Your house cleaner gets to know almost everything about you over time.  A lot has been discussed about security, or how safe the belongs in the house are. People want to know who is coming into the home. A big question is if the same people will be doing the cleaning each time. Another question is about back ground checks.

Last week at a networking event the host asked me about any dirt I might have on one of our clients. He was joking, but there was a marked pause in the meeting, where people really wanted to hear something, some gossip. It is kind of a common passing comment.

My response, as always, is to praise our clients for the impeccable way they manage their lives. This particular client is extremely successful, and he makes a list each morning of the tasks he wants to accomplish, then checks them off during the day. The note book he carries is common knowledge, he has carried for the past twenty years.

Over these many years that we have been in the cleaning business I have learned that refusing to respond makes you sound like you are hiding something. Anything negative you say will of course be wrong. We have found that we do have an incredible set of clients who are remarkable, and sharing the success of their lives is something every one responds to favorably.

I never lie, or make something up, because that has negative consequences. It’s best to be forthcoming with some obvious virtues which leaves the questioner with no where to go.