[JG100]

I am a struggling sales rep for a national janitorial company. I have tried soliciting door to door, cold calling, even tried paying an appointment setting company to setup appointments for me to go give free estimates (which was a total ripp off) none really worked to well. I am on salary and am in fear of losing my job because I am not producing enough business. At a minimum I would like to stay busy during the day out there submitting bids giving estimates but all my company tells me to do is to "hit the streets knock on doors" I haven't found much use in that. How do I get good janitorial leads or what would anyone recommend?

[Clough]

Hi, JG100!

Would the company for which you are working have any problem with you doing free advertising on the Internet for what you are trying to accomplish?

If not, then I can show you how you can advertise the most effectively and for free on the Internet. Most of my business for the various small businesses that I operate comes from the free advertising that I do on the Internet.

Thanks!

[JG100]

Actually no they wouldn't mind at all. They hired me to bring in business in any way shape or form I can. In fact I've tried 2 cold calling companies / appointment setting companies and both turned out being a total waste of my money. Bogus appointments, non existing appointments a total joke. I tried pay per clicks had a whole web page created and everything I didn't receive one legitimate lead. Ive done all this on my own small salary. I do the cold calling and business to business soliciting. I get accounts here and there but they are small time little jobs. I need to know how all the other large janitorial cleaning company reps stay busy giving estimates all week long. Do you have to join some kind of networking group? What can I do?

[Clough]

Hi, JG100!

Networking in any shape or form is always good!

Below, is something that I've already posted on a number of threads. All of the sites are free to use!

If you would like to advertise what you are trying to do and would like to know how to word your ads the most effectively, please let me know. There are good and not so good ways to word ads...

Thanks!

You do need to advertise. One of things that I do for a living is that I am a house painter. I really don't get many calls from my Yellow Page ads. But, most of my new business is from ads that I place on the Internet. The following is from an answer that I have already placed elsewhere on this site.

There are many places where you can have a free website or blog where you could advertise your business or anything else for that matter. Some of them can be found by clicking on the following searches.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=Free+Website

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=Free+Blog

Although I am in the Yellow Pages of the local phone book, most of my new business comes from the free ads that I have placed on the Internet in some way. It does take some time to set things up. But, once you have done it, you are set. You just need to keep track of when you might need to renew your ads. Some of them will let you know when it's time to renew, and most of them won't On some free advertising sites, your ads might not need to be renewed for years. For others, it ranges from maybe 14 days to 90 days.

I copy and paste what I have advertised into a message in my Drafts folder in the email program that is my primary one, and that would be Outlook Express. I also have a file in my email program that is titled "Passwords." It includes all passwords used as well as user names. Not all sites are going to let you use the same password, and the user name that you select might not be available on a particular site.

A really important thing to remember when doing online advertising is that it's not necessarily your name or the name of your business that people are going to be looking for, but what you do and where you are located. So, how you word your ad and the additional keywords that you use in it are very important. Google doesn't look for repeated words in site. However, some other search engines do.

There are a host of free advertising sites available. Most of the best ones that get the best exposure are on the following list. I have been doing online advertising for over three years now. It has paid off...

One time, someone found me looking for goats in Iowa. They are an animal rescue. They saw my ad on a site where one of my piano tuning ads was located and decided that they wanted to have their piano tuned.

I love it when people find me by accident! It could happen for you too with your business!

I do also frequently drive around and post my small advertising "shingle" with the pull-off tabs anyplace where I can find a free, public bulletin board where I can post them. These can be places like grocery stores, restaurants, bars, Laundromats, bowling alleys, public libraries, etc.

Here is the list of free advertising websites that seem to get the best exposure when people are doing searches for what they want on the Internet. Some of them are even international as far as where the ads reach, in case there is someone who might read what I have posted who wants to advertise on an international level. There are sites that don't get good exposure and, I don't use them. A person would have to be a member of and frequent those particular sites in order to know what is listed on them. I even post on sites that are located in other countries because the exposure is so good!

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[jrp88]

You can set your own appts by phone yourself. It's the most effeecient way to market janitorial services.

I do it everyday. My team sets appointments for several branch offices of a western usa based janitorial company.

[Fr_Chuck]

Well I sell ( various things over the years) commercial / industrial cleaning equipment right now and yep, door to door knock on the doors, ask for reference from existing customers, who were their managers working for before, who do they know in the industry. Find industry meetings, bring in lunch and more

[Reef215]

Which two appointment setting/lead generation companies did you use?

[chiquita86]

Hello I don't have not one cleaning contract. I am looking for help to getting some business. It has really gotten hard I lost my 9-5 and now its really time to build my business.