What Does and Doesn’t Work in Janitorial Sales
What You’ll Learn
- Meet for in-person walkthrough visits
- Give bids face to face
- Include a phone call step in marketing
Short Summary
Many office cleaning contracts still start with a building visit. Building owners and managers want to see the company in person. The cleaner works after hours, so privacy and building security matter. A walkthrough in person helps build trust before the work starts. It also helps the owner meet the person who chooses the cleaner. Bids work better when the owner hands the bid over face to face. A quick phone call can set the visit and confirm the meeting time. Use these steps in marketing for new jobs, then show up in person.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are online quotes enough to win a cleaning contract?
Often not. Many owners want a visit and a real meeting.
Who should do the walkthrough visit?
The owner or a trained salesperson can go. The visit should include the person who chooses the cleaner.
Why do building owners care about meeting in person?
The cleaner is in the office after hours. Privacy and building security are a real worry.
Should the bid be sent by email after the meeting?
Email is fine for a copy. The main bid should be handed over face to face.
Where does a phone call fit in marketing?
Use a call to set the visit. Use the call to reach the buyer.
Transcript
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Hi there. Welcome back. Dan again from CleanGuru.
I was doing some searching online, and I was able to find confirmation, even in searching for 2025 statistics in the janitorial commercial cleaning industry, that actual visits—physical visits—by the owner of the cleaning business for the walkthrough, or the salesperson, are still the way most contracts are awarded by building owners and managers. You may already have realized that and know that, but it’s easy to think, with technology the way it is, that everything is just digital—no problem.
There is a lot of help that can be given by digital elements, but still, the contract is often being given to someone to do office cleaning, for example. And you’re going to be in their building, in their office, after hours, alone, without them being there. That is a big privacy and security issue for them still. Digital things are one thing, but this is actually being in someone’s business building doing work, and so it still has that important security element where they need to trust you.
The article, the search, actually went on to point out that that’s right. They’re still looking for relationship, it said, and trust. And that really is best served by getting to know the person that’s going to be running the job—who owns the business, or who’s the account manager—someone who’s going to represent your cleaning business still today.
By the way, that means for walkthroughs and delivering bids, very often, whenever we can, let’s actually get out there and meet folks, and meet the owners, and meet the decision maker. Even in the marketing, too, let’s have a step or steps that involve a phone call, stopping out, giving that chance to build relationship and trust. It makes complete sense.
Till next time, remember: you can do this. You really can.
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