The Valet Trash industry has grown to become a very cognizant part of modern home waste management. These businesses offer a revolutionary approach to waste management to clients living in communities, apartments, student housing, and condominiums.
The services they offer are very important especially since efficient and stress-free trash disposal is the hallmark of modern civilization. One very notable benefit of the services offered by valet trash companies is that everyone takes advantage of their collection services, unlike other amenities in a housing unit.
In addition, they also save residents the stress of carrying bags of trash down numerous flights of stairs and also provide them with flexible payments that can easily be inculcated into monthly rental dues. Regardless of the demographics you intend on targeting, your valet trash service will have to cater to the needs of customers from a vast range of housing backgrounds.
Whether you choose to contract with singular apartment renters, multifamily units, or senior care facilities, having the right mix of trash collection options is very necessary. A good number of valet trash outfits only work with standard household garbage while others will haul away everything from electronics to furniture.
You have to test the waters with your service contracts to determine the pricing sweet spot that will suit both you and a good percentage of your clients. It’s more suitable to start with a month-by-month contract at a low rate that can be altered as you go. This will give room for customers to test your services on a trial basis and also offer you the platform to find the best possible price point for your basket of services.
Steps to Get Contracts for Your Valet Trash Service Business
In this line of business, any contract you land with an apartment complex more or less translates to the revenue that your business generates. When you have an arranged and signed contract in place, you can genuinely predict your gross revenue for the length of that contract. To get these contracts, here are steps to guide you;
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Find Leads
Finding leads and prospective clients remains one of the most crucial parts of starting any sales process. If you have approached and aligned with every single housing complex within a 30-mile radius of your business, then it might be time to expand further or target more clients to ensure your business generates more revenue. Have you considered senior living facilities?
Are there college housing units in your city? Would you want to target vacation resorts or other hospitality businesses in your area? You would also need to be a very good conversationalist so that when someone asks what you do for a living, your answer can lead to an eye-opening conversation that entirely captures their interest.
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Secure a Meeting
There are three viable ways to speak with or contact your new lead: phone, in-person, or email. While you will surely need all three, note that each will have its pros and cons. After you must have captured their attention, you will need to leverage those excellent communication skills of yours to make the lead feel comfortable enough to be open with you, or even agree to meet up with you.
You should consider sending out an email or postcard first, then after about a week or two later, reach out to the intended recipient of the email/postcard and use the follow-up as a way to secure the meeting.
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Make Sure You are Available
When you are looking to land a contract for your valet trash service business, it is imperative you make yourself available when your lead wants to meet. If he or she requests that you meet the following Thursday at noon, and it happens that it falls when you typically break for lunch, you may not have that much choice but to ensure that one appointment takes precedence over another.
If you turn down the proposed appointment time, you may never get another opportunity to sit with that prospective client.
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Ask Leading Questions
At some point before or during the meeting, you may have to seek answers to certain questions to ensure you understand the needs of the client and the services you can offer them. Consider using leading questions like, do you have any problems with trash around the community, or what interests you most about our apartment trash and recycling service?
Note that asking these types of questions will give room for the apartment or community manager to tell you the particular problem they want you to solve. It will help you note the best way to offer your valet trash services and also understand how they currently operate.
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Understand their Needs
During your meeting and owing to the answers you discover above, make a genuine service proposal or better still talk to the client about their needs. By taking the extra time to state this, you may find that not only are they interested in trash valet for their residents, but that they are interested in your add-on services as well.
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Ensure to Follow Up
About two or three days after your meeting, it is recommended you reach out to the complex representative you met with to follow up. This is where you would ask if there were any other questions, handle any concerns or reservations they may have, and even propose that you meet again; this time with any necessary paperwork they may want to see.
You should never be discouraged if your follow-up call leads to a voicemail. Feel comfortable leaving a message and note that you will call again another time.
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Sign the Contract
If everything goes well, this will be the final stage of starting your business dealings with the client. Note that reaching this point means that you have done everything right and the client is willing to work with you, plus the management company believes you were professional and can cater to their waste collection and disposal needs. Everything you have worked up to has paid off!
Conclusion
Indeed, growing your company’s profile in the local community will be a daunting and challenging task. While you might be dealing with someone else’s trash, you can create a well-paying recession-proof business. Consider leveraging social media platforms like Google+, Facebook, and Twitter to grow your local reputation.
You should also consider joining the local chamber of commerce to make business contacts and network with nearby businesses. In addition, do not sleep on word-of-mouth advertising by directly contacting local landlords and real estate rental firms.