Do you run a cleaning business targeting banks but you are not getting jobs? If YES, here are 7 guaranteed steps to getting cleaning contracts with banks. A lot of opportunities exist in the cleaning industry.
You can work as a cleaner for residential homes, work as a construction cleaner or offer commercial cleaning services to offices and business organizations in your city.
Of all these three cleaning niches, however, commercial cleaning is the most profitable because most commercial organizations have a decent cleaning budget that allows them to pay decent rates for the services you offer them.
Banks get a lot of visitors daily and they understand the importance of keeping their banking halls clean and germ-free at all times because this can be a huge factor for customer attraction and retention.
The competition in the commercial cleaning market, especially bank cleaning, is very high. Most of the banks around you probably already have someone handling their cleaning services for them. To be able to get new cleaning contracts from banks, you have to be very smart and strategic about it.
Here, we show you some effective strategies to help you get cleaning contracts, even from banks that already have other cleaning companies working with them.
7 Guaranteed Steps to Get Cleaning Contracts With Banks
1. Do Your Research
First, you want to get a list of all the banks in your locality. Start with writing down the names of all the banks around you so that later, you can start striking some names out of the list to leave out the banks you are interested in working with.
Next, you should find out who handles each of the bank’s cleaning services. It is important to know who you are up against so that you can package a better offer that would beat theirs.
So do your homework and learn as much about the competing cleaning companies as you can. Most importantly, you want to find out their rates and the services they provide.
2. Come up With a Better Offer
Think about things that the current cleaning company is not offering that you can throw in as extras in order to make your services more attractive and affordable than those of your competitor.
For instance, you can offer waste disposal services, standby cleaners, window cleaning, free waste bins, seasonal floor stain removal, free cleaning products, or just about anything that would make your service look better and cheaper than what they already have access to.
You should also try to make your service cheaper than your competitor’s own because most of the time, people are just looking for better value for their money and when you can show them that you are offering them more value for cheaper than what they’ve been getting, then it doesn’t take much for you to convince them to do business with you.
3. Write a Business Proposal Letter
Before you write the letter, find out who is in charge of making decisions about contractors in the bank. This is the person you want to address your letter to and not to some random person who may end up dumping your business proposal in a trash can.
The business proposal should be written on your business letterhead and should be written in formal language.
In the letter, you should introduce your business to your prospective client.
Tell them who you are, what you do, how many years you’ve been doing this business for, and the names of a few notable customers that you have served, or are currently serving.
You should also tell them why you are writing to them and the juicy offers that they will get from you. You should also point out the fact that even though you are offering more value, your services are significantly cheaper than others in the industry.
Then to end your proposal, you should tell them that you’ll love to have a face-to-face meeting with them to discuss some other unique ideas or tailored proposals that you have prepared for them.
Send the letter, and then continue to follow it up until you get a face-to-face meeting with the person in charge of decision-making in the organization.
4. Sell Your Services in a Face-to-Face Interview
If you get to this point with any organization, then it means that they are interested in doing business with you. You may consider attending the interview with two of your finest cleaners dressed in their cleaning uniforms and a detailed company profile showing photos of your previous or current cleaning jobs.
At the interview, make sure you tailor all the features of your cleaning services to their benefit. Don’t just tell them about the features of your services, tell them how it will help to improve their business.
For instance, don’t just tell them you have insurance, tell them how the insurance can help to cover for any liabilities or damages that your cleaning services or crew may cause thereby helping them save money and protecting their business from disruptive liabilities.
If you can afford it, go with a little branded souvenir or gift that you will present to them so as to keep your business on their minds even after the meeting.
5. Sign a Contract
When they hire you, make sure you sign a contract with them. The contract should spell out all your duties and the extent of your liabilities as a cleaning company.
You are going to be working with a sensitive commercial organization and not a private residence so signing a contract must not be an option.
6. Ask for Referrals
The good thing about securing a contract with reputable commercial organizations is that once you secure a contract with one, the others will be willing to give you a chance.
Make sure you always have the names of the banks you currently work for on your marketing materials and always ask your current clients to refer you to others. Most of the managers, CEOs, and decision-makers have friends in other organizations that they can always refer you to.
However, doing a good job and maintaining a good relationship with them is the most important factor that would determine whether they would recommend your services to other people or otherwise.