Setting up your Cleaning Process

Although many people who start a janitorial or office-cleaning service have experience, there are a lot of challenges that can trip up a newbie. After you land a contract, the work begins. You must purchase the appropriate equipment, develop a cleaning work-flow system, and ensure that all the required areas are being properly cleaned.

The equipment you select must be maneuverable, productive, easy to use, cost efficient, and transportable if it is moved from building to building. You might select two or three sizes of machines that will efficiently access a given area. Small machines are required to maneuver in and out of tight or congested areas. Large machines are best suited for wide-open areas such as halls, ballrooms, and gymnasiums. 

Next, test-drive the selected equipment to verify maneuverability and suitability. Consider transportation time, cost, and human energy consumption to move the largest piece of equipment to remote locations, such as other building levels. Use benchmarked cleaning times to calculate productivity for each given machine.

It is not unusual for the first night to take twice as long to clean a new account than it will after several days. The learning curve must be mastered. Among other things, you must locate all the waste baskets and electrical outlets. There will usually be a number of neglected areas that must be cleaned to bring things back into shape. It’s wise to put in extra time initially to impress the customer. 

Not only must the right people be matched to the right job, but there are a host of demands in workloading the project. You will need a uniform and thorough process so all workers can flow efficiently through each building. Jobs must be assigned so that the entire team finishes at about the same time.

No two buildings clean the same. Cleaning with a team (where appropriate) normally leads to labor savings. You must decide whether to use zone cleaning or clean with a team. Master the art of employee motivation, coaching skills, and excellence in leadership to build a winning team.  

Managing a Successful Office Cleaning Business

Good management is a key ingredient to business growth. There are things to master such as: time management, proper business image, negotiation skills, managing people, customer service, and the list goes on. The more you learn about starting and running a janitorial business, the greater will be your success in avoiding costly mistakes. 

Accounting is another important skill for contractors to learn. Regular monitoring of income and expenses will identify trends and profitability. You should develop (or purchase) a system to track productivity for each building, and monitor equipment and job costs and all financial trends. 

Tracking monthly income and expenses is critical in order to locate over-expenditures. Part of the responsibility of starting a cleaning business is to initially keep expenses on the low side. Put off temptations to borrow large sums of money or take on unnecessary debts. Each month compile a profit and loss statement from your checkbook to assess the financial health of your business.

You have probably heard the saying, “Good help is hard to find”. In the office cleaning business, bad help can be a sure way to lose a customer. Finding competent personnel is difficult, but not impossible. There are several ways to recruit workers. You can ask employees for names of dependable, hard-working people who want extra work and like to clean. Consider giving bonuses to employees whose referrals are hired and stay on. Ask vendors, service people, and sales people if they know of anyone who is seeking work as a cleaning technician. 

Pre-employment screening is crucial. If you hire a sex offender to clean a daycare center or a drug addict to clean a doctor’s office, you could end up in court charged with hiring negligence. A professional management system should include a thorough employment application process with a screening and rating system.  
 
A quality control inspection form is a valuable tool to score the cleaning performance of each worker. One of the best ways to inspect a building is to use a cleaning tasks scorecard. By scoring each task on a scale of 1-10 and then totaling and dividing by the number of items rated, you will find the overall percent. An 80% score is normally tolerable, but if it drops below 70% expect customer complaints. This rating system can also be used to warrant a pay raise or even to terminate a worker.

After a series of complaints, with a slow response on your part, expect the customer to look for another service. Some new contractors become upset when a customer complains. As the owner, you must not take it personally. Instead, offer an apology for items that were missed. On the other hand, when you investigate a complaint you may discover that a building employee was working late and made a mess after your crew finished cleaning. 


Rapid growth poses new challengers. Workers must be trained to perform all required duties. Just because you hire a friend or relative to clean a building does not mean you can give them the keys and turn them loose. It is important to visit each building on a regular basis and check up on things. In order to converse intelligently with a customer, you must know what is going on in their business place.


Volumes of books have been written on improving customer service. Customer satisfaction is what keeps long-term cleaning accounts. Always follow up promptly with new customers and on all project work. Make sure they are happy with the work. Follow-up can also lead to additional work and referrals. Keep in mind that if required tasks are slighted and soil builds up, complaints may occur. 

An excellent practice is to track the cleaning time for every job. This will be invaluable information when making future bids. Of importance is to note some of the cleaning variables that made this job easy, average, or difficult. It helps to record the production time in thousands of square feet cleaned per hour, the hourly gross and net profit, and the price per square foot.

A great resource to help start an office cleaning service can be found here.

Bidding Proposals for Your Janitorial Service

Develop or purchase an impressive and professional-looking bid proposal package. It should include attractive fliers describing your service, a thorough cleaning specifications chart, a user-friendly service contract, and details about your service. Remember: failure to discuss itemized and detailed cleaning tasks in advance can lead to problems later on.

A cleaning proposal should include an annual, renewable contract quoting a monthly fee. Master the bidding process before you begin submitting proposals. Whenever you price your service too high, you may lose the contract. If you price too low, you may secure the contract and wish that you hadn’t.

Customers don’t feel obligated to help you construct and price your service fees. They figure if you are a qualified contractor, you will know how to submit an accurate price estimate for all the required services. A bidding formula takes into consideration all of your expenses, the desired net profit, and what the market will bear.

Start by estimating how many hours a night it will take to clean the building you are bidding. Next, determine what the going labor rate is for your city. Then, add your labor burden that includes all payroll costs. Next, add all of your anticipated expenses including chemical, equipment, and overhead (such as office supplies, phone, insurance, advertising costs, etc.).  Finally, you calculate a fair profit to add to your price. The net profit is amount of income available to you as the owner. 

A great resource to accurate bid an account is found here.

Another consideration is whether a customer desires a full and complete cleaning each time or whether they would be interested in a partial cleaning with just a trash pickup and rest room touchup on given nights. By offering these options, a customer experiencing severe budget constraints can then pick and choose service levels. Using a thorough bid checklist is helpful, especially in identifying customer expectations.

If you are making a tour in response to a Request for Proposal, make sure you have studied the proposal in advance. During the building inspection or bid walk-thru you must identify all the cleaning demands and needs. It helps to evaluate the quality of cleaning currently being provided and note all deficiencies.

If the prospect requires carpet and floor care services, can you offer these services or locate a sub-contractor who can perform the work for you? It is best to price additional services separately and invoice the customer as the service is performed. 

A bid proposal package should be customized for each prospect. Include information about your company, cleaning experience, management experience, scope of services, a detailed cleaning specification chart, advertising fliers explaining the advantages of using your service, the contract or service agreement, and possibly your insurance coverage. 

It is critical to outline and discuss all the cleaning duties with the customer before you start. If you omit certain items, a customer may come back later and claim you are responsible for cleaning certain areas that you were unaware of. 

Go here for a great low-cost introduction to the office cleaning business.

Marketing Your Office Cleaning Service

Starting a cleaning business requires taking positive action to locate prospects and close contracts. Learning to land your own accounts is the first step to success. 

Building owners hire janitorial services to experience the benefits of a professional cleaning crew. Owners and managers are interested in the appearance of their building, the safety and health of the occupants, and the affordability of the cleaning service. They also want to avoid legal repercussions from inadequate maintenance.

Before you begin marketing, develop a list of target accounts, normally within a 20 mile radius of your home or office. Besides saving on gas, there is another benefit of focusing on customers in your neighborhood. When you talk to a prospect you can assure them you live nearby and can readily assist whenever they might need you.

It helps to prospect accounts where you have prior contacts. For example, a great prospecting source is friends and relatives who work at a business and know that the business is not happy with its present service.

Determine the scope of your services prior to developing any brochures. Decide if you can offer window washing, carpet cleaning, or floor finishing services. Don't take on more than you can handle!

If you are starting out part-time, you should decide which marketing approaches best fit your capabilities. Learn how to develop a dynamic marketing system, approach prospects, handle the sales process, and negotiate contracts.

Excellent training at low cost is found here.
  There are several effective marketing approaches including:

1. Canvass your territory and leave a brochure and business card. This approach works quite well if you have a proven presentation.

2. Approach all the people you know (especially other company owners you do business with) and ask them for referrals. Tell your neighbor that you will buy them dinner if they help you land a contract at the business where they work. 

3. Phone prospects from a target account list available from many local libraries or from Info USA. Use a script that offers a free estimate. Consider learning the skills to hire and train your own telemarketer (available here). 

4. Networking with other business owners can be an effective way to locate customers. Your local Chamber of Commerce may offer networking opportunities. 

5. Visit general contractors, commercial realtors, owners of the various building trades, and janitorial supply firms. Make sure they have plenty of your business cards. Post your card on bulletin boards. 

6. Use a post card mail-out to reach your target account list. Make sure it is professionally designed as a direct response mailer. Offering a discount and free estimate for your cleaning services can attract new accounts.  

7. Implement a consistent follow up program for all persons previously contacted. Use post cards, phone calls, and emails. When the “itch cycle” hits, and they are ready to make a change, they will know how to contact you. 

8. Consider the advertising power of calendars, note pads, pens, and other inexpensive items from advertising specialty companies. You can find a list of the advertising specialty and promotional products suppliers in your local yellow pages. 

9. Ask for referrals from present customers. Once you secure a new customer, work extra hard to impress them and then ask for a letter of recommendation and referrals. The power of “Word of Mouth” advertising can never be overlooked. 

10. Consider a small, yet professional website. It may not generate a tremendous number of leads, but it definitely lends credibility to your service.

One final way to assess marketing responses is to track all of your closing averages. This could include: number of phone calls that must be made to set a bid appointment, numbers of mailers to generate a lead, number of appointments that must be made to locate a qualified prospect and number of bids submitted to secure a contract. Keep in mind that if customers are not rejecting your price about 20% of the time, this could indicate your prices are too low.

There is a lot to learn about bidding psychology. Contractors, who consistently bid too low, may do so just to get new contracts. They, in turn, may sell off these unprofitable contracts to unsuspecting new startup companies. It doesn’t hurt to remind a prospect that they usually get what they pay for. There can be a high turnover in contractors who over promise but can’t deliver the goods consistently.

Growing an Office Cleaning Business from Scratch

Let's assume you've done your home work, gotten your business named, licensed (if necessary),  and now your ready to go to work. Being a forward thinker, you know you'll need some help (after all, with your marketing skills, you're going to be BUSY).

Expansion will require adding employees, sub-contractors, or leased employees. If you plan on hiring your own employees, you will need an employer identification number (EIN) obtained from the Internal Revenue Service. They will also provide an information packet on how to start a business, along with all the federal requirements.

There are numerous U.S. Department of Labor employment regulations that must be met. Additionally, OSHA has safety requirements for using   cleaning chemicals, plus strict laws governing the handling of medical waste (www.osha.gov/SLTC/bloodbornepathogens/index.html).

Most states will require worker’s compensation insurance for all employees. This coverage pays medical bills and wages for full-time employees injured on the job. Another option is to use independent sub-contractors. However, there are specific IRS guidelines to be met.  Independent contractors must furnish their own insurance and worker’s comp. Subs would be paid a percentage of the contract (normally starting at 60%).

Many customers will require insurance coverage. General commercial liability pays your customer in the event you damage their equipment or facility. Each state has different premiums, but generally figure $800 to $1500 a year. 

Bonding covers you if one of your workers is convicted of stealing money or merchandise. Most insurance companies specializing in commercial insurance can also write a fidelity bond to cover your staff.

PEO (Professional Employer Organizations) or employee leasing companies provide an important service of assuming employer responsibilities. You recruit, hire, train, and supervise your own crews, but the leasing company assumes all employer responsibilities including payment of all payroll taxes. You furnish the payroll details and they compute and issue the checks as if your workers were actually their employees. The state employment agencies and the IRS recognize this service as valid. One source is Work Life (www.worklifefinancial.com/PayrollAdministration.aspx).

Start Up Nation (www.resourcenation.com) has over 100 links to receive free quotes on almost any business service. You can request quotes on bookkeeping services, website design and hosting, E-mail marketing, credit card processing, small business loans, legal services, telemarketing, answering services, mailing services, business insurance, buying a business, payroll services, background checks, worker’s comp. and employee leasing just to name a few.

By consulting with an experienced business mentor (go here), you can avoid costly startup mistakes. Again, the IRS web site has a large list of resources for small businesses. They also have links to each state website providing local rules and business regulations. Just make sure when you are starting a cleaning business that you are in conformance to all laws and local ordinances.

First Steps in Starting a Janitorial Service

Startup Basics

Small cleaning accounts may require service only once or twice a week. Larger buildings normally require nightly service. Most of the cleaning is performed after business hours. It’s best to start with smaller offices which one or two people can clean in 1-2 hours. Once you are comfortable managing small accounts, you may consider expansion. Simply market your services, add new accounts, and then hire and train more helpers.

The overall routine is not a lot different from cleaning your own home. You empty trash, dust surfaces and wipe spills, dust mop floors, wet mop floors, vacuum carpets, clean rest rooms, refill soap and paper dispensers, and clean entrance doors and drinking fountains.

Basic janitorial cleaning equipment might include a commercial vacuum costing $300-$450, along with a trash pick-up container, mop bucket and press, wet mop, dust mop, dust wand, scraper, and basic cleaning supplies such as all-purpose cleaner, spray bottles, towels, trash bags, bowl cleaner, cleaner-disinfectant, and glass cleaner. Your total supply requirements could run under $700 and would allow you to clean up to $3,000 a month in accounts.

A local janitorial supply store can assist you with choosing the correct cleaning products. Many of the large wholesale clubs and home improvement centers also carry cleaning supplies and tools.

Starting a cleaning business can be accomplished with a fairly low investment.  However, it can take 3-6 months before you are ready to start turning a noticeable profit. By keeping your day job, holding off on expenditures and conserving cash flow, you can weather the initial growth challenges. You still need a small nest egg to start your office cleaning service. 

One other great thing about starting your own janitorial service is that you don’t need all the funds up front.   As you land a new contract, you can purchase additional cleaning supplies and equipment.

Before You Start

You can conduct a market survey to confirm the timing is right to expand a cleaning service into your local community. Simply visit or phone small and medium sized businesses in your area. Inquire if each prospect is happy or unhappy with their current janitorial service. Record the responses so you can follow up with the unhappy prospects at a later time.

There are legal and business requirements to meet when starting a business. Your local Chamber of Commerce or Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org) can advise you of licenses and registration requirements for your city. The U.S. Department of Commerce Small Business Administration (www.sba.gov) is a great source for help in establishing your business structure and meeting accounting, banking, and tax guidelines. You may want to contact an accountant or attorney to assist with the legal and accounting requirements.

For some great resources to start your own janitorial service go here.

Starting a Janitorial Service from Home

An office cleaning service can be extremely profitable. It can be started part-time as a home-based business and built at your own pace. There are several basis steps you will need to make. Here are some 'tips' to help you overcome common start-up and expansion problem.

I.  Overview

What Can I Expect?

Commercial cleaning has built-in job security. Every occupied building in every city has to be cleaned by someone. Why can’t that someone be you? Even though large national and franchise operations are definite competitors, small, independent janitorial companies account for 70% of the cleaning contractors.

When starting a cleaning business, you can begin part time, working from home with a fairly small investment. Once you have your own contracts, the income is steady and the profits can be substantial. According to the Bureau of Labor Standards janitorial services is one of the fastest growing segments of the commercial market.

Some contractors set an initial goal of earning over $5,000 a month by the end of their first year. Keep in mind that the first three to six months can be spent in building the business before actual profits are earned. As some would say, “don’t give up your day job” until your income is established.

More businesses are outsourcing their cleaning needs than ever before. Cleaning services protect a customer’s assets including floor coverings, rest room fixtures, and general furnishings. A professional cleaning service meets a valuable need by extending the normal life of a facility and its contents.

Is it right for you?
Self employment is not for everyone. You should decide if you have the management and entrepreneurial skills to start and run your own business. Here are a few traits that are required of successful business owners:

1. Determination – You will need lots of drive to handle business demands including sales rejection, setbacks, and startup obstacles. 
2. Salesmanship - You need to master the art of closing deals. Also, be ready to promote your business everywhere you go. 
3. Organization - You must plan your work and work your plan. Landing new accounts requires constant attention. You must stay focused on your priorities and avoid distractions. 
4. Performance – You must ensure consistent results on a daily basis. You need a team that is detail oriented and disciplined. 
5. Astuteness – You must attain the business skills to accurately weigh the pros and cons affecting every decision.

If you are investigating the purchase of a cleaning franchise, make sure you can live with the monthly royalty that is deducted from your income. Check to see if you can terminate relations if you become dissatisfied with the franchise control and rules. Check out litigation filed against the franchise and demand a full disclosure.


An alternative to buying a franchise is starting your own business and learn as you grow. It is possible to learn from the experts how to avoid the common startup mistakes. For more information on starting your own business, go here.

Just Spend the Money! Invest the Time!

My wife and I stopped by a local restaurant the other night for a light meal. The cost? Just about $20.00. The food was good, the time spent together - "great": at the end of the evening the meal and the $20.00 were gone, but the investment in the experience of building our relationship remained.

That is true of so much of life: a $20.00 bill almost 'vanishes' from a wallet. A few groceries, very little gas for the car, a couple movie tickets (maybe), order some popcorn and drinks - extra.

Twenty bucks, gone in a flash without thinking; and yet to invest $20.00 in building a future? Impossible for some, the best money ever spent for others. One of my 1st subscribers, and possibly my first book buyer, recently contacted me regarding bidding on another account. Like my friend Gina, who makes an extra $30,000/year office cleaning (her story is here), my subscriber/buyer runs her janitorial service as a part-time endeavor. She and her daughter make an extra $1,000.00 per month. She's grown comfortable in the business and now wants to bid on an account that will double her income. 

She spent $20.00 on a book that taught her how to earn an extra $1,000.00 a month, and sees unlimited potential. See, the Twenty Dollars was a Low Cost expense; the High Price was the willingness to do it.

If you want, you can pick up a used bike fairly cheaply, but if you want to use it to get healthy, that takes hard work.

How about you? Check out the opportunities here. The cost is LOW, But the price you're willing to pay for economic freedom.........?

New Lawn Care Business Guide & Window Cleaning Business Guide

Update on this book: My intent was to have this available in early January, but I wanted to add some more information and change the format to 'tie' things together better. It is ready as a downloadable file and is available at a discount as part of a package with the Office Cleaning Book and Bonus House Cleaning Guide, or available for purchase by itself.

I am so excited! I have had a number of subscribers ask me if we had ever provided business services other than office cleaning or residential house cleaning. The good news is that we have developed a number of side businesses: including providing lawn care service to both residential and commercial customers.

Providing lawn care service is a great way to enter the world of self-employment and to provide financial security. If you own a push lawnmower and a weed eater, plus a way to haul them around; I can show you how to start your own lawn care business. Start small, purchase additional equipment as you need it, and develop your own part-time or full-time lawn care business.

Why introduce a lawn care business guide now? Yes, it is Winter as I do this, but I'm bringing it up now for two reasons:

1. Lawn Care is more than mowing.  Winter seasons don't bring a total end in cash flow for lawn care businesses. In fact, Winter opens the door for soil preparation. In snow country, in fact, you can seed a lawn by spreading seed on top of the snow.

2. You need time to develop the business properly. When does your mowing season start? It will vary, depending on where you live and also upon what the customer wants done. Does your customer want Spring lawn cleanup? That's when their mowing season begins. Each customer is different, but if you're going to advertise do so a month or two before the official lawn care season starts.

Here are some of the reasons to consider a lawn care business:

Tax Write Offs:

When you work a normal job, your employer pays you your salary on your paycheck. When tax time comes, you may have a few deductions you can make but there is not much leeway. However, when you are self-employed, you can avoid paying many taxes. There are many ‘write-offs’ so you can reduce what you pay in taxes.

Efficiency:

If you are at ‘work’, you are at work. You may sit fooling around on the computer because you are stuck there for 8 hours per ‘shift’. Your boss may ask you to do tasks that are a complete waste of time, but you have to do them anyway which can definitely be frustrating.

When you are self-employed, one of the benefits is that your time spent is your time spent. You don’t have to work 8 hours, you just have to get your tasks done. You get straight to it and don’t mess around. Therefore your time is spent much more efficiently. Also, you can combine your personal errands with your work errands.

Make Your Own Hours:

As I said above, you don't have to come in at a certain time to start your job or leave at a certain time. You can set your own business hours. With a part-time business it is possible to schedule your lawn care business around another job.

Vacation:

You don't have to wait for your boss to approve your vacation, you schedule it as business allows. Plan ahead, pace yourself, and schedule the vacation that you desire.

Be Your Own Boss:

You don't have to answer to anyone but yourself (and your scheduled customers). If a customer is difficult to work with, discontinue your service. You choose your clients.

You Have Control of Your Income:

The more effort you put into building your business, the more you'll get out of it. This is the best business growth motivator I know of! At a regular job, you will most likely get paid your salary or hourly wage regardless of how hard you work. Oh, there may be raises and promotions, but there are limits as to how big these will be. And the reality is you have to wait for someone to offer these to you. 

When you work for yourself, the opportunities are limitless. Is a lawn care business your 'ticket' to the extra income or economic freedom you need?

NEW Book Now: Window Cleaning Business Guide

You'll be able to get both books here.

Self-Employment: Is It A Business or a J-O-B?

The latest employment figures showed that about three-quarters of the jobs created were part-time (30 hours per week or less). Now, more than ever, your financial success may depend on whether or not YOU control your earning potential.

‘Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities. They vary in their desires to reach their potential.’ -        John Maxwell

I often ask people: ‘Why do you want to be in business? Why on earth would you leave the security of a job (no matter how unpleasant) with regular pay and benefits to start your own business, with all the uncertainty this holds?’

I usually get similar answers. Mostly, people say they:

• don’t want to work for someone else,
• don’t want to be told how a job should be done,
• are tired of having their income potential limited.

They do want:

• flexible schedules to spend time with their families,
• to do something they really love or gives life ‘meaning’,
• unlimited income potential or to build a valuable asset for their families.

These are all valid reasons for starting a business. But, ironically, many business owner-operators end up with the complete opposite. They find themselves with little control. They discover their clients will often demand they work longer hours than they ever did when working for someone else. Most small business owners pay themselves less than they would be paid working for another company.

If you pay yourself too little, work long hours, and don’t take a vacation, you can wear yourself out. A high percentage of businesses fail within five years of start-up. Disillusionment gets the better of them. They go into business to set themselves free and find themselves with a virtual chain around their ankle. Not surprisingly, they decide they don’t want to do it anymore.

 Here’s the problem: most people who fail to achieve financial freedom through their business do not have the right mindset.

Let me tell you about two friends of mine. One, we’ll call Jeff; the other, Richard.

Jeff and Richard opened businesses at the same time. Jeff opened up a small carpet cleaning service in the town where he lived. Fourteen years later he still had that small business and was still cleaning residential carpets 5 days a week and office carpets on weekends. Jeff was no better off financially and he still had to do all the work himself.  But what worries me most is that Jeff, like so many other owner-operators, will wake up one day and won’t want to do it anymore. As much as he loves his work and his customers, something will happen that changes his ability to live off its income, for health reasons or, more likely, because he’s lost the passion for it.

Richard started an office cleaning business, got a few accounts, then hired a neighbor to help him a couple night a week. Over the years he’s gotten more accounts, hired a couple managers and several employees. He mostly spends his time ‘selling’ his company’s services, then turns the new accounts over to his managers. When he’s ready to retire, he’ll have a valuable asset to sell.

Let’s look at the situations of these two friends. Why did Jeff go one route and Richard go another? The key difference was the mindset. Jeff chose to employ himself in a job he enjoyed. He did not choose to build a business. Richard knew he wanted a business and created a lifestyle where he never had to worry about money again.

They both made their choice; probably without even realizing they had done so.

We make choices every day. The most important choice is one you may not have given much thought to – until now. Are you choosing to build a business that will pay you back or are you choosing to work for a living?

If you want to build a business with unlimited potential, subscribe to my FREE newsletter here. Take charge of your life!

Getting Your 1st Client

How Do You Get Your 1^st Client When You Have A New Cleaning Business?

Often I get this question asked of me. One subscriber had a prospective ‘account’ manager that said, "I like what you seem to offer, but I don't know if I dare take a chance on a new company. If you could get a few clients first, then come back and I’ll take your proposal to the building owner.”

That was pretty discouraging to my reader and he didn't know how to handle the situation. Without having any customers, he had no testimonials or letters of recommendation. What should a new business owner do?

Here is an approach I used when starting my business.

"No, I don't have any clients yet, so if you’ll give me the account I have to work harder than anyone else! I can’t afford to lose you as a client because I need your recommendation to get my next account. Here’s the best part; if you ever have a problem with the work being done, you call me, not some office manager or route supervisor.”

By-the-way – the statement that “If you ever have a problem with the account, you can call me.” still holds true today.  Yes, I have account managers and route supervisors, and most of the day-to-day communication occurs between them and the building owners/managers; but every building owner/manager has my phone# and email address.

Does this approach work? After nearly 2 decades in business, I still have my 1^st cleaning account, and our client retention rate is nearly 100% in an industry where client turnover is reported to be 40% annually. Yes, it works! 

For more ideas on starting your own business, go here.

Client Security Concerns for the Cleaning Service contractor

 I get lots of questions from my readers (many of these are addressed in the book Make Money Cleaning Offices - availalble below) but let me address some of them here-

One of my readers asks: I have a question. Each office has an alarm and key.

1. How do you organize everything so that you have all the codes at hand for the offices? 

2. Do you just write them down in a binder and carry it with you all the time? 

3. When you have employees that do the work for you, do you only ever have one copy of the entrance key or do you have a backup key?

My Answer: I always have duplicate keys; you never know when an emergency will rise. By the way, employees who are going to have a key must sign an acknowledgment that they have been given possession of the key and, should they quit or be let go, their final check will not be given to them until the key is returned. 

Alarm codes can be kept in a binder or on a mobile device, but they are ‘mislabeled’ so that if the binder or device is found access to the building will be denied. For example, I have an account where our contact person is named Eric. The code is filed under 'Eric's building' and has no relationship whatsoever to the corporate name of the building.

Sometimes, you have a situation where employees 'block open' a side door to take out trash, etc. In order to insure that your crew has not left a door unsecured, you may use an approach similar to this: We provide a security 'log' at the account. The log is on a clipboard in the Janitor's closet. Each night the crew leader will:

1. Physically verify that the door was secured and note that this was done,

2. Set the alarm when leaving and note that they intend to do so,

3. IF a company employee is still in the building, get a name and note it on the clipboard.

That should eliminate any possibility of your people leaving the door open.

These are all simple steps but:

a. never having a key labeled with an account's actual name can prevent major problems if it is lost or stolen, 

b. requiring an employee return a key before getting a final check, and

c. having a written security 'log' makes your client feel more secure.

Thanks for the questions!

For more information or to get your copy of Make Money Cleaning Offices, go here.

How I Overcome Discouragement in Selling

Reader 'C'  sent me this statement:

"I am so grateful for all the information; it encourages me to eradicate fear. Sometime when I give a bid, and it didn't go through I take it too hard. How do you get through situations like this?"

My answer: First of all, in order to succeed in your cleaning business, you need to believe in the value of your service. Can you possibly convince your prospective client of this if you don't believe in it yourself?

Keep these thoughts in mind-

Realize that people pick up on your anxiety and tentativeness. When you're doing calls to prospects and you're thinking to yourself that they probably don't want to be bothered, then they'll hear it in your voice and will end the conversation right away. However, if you change your belief to the idea that they really need what you're calling for, then they'll be more likely to listen and have a favorable response.

Think about the various services you offer. Do they have a benefit to your potential clients? Make sure you are able to deliver the benefits your prospects expect. After you can do this, you will believe in yourself and the value of the services you provide. If you're unsure of your ability to deliver, then you need to spend more time educating yourself on the niche you've chosen for your business. The more knowledgeable you are about your cleaning services, the more confident you'll become. When you have confidence, you'll believe in the services you can provide your clients.

Do you feel as if you need your clients more than they need you? Then you are 'selling' from an attitude of desperation. Realize that there are more than enough clients for you and the other ‘quality’ cleaning companies in your area. Then you'll be able to relax in the knowledge that your ‘share’ of clients will come. 

 Second: I devoted an entire chapter of Make Money Cleaning Offices to writing a proposal that sells and the proper way to present that proposal. Are you professional in your approach?

 People do tend to judge a book by its cover, and your potential client will judge the quality of your cleaning service by their first impression of you. People like to deal with other successful people, so look as successful as possible. Dressing neatly in clean, professional looking clothes is essential.

 Check your grooming. If possible, stop into a restroom before the meeting to make sure you look presentable.

 Keep things neat and orderly. Whatever sales material you use should be neat and organized.

 Be professional. Be on time. In fact, give yourself a 10 minute head start. Be a little early. It is far better for you to be waiting for them than for them to be waiting for you.  Don't smoke and don't chew gum; you need an empty mouth to carry on a conversation.

 Stay positive. Be enthusiastic about life and your business. Do not allow negatives to enter the conversation. Don't boast about your company, but present its strengths in a positive manner. Set the stage for success. Be personable, smile, use a firm handshake, and give a pleasant greeting. Remember, the potential client is not your enemy—someone to be beaten into accepting your services—rather, both of you will be winners in this relationship.

 Learn to Close the Sale

 There are many good books that will help you develop skills in selling your company's services. The Art of Closing the Sale by Brian Tracy and Secrets of Closing the Sale by Zig Ziglar are highly recommended. Read them, use what you can, and for good measure pick up a copy of How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

Build Relationships

 Developing a successful list of clients has as much to do with relationships as it does with cleaning. Some relationships will be built immediately; you will get to bid and your bid will be accepted. Other relationships will be developed more slowly; you will be building a bridge to a future successful business relationship. Don't be disappointed when a presentation does not lead to a successful sale.

Your goal is to establish a bond with the prospect and offer yourself as an expert in the contract cleaning field. At some point in time they may grow dissatisfied with their present cleaning contractor and turn to you.

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