Commercial Cleaning Sales

How to Get Commercial Cleaning Clients: A Practical Guide

By Marlon Cummins   |   July 24, 2026   |   12 min read

Consistent prospecting helps commercial cleaning owners create more opportunities instead of waiting for referrals.

If you want to know how to get commercial cleaning clients, the first thing to understand is that waiting is not a strategy.

When I started my commercial cleaning business in 2003, the Yellow Pages still mattered. I invested in a Yellow Pages advertisement, put large cleaning graphics and my phone number on my vehicle, handed out business cards and flyers, and used every reasonable opportunity to get my name in front of local businesses.

Some of those methods have changed, but the principle has not: people cannot hire a cleaning company they do not know exists.

If I were starting again today, I would use Google to build a prospect list, make direct calls, send emails, use LinkedIn, visit local businesses, improve my Google Business Profile, and turn my vehicle into a moving billboard. I would choose a realistic daily activity level and repeat it consistently.

This guide explains how I would approach that process based on approximately 20 years of firsthand experience as a commercial cleaning owner-operator.

Commercial Cleaning Clients Rarely Appear From One Marketing Method

New cleaning business owners sometimes search for one perfect source of customers. They want to know whether they should use social media, cold calling, email, flyers, referrals, paid advertising or something else.

My experience was that multiple touchpoints worked better.

In the beginning, my Yellow Pages advertisement and vehicle signage produced results. Later, I used Google Ads, business cards, flyers and other methods to keep the company visible. Friends and existing relationships could also create referrals, but referrals should not be your entire prospecting plan.

If I were doing it today, my core channels would include:

• Cold calling local commercial prospects
• Targeted email outreach
• LinkedIn research and direct outreach
• Walk-ins, business cards and flyers
• Vehicle advertising
• Google Business Profile and customer reviews
• Referrals from customers, friends and business relationships
• Paid advertising when the budget allows

You do not have to use every method at once. You do need at least one method you can execute consistently, and a multichannel approach gives prospects more opportunities to notice and remember you.

The Vehicle Sign That Led to Nearly Seven Commercial Contracts

Start With a Defined Commercial Prospect List

Do not sit down to make calls without knowing whom you intend to contact. Researching and calling at the same time makes the work slower and gives you more opportunities to procrastinate.

Use Google, Google Maps, LinkedIn, local directories and the areas you drive through to build a list before your prospecting block begins.

Your list can include:

• Property-management companies
• Condominium and apartment communities
• Privately owned office buildings
• Small professional offices
• Construction companies with their own offices
• Medical and dental offices that fit your capabilities
• Retail, warehouse or light-industrial facilities within your service area

Look for businesses that match the size and type of account you can serve reliably. A contract is not a good opportunity if you cannot staff it, schedule it or perform the required work correctly.

Do Not Overlook Standalone Commercial Buildings

Small, independently owned commercial buildings can be strong prospects. Some do not have a dedicated maintenance department. The owner or staff may still be handling cleaning and small facility tasks themselves, even though they no longer want to do it.

Those buildings may not offer the largest contract in town, but they can create practical opportunities for a newer company. They can also produce additional work beyond routine cleaning.

Find the Person Who Can Move the Conversation Forward

The first person you speak with is not always the final decision-maker.

An office manager or facility manager may contact you, explain the problem and arrange the walkthrough. A receptionist or administrative assistant may answer your first call. Final approval may come from an owner, property manager, regional manager, board or purchasing department.

Your objective is to learn how the decision is made and who participates in it.

You can ask:

• Who handles decisions concerning cleaning vendors?
• Who should I speak with about your current cleaning service?
• Will anyone else participate in reviewing the proposal?
• What information will that person need from me?

Treat the gatekeeper professionally. That person can help you reach the correct contact, explain the organization’s process and prevent you from sending information to the wrong place.

The First Call Is Not About Selling the Contract

One reason cleaning business owners avoid prospecting is that they believe they must convince a stranger to buy immediately.

That is usually the wrong objective.

Commercial prospecting is closer to dating than asking for marriage the first time you meet someone. The first goal may be learning the decision-maker’s name. The next goal may be getting a direct email address, scheduling a short conversation or arranging a walkthrough.

You build the relationship in stages:

• Identify the right company.
• Reach the right person.
• Start a relevant conversation.
• Ask for an appointment or walkthrough.
• Understand the facility and scope of work.
• Prepare and send the proposal.
• Follow up professionally.

Your first call does not have to close the account. It has to earn the next reasonable step.

Cold Calling Still Works When You Call With Intent

Cold calling is not dead. It is uncomfortable for many owners because rejection is immediate and personal. But it is still only a phone call.

Do not dial merely to claim that you hit a number. Call with the intention of reaching someone, learning something or moving the opportunity forward.

A productive call can result in:

• The decision-maker’s name
• A direct email address
• Information about the current vendor or renewal timing
• Permission to send your capability information
• A scheduled follow-up
• An appointment or walkthrough

You may need several touches before receiving a meaningful response. That is why your tracker and follow-up dates matter as much as the first call.

Choose a Calling Level You Can Sustain

A full-time salesperson may be able to complete 75 to 100 intentional calls in a day, but that is not a realistic one-hour target for an owner who is cleaning accounts, writing proposals, buying supplies and managing operations.

For a busy solo owner, 10 to 15 well-prepared calls per day can be a realistic starting point. An owner focused heavily on growth may increase that to 20 or 30. A dedicated prospecting day can support a larger call block.

The important question is not whether you completed an impressive number once. It is whether you can maintain the activity every week while keeping accurate notes and completing the required follow-up.

Use Email, LinkedIn and Walk-Ins to Support Your Calls

Some prospects will not answer the phone. Others will ask you to send information. That is why phone calls should be supported by additional channels.

Email

Keep your initial email short. Identify who you are, explain why you are contacting that particular business and ask for a small next step. Avoid sending a long company history to someone who has not expressed interest.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn can help you research job titles and identify property managers, facility managers, operations managers and business owners. Use what you learn to make your call or email more specific.

Walk-Ins

Old-school prospecting can still work. Visit appropriate local businesses, introduce yourself professionally and leave a capability sheet, business card or flyer. Do not demand an immediate meeting. Ask who handles cleaning decisions and how that person prefers to receive information.

Consistency matters across every channel. A person who does not respond to one email may remember your vehicle, recognize your company name during a later call or keep your card until the existing cleaner creates a reason to reconsider.

Build Local Visibility and Trust

Direct outreach puts you in front of businesses before they search for a cleaner. Your online presence helps confirm that you are legitimate after they hear from you.

Create and maintain a Google Business Profile, keep the contact information accurate and ask satisfied customers for honest reviews. Prospects may search your company name after seeing your vehicle, receiving your email or speaking with you on the phone.

Your website, profile and reviews do not replace prospecting. They support it by giving people evidence that your company exists and takes its work seriously.

Look Beyond Routine Cleaning for Additional Revenue

Cleaning can be the entry point into a broader facility relationship.

Some independently owned buildings do not have a maintenance team. Once the owner trusts you, the company may ask whether you can help with other tasks.

During my years in business, additional work included:

• Window cleaning
• Carpet cleaning
• Stripping and waxing floors
• Moving furniture
• Picking up and removing trash
• Delivering or picking up boxes and supplies
• Exterior cleanup
• Other basic maintenance-related tasks

I did not personally perform every specialized service. When a customer requested work outside what I could handle, I could hire someone qualified to complete it, pay that person and earn additional revenue for coordinating the job.

Do not promise work you cannot safely or competently deliver. But do ask questions, notice what the building needs and consider whether complementary services belong in your offer.

Follow Up After the Walkthrough and Proposal

Getting the walkthrough is not the end of prospecting. Sending the proposal is not the end either.

A commercial proposal may need approval from several people. The contact may be comparing vendors, waiting for a budget decision or handling other responsibilities. Silence does not automatically mean rejection.

Follow up to confirm receipt, answer questions, learn the decision timeline and determine whether additional information is needed. Do not immediately offer a discount simply because the prospect has not responded.

For a complete follow-up schedule and message examples, read How to Follow Up After Sending a Commercial Cleaning Proposal.

A Practical 30-Day Plan to Find Commercial Cleaning Clients

Week 1: Build the Foundation

• Define the types of commercial facilities you want to serve.
• Choose a realistic service radius.
• Prepare your business cards, capability sheet and basic call script.
• Update your website and Google Business Profile.
• Build the first 50 to 75 prospects in your tracker.
• Decide how many intentional calls you can complete consistently.

Week 2: Begin Direct Outreach

• Call your selected prospects each business day.
• Send short, targeted follow-up emails.
• Use LinkedIn to identify missing decision-makers.
• Record every outcome and next follow-up date.
• Visit a small number of strong local prospects in person.

Week 3: Increase Visibility

• Continue the daily call and email routine.
• Follow up with everyone who requested information.
• Ask existing contacts for relevant introductions.
• Distribute business cards or flyers in carefully selected areas.
• Get estimates for professional vehicle lettering or graphics if your budget permits.

Week 4: Review and Improve

• Count calls completed, people reached and decision-makers identified.
• Review how many conversations produced appointments or walkthroughs.
• Identify which types of businesses responded most often.
• Improve the weakest part of your script or follow-up process.
• Add new prospects so the next month begins with a full list.

Do not judge the entire strategy after a few calls. Your first month is about creating opportunities, learning the market and building a process you can repeat.

Common Mistakes That Keep Cleaning Owners Invisible

• Waiting for referrals instead of creating daily activity
• Trying one marketing method briefly and quitting
• Calling without researching the prospect
• Attempting to sell the entire contract during the first conversation
• Failing to ask who makes the decision
• Using vehicle signs that are too small to read
• Sending proposals without following up
• Tracking dials but not conversations, walkthroughs or next steps
• Ignoring additional services the facility genuinely needs

Most of these mistakes come from inconsistency or fear. The solution is not a clever slogan. It is a clear list, a workable script, a daily activity target and disciplined follow-up.

Start the Conversation and Keep Showing Up

There is money in commercial cleaning, but opportunities rarely arrive on your preferred schedule.

Business owners replace unreliable cleaners. Property managers add buildings. Companies move, expand, renovate and change vendors. You cannot control when a prospect will need help, but you can improve the likelihood that they know your name when that moment arrives.

Make the calls. Send the emails. Visit appropriate buildings. Build relationships with property managers and local owners. Make your vehicle visible. Ask for the next step instead of demanding an immediate sale. Then follow up and keep accurate records.

About the Author

Marlon Cummins

Marlon Cummins is a former commercial cleaning owner-operator with approximately 20 years of firsthand experience. He now helps cleaning business owners identify where opportunities are leaking and install practical systems to improve their lead generation, follow-up and growth.