Don’t miss out on higher revenue! These tips are the keys to selling cleaning contracts like they’re magic potions.
Some people are natural-born salespeople. However, the majority of us are not. Luckily, selling is a skill that we can learn. And when it comes to selling cleaning contracts, it’s an essential skill for cleaning company owners.
The challenge is that many building services and cleaning company owners opened their businesses because they were good at the job and managing a team. With some exceptions, selling cleaning contracts is a somewhat separate and unrelated skill.
Fast-forward to the present day, and you’re busy taking care of your teams, tending to administrative tasks, and keeping up with the daily ups and downs of running a business. Somehow, you also need to fit in sales.
Here’s the good news. Selling doesn’t need to take up all of your time. It’s also easier than many people think. You don’t have to be a “Salesperson” to sell your services.
Certainly, there may come a time when you want to hire a full-time salesperson. For now, though, let’s look at some of the ways you can set your business up for success in getting more clients to sign more contracts.
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5 Ways to become a master of selling cleaning contracts
1. Dedicate time to sales. While the sales part of your job doesn’t need to take up all your time, you absolutely need to dedicate time to it. The best way to do that is to schedule it. You might block out two hours per day. Maybe three hours on Monday morning and two hours on Thursday afternoon work best for you. Maybe all day on Mondays and Fridays is ideal. Whatever it is, add it to your calendar and treat it like you would any other appointment.
2. Check your reviews. Find your company on Yelp, Google, and any other sites you can. Then reply to the reviews. Do not, however, get into arguments over reviews. If someone leaves a positive review, thank them and let them know you appreciate their business. If someone leaves a bad review, do the same, but take it a step further. Invite them to contact you or offer to contact them. Bad reviews give us the opportunity to improve our business. What they really do, though, is allow us to showcase our customer service. A kind, thoughtful response to a bad review can do wonders for the way the public views your business, which will make it easier when you’re actively selling cleaning contracts.
3. Be Bid-Ready. One of the best tips for selling cleaning contracts is to be bid-ready. If someone asks you for an estimate or the details of cleaning services, be ready. Take advantage of the moment. If you have to put things off or go back to the office or anything else, you risk that prospect losing interest. There are a few ways to be ready. First, use cloud-based software like Janitorial Manager. With built-in bidding and workloading tools, you can offer an estimate in minutes.
The second part of being ready is figuring out what to do when you truly don’t have time for a walkthrough. If you can offer a quick, close estimate, go for it. Just be clear that you’ll need to do a more thorough evaluation. Then schedule that evaluation on the spot. Or if you don’t have time for a quick estimate, schedule time, and make it within 24 hours if at all possible. If someone is interested enough to ask for an estimate, they’re interested enough to sign a contract. Don’t miss your chance!
4. Ask for referrals. Referrals can be a great way to get new business. However, asking customers to refer you to their friends is passive. You don’t have to do much except wait. There’s nothing wrong with that approach. In fact, it works very well. If you want things to move along more quickly, though, you have to turn it into an active process. Instead of asking your customers to mention you to other business owners and facility managers, you ask your customers if there is anyone they know who might benefit from your services. Now you have a name and a specific business or person to approach.
5. Open doors. Literally. Go door to door and talk to people. Talk to facility managers, business owners, and store supervisors. Anyone who will give you two minutes of time is someone to talk to. Bring before and after pictures, a list of services, pamphlets, your business card with a QR code for your website, and any other helpful material. You never know when a business is looking for a cleaning company. One thing to be aware of, however, is that you want to do your best to approach people at a time when they aren’t especially busy. For instance, you won’t be able to talk to a restaurant manager during the lunch rush. A facilities manager likely won’t have much free time the day before a big snowstorm. So time your door-to-door adventures accordingly.
Remember, selling cleaning contracts is an important part of your job, but when you work it into your schedule and approach it with a plan, it get’s a lot less intimidating. And if you think about it, you’re actually helping people keep their businesses running and looking good. They need you!
Bidding, asset tracking, cleaning checklists, supply inventory, timekeeping… it’s all here. Janitorial Manager can help you organize all your building services operations. Schedule a free call with Janitorial Manager to learn more.