Although I have had some nice success marketing to get commercial work, I am still having a hard time with regards to prospects that have the All-in-one office cleaning service.

I would love to be able to convince these people of why it is better to have a qualified professional clean their carpets rather than the guy who also scrubs the toilets and empties the waste baskets. These companies make it seem as if carpet cleaning is no different than wiping down a urinal.

I know that some of these offices don't have much of a choice since the owner/manager includes the service with the lease agreement, even though they aren't happy with the way the carpets look. These carpets are supposedly cleaned every month but look worse than carpets I cleaned 3+ months ago.

I would love to show them a cost comparison of the levels of cleaning between the two. I just feel that many of these places will just say "carpet cleaning shmarpet cleaning, it's all the same".

I know I should be happy with what I have accomplished and what I will get, but I just don't get why some of these places would rather replace the carpet much sooner rather than hiring the best cleaner that will get them the most longevity out of their investment.

I would give you some advice, but since we also scrub toilets( actually swab) empty trash, dust, strip and wax, for some clients,you would not want to hear what I have to say.

I to also swab johns, so. You get nothing from me.

With regards to paragragh 4 Fred, I would Have to say don't shoot yourself in the foot by not doing what you would Love to do because you FEEL(or assume)there reponse. Just go ahead and give it a shot and see what the result will be. Then learn from it. Theres nothing like experience. If it gos well then see how you can do it better. If it go's bad then learn from it how you could have approached.



Thanks
Your Servant Alex

Cultivate the "OCCD" you had at first for the industry!

Pretty full of yourself aint ya Freddy. I scrub toilets and clean carpet, I've been doing it for 15 years. I sell my accounts a "Totally Clean" office. Just like I learned to scrub toilets I learned to clean carpets. I have been to all the IICRC classes you went to also. The thing I learned you haven't is not to walk by money and to quit chasing my tail.

You toilet scrubbers better wash your hands before introducing yourselves to us professionals.

I know exactly where Fred is coming from. I don't think he means any disrespect to you guys who run a high quality full service cleaning company. I think he's referring more to those massive building maintenance companies like ABM that do everything and nothing at the same time.

I have pretty much given up on chasing those big buildings that have the entire building wrapped up in a nice package deal. I don't just mean janitorial. We're talking building maintenance from A to Z.

On the other hand, my company does residential and commercial general cleaning as well. It's always a good idea to be diversified, especially in times like these. Each service you offer often ends up opening the door for other services you offer.

People like a one stop shop. Just look at those building maintenance companies. Even if the quality of there work leaves a lot to be desired, the convenience is more important.

Prequalifying janitorial or cleaning companies capabilities is like lumping all carpet cleaners into bait and switch companies. I have met cleaning crews that clean carpet better than some fly by night cleaners. Yet I have also seen the results of carpet cleaners adding cleaning services with more detail than cleaning crews.

It all comes down to the tech and pride in the service you provide. As for bidding frustrations it comes with the territory. Just need to figure out where to better spend your time on commercially. Keep prospecting, you will get some and you won't, thats business thats life.

I don't mean any disrespect to anyone cleaning offices. I was a porter for Dunkin Donuts for 3 years in high school. I cleaned the toilets, mopped the floors, and emptied the trash 7 days a week.

I am sure that there are all-in one services that do a better job than some so called professional carpet cleaners. I am talking about some of the places that I have walked into. I have seen the condition of the carpet and can tell that these all in one companies just aren't cleaning it right. Many of these building are gorgeous on the outside (state of the art design). Their tenants include companies like Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch etc... Yet the common area carpets look terrible. I have seen how the guys clean the carpet. They just do a quick once over with bonnet cleaning, cleaning all the traffic patterns the same way.

I am just looking for a way to sell myself to these buildings. I would like to be able to show them that by hiring a qualified cleaner that sets up a proper maintenance plan, they really wouldn't be spending any more money than what some of the all-in-one service are charging them, yet the carpets would look much better. I think that they feel that they are saving money with the one stop shopping mentality. I would love the opportunity to show them otherwise.

Fred

PS. I am still going to go after these place because I know that there will come a time when they will be ready for a change and I will be the (pain in the but that keeps sending them stuff and dropping by) one that comes to mind.

Fred-
Keep handing them FREE gift certificates for 100 SF with before and after pictures of other work. I like the Free gift certificates instead of demo cleaning.

The words FREE and Gift Certificate seem like more percieved value than demo clean.e overs a new mgr. could take over and have OCD.

You may be surprised with all the corporate chang

It can be very discouraging when you see the condition of the carpets in some of these buildings. We all face the same problems you have outlined in your post. Sooner or later the crap will hit the fan and the cleaners will screw up, and that is when you want your name to be the first one that comes to there attention. Keep hammering away at them you just never know when the phone call will come.

I can truthfully say that about 50% of our commercial carpet maintenance work has come from us solving problems caused by the same people you referenced in your original post.

The other thing to be aware of is that over half the carpet out there is never ever cleaned professionally, so there are lots of opportunities to sell your services, it will not come to you, you need to go find it.

On those big accounts it usually comes down to being in the right place at the right time.

As the former Ops manager for some of the largest janitorial companies in the country, it allowed me to understand the mindset of most of the customers I sell our carpet cleaning services to. so heres what you have to understand large facility managers are more prone because of budgets to try to deal with one company so they can simplfy building operations. But if you stay on track youll find that its much more profitable to let the large guys screw up the buildings and like us we charge restoration prices to fix there mess. Now if you really want the large facilities try teaming up with the multi service companies and offer to do their carpet cleaning and let them mark it up to there customer.