Cold Calling Success for Cleaning Companies
by Steve Hanson
Published on this site: October 7th, 2005 - See
more articles from this month
Most people recoil in fear at the thought of cold calling
in order to make sales for their cleaning business. But if
you spend your time sitting in your office waiting for people
to come to you, you're going to have a long wait. If done
properly, cold calling can be an effective sales technique for your cleaning
business.
The following tips won't eliminate your fear of cold calling,
but they can help to make it a more positive, successful experience
for you.
- Remember the purpose of a cold call. Many people
think that the purpose of a cold call is to get the sale
- wrong. The purpose of the call is to get an appointment
so you can get a chance to make the sale.
- Do your research. Don't just pick up the phone
and start dialing. You need to do a little research first.
Who is your target market? Start making a list of the companies
who fit into your niche and then start doing preliminary
research on each company before calling. For example, find
out if they have a web site and read it thoroughly. Find
out who the decision-makers are. See if they're a member
of the Chamber of Commerce to get additional information
that way.
- Be nice to the gatekeeper. It's very likely that
when making cold calls you're going to be connected to the
gatekeeper (assistant to the decision-maker, receptionist,
etc.). Be friendly, learn their name and use it, and maybe
say something like, "I wonder if you could help me?"
You want to get them on your side, willing to give you the
information you need. Ask if they can help you get the name
of the person you need to talk to or when would be the best
time to contact that person.
- Call early in the morning. This is typically the
best time to reach the decision-makers. It's also a time
when most people are more pleasant and have more energy.
- Prepare your script. Don't just "wing it".
This will keep you from making common mistakes like opening
up with, "How are you today?" This will give them
a chance to end the call before it's even started
You should start the conversation with a greeting and an
introductory statement, which can transition into more dialogue.
For example, "Good morning, Mr. Smith. This is Tom
Jones of ABC Cleaning Company. I recently read in the business
section of the local paper that you're moving your business
to a larger location. We specialize in commercial cleaning
services in buildings of this size and can help you to reduce
your monthly maintenance costs by using proven cleaning
systems that also use environmentally friendly products.
I'd like to ask you a few questions in order to determine
the amount of savings we can potentially provide your company."
- Prepare for the rest of the call. It's difficult
at this point to completely script the call, but you should
have a list of the benefits of your services and the reasons
that the prospect should buy from you over the competition.
Don't simply make a list of features, like being bonded
and insured. While that's an important consideration after
you've made the sale, the prospect only cares about what's in it for them at this point in
the call.
Make a list of possible objections that they're likely to
make like, "We already have a cleaning service that
we're happy with," and then craft statements to overcome
the objections.
- Ask for an appointment at a specific time. Don't
simply end the call by saying something like, "Can
we meet next week to discuss this?" Instead say, "Would
next Tuesday at 10 a.m. be a good time to meet?"
- Be persistent. They say that most people need
7 to 10 "touches" before the're ready to make
a purchase, so don't give up after only one or two calls!
Try sending a Thank You card after the call thanking them
for taking the time to talk to you. Most people appreciate
this simple, thoughtful gesture.
- Practice makes perfect. The only way to get better
at cold calling is to practice. You may never really enjoy
it, but you can definitely get better at it the more you
practice. Remember, your customers are out there, you just
need to let them know about you!
Steve Hanson is co-founding member of The Janitorial
Store (TM), an online community for owners and managers of
cleaning companies who want to build a more profitable and
successful cleaning business. Sign up for Trash Talk: Tip
of the Week at http://www.TheJanitorialStore.com
and receive a Free Gift!
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