently in question, there are some hard facts about it that you, as a marketer, need to know before you put it to use for your own company.

The post AI-Generated Content—What Marketers Need to Know appeared first on Cleanfax.

]]>
Written content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) is currently all the rage. At the very least, AI-generated content would appear to be a huge time saver and a great way to access a “talent” that you might not inately possess—in this case, the ability to write well.

But some media outlets, such as Business Insider, and social forums, such as Twitter and Chat GPT creator OpenAI’s own online users’ forum, are reporting that AI-generated content apps, such as OpenAI’s GPT-4, might be losing its edge.

“I’ve been using Chat GPT for quite a while now, and I’ve been a GPT Plus user since GPT-4 was released,” wrote one user on OpenAi’s forum. “Over the past few days, it seems like GPT-4 is struggling to do things it did well previously.”

Whether or not AI is becoming less skilled as a writer as time passes is a debate that’s very much up for grabs. However, there are some hard facts about AI-generated content that, if you are using it for marketing, you absolutely should know and understand before you go any further. Check out these five truths about AI from the public relations communication company Cision that you’ll want to keep in mind:

1) Right now, as the law stands, AI-generated content can’t be copyrighted because a human being didn’t directly produce it. It instantly enters what’s known as the public domain—that is, anyone can reproduce it. So, if AI writes a blog article for your website, the rights to it belong to everyone, and anyone can use it. It will not be unique to you or your company.

2) Ironically, especially when you consider fact number one above, AI pulls from existing text to create its own text. The text it pulls from very well could be copyrighted material, as it was most likely written by human beings. Essentially, it could be violating copyright laws, even though what it ultimately generates isn’t copyrighted. As such, the original writers it pulled its material from to generate its own content could, theoretically, come after you and your company on legal grounds of copyright infringement. According to Cision, such law suits have already been filed.

3) Because AI isn’t a very “sensitive” thinker (as humans can be), its artificial judgment is based solely on what it has been taught. It only knows what it’s been “fed.” That information can be askew, and as such, it can produce further content that is misleading, biased, and downright false.

4) Because of the scrutiny that already exists online regarding “fake news,” your company could be harshly judged—perhaps wrongly so—due to AI content, and your brand could be forever damaged.

5) Lastly, because the sources of AI content can be so hard to pin down,  Cision suggests that AI could create an undercurrent of distrust, which might more broadly hurt public relations and other forms of media and communications in general.

It’ll take a while for legislation to catch up to AI to create boundaries and laws in regards to its use, including the creation of content. As AI might currently be operating in its own wild, wild west for now, you might personally need to step up as your company’s sheriff to safeguard that your use and your business’s use of AI-generated content doesn’t cross any legal or ethical lines.

The post AI-Generated Content—What Marketers Need to Know appeared first on Cleanfax.

]]>
Unlocking Success: Deciding How and When to Outsource Your Marketing Efforts https://cleanfax.com/unlocking-success/ Tue, 18 Jul 2023 22:06:22 +0000 https://cleanfax.com/?p=70052 Outsourcing has become an essential tool for businesses looking to level up their marketing efforts. By delegating specific tasks to external experts, you can focus on your core competencies and achieve better growth and success in a shorter time frame.

The post Unlocking Success: Deciding How and When to Outsource Your Marketing Efforts appeared first on Cleanfax.

]]>
Ongoing, effective marketing is crucial for the sustained growth and long-term success of your cleaning business. It’s not enough to simply offer high-quality cleaning and great customer services; in today’s ultra-competitive local marketplace, businesses must actively promote themselves to get found and to stand out from the competition. Proper marketing will increase your brand awareness, build trust and credibility in attracting new customers, and do wonders to help you retain your existing ones.

So you know that investing in effective marketing is critical for your business’s growth, but knowing what you “should” be doing and “how” to do it—while keeping up with the constant and never-ending changes—is another thing altogether. Outsourcing has become an essential tool for businesses looking to level up their marketing efforts. By delegating specific tasks to external experts, you can focus on your core competencies and achieve better growth and success in a shorter time frame.

Ultimately, outsourcing the tactical marketing functions from paid ad campaigns, online rankings, website optimization, listing management, conversion optimization, and all the other work needed to produce new leads and customers, enables you and your staff to focus on your core operations of delivering great services by great, well-trained staff, while benefiting from specialized knowledge and resources that might not be available in-house. By streamlining your marketing efforts through effective outsourcing, you can gain a competitive edge, expand your customer base, and increase your revenue growth.

Understanding Your Service Business’s Marketing Needs

One common question when deciding to outsource marketing activities is, “How do I determine which tasks should be outsourced?” If you lack expertise or experience in certain areas such as digital advertising or social media management, then outsourcing those tasks will help. You’ll also want to consider the time and resources required to learn, implement, monitor, and keep up with the scope of effective marketing activities. Learning new skills can be fun, but if it takes you away from the core focus of your business, then outsourcing can shorten your path to growth and success.

Another important question is knowing when it’s the right time to outsource marketing efforts. One sign that indicates outsourcing might be necessary is when a business is wanting to grow, but its current marketing efforts are just not producing the necessary leads. This could result in missed opportunities and a decline in overall business performance. Other signs include struggling to keep up with new trends, platforms, and technologies available to gain new customers. In these cases, outsourcing can provide access to specialized skills and knowledge that can drive better outcomes for your business.

Benefits of Outsourcing Marketing Efforts

Access to specialized expertise and industry knowledge is one of the main advantages of outsourcing marketing efforts for small- and medium-sized cleaning industry businesses. By working with a niche-specific marketing agency, these businesses can tap into a wealth of experience and knowledge that they might not have in-house. This allows them to benefit from proven strategies and techniques that have been successful in similar industries, ultimately helping them to achieve better results.

Outsourcing your marketing efforts can be a cost-effective solution for you as well. Instead of hiring full-time employees or investing in expensive software, training, and tools, outsourcing allows you to access the necessary expertise on an as-needed basis. Working with professionals who already have the required resources and infrastructure in place will save you both time and money.

If you are like most smaller businesses, you likely have limited resources, so delegating your marketing tasks to external experts can free up valuable time and energy that can be directed toward other important aspects of your operations. This enables you to prioritize activities such as nurturing customer satisfaction, developing new products, or expanding your service offerings while still paying attention to your marketing needs.

Types of Marketing Activities to Consider Outsourcing

Website development and optimization: Having a well-designed and user-friendly website is crucial for any business, including service businesses. A professional website will enhance your credibility and increase customer lead conversions (i.e., more calls), while a properly optimized and maintained website will rank higher in search results, increasing visibility and attracting more organic traffic.

Search engine optimization (SEO) and local search: The vast majority of people turn to search engines like Google to find local businesses, including cleaning and restoration services. But SEO is a constantly moving target, and having skilled and knowledgeable professionals working to rank your business can mean the difference between your website generating tons of traffic and leads…or hearing crickets.

Content marketing and blogging: By creating informative blog posts, articles, and videos related to cleaning and restoration advice, cleaning businesses can establish themselves as a local industry authority and generate much more traffic to their website. Sharing this content through social media platforms and email will drive traffic to your website and help build trust with potential clients and referral partners.

Social media: Leveraging social media platforms such as Facebook or Instagram is an excellent way for cleaning and restoration service businesses to connect with their target audience on a more personal level. By engaging with potential clients in a friendly and informative manner, cleaning and restoration service businesses can establish themselves as trusted authorities in the industry.

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising: Placing ads on search engine pages or websites that have the attention of your ideal customer will allow you to reach new customers who are actively searching for the services you offer. However, managing paid ad campaigns requires expertise and time, which could be better spent focusing on other aspects of your business.

Email marketing: Building an email list of interested prospects and existing customers to send them regular updates, promotions, and valuable content will keep your cleaning and restoration service top of mind. Email marketing builds trust and loyalty with your audience over time but creating compelling email campaigns and managing subscriber lists can be time-consuming tasks that might benefit from outsourcing to an experienced marketing agency.

Online reputation management: For your cleaning and restoration service business to succeed, it’s essential to maintain a positive online reputation by monitoring reviews on platforms like a Google Business Profile (formally, Google My Business) or Yelp. Outsourcing this task ensures timely responses to customer feedback and helps mitigate any negative impact on your brand image. Additionally, professional reputation management services can implement strategies to encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews and boost overall ratings.

Marketing analytics and reporting: By leveraging data analysis and reporting tools effectively, businesses can optimize their campaigns and focus on what is working best, while eliminating ineffective or outdated strategies more quickly. Ultimately, this leads to increased customer acquisition and retention rates, as well as improved overall business growth.

Types of Marketing Activities to Consider Doing In-House

When running a service business, it’s important to decide which marketing activities can be handled in-house. Here are some key areas to focus on:

Social media management: Engaging with followers and responding to comments is crucial for building a strong online community and fostering trust. By actively interacting with your audience, you show that you value their opinions and concerns. Sharing valuable content and participating in local online groups relevant to your ideal customers can establish you as an expert and directly connect you with potential customers who are already interested in the services you offer.

Customer relationship management (CRM): Maintaining strong relationships with your customers is essential. Personalized emails, phone calls, service reminders, follow-ups, and targeted personal outreach campaigns play a crucial role in this. Implementing a robust CRM strategy allows you to stay connected with your customers and provide exceptional service.

Local partnerships and collaborations: Forming partnerships with complementary service providers in your area is a powerful tool for growing your local business. By partnering with other local businesses for cross-promotion and referrals, co-hosting events or workshops, and pooling resources and expertise, you can showcase your services while gaining more visibility and a valuable endorsement.

Online review management: Monitoring and responding to online reviews and feedback is crucial for managing your online reputation. Addressing both negative and positive reviews promptly and professionally is important for mitigating their impact. A positive online reputation is vital for attracting new customers and maintaining trust with existing ones.

Targeted email marketing campaigns: Designing and sending targeted emails and offers allows you to directly reach past and potential customers. Taking the time to segment your email lists based on demographics, interests, or past interactions and then tailoring your emails to each segment’s needs and preferences will capture the attention of recipients and better encourage them to take action.

Event planning and local community involvement: Organizing or participating in local community and charity events allows you to create brand awareness and build trust, and credibility with potential customers. Setting up booths at trade shows or expos, and networking with potential customers and other businesses in your community is key to long-term success. Building relationships through outreach and community involvement establishes trust and increases the likelihood of referrals.

Photography and visual content creation: Quality photos play a crucial role in showcasing the transformative impact of your cleaning and restoration services. Potential customers want to hire a cleaning service that takes pride in their work. Consistently sharing well-curated photos captures attention and builds trust.

Customer testimonials and case Studies: Featuring testimonials and case studies from satisfied clients provides social proof of your company’s reliability and effectiveness. Potential customers are more likely to trust a business recommended by others who have had a positive experience and case studies showcase your expertise in handling different types of cleaning challenges and the results you achieved.

By focusing on these marketing activities in-house, you can strengthen your brand, foster customer relationships, and differentiate yourself from competitors. Remember, marketing is an ongoing process, so continually refine your strategies and adapt to changing trends to unlock success for your cleaning and restoration service business.

Evaluating the Right Time to Outsource

One important aspect of assessing your business’s marketing needs is analyzing your current marketing performance and return on investment (ROI). How effective your marketing strategies have been in attracting new customers, increasing brand awareness, and generating revenue? By examining key metrics such as customer acquisition cost, conversion rates, and overall revenue generated through each marketing effort, you can gain valuable insights into which aspects of your marketing strategy are working well and which ones need improvement.

By identifying bottlenecks early on, you can take proactive measures to address them and ensure smooth growth for your service business. It’s crucial to assess whether you have sufficient resources allocated to your marketing activities such as budget, personnel, and tools. Taking stock of any limitations in these areas will help you make informed decisions about outsourcing certain aspects of your marketing efforts for optimal results.

Selecting the Right Marketing Agency or Freelancer

When it comes to outsourcing marketing efforts one of the first decisions you need to make is whether to hire a marketing agency or a freelancer. Both options have their advantages and disadvantages, so it’s important to define your requirements and desired outcomes before making a choice.

If your cleaning and restoration service business has specific marketing goals and requires a comprehensive strategy, hiring a marketing agency that specializes in working with your industry might be the best option. Agencies typically have teams of professionals with diverse skill sets who can handle integrating all aspects of your marketing campaigns.

On the other hand, if you have a very specific project that requires specialized skills, hiring a freelancer might be more suitable for your needs. Freelancers can often focus solely on the tasks you assign them; they are usually experts in a specific field and can deliver high-quality work within shorter timeframes. However, freelancers may lack the resources and support that agencies provide.

Regardless of which option you choose, thorough research is essential before making any decisions. Look for reputable agencies or freelancers with relevant experience in the home cleaning service industry. Check their portfolio or ask for references to assess their previous work quality and client satisfaction levels.

Overall, outsourcing your marketing efforts can significantly contribute to the speed at which you grow and scale your cleaning and restoration service business. By leveraging specialized skills, you can save time and maximize your resources toward delivering a great customer experience.

The post Unlocking Success: Deciding How and When to Outsource Your Marketing Efforts appeared first on Cleanfax.

]]>
The Insidious Danger of ‘Displacement Activities’ https://cleanfax.com/the-insidious-danger-of-displacement-activities/ Tue, 11 Jul 2023 12:47:45 +0000 https://cleanfax.com/?p=69985 In this edition of Take 5 With Cleanfax, Steve Toburen, founder of Home Front Success, discusses the insidious nature of busy work and how it keeps business owners away from truly important activities.

The post The Insidious Danger of ‘Displacement Activities’ appeared first on Cleanfax.

]]>

Have you ever found yourself busy—just for the sake of being busy? Busy work—or “displacement activities”—are all the tasks you do for your business that have little to no importance, especially when it comes to growing your business and generating income. 

In this edition of Take 5 With Cleanfax, ISSA Media Director Jeff Cross interviews Steve Toburen, the founder of Home Front Success, about such activities, which sneak into the routine of business owners and keep them from doing the things they really need to get done. Toburen shares three strategies to ensure that displacement activities don’t take over with you and your company. You can subscribe to Toburen’s weekly QuickTIP newsletter here.

To learn how to stay on task with your most meaningful business activities, watch or listen to the complete episode of Take 5 With Cleanfax below.

Click and Watch:

You can also listen to the full conversation via our Cleanfax Podcast here:

For more video content by Cleanfax, check out the  Cleanfax Video page and start learning invaluable cleaning and restoration tips today.

Subscribe or update your subscription to Cleanfax.

Become an ISSA member to  manage and grow your restoration company

ISSA membership provides unparalleled opportunities to improve your operations, boost your profits, and make valuable connections. Learn more about the benefits that are in store for you as an ISSA member by viewing the  ISSA membership form page today!

The post The Insidious Danger of ‘Displacement Activities’ appeared first on Cleanfax.

]]>
Networking Made Easy: Unlocking Success With a Simple Three-Phase System https://cleanfax.com/networking-made-easy-unlocking-success-with-a-simple-three-phase-system/ Wed, 05 Jul 2023 22:25:36 +0000 https://cleanfax.com/?p=69950 In this edition of Straight Talk!, Dean Mercado, the CEO of Online Marketing Muscle, introduces a simple three-phase marketing system that you can implement quickly and easily.

The post Networking Made Easy: Unlocking Success With a Simple Three-Phase System appeared first on Cleanfax.

]]>

Despite the importance of marketing, many businesses leave its potential untapped. But marketing doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive to be effective. You just need to know where and how to begin.

In this episode of Straight Talk!, Dean Mercado, the CEO of Online Marketing Muscle, shares a simple three-phase marketing system that you can implement quickly and easily to start generating successful results.

To learn more about Mercado’s system and how you can apply it to your own business, watch or listen to the complete episode of Straight Talk! below.

Click and Watch:

You can also listen to the full conversation via our Cleanfax Podcast here:

For more video content by Cleanfax, check out the  Cleanfax Video page and start learning invaluable cleaning and restoration tips today.

Subscribe or update your subscription to Cleanfax.

Become an ISSA member to  manage and grow your restoration company

ISSA membership provides unparalleled opportunities to improve your operations, boost your profits, and make valuable connections. Learn more about the benefits that are in store for you as an ISSA member by viewing the  ISSA membership form page today!

The post Networking Made Easy: Unlocking Success With a Simple Three-Phase System appeared first on Cleanfax.

]]>
Is There a Dark Side to AI? https://cleanfax.com/is-there-a-dark-side-to-ai/ Wed, 21 Jun 2023 23:17:07 +0000 https://cleanfax.com/?p=69898 British-Canadian cognitive psychologist and computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton—the aptly named “Godfather of AI” for his role in creating artificial intelligence (AI) technology—recently expressed his concerns about the dangers of AI to society. Despite all the good it can provide, does AI also have a dark side?

The post Is There a Dark Side to AI? appeared first on Cleanfax.

]]>
In a recent article by the BBC, British-Canadian cognitive psychologist and computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton—the aptly named “Godfather of AI” for his role in creating artificial intelligence (AI) technology—expressed his concerns about the dangers of AI to society.

While AI creations such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which will write content in only a matter of seconds, can be a godsend to businesses by eliminating workload (see the Straight Talk! episode 3 Ways to Embrace AI for a Competitive Advantage in the Cleaning Industry), Hinton, who earned his nickname thanks to decades of research on neural networks and deep learning, warned that AI could also be applied to much more sinister applications by people he called “bad actors.”

Describing AI chatbots as “quite scary,” Hinton told the BBC, “Right now, they’re not more intelligent than us, as far as I can tell. But I think they soon may be.” He believes that AI’s ability to deep learn—that is, to learn from experience as people do—could enable chatbots to reach the same level of information as that of a human brain.

“Right now, what we’re seeing is things like GPT-4 [another AI product by OpenAI] eclipses a person in the amount of general knowledge it has, and it eclipses them by a long way. In terms of reasoning, it’s not as good, but it does already do simple reasoning,” Hinton said. “And given the rate of progress, we expect things to get better quite fast. So, we need to worry about that.”

While the future of AI might be uncertain, there’s still much that can be gained by leaning on AI technology for help. For more information on AI’s positive attributes, check out The Rise of AI: What Marketers Need to Know, as well as Is AI Going to be the Death of the Salesperson?

The post Is There a Dark Side to AI? appeared first on Cleanfax.

]]>
Using an Operations Mindset to Drive Revenue https://cleanfax.com/using-an-operations-mindset-to-drive-revenue/ Tue, 13 Jun 2023 13:18:24 +0000 https://cleanfax.com/?p=69848 In this edition of Straight Talk!, Ed Marsh, Consilium Global Business Advisors founder and principal, discusses how operational thinking can go beyond the day-to-day workings of your company and be applied to income generation as well.

The post Using an Operations Mindset to Drive Revenue appeared first on Cleanfax.

]]>

Operational thinking—concerning yourself with the here-and-now workings of your company and how to keep things working, everyday—is an important component of any business.

In this edition of Straight Talk!, Ed Marsh, Consilium Global Business Advisors founder and principal, discusses how you can use operational mindset to not only drive the inner workings of your business, but also its revenue.

To find out how to transfer the operational mindset that created your well-refined processes over to your income generation, watch latest episode of Straight Talk! below!

Click and Watch:

You can also listen to the full conversation via our Cleanfax Podcast here:

For more video content by Cleanfax, check out the  Cleanfax Video page and start learning invaluable cleaning and restoration tips today.

Subscribe or update your subscription to Cleanfax.

Become an ISSA member to  manage and grow your restoration company

ISSA membership provides unparalleled opportunities to improve your operations, boost your profits, and make valuable connections. Learn more about the benefits that are in store for you as an ISSA member by viewing the  ISSA membership form page today!

The post Using an Operations Mindset to Drive Revenue appeared first on Cleanfax.

]]>