Knowing who your target audience is may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s easy to overlook. Stick with what you know and then look for more.

Has your business been successful in winning bids for offices or perhaps warehouses? Seek out more of those facilities and when you meet potential clients, leverage your prior experience. Remember that your prospect is constantly evaluating you so have an arsenal of resources prepared that separate yourself from the competition.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way people conduct business. Therefore, depending on your prospect or your personal preferences, you’ll either meet them in person or talk with them over the phone. Regardless, you need to have valuable resources with clear messaging.

Here are 6 ways you can win more commercial cleaning contracts:

1. Resources

Providing resources for your business can set you apart from others in the field. Not only is it important nowadays to perform great while cleaning but looking the part is just as important. Educating your clients can help you excel in this field. Here are a couple of areas that we feel are important to focus on:

Website: Nowadays your website is the street address of your business. To maintain what realtors often describe as “curb appeal”, you’ll want to make sure that your website is appealing with clear messaging.

A clear message of what your business offers will help you be more noticeable. If your website messaging is confusing or too detailed, they’ll get confused and move on to someone else.

Testimonials: As you develop a relationship with your customers, ask for testimonials or Google reviews. This will give your business validity which can be leveraged to gain new customers. In fact, 92% of B2B buyers are more likely to purchase after reading a trusted review.

Google reviews can be placed by anyone with a Google account and anyone can view them. With Google being the most widely used search engine on the planet, make sure that you’re encouraging your customers to leave them. Even if you don’t have time to contact everyone, janitorial sales software can help by automatically asking your customers for you.

2. Know Your Target Audience.

We’ve all been there, we get busy and forget to follow-up with a prospect. There are days when a customer unexpectedly calls you, or an employee needs your assistance. Next thing you know, days have passed and when you finally do a follow-up, sadly, you learn that you lost the opportunity.

In sales, you need to be timely and consistent. Why spend precious dollars on marketing if you can’t remember to follow up or don’t have the time?

That’s why to ensure that zero proposals fall through the cracks, many building service contractors turn to janitorial sales software like Blitz. An extra helping hand gives you the organization and timely follow-up needed to close contracts.

Don’t hear anything the first time you call to follow up? Have no fear! On average, 80% of sales require 5 follow-up calls after the first meeting, and guess what? 44% of sales reps give up after the first attempt. Stay persistent!

3. Bid Accurately

A quick way to lose a bid is to be unsure if your numbers are accurate. Fortunately, the industry has adapted with the development of Janitorial bidding software. This innovation brings confidence to your bidding process and builds trust with your prospects.

What’s even better is if the bidding software is approved with ISSA standards. A bidding calculator based on industry standards is sure to grab their attention. Instead of the prospect telling you what you’re missing in your calculations, you’ll be telling them why your bid is more accurate than your competitor’s.

4. Referral Generation

Referrals are some of the best leads that you can have. But to win more commercial cleaning contracts, you’ll need to constantly ask for referrals.

However, it’s easy to forget or the timing may be off. That’s why using multiple sources for obtaining referrals is critical. Not only should you verbally ask your customers for referrals, but you should leverage your website, email, and social media.

To quickly capture referrals automatically, web forms can help. This custom form can be embedded in an email, email signature, social media posts, and your website. The more referral sources you have the more opportunities you have to obtain them.

Many businesses even adopt a referral rewards program as an incentive for their customers. Statistics show that 78% of B2B marketers claim that referral programs generate good or excellent leads. What are you waiting for? Grab that low-hanging fruit!

5. Schedule an Interactive Walkthrough

If you’re able to schedule an in-person walkthrough, you’ll have the opportunity to gain a clear picture of your prospect’s current cleaning situation and build rapport. As you walk in the facility, point out any cleaning errors that you see.

Is the trashcan overflowing? Are the baseboards dusty? Ask them if they’d like those items serviced more frequently and use this as leverage to differentiate your company from their current cleaning contractor.

Building rapport is another critical aspect to gain more commercial cleaning contracts. After all, people buy from people! Ask them questions like ‘How long have you worked here?’, ‘What’s your professional background in?’, ‘Do you have any pets?’ Etc.

Also, find your prospect on LinkedIn before the meeting and add them. You can find lots of talking points related to their professional experience or education just by looking at their profile.

6. A Professional Proposal Appearance

Before you can formally present a janitorial proposal, you must first create one, and the appearance and content of the proposal shouldn’t be taken lightly. If they’re shopping around, they’ll be evaluating your proposal alongside your competitors, so make this count. Here’s a list of items you should consider including:

• Your company’s mission, vision, and story. People remember stories. Know your ‘Why’ and why your customer should care.
• Mention your competitive advantages. What separates you from the competition? Some items you can include here is a guarantee to responsiveness, an accurate quote made from a bidding calculator, commitment to ISSA standards, green cleaning products, etc.
• Testimonials. Include a few testimonials as proof of other satisfied customers.
• Scope of service and action plan. What services are you providing and what’s your company’s action plan to meet their needs?
• Images. Research shows that proposals with visuals are 32% more likely to close. You could show a group picture of your team or an image of your headquarters.

Once you’ve created the proposal, proofread it twice and make sure that any calculations are accurate. The quickest way to lose a potential customer is to submit a proposal full of errors.

Win More in 2021 and Beyond.

New commercial cleaning contracts are available for the taking! Evaluate your current sales and marketing strategy. Where are you winning? Where are you losing? Develop a strategy and consult with Blitz Sales Software to win more contracts!