“I think we need a new cleaning service.”

A building manager friend shared one of his current frustrations.

“Why, what’s going on?”

“Well, the people we’re using now, I like them, really. They’re nice people. They’ve cleaned in this building for seven years. They’re honest. They work hard. They do a pretty good job with the cleaning. The price is good. They’re loyal….”

“And…”

“And… seems like every other time they’re here…. Two days later I find something small:  Something broken, something spilled, or something misplaced. I see lights that all of a sudden don’t work and my first thought is, ‘Oh, the cleaners must have been here.’  And then I think, ‘Really? How did they do that?’”

He was silent for a little bit and shook his head.

“I know stuff happens when you’re cleaning or doing maintenance work or painting. I get that. But TELL me about it. Just tell me, ‘We broke a light, we’ll replace it’ or ‘We spilled some paint, we’ll clean it up.’ Don’t surprise me – don’t leave it for me to find. Don’t leave it for me to fix. Don’t make me tell YOU about it.”

Nick Miller is President of Clarity Advantage based in Concord, MA. He assists banks and credit unions to generate more and more profitable relationships, faster, with business clients, their owners, and their employees through better sales strategies and execution. Additional articles on Clarity’s web site.