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Listen in! Pick up some expert advice to a reader's question that we selected from CyberSchmooz. Featured Biz Question I own a home-office cleaning business. What I'm wanting to do is to provide additional services. The clients are always asking if I can do this or that, or if I know someone who does. So I decided to include these services into my operation. I will not perform all the actual work. I want to outsource the majority of the services but still collect a fee. How do I approach other companies (well established) to even consider being a part of this business and for me to collect a referral fee? Answer from our Guest Expert Donna Hall of The Right Answer, Customer Service Consultants Dear Idea Cafe Schmoozer, You're one smart cookie! Being able to recognize a good service opportunity like outsourcing will help you create win-win situations for both you and your customers. Customers are letting you know what they want, and nothing says, "service smart" more than listening to your customers. Anyone who takes service seriously in their business knows the value of good listening skills. And when your meal ticket calls for additional cleaning services, it pays to be ready to respond promptly. Adding Outsourcing to the Pot It's okay that you may not be an expert on each and every phase of the cleaning biz, as long as you respond to your customers' cravings. By going to someone who has a bit more experience than you in these areas is a sure fire way to keep service sizzling for your customers. Outsourcing can work like magic for you. When a potential customer calls for rug stretching, for instance, and you don't do it, find someone who does. Trust me, you're not alone. Some leading corporations are taking advantage of outsourcing too. For example, Ottenberg's Bakers, Inc., a Washington, DC-based business, decided in 1997 it wanted to expand its business beyond the Washington Metro Area. They began by selling their tasty bread products to schools, delis, diners, restaurants and hotels in other cities up and down the East Coast. Initially, they opened their own frozen food warehouse. After two years, the owners said, "We're bakers, not warehouse experts!" So, they hit the pavement to find a company who specialized in product warehouse inventory, storage, and truck loading and receiving. By choosing to outsource this part of their business, Ottenberg's could continue focusing on what they do best, bake bread. Now here's some advice for approaching companies to outsource for you. continued Page 1 - 2 - 3 Enter your search terms Submit search form       Search Idea Cafe Web Small Business Tax Center • Idea Cafe Home • Sign Up • Biz Grant Center • CyberSchmooz •Coffee Talk with Experts • People in Biz Profiles • Starting Your Biz • Biz Planning • Running Your Biz • FREE Trade Publications • Marketing • Financing Your Biz • Human Resources • Legal & Biz Forms • Managing Your Biz • eCommerce • You and Your Biz • Gen X • Work@Home • The Fridge • De-Stress • Send an Award • Send an eGreeting • Yoga @ Your Desk • Web Guide • Idea Cafe in the News • About Idea Cafe • Advertise on Idea Cafe • Contact Us • Privacy Policy • Site Map • Small Biz News Copyright 1995-2023, Idea Cafe Inc. Downloads are for personal use only, not for resale to others, and may not be reprinted in any form without written permission from Idea Cafe Inc. DISCLAIMER: We hope whatever you find on this site is helpful, but be cautioned that it may not apply to your own situation, or be totally current at any given time. Idea Cafe Inc. and all of its current and past experts, sponsors, advertisers, agents, contractors and advisors disclaim all warranties with regard to anything found anywhere on this family of websites, quoted from, or sent from Idea Cafe. and its related sites, publications and companies. We also take no responsibility for comments published by others on these pages. TRADEMARKS: The following are Registered Trademarks or Servicemarks of DevStart, Inc.: Idea Cafe®, Online Coffee Break®, The Small Business Gathering Place®, Take out Info®, Biz Bar & Grill®, Complaint-O-Meter®, A Fun Approach to Serious Business™, CyberSchmooz™, and BizCafe™.

About the Expert Donna Hall, President of The Right Answer Donna has been making customers happy and satisfied for more than 15 years. She learned to be a customer service whiz in the medical and newspaper industries. more