To get cleaning contracts with offices:
- Visit local offices and offer your cleaning service
- Join BNI to network with office managers
- Offer your service to your personal connections
- Boost your online presence
If you’re great with people, direct outreach is the fastest way to get office cleaning contracts. Find local offices, go in, ask for the manager, and offer your cleaning service. If they don’t have a cleaner, you’ll be their first option. If they do, leave a quote and your business card anyway. Businesses switch cleaners often due to pricing, reliability, or service quality.
Another quick but not-so-direct way to get office cleaning contracts is through networking. Your local BNI (Business Network International) connects you with decision-makers. The best part is that BNI’s purpose is to exchange referrals and business opportunities. Don’t want to go too far? Network with people you already have a relationship with, like a doctor or dentist. These people work in offices.
A strong online presence is also important to land office cleaning contracts fast. You can’t knock on every door. But with a website and Google Business Profile, they’ll be able to knock on yours. Plus, people looking for commercial cleaning services rely heavily on trust and credibility. A Weebly survey found that 56% don’t trust a business without a website.
In this article, we look into these 4 strategies on how to get cleaning contracts with offices. We give you tips on how to make each one super effective and some case studies. We also show how long these strategies take to land your first office cleaning contract.
1. Visit Local Offices to Offer Your Cleaning Service
Visiting offices to offer your cleaning service allows you to:
- Personalize your communication.
- Assess the office size and cleaning needs.
- Handle questions and objections in real time.
- Give a tangible pricing estimate and contact details.
Since the office manager gets quick answers and sees your professionalism, they’re more likely to hire you on the spot. Or, they’ll keep you in mind for future needs, especially if they’re unhappy with their cleaners. According to Gitnux, door-to-door marketing has a conversion rate of 2% to 5%. So if you visit 50 offices per month, you average 1 to 2 clients per month. Because office cleaning contracts are repeat businesses, that’s already a great start.
But to get those contracts, you must know how to offer your service effectively. This is why people skills are crucial. This includes communication, confidence, problem-solving, people adaptability, relationship building, and patience. Here are other tips to convert direct leads into paying clients:
- Prepare your pitch. Plan out your questions, the benefits of your service, and how it addresses office needs. Be ready to explain your service, give quotes, and answer questions and objections.
- Avoid peak hours. Busy managers get annoyed if you disturb them. Mid-morning (9:30-11:30 AM) or mid-afternoon (2-4 PM) are good times. Also, during these hours, the sun exposes the dirt and dust on the furniture, desks, and floors.
- Go straight to the decision-maker. Talking to the front desk person wastes time and could make them ask you to leave. get you kicked out. So when you enter, ask right away, “Are you the manager? Can I speak to the manager?”
- Ask if they have a current cleaner. If they do, give an estimate, contact details, and tell them to call if that changes. Don’t push, but make sure they remember you. If they don’t have one, offer your service.
- Give them something tangible with all the details. Go beyond a business card. Provide a paper with a pricing estimate, your contact info, and what you discussed. This way, when they see it, they’ll remember exactly what you offer.
- Follow-up with a call within 24 hours of your visit. Many times, office managers need time to think about it. But don’t wait long enough that they forget. Ask again if they want to consider your office cleaning service.
- Call a week or month after your visit. If they still don’t hire you, call again after a week or month. You never know – maybe this time they don’t have or are frustrated with their cleaner and need a new one.
- Visit the office again after 6 months. You never know – it might have a new manager that’s willing to hire you. Repeat the process – talk about your business, give a pricing estimate, etc.
A Reddit user got their first commercial cleaning client through door knocking. They faced many rejections at first, but it helped them improve their pitch. After a while, they knew what type of questions to expect and modeled their business based on that. They also tried other strategies, but got more out of traditional face-to-face marketing.
2. Join BNI to Network With Office Managers for Cleaning Contracts
Joining your local BNI (Business Network International) allows you to:
- Meet office managers in a place for exchanging business opportunities.
- Connect with business owners and other professionals for referrals.
- Participate in regular meetings where you can pitch your office cleaning services directly.
- Establish yourself as a reliable office cleaner within the community.
BNI has thousands of local chapters in the US, so you may find one in your area. At BNI meetings, promoting your cleaning service or seeking referrals is standard practice. You may feel more comfortable here than just barging into an office and selling your service. Plus, a BNI study found that their member referrals have a 55% success rate. What’s more, BNI members convert business 38% faster than other lead sources.
Now, your success relies on chapter size, member commitment, and how you network. Here are some tips to consider:
- Research your local BNI chapter. Since this is a paid membership, make sure it will provide value for your service. Some chapters are very committed to the cause, while others may be less active. Check for reviews to make an informed decision before joining.
- Be consistent and punctual. Attending the meetings shows your commitment. Arriving early and staying late offers more networking moments, too.
- Build real connections. Get to know members. Help them with cleaning tips, eco-friendly cleaning products, and referrals. They’ll then return the favor.
- Present a clear message. You may have to do a presentation for your BNI group. If so, make sure you’re well-prepared. Go into detail about your pricing, products used, insurance, testimonials, and contact details.
- Give ‘unspoken answers’ to ‘unspoken questions’. For example, an unspoken question is: “Can I trust the cleaners with my office and equipment?” The unspoken answer will be: “I’m background-checked and insured. Many of my clients have trusted me for years.”
- Follow up. After meetings, reach out to members you connected with. A quick email, call, or message keeps the conversation going. Offer to meet for coffee or a quick chat to learn more about your businesses and how you can help each other. Stay in touch regularly without being pushy. The stronger the relationship, the more likely they are to hire you or refer clients.
One Redditor shared how a productive BNI group makes the difference. 10 years ago, they left their current chapter as it was struggling with member inactivity. However, they decided to rejoin after many years and found it to be much better. They claim that, after going back, they got more business in the last 6 months than in the previous years.
3. Offer Your Office Cleaning Services to Your Personal Connections
Offering your office cleaning services to your personal connections allows you to:
- Gain trust faster since they already know you.
- Secure your first few contracts with less competition.
- Feel more comfortable selling.
- Build a referral network through word-of-mouth.
Personal connections don’t just mean your family and friends. It includes people you interact with regularly, like your doctor or insurance agent. You know these people have their own offices. And usually, smaller individual offices don’t have a dedicated cleaning service. If you’re not great with business talk, this is the easiest way to start since it’s more casual. Here is how to approach this strategy:
- Get to know them more. During appointments, ask a ton about them: “How are you doing?” or “How’s the business?” The goal is to let them talk about themselves.
- Introduce your office cleaning business. Sooner or later, they’re going to start asking questions about you. Share what you do – but keep it informational for now, and see where it goes. If they show interest or say they handle cleaning themselves, this is when you offer to help them.
- Schedule a walkthrough when you both have time. Assess their office to understand their cleaning needs. Then, provide an accurate service recommendation. Make sure to keep it low pressure.
- Send a proposal. Include the scope of work, cleaning schedule, pricing, equipment, and terms and conditions. Don’t forget to end it with a strong call to action, like “Let me know if you’d like to start this week!”
Mike Mak, an office cleaning business coach, says this is the fastest way to get your first clients. If you’re consistent, you’re sure to secure at least 1 or 2 (or even 5) loyal clients. Plus, since they know you personally, they’ll be willing to recommend you to their workmates or other clients.
4. Boost Online Presence to Attract Office Cleaning Clients
Boosting your online presence allows you to:
- Show up on Google when local offices search for cleaning services.
- Get quality leads to contact you instead of the other way around.
- Build trust by showcasing reviews, testimonials, and past work.
- Make it easy for potential clients to learn about your services anytime.
An online presence should start with a website and Google Business Profile (GBP). This is because 97% of people find local businesses on Google. What’s more, ‘office cleaning’ gets 9.4K searches a month, and ‘office cleaning companies near me’ gets 2K. People searching these terms are high-quality leads ready to hire someone. Now, if you’re not techy and a website or GBP feels overwhelming, here are some tips to make it easier:
Now, getting office cleaning contracts this way isn’t the fastest. You’ll have to wait around 6 months to start seeing results. But once you reach the top Google spots, you’ll get regular calls for quotes or scheduling, making it faster to secure new contracts. If you’re not techy and a website or GBP feels overwhelming, here are some tips to make it easier:
- Start with a Google Business Profile. It’s free and easier to set up than a website. It also puts your office cleaning business up in the Google Maps listings. Just make sure that you verify the account.
- Use a website builder. You don’t need to know coding or tech stuff to create a website. Website builders have pre-made templates. Simply drag and drop to design your site. Many builders now have AI tools, too. These help you write compelling content and improve local SEO (search engine optimization).
- Provide all your information and make them easy to spot. List your name, services, phone number, email, availability, service areas, pricing, certifications, and insurance. You must keep these the same across all platforms.
- Add many positive online reviews. This builds trust and makes people choose your cleaning service over the others. Invesp found that 72% of people hire a local service only after reading positive reviews. So encourage all past office cleaning clients to leave Google reviews.
- Write an ‘About Me’ page. People tend to check these pages to learn a local business’s mission, value, and background. Don’t make it very formal or professional-sounding. Instead, keep it short, clear, and personal to draw a connection. Don’t forget to add a photo of you and a call-to-action to contact you or request a quote.
- Add city and service keywords in page titles, headings, service pages, and descriptions. This makes Google know exactly where you’re located and what service you offer. This increases your chances of showing up in local searches.
- Add high-quality images of action shots, equipment, happy clients, and clean office spaces. Clear, well-lit photos show potential clients the quality of your work. It also makes you look more professional and trustworthy. Plus Google favors listings with images.
- Add call-to-action buttons throughout. The goal is to make your visitors contact you. So place ‘Get a Quote’ or ‘Call Now’ buttons on your website and Google Business Profile. The simpler it is to reach you, the more leads you’ll get.
- Update regularly. Post new photos, reviews, and service updates to stay visible. Keeping your listings and website fresh will help you appear higher on Google.
Bay Area Janitorial Force Inc. takes the #1 spot when people search ‘office cleaning in San Francisco’. Because of this, they get 269 website visitors every month. That’s already a huge amount of quality leads. And with a call-to-action button, live chat, and clear info, people are more likely to call. Imagine the office cleaning contracts you’ll land if you pop up first in local searches.
What Are the Best Website Builders for Cleaning Businesses?
The best website builders for cleaning businesses are:
- Snapps.ai. This builder is specifically for local service businesses like office cleaning. So you’re sure to find all the tools you need. It has pre-made cleaning business templates, appointment settings, and automated follow-ups. It also uses AI tools to generate content and built-in SEO features to help you rank on Google.
- Wix. This is a beginner-friendly option as it has a super simple drag-and-drop editor. Here, you get office cleaning templates, appointment scheduling, and a customer review section. It ensures your site is mobile-friendly so that it looks good for visitors from any device.
- WordPress. This gives you the most control over your website. With Elementor, you can create a custom design without coding. It allows you to install plugins for booking options and customer services. It even supports SEO tools like Yoast SEO to boost your ranking. However, it does require a bit of a learning curve.
- Squarespace. This creates a sleek, professional-looking website thanks to its modern design templates. It also includes built-in SEO tools, testimonial sections, and portfolio pages. It doesn’t have the most advanced features, but it gets your site up and ready to attract more clients.
How Long Does It Take To Secure Your First Office Cleaning Contract?
It takes 30 days to secure your first office cleaning contract with direct marketing. However, you have to be consistent. Keep knocking on office doors. Attend BNI meetings to connect with potential clients and get referrals. Ask family, friends, and other personal connections to hire you.
Office cleaning coach Mike Mak says don’t try to get hundreds of clients at once. This makes you jump between strategies and attract bargain hunters. Instead, focus on getting your first five. From Mike’s experience, it’s much faster to secure an office cleaning contract that way.
Securing office cleaning contracts online takes a bit longer – around 6 months to a year. Of course, you need to optimize your website and Google Business Profile for local SEO to be more “seen”. Once you’re ranked, your phone will start ringing – and you’ll land more and more contracts. A Markitors study found that the local service industry only takes 3 months to see results. They saw a 50% increase in website visitors and a 61% increase in how often these sites appeared in searches.
