How
to get cleaning contracts
If
you want to learn how to start a cleaning business or increase the
turnover of an existing one you'll need to find out how
to win
cleaning contracts in the commercial sector - and
forget all about domestic cleaning.
Sounds
easy doesn't it? That's
what I thought until someone showed me that I was making
some monumental mistakes which wasted five years of my
career and cost me a fortune. Are
you making the same mistakes? When I started
in this industry 28 years ago I thought I was doing fantastically well. I
was 'quoting' for half a dozen cleaning contracts every day
- the trouble was, those people were not authorised
to buy - they just told me that they were. I ended up having
hundreds of outstanding quotes on file that I used to spend
endless hours chasing for a decision - with no chance at all
of ever winning any business. Then
things
got so bad that I had to go out and do leaflet drops to try
and get small carpet and window cleaning jobs - just to pay
the bills! |
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Does
that sound like you? I was doing that for five years before
I realised that I even had a problem - let alone actually knowing
what to do about it.
You
see, the biggest problem I had was this - like most 25 year
old lads I had no credit history and wanted (no, needed) a
mortgage - but no bank would touch me with a barge pole. I even
went as far as preparing a business plan and going along to see
the Bank Manager all 'suited and booted'. I went through the whole
patter about how I was going to build the next massive cleaning
company and do you know what that bloke did - he threw me out
(with a bit of friendly advice)!
The
advice he gave me was basically this......................
A business of any kind is something
that has a value in its own right - something
you can sell or pass on to the kids. If you're planning to deliver
loads of leaflets around the town offering window cleaning or
carpet cleaning services you'll probably get some work - but
you haven't been able to start a cleaning business, you've found
yourself a short term income - and if it's
an income you want, you may as well go and work for someone
else.
Let's get one thing straight
right now - you will never make enough money from the profit
in one-off cleaning jobs. The real money is to be made from
the value of your cleaning company.
I had to find
out how to win cleaning contracts
I
needed written agreements to provide the service
for at least a year, maybe longer.
But
first I had to find a way to get to the real decision maker
- the person who was authorised to buy
what I was offering. Only then would I be successful.
"I spent five years
cleaning carpets and windows to make a living and I still hadn't got
anything to show for it. I would have known how to win cleaning contracts
easily if only I'd started asking the 'Killer Question'
earlier................."
I
was totally gutted. Five years down the drain - what a waste! I
started from scratch and went to work for a small to medium
sized cleaning company in Essex.
I soon realised
that selling cleaning was actually my thing. I was able to get
cleaning contracts easily- I was good at it - because
I had found a great teacher.
It really wouldn't
be appropriate to name the individual or the company here because
they are still trading and I'm sure they wouldn't thank me for
telling you that they built a massive, profitable cleaning company
with no capital! But............
-
They taught
me how to start a cleaning business using
my Clients money.
-
They taught
me how to get 100+ HOT leads every week.
-
They taught
me how to convert 50% of my quotes into sales by
putting the Client into a position where he can hardly say
no!
-
They taught
me how to start a cleaning business that has a value in its own
right - something that the bank would recognise if ever
I wanted to borrow money.
-
They taught
me how to sell that business and still earn an income
from it!
But the most
important thing they taught me was how to ask the Killer
Question' that would put me in front of the real
'decision maker'
within two minutes of walking into a building!
Guess what? I
worked for them for twelve months, thanked them for everything
they'd taught me and started out on my own again.
Well, what
a difference! Now I was choosing the cleaning contracts I wanted. I was
getting to the decision maker within two minutes of walking
into the building (just as they'd taught me), I was winning
HALF of all the business I was quoting - and
the Client was paying me before I had to pay anybody!
I never looked
back and I went on to build a profitable cleaning business in less than
twelve months (£432K turnover !!!) which
I promptly sold. In fact I went on to do it four times and
since I found out how to win cleaning contracts I've sold new
business with a turnover in excess of £10 million!
Think about that for a minute - actually sold - not
filled in tender forms - sold by knocking on doors!
In October 2008
I retire when I reach my fiftieth birthday and I think I've had
a fairly respectable career. It hasn't been easy (especially at
the beginning) but I suppose if I have one regret, it's that I
didn't find out this information earlier.
I've spent the past two years writing down everything
that I've ever learned about the cleaning industry - and
everything I've ever had to do to 'fine tune' my system. If you
want to know how to win cleaning
contracts or how to start a cleaning business it's available in my manual The
'Killer Question' that will win you business - FAST! - and
covers subjects such as:
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Identify your market -
Identify the most profitable type of business (it may not
be what you think).
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Targeting your client -
Simple strategies to get 100+ HOT leads per week in your
area.
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| ~ |
Database Management - Never
miss an opportunity. Mass mailing prospects. Introductory
letters.
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| ~ |
Getting the appointment.
Presenting yourself at the appointment. Putting the client
in a position where he can hardly say no.
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| ~ |
The survey - how to cost it.
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The quotation - how to
prepare the quotation package.
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The follow up - ask for the
order.
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Make it large - increase the
value of your contract.
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Auto requotes - all is not
lost!
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Contract start-up - going
through the checklist.
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Recruitment - simple
strategies for getting the right staff.
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Staff induction - going
through the checklist.
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Time and attendance.
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Health and Safety - Risk
Assesments. COSHH. What you need to know.
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Service delivery.
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Performance monitoring - how
to use the data that you've gathered.
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Client contact - when it's
necessary and when it's not.
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Security.
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Invoicing - how to maximise
your cashflow. How to get your client to pay you before
you pay your staff.
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| ~ |
Payroll procedures.
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Some Human Relations issues.
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Purchasing - where to buy?
What's in a name?
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To keep or sell - should we
keep the business or sell it?
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What's my business worth?
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Selling it - who will buy my
business?
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Finding a buyer. It's easier
than you think.
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The sale agreement. Four
different types.
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Carry on earning - Yes!
It really is possible to sell your business and still earn
an income from it.
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