UPADTED: 10/12/2021: You are thinking about, or just started, your own cleaning business. You are full of ambition, energy and enthusiasm.
But now you need some cleaning accounts under your belt (at least a few to just get your feet wet and get some money coming in).
Well not too long ago I was in your shoes (about ten years ago) wondering the same thing. I was all fired up but lacked any direction on where to focus my efforts. I kept asking myself one question…
How do the pros find cleaning accounts in their area?
I wasted more money than you could imagine during this process of finding out how the other established companies find cleaning contracts. I could have gone on several memorable vacations with all that wasted cash (I could have gone to the moon and back). So basically I had to learn everything the hard way.
Hopefully you are not going to waste as much money as I did looking for cleaning customers after reading this short list of what works, and what doesn’t. Now keep in mind that your mileage may vary on some of the various methods described below. After all, you may excel in some area that I was miserable at, and vice versa.
With all that said, lets dig in and discuss some of the ways you can get some contracts for your cleaning business. In no particular order, here we go.
Networking for cleaning contracts
Networking should be an extremely important part of your overall game-plan for acquiring cleaning contracts for your cleaning business. The one thing you need to keep in mind is that networking usually does not yield results right away. Networking is all about making relationships, and it takes time to build them.
Networking works by exposing you to many other business people in your region. You get to spread the word you are in the cleaning business and are actively looking for customers. Though many members may not need your services, they may know others that do.
This is the true power of networking, once you know a lot of people, they look out for your interests by referring people to you. All you need to do is think of them and refer whoever you can to others in the group. The secret to having success networking is simple, be consistent and show up regularly to as many meetings as possible. Failure to do so sabotages your hard work.
Joining several different networking groups is highly recommended. Look into as many groups as possible, then do your best to determine which ones will give you the biggest bang for the buck. Ideally you want to join groups that have at least 15 to 20 participants at each meeting, preferably much more than that.
This is a great long term strategy for drumming up business. We have posted extensively on networking because it’s just so important. To learn some more about networking click here.
Using direct mail techniques to acquire cleaning contracts
Probably my absolute favorite way of finding cleaning contracts in my area. In fact, I built my business largely on the back of my direct mail efforts. Direct mail does require a very good sales letter (preferably a 2 page letter) and a flyer that highlights some special offer (one that is irresistible to the potential customer).
Now the tough part is actually writing the winning sales letter. This is not for the faint of heart, as it is a rather time consuming process that requires some specialized knowledge concerning what makes people respond to an offer.
But fear not as I have good news for you, my courses have the actual sales letters (and flyers) I built my business on. Simply use my winning sales letters to build your company (for good measure I included several different varieties of sales letters and flyers in my courses).
Utilizing real estate agents to find cleaning contracts
This is a hidden little treasure trove for cleaning businesses. Many times real estate agents need cleaning services performed either before a house is sold or just after closing. Well…I shouldn’t say the agents need the work done, it’s their clients who do. But good agents handle all those details for their clients.
By actively seeking out agents to refer you business, you can create a nice little supplemental income for yourself. Of course the recession has really hurt this segment of the cleaning business (no homes being sold means no homes to clean). But it’s a great time to build relationships for when the need returns. For an idea on how to market to real estate agents click here.
Hiring a salesman to get cleaning contracts
I thought this was the answer to my problem at one point. Simply hire someone to do sales full-time (it sure sounded easy). I did all the math to make sure it was a win win scenario for the both me and my salesman. Of course my best laid plans went down the tube (like the smokeless cigarette from years ago).
I lay the blame solely at my feet. I completely over simplified the process of what was involved to make it work (sales training, literature, oversight, goals). You name it, I did it wrong on this part.
If I had it to over again I might get better results because I have some experience now. But with that said, I may just skip the whole “hire a salesperson” process and concentrate my efforts somewhere else.
Using newspapers to get cleaning contracts (display ad)
This involves creating ads of different sizes that can be placed in various sections of the newspaper. They can be black and white, spot color (one color generally) or full color. They generally combine text and pictures, but can be all text if so desired.
I tried quite hard to make this particular method work for me. At the end of the day, I did not succeed. I created several professional ads though an ad agency that were visually stunning, they had all the elements that needed to be in there (company name, tag-line, logo, brief text ad and phone number).
I ran the ads in several different publications on a regular basis for quite some time. Unfortunately the ads never paid for itself. In fact they never even came close. Looking back, I now realize that I failed to include a special offer. This probably would have increased the response rate substantially.
The ads that I ran was basically an “awareness” ad. It got my name out in the community, lots of people no doubt saw it, but without any offer to entice people to call, it went nowhere. I have not revisited this method in some time. When I do, I will write a post on the topic.
My advice for beginners is to put your money elsewhere when first starting out. If you are well funded, then it may be a good idea to allocate a portion of your marketing budget to print. I would guess that most folks that start a cleaning business start on a shoestring, and because of that I would add newspapers to the mix later on.
Using newspapers to get cleaning contracts (classified section)
The classified section is a favorite of people looking to advertise their cleaning business. The cost is much cheaper than running a display ad because you are basically lumped together with a bunch of other advertisers (display ads can be placed in all sections of the paper).
I have no direct knowledge on how well this works or doesn’t work. It’s funny that I never ran a classified ad (I’ve done just about everything else), but with that said I do think it’s a good idea (for the right price). I would definitely price several newspapers to see what got me in front of the most people for the best price.
Using menu place-mats to find cleaning contracts
These little items sit on the table at many establishments waiting to get ruined by starving patrons. But before they make their way to the trash can, many get looked over by customers before getting served. I did try to get cleaning contracts with this method for a while and had some success, just not enough to continue with the campaign.
I do think that this can be a good idea for the right price. I would negotiate very hard to see just how low I could get my ad in the place-mat for (this may require several phone calls over a period of time). This medium would work best for a house cleaning service that included a special offer of some kind ($20.00 off first visit).
Using local property management companies to acquire cleaning contracts
These folks manage properties for others and are a good source of business. My success with this group has come through direct mail (the 2 page sales letter with attached flyer I spoke of earlier). This is how the process worked for me.
- I basically create a list of all property management companies in my area.
- Decide which direct mail piece I will use.
- Get my sales letter and flyers printed at my local printer.
- Address my envelopes, stuff and mail them.
- When they contact me after receiving the direct mail piece, we set up an appointment to review their needs, and we just go from there.
Many times a management company will be reluctant to give you more than one property at first. But once you prove yourself, you’ll get the chance to bid other properties as they become available.
Using apartment complexes to get cleaning contracts
Cleaning apartment complexes is generally a two part process. Part one involves the common areas of the complex, this would included the hallways, foyers and stairs (or elevators). This is a rather straightforward process that is easily mastered.
Part two of the equation is the apartment turnovers. This involves cleaning the units that the tenants have moved out of. You need to clean them so the next renter can move in. Their are many problems with part two. I’ll name a few:
- The apartments can be incredibly dirty.
- You will get very little notice that a unit needs to be completed.
- The maintenance men are probably making a mess doing their job at the same time you are doing yours. This means they may have placed the toilet in the tub (that you have to clean) while they are laying a new floor (that you need to clean) in the bathroom (that you need to clean).
- Problem number 3 means you may have to return after the maintenance men are done. This of course wastes time (driving time and setup time).
- Apartment turnovers usually do not pay well.
I currently do not clean apartment complexes any more. I got out of that part of the business several years ago to focus my efforts elsewhere. With that said, you can make a small fortune cleaning apartment complexes. At one time I was cleaning over 100 buildings per week just during day shift (keep in mind that my sanity was greatly compromised during this time).
Using the phonebook to acquire cleaning contracts
Advertising in phonebooks is nearing an end. Yes, some do still turn to the pages so to speak when looking for a vendor. But on the whole, the Internet has changed the landscape. I spent my fair share in this medium with not much to show for it. At most I would bold my listing to make it stand out. Going any further than that and you risk throwing your money down the drain.
Using a website to find cleaning contracts
Having a website for your business is highly recommended. It allows you to tell the “whole story” about your business (brochures, business cards and sales letters just don’t provide enough room for this).
Spending a lot of money on this is not needed. I spent several thousand bucks for my first one (way more than I should have). I would try to limit the cost as much as possible (keep it less than $500 if possible). Odds are you will build another one when you have a better idea of where your company is headed.
Making use of referrals to get cleaning contracts
Referrals can be a engine that drives your entire company. Of course you need a customer to refer you first. This is why you must provide “knock the socks off” service for each of your clients (especially the first 10 to 15 customers you acquire). Every chance you get, go way beyond what is expected. If you do that, the referrals will come, the phone will ring and the money will come your way. For more on referrals click here.
Using telemarketing to get more cleaning contracts
Making cold calls for your cleaning business can be profitable for the right person. With that said you need to have a calming demeanor and a stomach for rejection. You also need a plan for making all those calls, but you are in luck because this is a topic we discussed before. You can learn more about making cold calls for your cleaning business by clicking here.
Utilizing Craigslist advertising to get cleaning contracts
A free classified section catered to a regional audience makes Craigslist a no brain-er. With over 500 cities worldwide to choose from, you should not have a problem finding a metropolis near you. You have nothing to lose in this advertising medium except maybe the few minutes to post an ad. To learn how to do that click here.
Using church bulletins to get cleaning contracts
I did my fair share in this advertising medium. It basically revolves around running an ad in various church bulletins / newsletters. The cost was rather reasonable in my area so I experimented for some time with this technique. The ads did bring in money, just not enough to justify continuing with the campaign at the time.
Church bulletins are a reasonable option to consider if you can negotiate a good price. At the end of the day it is up to you to decide if enough people see your ad to justify the cost. Some churches have very large congregations and tend to support the advertisers who run ads in the church program.
Using Valpak to get cleaning contracts
One of my very first adverting efforts (for our carpet cleaning service) was a Valpak campaign. In case you haven’t heard, Valpak sends out a pack of “advertisements” to households that meet certain income criteria. If you have a housecleaning service this option may be of use to you. I don’t see commercial cleaning working on this medium.
I did not have much success with this form of advertising (I hear the same from many of my colleagues). One tip I can pass on to you (if you use this service) is to have the ad you want to use designed by either yourself (if you have the skill) or a professional. The in house Valpak designers that worked on my ad did me an injustice. I did not know this at the time unfortunately and my results suffered as a result.
Using social media to get cleaning contracts
I get asked about this ALL THE TIME. This is not the first thing to be working on in my opinion. If you have a Facebook Business Page or another social media account that is full of followers who love your brand then by all means make use of it. But if you are new and just getting started (which is the focus of this post), then I would put this on the back burner. The other methods (especially direct mail) will yield faster results for a lot less effort.
Well there you have it, a bunch of ideas on how to get cleaning contracts for your cleaning business. Like I said earlier, your mileage may vary from mine. For me, the print medium (newspapers, church bulletins and phonebooks) yielded very little considering how much money I put out, yet some people do excel in print.
The vast majority of my success came from my direct mail letters, networking, delivering “knock their socks off” service and providing good customer service after the sale (for more on that click here).
In the odd occasion I had an unhappy customer, I went to great lengths to make them a happy camper again (for more on that click here).
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If you would like to eliminate the trial and error and learn from me, then check out my courses.
Hi, my name is Salvador Bejarano ;I, have used your site to get advice to
run a cleaning bussiness, this is my second time tryng to seccid in this bussiness; the last one \i, lost it for been too confidente and delegate power to a employee, \i, lost a big contract to a distribution corporation
and it took me about 6 years to re-gain my thust on my self, so now I’m
looking for directions .
On how to present my experties in paper, make an offer, and how to look
for m
new contracts…
Att. Salvador Bejarano
Hi Salvador,
I’m glad your making use of our site, I enjoy sharing what I know about the cleaning business.
The fact the you already ran a cleaning business and know how to get cleaning contracts is a big plus. You are not starting from zero so to speak. You really just need to “feel” like you can pull it off (confidence in yourself).
I see how honest you are being with yourself about delegating too much authority to an employee, and that is a good thing. You recognize where you went wrong. The good news is that problem is easily correctable. Now you know the consequences of that mistake, and you probably won’t make it again. If it makes you feel any better, that is a common mistake.
Early in my career I made that error several times, and lost some cleaning contracts needlessly. The only thing that saved me from “early retirement” from the business is that I corrected my mistakes before too much harm was done AND most importantly, I had many cleaning accounts to ease the pain of losing one.
One thing I’m a big fan of is not putting all my eggs in one basket. You can’t build a business around just one or two big clients. For me, I make sure I possess a collection of both large and small clients. This way, even if I lost several big accounts, I don’t go out of business.
And that is my advice for you, make sure you do not stop getting cleaning accounts. You just never know when you may get the ax. Sometimes even if you do everything just right, you still get shown the door, that is just the nature of the business.
Concerning showing your experience, I think you should make sure to have the basics covered. Dress for success, get some great looking business cards, you already know the lingo (cleaning business terms). When you have this down, people “believe” you are the “real deal”. In other words, look the part.
Then I would try to practice putting together a fantastic looking proposal. Just make a few up for your family and friends, get their input. My proposals WOW the customer. I buy a nice presentation cover from an office supply store, then I print a cover letter on some nice premium linen paper. I make sure my proposal addresses “exactly” what they want done.
I go into detail to make sure I make mention of all their pet peeves so to speak. I include references, a sign up sheet, contract and sometimes I even include any “certifications” that I have if I think it would help. My course goes into detail on this part (http://cleaning4profit.kinsta.cloud/start-your-own-cleaning-business/)
Also, the one thing you need to remember is that the customer is not really buying your cleaning service, they are buying YOU. So cater to their needs at every chance.
I hope that helps you. Keep me posted on your progress, I’ll be glad to help you along if you get stuck.
Hello Mr. Watson,
My business partner and I recently started putting together the basic foundation (incorporation, marketing materials, website, etc.) of what we hope to be a successful commercial cleaning business. We both have experience starting/ running a new business and have strong managerial skills. However neither one of us have the slightest bit of industry specific knowledge, we don’t know anything about the business (specifically how to service the accounts). Now that we have decided to follow through with this venture, we need to aggressively learn every aspect of this business (basic terminology, contracts, manage accounts, etc.). Can you please help us? What do you suggest we do to quickly get our knowledge caught up to our abilities?
Thank you in advance.
Evan Shy
Hi Evan,
Thanks for your question. I’ll touch base with you via email.
Wow, this is the best information I have received since I have been trying to get my little business off the ground. I really needed to hear about the advertising and marketing myself. I don’t have the money to really do it like it should be done. I am very resourceful and I do a lot of the work myself. I make my own business cards, I will get those done, because I guess that’s important. I can make my own flyers and go B2B. I like the letters and mailing them out too. This is a great idea. Think I’ll try the cold calling too. Thanks for such great advice.
Thanks for the kind words and best of luck going forward.
Hello. I was looking up info. on how to obtain potential cleaning contracts and your website was a choice. I like how you started out just being real with you experience. I should tell you I have a small cleaning business and have hired a company to bid on contracts for us. I want to believe that will work. However I don’t have the wealth to just wait. I am willing to work I just need a direction on where to start. How long did it take you to have reasonable income for yourself? I truly am trying and I know I can do it. I just need a little bit of help.
Hi Vanessa, great questons…I’ll touch base via email.
I need your from beginning to end of this business. I am bless by reading article because it is really happifull. thank you
Thanks Annie!
i’ interresed please callme xxx-xxx-4535 letty
Touch base with me via email (use the contact form) and I’ll help you out.
Thanks for the info Tom. I just started my own cleaning service and having some trouble getting contracts. Having no experience in giving estimates and pricing didn’t help either. Your site has gave me some direction. Thank you.
No problem…we are here to help.
Hi!
I am really interested in opening a cleaning business and I got really good info in your web site. I do not have any experience in the cleaning industry but with the info that you have provide i see that is a lot of potential in the business.
What I really want to do is have a couple accounts to get some experience and make some money at the same time ( kind of part time).
I live in Los Angeles area, and I would like to ask you if you recommend to get a business license and permit and insurance for a beginner. Also do you have a list of equipment and products in your website that I am going to use in case i get a job. I am looking forward to work in the commercial part (cleaning offices, garage and whorehouses). I have weekends off and I want to use them to do the work.
any info will be appreciate.
Thank you for your time.
Hi Salvador!
It’s good to hear that you are making use of the site, that’s wonderful. Yes, there is a lot of potential in this business. I firmly believe the cleaning business is simply the best business opportunity available anywhere for any price. Low start up and high profit, that is the best of both worlds. And yes…starting part time and learning the ropes is a great plan you have. Follow that and you will do just fine.
To your questions…yes I recommend getting all the proper legal work done. You need a license and insurance, no doubt about it. In fact that’s the only way you will get the good cleaning contracts. As to a supply list, that specific list is in my course “Commercial Cleaning For Beginners”. I can tell you that you really don’t need anything more than the basics to get started. This would mean a vacuum, brooms, mop and bucket, rags and cleaning solutions.
And keep in mind, you only want to buy what you need WHEN you need it, NO SOONER. You don’t want to spend money until you know you have to. This means don’t spend any money until you get your first cleaning contract. That is the key to growing your business the smart way. Good luck with your new cleaning business! Touch base with me if you get in a pinch.
Hello Tom Watson,
Im interested in getting more information about marketing.If hiring a sales person is best for me.
Thanks
Hi Luis,
Thanks for the questions!
Though you will find loads of free info on my site, the bulk of the marketing information is in my course “Commercial Cleaning For Beginners” (http://wp.me/PO3Aj-43). You’ll discover a bunch of ways to get cleaning contracts and also learn all the tips and tricks of the trade as well. For instance I have the actual sales letters and flyers that built my business included in the course. All you need to do is copy them and put your name on the bottom. Presto…cleaning contracts will be easier to get.
As to hiring a sales person, that should be on the back burner for now if you are new. I really believe that the owner (you) is the best salesman you’ll ever have. Besides, you need to understand the whole process before you can ever hire anyone else to get contracts for you. After all, you will train the salesman! So you need to be good at it before hiring someone else to do it for you. Plus if you don’t know how to sell, you’ll never be able to evaluate how well the salesman is doing.
My recommendation is to read up on the sales process as much as possible. This means browse my site and learn as much as possible. Then go to a bookstore and find some books on sales. Browse through a bunch until you find one that blows your hair back, then BUY IT. Getting cleaning contracts becomes much easier when you grasp what the customer is really buying…YOU. You need to find the problem the potential customer is having, put them at ease, educate them a little THEN offer your service as the solution to their problem.
Keep me posted!
I forgot to ask you, I am planing to start my cleaning buissneses as a part time, Weekends and days off. Do you think is possible to get accounts during the weekends?
Also, I really want to thank you for answering my questions so rapidly. i am still working on the plan and logistics of my business. Also, I would like to ask you how to price a job?
Thank you once again
Sure it’s possible to get cleaning accounts on the weekends. You will probably wind up losing a few jobs because of that approach, but if that is when you are available then that’s what you have to go with. When a potential customer is looking to hire you, just steer them to your off days.
As to the pricing of the jobs, that is in the course. It’s not terribly hard to learn, in fact it’s quite easy, but I can’t describe the process in a paragraph or two. I have a whole chapter dedicated to that question.
Hi Tom,
I just wanted to say thank you for sharing such valuable information.
I hope to get your program soon.
Regards,
Anakarina Sandoval
Clean & Sparkling! LLC
754-229-1048
Thanks Anakarina!
Hi Tom,
Me and my partner are keen to open cleaning business as we are already doing a subcontract.I need to go through all the information about how to get contract,what to present in offer letter and how to prepare quotes. Could you please help?
Regards
Kandy
Hi Kandy!
Seems like you are well on your way, which is good as you really need to get your own cleaning accounts as soon as possible (there is no money to be made in sub-contracting).
To your questions…you indicated you need a contract and offer letters. Both these items are in my courses (http://wp.me/PO3Aj-43), along with just about every other form you need to get customers (sign-up sheets, emergency contact forms etc…).
As to how to prepare a quote, you can check out this post I did recently (http://wp.me/pO3Aj-3DP). It walks you through how to prepare a quote from start to finish. If you have any questions about the course, just touch base!
Wow,
Hi we have a contract but only just started.
please help with a simple plan for us for
gaining contracts and cold canvasing
thankyou ur info is so helpful
Hi Justin!
I’m happy to hear you have started the process of getting cleaning customers! Taking “action” of some kind is always the first step.
The plan you are asking for me to provide you is all spelled out in my commercial cleaning course (http://wp.me/PO3Aj-43). It walks you through the WHOLE PROCESS. The course will save you more time and money than you can imagine.
hi
i been in the cleaning business a long time.got away from it for a while and now i got a oppurtonity to team up with two business partners.i am going to be dealing with sales and getting contracts and taking care of the accounts.my question is how do i go about getting contracts for cleaning offices, resturants and floors and carpets. where should i go first ? please let me know as soon as possible
Hi Edgar!
The name of the game is getting the work out that you own the best service in town. And as you can see from this post, there are many different ways to go about that. With that said, I would not rely on just any one method of getting office cleaning contracts, as you should be making use of several of them at the same time.
Stick with the techniques that fit your comfort level first, as gaining momentum is key to having success. I would try to keep your target area for customers very “tight”, to reduce your travel and the costs associated with it.
I may be a little biased, but my course (http://cleaning4profit.kinsta.cloud/start-your-own-cleaning-business/) is taylor made for your situation. It has the knowledge, sales letters, contracts that you need to make it all work.
Hello,
And thank you for this question and answer section, i have been in business for over 20 years, however i had accounts that would bring in a monthly income. The economy went sour a couple of years ago and i started loosing accounts. I have a few accounts left, and no money for advertising. what do you suggest i do at this point?????
Hi Roger!
I would go with the “old reliable” method of getting cleaning accounts, which is handing out flyers to your target market. Download this flyer (http://cleaning4profit.kinsta.cloud/2011/09/06/your-cleaning-business-flyers-need-to-be-on-target/) then modify it (you do it or take it to a copy and print center) with your name and number.
Visit any area where you already have clients and get those flyers handed out. Then go to other areas where you would like to get a few accounts and hand out some more flyers. Stapling your business card to the flyer would be a good idea. P.S. – Hand out TONS of flyers (don’t call it a day after just 30 or 40 flyers).
hi
iam finding it hard to get a contract and i don`t know what to do and i don`t have the capital to do ad and i want to be successful and enjoy my work,pls help.
Hi Erick!
The advice I gave to Roger (comment # 30) applies directly to you. One of the cheapest ways to get office cleaning contracts is to just hand out flyers in an area where your potential customers are. This is an EXTREMELY low cost way to get cleaning customers when you first start out. Once you get one customer to sign up, then use the money from that cleaning account to pay for some of the other more traditional methods of gaining cleaning accounts.
Hello, I came across your site and it’s been a big help to me. I intend to start a commercial cleaning service this year and have come across several services that offer to get contracts for you (for a price) and they guarantee you a certain amount of business volume for a certain amount of money. I would like to know if you or anyone else has had experience with any of these companies. One is The Janitorial Agency, the other being The Janitorial Resource. I would appreciate any information anyone can give me, good or bad and I can be reached via email.
Thanks
Hi David!
I’m happy you have found our site and I’m happy to hear it’s been useful. To your question…Buying contracts is one of the biggest mistakes newcomers make when getting into the cleaning business. It is money down the toilet as far as I’m concerned.
You can get the contracts yourself MUCH CHEAPER. Besides, at the end of the day, getting the customers is one of the EASIEST parts of running a cleaning business. So there is no need to pay some OUTRAGOUS price to have someone else do it for you.
You may want to listen in to a podcast I aired a while back. This comprehensive podcast (#36) on buying cleaning contracts should help fill you in on my thinking. You can find it here http://www.buzzsprout.com/655/21258-036-buying-cleaning-contracts-a-bad-idea (or on my site under the “Podcast” tab).
If you have any questions after listening, just touch base!
first of all i want to thank you for such helpful information, me and my partner started a cleaning business this 2012, the only marketing that we are doing is servicemagic.com and cleaning.nex.com, we have to pay 15-20$ per lead, we were able to get some small house cleaning accounts, but 80% of this leads, has wrong information, like incorrect emails, numbers, and the person that picks up the phone claims that they never requested such information etc…. i need a marketing idea, tools, where i can get more results. and i want to get the big fish, commercial accounts. but i see it as a very difficult process, please help me w/ some ideas, also how long did it take you to really make some nice profits? and my last question is; how can i measure prices, i dont want to give a hight price and not get the job, or give a low price and not make any proficts, this is really a problem for me..please help thank you. please contact me at 203-928-9911 or jaiderxxx@aol.com
Thanks for the kind words, we appreciate it. I would scrap the lead generation service to get cleaning accounts and go with a targeted flyer to your preferred customer market. It’s a lot cheaper. I was never a fan of using those type services to get commercial cleaning accounts as there is too much room for something to go wrong (incorrect emails and contact info to name a few) on the part of the provider.
I would disagree with you when you say it’s difficult. The process is pretty straight forward. You need a great flyer at a minimum. But what works best is a two page sales letter that is PERFECTLY tailored to the prospective customer. All it does is talk about WHAT THEY WANT TO HEAR. Then a good special offer as a third page seals the deal and encourages them to CALL YOU, thus giving you a great chance to land a cleaning account.
Within about two years from going full time I had 22 people working for me, so success can come quick when you go for the bigger accounts like I did. The part of prices, and how to get a good one is in my course (http://cleaning4profit.kinsta.cloud/start-your-own-cleaning-business/), so I suggest you check it out. Remember…bid every job at a fair price for you, if they don’t take it let someone else work for free (you ONLY want the profitable cleaning accounts).
hi, tom
so my uncle told me that there was such thing as buying a contract from a company and you will clean offices and pretty much making way more money. i am a little confuse. idk if threes such thing. i been helping my mom cleaning houses ever since i was in high school and now Im a college student so it be super helpful if you can guide me so i can make some extra money to pay college. thanks a lot for your wise advise.
Hi Antonio!
Buying cleaning contracts is possible, but it’s VERY expensive normally. That’s not even the bad news! The accounts you tend to buy make you very little money. Usually you get all the grief, but none of the REAL money.
The only way to make money is by getting your own cleaning accounts. My site is loaded with free tips to help you get there, but if you need step by step instructions, then my course is for you. Check it out here… http://cleaning4profit.kinsta.cloud/start-your-own-cleaning-business/
Hi Tom,
Great Info on this site. Thanks A lot.
I recently opened a cleaning business thats a little different than most.
I have everything including location, supplies, and propaganda.
I want some advise on who to target for certain accounts,
and whats my best way to target them.
If you could shoot me in the right direction, It will be greatly appreciates. Thanks
Hi Ruben!
The “secret” customers to market to is located in my course (http://cleaning4profit.kinsta.cloud/start-your-own-cleaning-business/), but any smaller type opertaion (real estate office, small insurance offices etc…) would be best to start. You don’t want to start out with the local School District when just beginning, as that takes a little time to get to.
Flyers and direct mail (one or two page sales letter) work wonders as they do the “heavy lifting” pertaining to getting folks to choose YOU.
Great article, some fab ideas for people new to the cleaning sector.
Newspapers and phonebooks have such little advertising value these days compared to old and I agree, print marketing usually doesn’t work. I invested in Yellow Pages ads and wasted over £850.00 for the sake of a few one-off cleans. Most turn to Google and the internet to search for cleaning companies; your advice about spending under $500 on a website – I’m not so sure about this. With a good developer, your first website can be renovated and rebranded where needed if changing direction. Cleanique gained the first 50 clients from SEO and web marketing alone before we even considered using leaflet distribution and direct mail to promote further.
Never underestimate the value of web marketing and an outstanding website design! And make the great impressions from the word go 🙂
Thanks for your input Laura!
Hi Tom,
I am just starting my own Cleaning Business, a carpet cleaning and general cleaning for commercial and residencial; but I have no experience on how to approach a costumer and get accounts? I need help on how to give an estimate? I basically need help on how to run a business from beginning to end!
and I would really appreaciate if you could help me!
Thank you!
Hi Beatriz!
I really can’t sum up your questions here in a comment type environment. The answers to those questions take up the bulk of my course which is 207 pages long! You are a PRIME candidate for either Commercial Cleaning For Beginners or House Cleaning For Beginners. They both answer ALL the questions you just mentioned PLUS TONS MORE.
We walk you through the process of getting accounts, estimating the cleaning jobs, giving out cleaning proposals plus all the other important details that allow you to get only the HIGH PAYING cleaning customers.
Check out the courses here http://cleaning4profit.kinsta.cloud/start-your-own-cleaning-business/
Check out the chapter by chapter descriptions. It answers all the questions, making you an expert faster than you thought possible.
Hi You have really good information here. I was wondering if you could tell me how I Could write a proposal to gain my first contract. Would I need uniform and big equipment to clean offices. I just want to get started somewhere thank you.
Hi Karen!
Thanks for stopping bye! I discuss the proposal in a post you can find here… http://cleaning4profit.kinsta.cloud/2011/09/21/creating-your-cleaning-service-proposal/
As far as uniforms goes…they are not needed in the beginning. I do think they are a good idea once you are established, but that can come later.
As to equipment…no expensive equipment is needed at all. Just the basics get you in the cleaning business. That would mean buckets, mops, vacuum, duster, cleaning solutions and some other minor items. Save your money and don’t purchase ANYTHING until YOU NEED IT, no sooner.
My name is Jay Muchita, and I am the president of RIPC Inventory service. I started a Inventory company that has been semi sucessful,then added a cleaning division that has been doing pretty good. I have added this division to my website and am in the process of doing the web site over to show the success of the Cleaning Division. I have gotten all my contracts from one person who was already established. Now I want to find my own. I have developed relationships with all my customers and service some Big Name accounts in my area. Help me get this off the ground with some good ideas.
Hi Jay!
I would just start getting the word out in an organized way. Start by joining some networking groups, as it works wonders. In fact, today we just landed a major national brand name business to our list of cleaning customers. This customer was found by NETWROKING. At the end of the day, the more people who know you leads to more people hiring you.
After that, “handing out flyers” with a special offer and your business card works great too. There two methods are PROVEN to make the phone ring, you just need to put the time in to make it work.
Hi Tom Iam interested in your advise and was hoping that you could send me some information through the mail our get in contract with me.my phone number is xxx3790405
It was nice talking to you on the phone about getting cleaning contracts for your new cleaning company. Keep me posted.