Way to go on closing the deal with your newest apartment complex! That hard work paid off!
You should feel optimistic about this new growth for your valet trash company. To keep those positive vibes going, your next area of focus should be how to start valet trash service the right way.
Launching your trash valet services at a new complex isn’t a difficult task, but you need to do it the right way. Whether this is your first contract deal or your fifth, it’s always a good idea to get started on the right foot.
How to Start Valet Trash Service the RIGHT Way…
Hi, My Name Is…
The absolute first item on your agenda before you begin picking up trash from residents is to introduce yourself. There is nothing worse than for a resident to suddenly be told that he or she will be paying extra in their rent for a service they know nothing about.
You run a professional business, so act like it.
Get a little creative with this step. How can you introduce yourself to the apartment residents that will leave them feeling warm and fuzzy?
You could start by putting together a welcome packet to leave at each door about a week before evening trash pick-up begins. This is also a great way to familiarize the valets with the property layout and on-site personnel they may be in contact with while on shift.
Items for a Welcome Packet
- Welcome Letter
How Service Works
Contact Info
- Example photos of trash can placement
- Violation Reporting Guidelines
- Resident Portal Log-In Info for your Website (if applicable)
- 1 or 2 Branded Trash bags or Recycling Bags
- Promotional Items
Magnet
Mini Trashcan
Cell Phone Accessories
Calendar (magnetic- with pickup schedule)
- Brochure
- Coupon (for first-time purchase of branded recycling/trash bags
Networking
Another great idea is to host a resident event at the complex common area. You would coordinate this with the property manager at least a couple of weeks in advance, but after your services have just started. Be sure to advertise to your residents that the event will be taking place. This can be done by flyering their doors during service hours and posting near common areas.
The event can be as simple as catering from a local pizza parlor and having valets on hand to answer any questions residents may have about service.
Set up your table and signage with the residents in mind, offering promotional items, a desirable raffle for some bonus service or gift of your choosing, and a sign-up sheet for your email list so residents can stay up-to-date on their service schedules.
An open gathering like this is another prime touch-point for showing residents how to sign in with their resident portal if you have one on your website.
Valets need to understand that professionalism is key at welcome events. They are the face of your trash valet business and should be dressed in company logo apparel (not necessarily valet uniforms) and be ready to shake hands and talk with the residents. The friendlier the face, the less negative a resident may feel.
A Year of Trash Valets
How funny would it be to hand out a yearly calendar with a featured trash valet each month?! It would get the attention of the residents and they’d never miss a day!
Seriously, though.
Residents need to know what is going on with scheduling all of the time, not just at the beginning of your service start date. Each resident should have some form of valet trash schedule whether it is a printed magnet with your custom valet nights highlighted or something as basic as a flyer with the schedule on it.
You can get creative with this form of marketing and communications as well, just be sure to stay on-brand and be consistent with updating the residents if there is a change in schedule. Holiday service may be different than other days and you could even look into a text notification for severe weather service cancellations.
Your goal here is to never make the resident guess what’s going on with trash pickup.
- Keep Residents Informed (Remember, communication is key!)
- Stay Brand-Focused (there should be no mistake that this info is coming from you)
- Be Consistent (Always, always, always stay on schedule with communications)
Oh, Look! A Trash Can!
Obviously, a must in the welcoming stage is delivering the resident’s trash cans. Your valet trash contractors branded trash bins should be dropped off after the welcome packet or announcement of your services start date has taken place. Avoid dropping a trash can off at the resident’s doorstep without them having any introduction, much less any clue, that you will now be part of their community.
Delivering the trash bins is another opportunity for your valets to become familiar with the apartment community and will also give residents the chance to become used to the valets being on site. Inside the trash can, you could include a second letter thanking the resident again and include another sheet with your valet trash schedule and add another of your branded trash bags that will be available for sale in the management office.
Don’t skip this very important step after you sign on with a new client. Residents will appreciate your thoroughness of supplying a service they will soon find they don’t want to live without. Show them through your professional and friendly soft skills that you are there to do an outstanding job and you don’t want them to feel that you provide anything less than five-star service.
When you start off on the right foot, property managers will be pleased they agreed to your trash valet services and will be interested in fostering a long-term professional relationship with you.
