Cleaning contracts fill your schedule with predictable work. They are a great way to increase your cash flow and expand your cleaning business.
Where can you find clients willing to sign contracts for commercial cleaning? How do you bid on the job once you find them?
It’s not difficult to find and bid on a contract. Let’s walk you through the steps to sign your first contract and help your business grow.
What is a contract for commercial cleaning?
Cleaning contracts are agreements that provide cleaning services to a specific client on a regular basis. Clients can include offices, banks or schools, apartment blocks, or other spaces that are part of the business operations.
This is an example of a contract for a cleaning service in a business.
You should include in your commercial cleaning contract all of the conditions that govern your relationship with a customer, such as:
- Date of contract start and end
- Contract services (e.g. office cleaning, janitorial services, deep cleaning, carpet cleaning, window washing)
- Service area (address and building floor/unit).
- The amount, frequency, and method of payment
- Contract termination requirements
- Type of relationship between employer and employee (e.g., contractor, partner, etc.)
- There are no rules concerning safety or confidentiality
You may be asked to sign a contract by the client, or it could be that you have to create your own. Work with an attorney to ensure that the contract protects everyone.
Pro tip: Read up on any term you don’t know. Be aware of (and negotiate) terms such as “net 60,” which means that you will not be paid until 60 days have passed since you performed the service. This can affect your cash flow.
How do I create a cleaning contract?
You can ask your lawyer to draft a contract on your behalf. You may be tempted to write your own contract using a template for a cleaning contract, but it will not be tailored to your specific situation. This can expose your business to liability.
What are the cleaning contracts available?
You may hear about an opportunity to contract through your network, or a client could contact you directly. You can search for commercial cleaning contract listings on sites that list RFPs (requests for proposals).
Imagine that commercial clients are looking to hire for a specific role within their organization. You’ll find them in the same places as any other job.
Here is an example of a contract listing:
Tell your network you are always looking for new contract opportunities. You’ll be able to get new contracts by doing this.
Pro tip: Have you had a few cleaning contracts before but aren’t sure how to replicate your success? Consider how you found those opportunities. You may have found them through a relationship with a business partner or an industry event. This is a resource you can reuse.
How to sell your cleaning services to business clients.
You’ll have to be successful if you want your cleaning business to be a popular choice with commercial clients.
Use these tips to market your cleaning business to companies that require commercial cleaners.
- Select your market and services. Determine which cleaning services and your target audience you will offer. Consider what makes you different from other cleaning services and what would attract your ideal customer. Focus your marketing on the difference you offer.
- Create a professional image. Use your company name and logo on everything that your clients see, including uniforms, business cards, vehicle, etc.
- Create a presence online. Make your business easy to find online by creating a simple cleaning site as well as social media accounts for Facebook and Instagram.
- Create connections. Build a network of real estate agents and property managers. You could find a potential customer in any of them.
- Encourage positive word-of-mouth. Request testimonials from happy customers. Create a loyalty program to reward clients who refer by offering a discount.
- Train the team. Spend time training your cleaners to make sure they are aware of all services that your company provides. They can then help you promote your cleaning services both to new and existing clients.
Pro Tip: Unsure How to Get Clients for Your Cleaning Business Start a conversation with your existing clients to see if they are interested in cleaning contracts. You have already earned their trust, and they may be willing to establish a formal relationship.
You may wonder, “How do I get cleaning contracts from a brand-new company with no references?”
Over time, you can work up to larger clients by building relationships first with local businesses. You’ll gain more positive attention the more you work hard.
What are the different types of cleaning contracts?
Cleaning contracts are available with a variety of commercial clients, including offices, banks, and schools.
How to negotiate cleaning contracts with different types of clients:
Cleaning contracts for offices.
Unsure how to obtain office cleaning contracts. You can start by identifying a specific office or commercial building within your service area.
Call or email to book an appointment to speak to the property manager or the office manager to discuss what cleaning services could be included with your office cleaning service.
What should I charge to clean offices.
Office cleaning is usually charged per square foot, just like most commercial cleaning. Office cleaning rates range between $0.07 and $0.15 per square foot.
How to obtain cleaning contracts from banks.
You’ll first need to do some research on local banks. You should focus on independent banks while your business grows.
Make a list of smaller banks that you would like to work with. Contact the site manager of the bank to discuss your cleaning services. Cleaning foreclosed houses and banks is possible.
Before you can be added to the list of cleaning companies approved by your bank, you may have to submit an application. You and your employees will need to pass an extensive background check so that the bank is confident in your ability to handle cash and client information.
How to obtain cleaning contracts for schools.
Decide which school you want to clean.
- Public Schools will require that you submit a bid via a submission system. You’ll also need to register your business and sign up for the platform.
- Charter and private schools rely more on referrals and networking when hiring a commercial cleaning service.
Your proposal should emphasize how your products and services will save schools money and protect students.
Start with daycare centers or private schools if you’ve never cleaned an educational facility before. Subcontracting with another cleaning company will also give you the experience.
Pro tip: Create an entire page on your website about the cleaning services you offer. Your site will appear in the search results of any school administrators searching for cleaning services. You can direct all paid online advertisements to this page.
Cleaning contracts for apartments.
If you work with the right apartment complex, you can earn a good income from apartment cleaning. Contact the property managers of complexes within your service area to inquire about apartment cleaning services.
Apartment cleaning is more intensive than your average house cleaning service. Move-out cleaning is required after a tenant has left and before the new tenant moves into the apartment. This means heavy duty deep cleaning.
Pro tip: The time period between tenants is sometimes very short. It may be necessary to change the schedule of some other jobs. You might want to charge more for a rush job if you only have a few hours or days to clean the apartment.
Get residential cleaning contracts.
You may not be interested in residential cleaning contracts in Adelaide as a commercial cleaner. If you’re interested, here are some tips on how to secure residential cleaning jobs and housekeeping contracts for your business.
- Ask your clients who repeat or one-time customers to sign a contract.
- Offer a sign-up bonus or incentives such as a discount or a service upgrade.
- You can make the contract shorter (such as 6-24 months) so that the client won’t be locked in forever. You can also change the terms of your contract if you decide to raise your prices.
Leave a Reply