How Commercial Cleaning Service Sellers Use Checklists to Increase Sales

Commercial cleaning service sales teams must check a lot of boxes before a sale is complete. Is there anything more satisfying than making your way down a checklist that helps meet your goals? It’s time to add a well-crafted commercial office cleaning checklist to your arsenal of sales tools. 

From understanding client needs to presenting a compelling sales pitch, this blog will show you how to use this niche asset to close more business.

The importance of a spotless business environment

A clean business environment looks aesthetically pleasing and professional while also reducing the spread of illness and enhancing employee well-being.

Cleanliness streamlines day-to-day activities. It ensures a smoother workflow and contributes to heightened productivity. Hygienic and uncluttered workplaces remove distractions, allowing employees to focus.

Furthermore, the importance of commercial cleaning services goes beyond the internal workings of the company—it impacts the brand image. In the eyes of customers, a spotless business environment is visual proof of excellence and reliability.

Understanding the needs of commercial clients

Commercial cleaning services can never be sold with a one-size-fits-all approach. That is one of the biggest challenges of selling commercial services—every company has different needs. 

Knowing that every office is unique is key. A cleaning checklist for offices should be more than just a list. It should be a plan that changes as the client’s needs change. This helps keep clients happy and lets you adjust your services to fit their needs.

What do you clean in commercial cleaning?

Crafting a checklist for commercial cleaning requires an understanding of service areas and their furnishings. For example,

• Reception: floor, mats, tables, doors, decor
• Cubicles: shelves and cabinets, windows, blinds, monitors, keyboards, bins
• Bathroom: floor, bins, basins, toilets, doors, fixtures
• Kitchen: floor, sink, utensils, faucets, appliances

What is the cleaning checklist for offices and how often do you clean?

The daily cleaning checklist for offices doesn’t cover all the tasks involved in keeping a workplace spotless. You can demonstrate how detail-oriented your business is by incorporating daily, weekly, and monthly checklists. Let’s dive into an example below.

Daily Cleaning

Area 1: Reception

• Straighten décor
• Clean floor mats
• Sweep or mop floors; dust other hard surfaces
• Organize reading materials on the table
• Dust amps, window shades, vents, etc
• Wipe door switches, handles, and baseboards
• Wipe glass gates without leaving streaks 
• Empty all bins and add new liners 
• Sanitize the counter and telephone 
• Sanitize furniture

Area 2: Cubicles

• Return any utensil or cutlery that is out of place
• Dust shelves and cabinets
• Empty trash cans and change liners
• Dust computer monitors, keyboards, and other computer equipment
• Dust windows, blinds, and window sills
• Disinfect desks, phones, and chair arms (if any)
• Wipe glass windows without leaving streaks
• Sweep or mop the floors

Area 3: Kitchen

• Dispose of food wrappers, unwanted food, etc
• Sweep or mop floors
• Clean all utensils and dishware
• Empty bins and change liners
• Sanitize the sink and faucets
• Disinfect the fridge shelves and surfaces
• Disinfect countertops or areas where people eat and prepare food
• Clean all kitchen appliances
• Fill the water cooler and replace cups

Area 4: Bathrooms

• Empty trash cans and add new liners
• Disinfect hard surfaces
• Sanitize all basins, toilets, doors, and fixtures
• Sweep up any rubbish.
• Fill up soap dispensers
• Wipe reflective surfaces like brass, mirrors, and glass
• Refill toilet paper and paper towel dispensers
• Empty bins and sanitary napkin dispensers

Weekly cleaning

Area 1: Reception

• Clean painted surfaces
• Clean light fixtures
• Vacuum fabric chairs, sofas, couches, etc
• Clear cobwebs out of corners, nooks, etc

Area 2: Cubicles

• Clear cobwebs out of corners
• Recycle papers and clean under desks or tables
• Sanitize high-contact surfaces like phones, keyboards, and staplers

Area 3: Kitchen

• Clean out the pantry
• Thoroughly clean and sanitize the microwave
• Empty the fridge; inform the team beforehand
• Polish the body of all stainless steel kitchen appliances
• Vacuum floors and under kitchen furniture
• Clean debris behind the vending machine, microwave, drawers, etc
• Empty leftover water from the cooler

Area 4: Bathrooms

• Clear out cobwebs in corners
• Vacuum and mop the floors with disinfectants
• Wipe the body of soap dispensers
• Disinfect the sides of urinals, doors, sinks, and appliances

Monthly cleaning

Area 1: Reception

• Shampoo and condition carpets
• Spot-clean any stains on fabric furniture
• Vacuum HVAC vents and change filters
• Vacuum under, inside, and behind desks, sofas, etc
• Vacuum dust bunnies or insect bits in the vents
• Deep clean surfaces and the grout between them

Area 2: Cubicles

• Wash and spot-clean fabric furniture
• Shampoo and condition carpets
• Vacuum air vents
• Rub down and polish all hardwood surfaces
• Deep clean keyboards, telephones, etc

Area 3: Kitchen

• Deep clean kitchen appliances
• Spot clean walls around food preparation areas

Area 4: Bathrooms

• Deep clean and sanitize tiled surfaces and grouts
• Polish surfaces
• Wash toilet bowls thoroughly

Sales strategies: Presenting the checklist to prospects

Use this commercial cleaning checklist as a strategic ally in winning over prospects. By demonstrating how your services align with the meticulous standards of your checklist, you build trust and confidence. Address common concerns and questions by showcasing the checklist as tangible proof of your offerings.

Ensure your sales team is equipped with the communication skills to showcase this asset. The checklist sets a benchmark for cleanliness, reliability, and professionalism when it’s presented effectively. Decision makers will see the level of care your organization brings to servicing their commercial space. 

Leveraging the checklist for sales success

Training your team to use the checklist effectively will lead to commercial cleaning sales success. Educate your team on the checklist’s selling points to turn it into a valuable asset for conversations with decision-makers. 

The checklist gives you an edge over the competition because your services are mapped out. As prospects gather estimates, the checklist provides a tangible way to compare offerings. 

Having a detailed checklist can also help you benefit from the law of reciprocity, which is the tendency for a person to offer something in return when someone does something for you.

In this case, when you help educate a prospect through the sales process and offer what to look out for through a comprehensive cleaning checklist, the prospect is more likely to feel gratitude toward your business. In turn, they’re more likely to reciprocate by either hiring your services or recommending your company to others.

A commercial office cleaning checklist sets the stage for mutually beneficial relationships.

Conclusion

Embrace the power of organization in your sales approach. Building and using a checklist reinforces the quality and professionalism you have to offer in your commercial cleaning services.

If you want to learn more ways to improve your facilities and janitorial sales teams, Convex is here to become your business solutions partner.