So now we have come to the point where you have registered your company name and your business materials are printed. Your business checking account is awaiting your first business deposit and your equipment and cleaning supplies are stored away in the trunk of your car. Theoretically it would appear you are in business,  however your are missing the most important part of the whole equation. You have no clients.

Not to worry. In this section we will show you how in just a few short weeks or even days you will have all the clients that you can handle. All it takes is a little hard work and some determination.

The first thing you must decide is what part of the office cleaning field you will try to break into first. From our experience the easiest and most profitable area to penetrate first is the small office market. These accounts are quite manageable for a small company of one or two cleaners and these small offices pay very well. One of the most profitable ways to build and maintain an office cleaning route is to build a client base in the same general area. If you contract your accounts too far apart you can literally drive the profits right out or your business.

Once you have built a comfortable small office cleaning route and have developed an efficient and economical system of cleaning each account you will want to begin building your business even larger by adding larger office buildings. This may result in the need to hire your first part-time employee. Do not let this stop you from allowing your business to grow. Keep in mind  that cleaning a large office building is almost identical in every aspect to cleaning a small office. There is just more space to conquer.

In the following sections we will discuss the most popular and easiest ways to build your business. As we stated before, with a little hard work and some determination you can build a very successful cleaning service. And this can be done in a very short amount of time.

A. Cold Calling:

The fastest way to get information on your company’s services to your potential clients is to practice what is commonly referred to in the sales business as “cold calling.” The term often brings a cold sweat to the budding salesman,  however do not for one second shove this method of obtaining customers off into a distant corner. Cold calling is the most effective way of building your client base and on a local level it works wonders.

Cold calling is simply walking into a potential clients office or place of business and presenting a short sales pitch. The pitch is the key to your success.

Before you set foot out of your door, sit down and write a short introduction on a piece of paper. Outline what both you and your company have to offer. Keep it brief, simple and above all honest

Practice in a mirror or before a family member or friend and ask for their critical input. Then when you are comfortable with your sales presentation you are ready to hit the streets.

Dress casual leaving the business suit at home in the closet. Always remember that you are in a service business and that in the beginning you will be performing this service. There is no sense in approaching a customer dressed in your best outfit and then once you have landed the contract returning at a later time dressed to clean their office.

Do not pick and choose businesses at random as every building where people work is a potential client. Try to speak directly with the owner or office manager in charge of contracting maintenance services. Once you have given your sales presentation ask for their business. It is amazing how many sales people go through the trouble of presenting a very good sales pitch and then fail to ask the potential client to purchase whatever product or service they are selling. Remember at all times that what you are selling is your ability to get the job done professionally, efficiently and on time.

The chances are very remote that you will obtain the job on your first try. However it is very important to leave every customer with a business card, a flyer listing the services your company provides and a copy of your contract. Make sure your contract states exactly what services you will provide and at what price. This way when your customer decides to use your company all that will be required is the signatures on the contract to finalize the deal.

It is also worth mentioning that one of the reasons cold calling is so effective is because so many businesses are dissatisfied with their present cleaning service. Never say anything derogatory about their current cleaning service or your competition. Simply explain in a professional manner how you will resolve any problems that they are having with their present cleaning service.

Once you have gotten your foot in the door, given your presentation and left your sales materials, follow up within a few days by mailing them a short letter. In the letter thank them for their time in allowing you to discuss your cleaning service. Then within four to six weeks pay them a return visit. No pitch is needed this time, just a friendly visit and leave them another business card.

B. The News Release:

When you first start your business, you will probably be working with a limited advertising budget. For this reason, it is advisable that you contact a few of the local newspapers in your area about having a news release printed in their publication. Many will publish your news release free of charge.

A news release is simply a short paragraph or two describing your new business. Add an angle in your release such as how your professional cleaning service has the potential to save your customer’s money, while providing a highly professional approach to the office cleaning business.

Once you have written your news release have it critiqued by a second objective party. Then type it on your letterhead and mail it along with a cover letter to your local publications. Make sure you know the name of the editor of each newspaper and direct your news release package directly to their attention.

One item you will want to keep in mind is that Sundays are very often a slow news days. For this reason it is usually very easy to have your news release inserted on a few consecutive Sundays.

C. Classified and Display Ads:

Once your business has grown to the point where you feel comfortable spending a little on advertising you will want to start by placing an ad in the classified section of your local daily newspaper. Study the other service oriented ads that have run for a long time. Identify their strong points and write your ad accordingly. Keep your ad brief and to the point.

Display ads take a little more work and often involve artwork and special type in order to make your ad stand out among all the other display ads in your newspaper. It is essential that your display ad runs on the right day, in the right publication and above all, in the right position within the publication. It is for this reason that we recommend you forego this type of advertising until your business is firmly established and until you have a sufficient advertising budget to cover the cost.

When you are ready to place a display ad in your local newspaper contact their advertising department. They have a professional staff who will take the time to guide you in developing a winning ad that will have your phone ringing off the hook.

D. Direct Mail:

There are two ways that you can utilize direct mail in your business. The first way is to rent a mailing list from a list broker that contains the names and addresses of local businesses and offices in your area. Then mail them a cover letter on your company letterhead, introducing yourself and your business, along with a flyer describing your cleaning service. Also include a business card.

Using direct mail in this fashion is extremely expensive and a high risk. To begin with, while you may look at your direct mail package with pride, those individuals or companies receiving your mailing will probably view it as unsolicited junk mail and discard it. Nationally, the response rate on this type of advertising is in the neighborhood of two to three percent. And if you do not mail a professional, informative and catchy sales presentation the rate of return can drop to zero percent.

The other type of direct mailing available today is co-op mailing. This involves contracting with a local mailing firm that specializes in this type of advertising. They will help you develop a flyer that will be inserted into an envelope that is stuffed with advertising flyers from other local businesses. The other advertisements may run the gamut from trees to pizza. The problem with this type of advertising is that you will be losing overall concentration and attention from any potential client.

Most people also discard this type of advertising as junk mail. Because of these reasons we do not recommend direct mail as a means of building your client base. Stick with the basics, cold calling and classified advertising. In the long run, you will build a solid office cleaning business economically

E. Yellow Page Advertising:

Eventually a sales person will call on you in an attempt to sell you ad space in your local yellow page directory. Unless you have the funds in your budget to place at least a quarter page ad or have decided to specialize in one area of the commercial cleaning profession, such as carpet or window cleaning, yellow page advertising will not draw as many customers as you may expect. Advertising in the yellow page directory can be a very expensive proposition. And once you have signed a contract with your local directory you will be required to pay for your ad on a monthly basis for the entire term of the directory. This is usually for a full twelve months. We strongly recommend that you place a yellow page ad only after you have built a solid base for your business, have established a strong monthly cash flow and are confident the additional monthly charge will not become a financial burden.

There are three other methods that you may employ in building your new office cleaning business. However we do not recommend you employ them unless you have sufficient capital.

The first method is to buy an existing business. In buying a business that is already established you will be purchasing existing accounts, equipment, perhaps a vehicle and what is commonly referred to in the business as "Goodwill." Goodwill is the company your are purchasing's name and business reputation within the community. If you are considering buying an existing business make sure the company and it's owners have a strong track record of performing quality work at a fair price. If the owner(s) are tired of the business or have been trying to sell it for some time they may have been letting the accounts you are purchasing slide into a state of neglect by doing substandard work. In the end, if your purchase such a business, you will be throwing good money after bad.

The only way to find out about a company's business reputation is to check every account they are offering for sale. Call each account to find out if their customers are satisfied with the status quo. If there is even a few complaints, do not even consider for one moment purchasing the business.

Another way to build your business is to buy existing accounts. From time to time, you will find a large building maintenance company selling off some of their existing accounts. You will not be buying the whole business, just a block of accounts that another company has decided for a variety of reasons to sell. Again proceed with caution, investigating each account thoroughly. If there are any problems with even one account, forget the whole deal.

The last option you have in starting an office cleaning business is to buy into a franchise. While you will be buying into a company that has a high profile name and a strong track record with extensive training, you will also be required in most cases to purchase all of your equipment and supplies from the franchiser. You may also be required to pay them a franchise fee or percentage of your gross profits. Again, unless you have sufficient funds to purchase a franchise and keep it going, you would do better starting your business from scratch on your own terms

In closing, we would like to add a few helpful hints that may come in handy in your effort to build your office cleaning business:

• When soliciting new accounts, always be yourself. Most professionals are automatically turned off by high pressure sales people.

• While driving through your area always keep on the look-out for formally vacant offices or new construction that is being prepared for a new tenant. You will be able to obtain many clients by being one of the first cleaning services to solicit these new tenants.

• Always be prepared when you are soliciting a new client. Make a visual inspection of the premises and make a list of problem areas and how you could resolve them.

• Do not worry about the size of your business. If a potential customer shows some concern over the fact that you are a small company use this to your advantage. Simply stress the fact that as a small company you will provide hands-on personal attention and quality workmanship.

• Never under any circumstances should you criticize your competition. There are a lot of unprofessional individuals operating office cleaning businesses across the country. They do not last long and criticizing them in front of a potential client will only lower you to their level.

• Never give up on a prospect. The first couple of times that you solicit a potential client they may not be in the market for a new cleaning service or they may be too busy to comprehend the message you are trying to project to them. Eventually, with a little soft persistence you will get their attention.