Be a Resource, Not a Commodity

This will be short and sweet. One of my favorite books is "The Go-Giver" by Bob Burg. Here's the excerpt. "In a brutally competitive world where everyone seems to be fighting to earn more and achieve greater success, 'The Go-Giver' offers an alternative set of business success principles built on giving and adding value to others."  This is a must read for all business owners. I have made it a must read for my kids as we teach them the value of entrepreneurship and service. They go hand-in-hand. You can't be an entrepreneur without serving others. About 2 years ago, I had a chance to be on a Total Life Freedom Community Call with Bob Burg. What a treat. He was so full of wisdom on building relationships in business. But it was this one-liner that moved me the most.

"If you sell on price, you are a commodity. If you sell on value, you are a resource."

This hit the nail on the head to all of the questions I've ever been asked. "Ken, how did you charge over $100 per hour cleaning houses?" This same question popped up so many different ways as I shared my story on social media and inside online cleaning groups. Many were in disbelief that I ever earned that much. To me, it was a simple process that I call the ISO Model. I have known that trust is at the core of this upward price trend. I have known that I needed to become the community specialist for cleaning. I had to be different and set apart from the masses to charge what I charged. This one quote from Bob Burg helped me take what I knew and put it into an easier teaching format. Let's try this out!

What is a commodity? Let's define it from Webster.
"An economic good: such as a product of agriculture or mining, an article of commerce especially when delivered for shipment, a mass-produced unspecialized product."

Typically, a commodity is something  that everybody needs and uses. There are many who sell them and compete for thin margins. How many cleaners out there are treating their business like a commodity? They are selling or offering their cleaning service as the low-cost option. They are assuming that every cleaner is the same, offering the same, doing the same thing. Therefore, they need to sell on having the lowest price. This is a model that does win in cleaning, especially in commercial cleaning. It's the Walmart Model. Sell on price and create a ton of volume to make money.

There is another option. What is a resource? Webster says this.

"A source of supply or support : an available means, a natural source of wealth or revenue, a natural feature or phenomenon that enhances the quality of human life, computable wealth, a source of information or expertise, something to which one has recourse in difficulty, a possibility of relief or recovery, a means of spending one's leisure time, an ability to meet and handle a situation."

There are a few pieces of Webster's definition that I want to pull out and ask you.

1. A natural feature that enhances the quality of human life - How does your cleaning service enhance the quality of human life? It saves time and time is everything. I've had moms tell me that what they can pay me to do in 3 hours while they are at work saves them an entire Sunday while they are home. Obviously, the better you are at cleaning and disinfecting creates a better home sanctuary to enhance their life. Lastly, a cleaning service forces customers to declutter before the cleaner gets there. This applies for office cleaners too as employees keep a cleaner desk when a regular cleaner comes. Less clutter equals less stress. This enhances the quality of human life.
2. A source of information of expertise - I've personally taught webinars on how to disinfect correctly. My local pharmacy had me do educational videos on how to use disinfectants they sold during Covid. I am the co-education chair at a local networking group and teach everything from cleaning to productivity to business psychology. I am known in my community as an expert and a source of inforation. I communicate this in our C3 Experience through our 5 levels of expertise in cleaning. Another example of this expertise is the art of cleaning that I call Presentation Cleaning.
3. An ability to meet and handle a situation - Are you a problem solver for people. When your phone breaks, you call technical support for troubleshooting. Can you and do you troubleshoot when customers or members of the community has a situation to handle? I have been a reliable resource to my community.

I have done all 3 of these to become a valuable resource in my cleaning career. This has positioned me as a resource and I've sold on the value that I add as a resource. This is why customers are willing to pay more for our services than a commodity cleaner. Do you see the difference?

Check out my interview with the T-Bag Company Founder, entitled "Respectful, Reliable, Responsible with Damon Washington". You can purchase any of the T-Bag products at a 10% discount through the Smart Cleaning School Resources Page at smartcleaningschool.com/resources.