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I've been reading on the forum for a few days and just wanted to see if I could get some help here. My parents and I have a small janitorial business in va and wanted some help on how I can go about getting some more business. We just deal with commercial. My parents have well over 20 years of experience in the field but we need help in getting some contracts now that they have their own business. I've tried cold calling but that doesn't seem to work so great. Thanks for the help.
Hi Applecs,
I have been in the commercial janitorial business for over 30 years and in my own for over 17 of those years. We do over $6M per year presently.
Yes, I understand that cold calling is difficult and may seem unproductive... at first. There are many ways to advertise; brochures, networking, websites, etc. I use them all, but cold calling and referrals have always been the best way to get new business.
Be politely aggressive. Keep knocking on doors and continue to follow up on any names or leads that you get. Continue to hone your skills at cold calling and talk to everyone, yes I mean everyone. Even if you think that person does not have a business to clean... they may know someone who does.
Getting business is just a difficult as keeping business, especially in this economy. And this business is not as easy as many may think as you and your parents probably already know. You just have to stay with it and eventually it will profit you.
If you would like, I can list some information that may help you in cold calling both on the phone and in person. Although I do both, I prefer in person as you can gather so much more information. Please let me know...
Stringer
Hi stringer,
I was actually hoping you would see this thread and respond. You seem like the most knowledgeable and experienced in this field. Yes I'd appreciate and thankfully take any info you have on cold calling and meeting with the right people. I also have some question's I'd like to ask you if you have the time.
This may be of some help Apple,
This first one is in two parts: How to make a cold sales call via the phone and what NOT to do... From Aurora University a good school: Please take the time to read this and practice it. I'll send more after you have read this and we can discuss it... ok?
Stringer
Greetings!
I picked up the phone and the sounding-
Too-cocky sales rep mispronounced my
Name and immediately launched into a pitch:
“I'm Pete Johnson with Nationwide Internet
And I'd like to tell you about how we could
Speed up your internet connection. I'd like to
Stop by next Tuesday and show you how we
Could do this. Would one or four in the afternoon
Be better for you?”
Obviously not a reader of this newsletter, the
Guy made every mistake he could in the short
Time he had his mouth open. He,
-didn't take the time to find out about my office
From the person who answered the phone here
Including what type of connection we have now
(He actually could not speed up my connection,
And I knew that for sure.)
-butchered my name (it's Sob'-check)
-made a bold assumptive statement about what
He mistakenly felt he could do, which signified
His ineptitude.
-asked for an appointment without asking questions
And giving me a reason why I should even continue
Speaking with him on the phone. Meet in person?
Are you kidding me?
For the purposes of this Tip, I'll focus on just one
Mistake: Being too assumptive or bold in an opening.
Don't Be Assumptive In the Opening
My premise here is quite simple. If you call someone
Cold and they don't know you or your company, and
The first thing they hear is how you “would” do something
For them, the first natural reaction is the fight or flight tendency. It causes the natural resistance to kick in. Stated simply, their reaction is, “You don't know me. How in the world could you say that? I'm going to argue with you and get rid of you.”
Granted, maybe you CAN do something for them.
What's important to realize is that THEY have not
Yet bought into that idea. (Con't)
part Two:
Here are words in an opening statement that
trigger the resistance:
“… want to show you how we could help you …”
“ … I know we can save you time and money …”
“ … we can improve your …”
“ … we can eliminate your problems in the area of …”
All of these statements make the assumption that
something is wrong. Again, maybe something is,
but if someone you don't know or respect tells
you that you're doing something wrong, what's
your response? Naturally you resent it. Same
is true on the phone.
OK, so what should we say?
“Weasel Words”
Use “weasel” or contingency words. For example,
“might,” “maybe,” “perhaps,” and “depending on”
are all good choices. As in,
“... the reason for the call is that depending on
your satisfaction with the speed and downtime of
your internet connection, we might be able to
help you cut down on the time you spend waiting
for pages to load, and your download time for email
and other files... ”
And notice how this leads right into questioning.
“... and if I've caught you at a good time, I'd like to
ask a few questions about your internet service... ”
Plus, if he would ask questions of whomever answers
the phone before getting to a decision maker, he might
uncover some problems in advance.
To be the best salesperson around, you have to try
and not sound like a salesperson.
Want to avoid the mistakes this guy made, and many
others I didn't list that salespeople use every day as
bullets to shoot themselves in the foot?
And, would you like a step-by-step process with proven
examples to create your own interest-creating opening?
And, how about if I offer to take a look at it after you
create it and give you my suggestions?
You can get all of that in my "How to Easily Create
Telephone Call Openings that Stimulate Interest, and
Avoid Resistance" 60-minute seminar on audio CD.
Check it out, and actually hear a sample at
BusinessByPhone.Inc
Art Sobczak, President of Business By Phone Inc.
<http://www.businessbyphone.com/cgi-bin/at.pl?a=169788>, specializes in
one area only: working with business-to-business salespeople--
delivering content-rich programs that participants begin showing results
from the very next time they get on the phone. He works with thousands
of sales reps each year helping them get more businesses by phone. Art
provides real world, techniques that help salespeople use the phone more
effectively to prospect, sell, and service, without morale-killing
"rejection."
For more information Art can be reached at:
Phone: 800-326-7721, Email: [email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>, Website: BusinessByPhone.Inc
<http://www.businessbyphone.com/cgi-bin/at.pl?a=169788>
Obviously Apple, you will have to edit and use your name and the cleaning business...but this is good 'stuff.'
Stringer
Thanks stringer for the cold calling article, it'll def be of help. Do you mind if I ask how long it took and how you got your first contract? Did you go out and get it or did you hire someone to go and talk to people?
Others that may help:
Janitorial Store - commercial cleaning tips and success tools for small cleaning companies
Top 10 Sales Mistakes | Company Activities & Management > Sales & Selling from Business Week
Open ended questions in sales that get the prospect to answer... talk:
information gathering
What prompted you/ your company to look into this?
What are your expectations/ requirements for this product/ service?
What process did you go through to determine your needs?
How do you see this happening?
What is it that you'd like to see accomplished?
With whom have you had success in the past?
With whom have you had difficulties in the past?
Can you help me understand that a little better?
What does that mean?
How does that process work now?
What challenges does that process create?
What challenges has that created in the past?
What are the best things about that process?
What other items should we discuss?
qualifying
What do you see as the next action steps?
What is your timeline for implementing/ purchasing this type of service/ product?
What other data points should we know before moving forward?
What budget has been established for this?
What are your thoughts?
Who else is involved in this decision?
What could make this no longer a priority?
What's changed since we last talked?
What concerns do you have?
establishing rapport, trust & credibility
How did you get involved in… ?
What kind of challenges are you facing?
What's the most important priority to you with this? Why?
What other issues are important to you?
What would you like to see improved?
How do you measure that?
I started as a janitorial salesman years ago. I was promoted to Sales Manager and then to VP of Sales and Marketing in the first 5 years.Quote:
Originally Posted by applecs
Got fired, started this business, yep fired!
Quite simply I learned all I could initially about this business from literature, on line, and the companies own info. Then I hit the streets, knocking on every business door I came to, kept records of whom I spoke with, called back if they ask me to... Within the first two weeks I had four proposals presented and sold one. That one sale proved to me that this was the business I wanted to be in. I was excited about the sale and (important) I always remained excited and it showed to my customers.
By the way, I was fired because I fired a lazy @$$ that deserved it, but I did not know that he was a cousin of the owner until it was too late:). But now I see that that was a blessing in disguise. When my partner and I started this business, I mortgaged my house to have the money, the first sale came in about two and a half weeks. However it was a medical account that billed at $18,500.00 per month and it went from there.
More questions? Ask away...
By the way, please read what I have posted earlier, there is good info there and I have more items, much more that could help you if you want to be helped. :)
Stringer
Thanks again for more help and the answers. I actually have a lot of questions, but I'll ask as I think of them. When you went out knocking on doors, who did you talk to and how did you get them to meet with you? Did you just go around to buildings that were near by your area? What type of cleaning does your business do? Do you have any government contracts? Sorry for asking so many questions, it's just rare to come across anyone that knows as much and as willing to help out. Thanks again
1. When you make first contact it is rare that you will see the decision maker. However, you can get a lot of information after telling the receptionist or secretary who you are:Quote:
Originally Posted by applecs
Who makes the decision to contract for your janitorial service, your cleaning at night?
(Ask for his/her card, if possible) Name, title, phone number, address with zip code, email address, etc.
Do you presently use a company that cleans your facility? Who might that be? How many people do they use each night? Have they been here for a long time? Tell me, do you think that they are doing a great job? etc.
Always be polite and smile, treat no one as a person less important. For your own good, this person can help you or 'kill' you. And always be grateful to them, next time bring them flowers or candy (something) and say 'you were very gracious...thank you very much.'
Does the company have a website?
2. After you have this information call the person the next day, leave a very brief voice mail if you cannot get through. Call again the same day, but do not leave another voice mail until the next day... you do not want to tick them off. If no contact try sending them a short email.
3. If/when you reach this person, tell them BRIEFLY why you are calling and who you are and your company. Simply ask them if there is any interest now or in the near future for your services. If so, set up an appointment to meet them and discuss HOW YOU CAN solve their problem/s once you have determined that there are problems.
Yes, if and when I got business I wanted this initial business to be close for control. Now we cover the complete northeastern part of Illinois (11 counties) and the northwestern half of Indiana.Quote:
Did you just go around to buildings that were near by your area? What type of cleaning does your business do? Do you have any government contracts?
Commercial, with 80% of our business in the medical market. It requires a lot of knowledge about hazmat, and special cleanings but it is a niche market and it has been good to us.
No government work at any level, to me it is worthless. Either they pay slow or not at all, especially in this economy.The 'sweat to reward' ratio is NOT there at all.
Also they always want the service on a silver platter and want to pay in copper pennies. You end up chasing that little profit that you made.
More? Fire away, I have to leave in a bit though.
Stringer
Np, it's getting late anyway I don't want to keep you from sleeping or getting work done. Just 1 more question today before you leave, where did you get your proposal from when you first started? Do you yourself know how to write them or is there a software or something companies can buy?
In the beginning I used what the company I worked for had. I reworked it and came up with a better one.Quote:
Originally Posted by applecs
Now I use one that I put together with the help of our attorneys that is a proposal and a contract combined.
Yes there are ones that I can give you that are online that are cheap and some that don't cost anything. But they will need to be tweaked a lot so that you cover your butt.
More?
I think that's enough for today, you've helped me a lot. Thanks and I'll keep posting as I need help. Hope you keep stopping by the forum so I can get more help later on.
Addicted my friend, addicted.Quote:
Originally Posted by applecs
I am here most everyday at some point for the last two years or more. I enjoy helping where I can.
You should check out the 'answer' portion and give advice where you can.
Good night now.
Stringer
Had to spread the rep but I must tell you I enjoyed reading your post.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stringer
I have no interest in starting a service of my own but I found your advice informative,understandable and very interesting. :)
You are to kind Artsy. Thank you. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by artlady
Stringer
Hi stringer. When you get a chance could you send me or post the proposals you were talking about last time? Thanks.
Later tonight or tomorrow Apple. I just got in and it is7:45 PM AND the Bears Game is on... everything stops when the Bears are on... :)
Stringer
Haha OK thanks. Take your time.
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