How To Get Cleaning Contracts and Grow Your Business

Cleaning contracts can offer steady work and predictable revenue. However, there’s a lot of competition for cleaning jobs, and turning a lead into a customer can take a lot of work.
In this guide, we offer 7 expert tips for how to get cleaning contracts so you generate steady income and grow your cleaning business.

Consider your preferences, the demand in your area, and your ideal customers

There are many different types of cleaning contracts: residential, commercial, industrial, and government contracts—to name just a few categories. Contracts can be short-term or long-term and entail daily, weekly, or monthly work. So, it’s important to clearly define what types of contracts you want and then focus on getting those.

A great place to start is to decide which types of properties you want to clean. For example, are you interested in cleaning private homes or commercial buildings? You can also focus on specific types of cleaning services, such as fire and flood restoration, tile cleaning, or janitorial services. 

Think about which types of cleaning services are in short supply in your area, as well as what will make your cleaning business stand out from competitors. For example, a large number of short-term rental properties in your neighborhood could present an opportunity for short-term rental cleaning. You might seek out contracts to clean these properties between guests.

Once you decide on a niche, outline what your ideal cleaning client looks like. Include:

• Where you’ll find them
• Their revenue or income, plus what they’re willing to pay
• How big their property is
• What appeals to them

For example, say you want an office cleaning contract. Your target customer will likely be an office manager or a facilities manager who works at the office in question. While the company might generate substantial revenue, the person who can hire you will likely want cost-effective office cleaning services since they need to manage budgets. They’ll need someone reliable and efficient who can maintain a clean, professional environment and handle regular cleaning schedules without disrupting daily operations.

Knowing details like these will help you actively seek out and market your services to leads that resemble your ideal cleaning customer, increasing your chances of landing contracts you actually want.

Use local SEO, social media ads, and cold marketing strategies

A great marketing strategy is essential to getting cleaning contracts. It’s how you’ll reach out to potential customers, letting them know what your business can offer and planting the idea that your cleaning services can help them solve their problems.

While there are many ways to promote your cleaning business, you’ll get the best bang for your buck by creating a strong online presence. Build a strong website and use search engine optimization (SEO) and social media ads to target homeowners or business owners who recently searched for cleaning services. For example, if you offer janitorial services, advertise to business owners who search for phrases like “best janitorial services in [your location].”

You should also reach out directly to potential customers. For example, you can go door to door to chat with homeowners or try cold-calling business owners. If you run a new cleaning company, consider walking into a business to speak with the owner or property manager. This can be a very effective way to show that you’re serious about winning their business.

Another idea is to keep tabs on home purchases or new business launches in your area. You can greet a new homeowner or celebrate a business’s grand opening with an offer for discounted cleaning.

Register as a supplier on bidding portals and sign up for automated alerts

Knowing how to get commercial cleaning contracts and other big contracts involves knowing where to look for open bids. These bids are usually for government, industry, or commercial cleaning services, and the contracts are often very lucrative. 

You’ll often need to register as a supplier on these sites to be eligible to submit bids. This typically involves providing information about your business, past performance, compliance with regulations, and more.

To find bids for government cleaning contracts, look on your state or local government sites. These sites often have dedicated portals or sections for bids and proposals. If you live in New York, for example, you might look at the New York State Contract Reporter. There, you’ll find various bids of $50,000 or more, including cleaning bids.

The process for getting commercial cleaning contracts can be similar, as many public institutions—including educational institutions and health facilities—use the same system.

Don’t just look for opportunities in these bidding portals. Take advantage of automated alert systems and similar features. This way, you won’t miss out on opportunities. For example, creating an opportunity profile on the New York State Contract Reporter enables you to receive daily alerts about cleaning opportunities that align with your preferences.

When you find good opportunities, review the bid request thoroughly to understand the requirements and scope. Provide a compelling sales pitch (see Tip 4 below) and competitive pricing (see Tip 5). Include references or testimonials if you have them, and follow all submission guidelines carefully.

Use our sales pitch template: Introduce > Explain > Highlight > Ask

A well-rehearsed 30-second sales pitch can make the difference between landing a new customer or having a lead disappear.

Here’s a template for your pitch:

• Introduce yourself and your business: Stand out by mentioning how many customers you’ve served or how many positive customer reviews your business has.
• Explain what cleaning services you offer: This doesn’t need to be an exhaustive list, but it should highlight your business’s specialty.
• Highlight what makes your business stand out: Explain why your business is better than competitors. Maybe you offer a service others don’t have lower prices, or do a more thorough cleaning job.
• Ask what your customer is looking for: Listen carefully to their answer so you can directly address their concerns in your follow-up.

Example: Hi, I’m [name] from [business name]. My home cleaning business has helped over 50 clients, and it has a 5-star rating on Angi. We’d like to begin specializing in open house cleaning—making sure properties look their best for showings. Our competitive rates and care for what we do set us apart, and we guarantee that after we clean your properties, potential buyers will be impressed. What are your biggest cleaning needs for open houses? We’d love to help your real estate agency.

If the conversation goes well, get in touch promptly with a quote. For large or long-term contracts, it may help to offer a trial cleaning at a reduced rate. This gives the customer a chance to see the quality of your work and offers you an opportunity to alleviate any unease that may be holding them back from signing a deal.

Top tip: Offer discounts based on the duration of the contract

One of the challenges of learning how to get commercial cleaning contracts and other cleaning contracts is figuring out how to price your services. The price you charge for cleaning needs to be competitive with your market—but not too low. You never want to get stuck in a contract that isn’t profitable.

Here are common rates for different types of cleaning jobs (actual rates will depend on the square footage of the property, what the building is like, and various other factors):

• Residential home: $200-$400/job
• Small offices: $200-$400/job
• Larger commercial buildings: $800-$1,200/job
• Restaurants: $350-$600/job

Be realistic about how much you need to make on a cleaning job, and always do a walkthrough of your customer’s space before you decide on a price. That way, there are no surprises when you show up on the first day of your contract.

When presenting a quote to your customer, offer a few different packages with discounted rates based on the duration of your contract. For example, if you normally charge $300 to clean a house, you could offer a rate of $275 per cleaning for 6 monthly cleanings or $250 per cleaning for 12 monthly cleanings.

This type of pricing structure incentivizes customers to sign contracts instead of hiring your company on an as-needed basis. It also makes customers feel like they’re getting a great deal on your cleaning service, which is key for customer retention.

Use checklists and customer feedback forms

One of the best ways to grow your cleaning business is to wow your customers with the quality of your service. The more your customers love your cleaning, the more likely they are to recommend your business to friends and colleagues and renew their current contract when it ends.

To provide the best possible service, use checklists to ensure your team is covering every cleaning task. Customizing your checklists to each customer’s property is a great way to make sure you address the details they care about—including any they raised in your initial conversations.

It’s also a good idea to collect feedback from customers after each cleaning session. This ensures your customers feel heard when they have an issue and gives you a chance to address any problems right away.

Upsell your services during contract renewals to secure better contracts

When a contract renewal comes around, it might be tempting to simply extend or repeat the signed contract you already have in place. But that’s a missed opportunity since many satisfied customers are willing to invest more deeply in your cleaning services when they sign a new contract. In fact, one study found that upselling customers on additional services can boost revenue by up to 30%.

Think about what additional cleaning needs your customer might have that you’re not already handling. For example, maybe they have a second office or home or need specialized cleaning for a part of their property you don’t currently clean. Bring this up when you’re discussing the contract renewal and explain how your company can help.

Conclusion

Learning how to get cleaning contracts can help you secure a steady revenue stream for your cleaning business and grow your company. Professional branding, marketing, seeking out bids, and a great sales pitch can help you find new customers, while existing customers offer opportunities for contract renewals.

Using a cleaning services app like Connecteam can help your business go above and beyond customers’ expectations and earn repeat contracts. Connecteam offers custom cleaning checklists, communication tools for your team, streamlined scheduling, and more. 

Try Connecteam for free today!

FAQs

What should go in a cleaning contract?

A cleaning services contract should include contact information for your business and your customer, a list of the services to be provided, the cost of your services, and details about how frequently cleaning services will be provided. It should also include payment terms, contract cancellation terms, and a termination date for the contract.

Do I need to bid on commercial cleaning contracts?

In some cases, companies will put out a request for bids for cleaning services. In this case, you must submit a proposal that includes how much you’ll charge for the requested services. However, you can get commercial cleaning contracts without bidding by reaching out directly to business owners and property managers.