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I am providing a service. My service is to provide a good cleaning company for this customer. As I achieve this goal, I am rewarded financially and spiritually. HOW IT ALL BEGAN 4 WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A JANITORIAL BROKER 6 WHY WOULD A CUSTOMER HIRE A BROKER? 12 HOW TO FIND YOUR BUYERS 15 FINDING THE CUSTOMERS 33 WHAT AND WHEN DO I TELL THE CUSTOMER? 51 THE SALES TRANSACTION 63 AGREEMENT FOR SALE OF ASSETS 65 THE COST OF AN APPOINTMENT 70 MANAGEMENT SERVICES-ANOTHER APPROACH 74 HOW BOUT THE MONEY? 81 INTEGRITY 88

THE FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY 94 A LITTLE ABOUT ME AND CLEANING 99 How it all began? It was a beautiful San Francisco morning in 1980 or 81, I do not recall. I was sitting in my office in the Phelan Building, the first major office building to be constructed after the 1906 earthquake in downtown San Francisco. The phone rang and this fellow was trying to convince me to take a look at a bank right down the street. He was selling the janitorial contract to clean the bank. I remember I thought it was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard of. When he told me he bid the location at $285 per month and wanted three times that amount to buy the account, a cool $855, I thought this guy was totally off his rocker. Well, remaining polite, I said I would take a look and call him back if I was interested. I did take a walk down the block to look at the Branch. I still remember, it was a branch of Eureka Savings. I thought the bid was low even though it was a small location. It should have been bid closer to $385 per month instead of $285. Considering that the bid was low and that I thought the entire idea of buying a janitorial contract was the craziest thing I had ever heard of, I forgot about it and never returned the call.

Well, Im here to tell you, 20 years and three businesses later, I was the one without the foresight. The company that called me was a janitorial exchange. Though I never met the owners, I heard from many, many people they were very successful, drove fancy cars and lived in the best parts of town. As far as I know, they are still in business today. Buying and selling janitorial accounts, at least in Northern California, is very common. The customer is now aware of them and accepts janitorial brokers. Most cleaners now assume someone selling janitorial accounts is a broker. As far as I can tell, it started with a business in the San Francisco area in the late 70s. There may have been individuals who sold accounts on their own or on occasion, but I cannot find any other company that took it to the level of a full time business like that first company did. In time, there were several companies selling janitorial accounts in the Bay Area including yours truly. It is a very lucrative business. It is not hard nor is it a lot of work to start. It does have its problems and it creates its own problems just out of the nature of the business. It can be a service to both the Customer and the cleaner and it can be dishonest and cutthroat. Im going to tell you everything I know about the business. How to do it, how to get it started, the pitfalls you may encounter and, most important, how to stay honest. Whenever you are in a business where money is the

one and only objective-not customer satisfaction, not quality work or a quality product, just money than your personal character and integrity become paramount traits. What it Takes to be a Janitorial Broker? Every career, every job seems to have its own particular characteristics and attract people to it or from it because of those features. Some people hate cleaning. They cannot even imagine cleaning a public restroom or someones home. When I was working as a janitor myself, the dirtier the bathroom or home the better. I could not wait to turn a miracle and get the place looking spiffy. To be a janitorial broker requires certain very specific characteristics. The people who are most successful at this seem to share these features: 1. They are usually young and attractive 2. They are persistent 3. They work hard, long hours, when they are on the road 4. They do not mind being totally on their own 5. They are Pleasing, Polished and Professional 6. They are sharp negotiators

Lets take a look at each characteristic. You can see if it fits you and/or if it is something you may need to attend to if you plan to proceed as a janitorial broker. Young and Attractive In the mid-80s, I knew a woman who had a business in downtown San Francisco. She told me that about once per year a janitorial brokerage company in San Francisco would call and have someone come by to meet with her and bid on her office cleaning needs. She told me each one was prettier than the last. This janitorial brokerage had several salespeople. They were hired more on their appearance than anything else. I knew the firm, they were very aggressive and they used every means to get an account. If the contact in an office was a man, they would send an attractive saleswoman. Since we usually work with women in the cleaning business, most of their salespeople were men and were pulled right out of the college gym. My friend said she resented it since it was so obvious they were selling sex but Im pretty sure she was in

the minority. The point is, most of the people I have known in this business were in there 30s, attractive and knew how to dress and present themselves well. In all sales positions, not just janitorial brokers, it is important to look as good as you can. You should dress well and look good in your clothes and it must be admitted a youthful appearance can definitely be a plus. Persistence Persistence is key in all types of sale positions. When I first went into the cleaning business, I called on a restaurant that I wanted to clean each and every week for about 6 weeks. Finally, the owner said I could clean it if for no other reason that he was tired of seeing me come by every week. He was not the first person that gave me his business due to my persistence. However, that was nothing compared to the stories I heard about some janitorial brokers. At least I always remained polite and professional. If a prospect finally told me I was calling too

much, I backed off. Some janitorial brokers are famous for their aggressiveness. One fellow was not immune to yelling and screaming for an account. People that bought accounts from him always had a story to tell about how this fellow did anything and everything to get some ones business. When I had my first cleaning service in the 70s and 80s, one janitorial broker was after one of my largest accounts. He would go to that office each and every morning looking for dirt or problems and report it to the office manager. Every morning he looked for something we missed. If you look hard enough of course you can always find something. I could not believe how brazen he was. He took control of that office and he took control of that office manager. I finally let the account go I was so tired of hearing her calls and complaints and seeing what was actually happening. You do not have to be a steamroller but you do have to be persistent to be a janitorial broker. If you are afraid to make calls, cold calls or market, you either get over it or get out of this

business. This business is all about getting in the door again and again. Hard Work Contrary to what some cleaning companies may think, when you are making a lot of calls and driving all over the landscape, being a janitorial broker is hard work. I suggest in this book to only market three days per week because if you do it more than that you will look and feel too tired. I had a policy of never taking appointments on Friday. By the time Friday arrived, I was usually so tired I could barely get out of bed. Being on the road, calling on three to five prospects per day is hard work. My goal was to have a minimum of three appointments each day. I have had as many as eight. As long as they are in the same vicinity, I can handle them all physically. But by the end of the day, after about five I can no longer remember who is who. When you work as a janitorial broker, expect that at least

three days per week you are really going to be hustling, there is no other word to better describe it. Try not to have more than five appointments in one day and try to keep Friday a free day, you will need the break. On Your Own I have had some people tell me the thing they would like the least about being a janitorial broker is how you are out in your car all day all alone. I myself have always been very independent. When I was younger and first started working as a janitorial broker, I would turn up the radio and dance in the drivers seat as I drove from appointment to appointment. As I got older, some of the talk radio hosts became my friends. It is a bit lonely and I can see how it would bother some people. I think it did start to bother me after a few years. If you do not mind being out on your own most every day than this will not be an issue. If you like to talk to your office companions, meet with folks for lunch and develop office

relationships, you will not be happy working as a janitorial broker. As a broker, your car becomes your office, your house, your restaurant, your filing cabinet and your friend. When Ive had lulls in my day, I have taken naps in the back seat, driven into beautiful areas of northern California and then hit the freeway again to the next appointment. It is a bit lonely. If you have a family and friends, it may not be an issue for you. If not, this could be a problem in time. Pleasing, Polished and Professional When I worked as a janitorial broker, one of my biggest buyers of janitorial accounts was a fellow named Richard. He had a good service and he wanted his business to grow and grow. He worked during the day at a hospital so he could not make calls himself. He really needed me to build his business. Richard had a problem. There would be days I could tell he had not taken a shower. He would go two and three days before he shaved. Sometimes he would wear the same clothes, wrinkles and

all, two and three days at a time. I was always surprised no one at the hospital where he worked mentioned anything. He had another problem, he never learned to speak correctly and when he started talking he did not shut up. He must have been home sick the day they taught basic grammar in school. He would always use the wrong past tense of verbs. Aint this and aint that were used all the time. And once he started talking, he went on forever. It was not uncommon for me to kick him under the table to shut him up. Richard would not have been a good janitorial broker. The more pleasing, polished and professional you are the better. You will be calling on all kinds of businesses from fancy law firms to scavenger companies. The better you handle and present yourself, the more likely you will make a good impression on your prospect. Sharp Negotiators In many ways, being a broker is also being a negotiator. You may bid on a location and the prospect says she would like to go

with you but your bid is $100 per month higher than anyone else. You may have an account and the cleaning company says they will take the account if and only if you can raise it $100. In real estate, they say if you have a willing buyer and a willing seller, there is usually some way to make the deal work, God Willing! The same is true working as a janitorial broker. What I found brings people together and works the best is time. Start the account, give the customer and the janitor time working together and getting to know each other and time will take care of the rest. I have an entire section later in this book just on negotiating and it is discussed even more in my other books. What I need you to know here is that you will be called on to negotiate bids, transactions and customer/janitor requests. The better you are at this, the better you will be as a janitorial broker. Naming Your Business If you feel you meet the criteria of a janitorial broker and

decide to start your own janitorial broker business, you might want to give a little thought to the name you choose for the company. I have found that many janitorial brokerages are named in such a way that you can often tell it is a janitorial brokerage just by what it is called. Such names as Consolidated Cleaning SYSTEMS, or Fremont Maintenance SYSTEMS, or North Bay Janitorial EXCHANGE are usually dead giveaways that it is indeed a janitorial brokerage. I named my business a more traditional janitorial name, Corporate Building Services because I did not want to be identified exclusively as a janitorial broker. After all, some of the accounts I sold and some I kept. However, it appears that most brokerages adopt a name similar to the ones above, it appears to work well, it says what they are doing and what they are all about. Why Would A Customer Hire A Broker? This was the question I could not answer 20 years ago. I guess I was real nave about the business world and life in general

at that time. I thought the customer would consider hiring a janitorial service a very personal decision. Since I had evolved into commercial cleaning via residential cleaning, I knew that most homeowners were very concerned whom they gave their house keys to. You had to win them over with sincerity, integrity, honesty and trust. Then, once you got the job, you had to keep them as customers through quality work and service. I always had a very close relationship with my residential customers and I just assumed this would follow me into commercial cleaning. Well, I was quite wrong. Im sure Eureka Savings mentioned earlier wanted a good, quality cleaning service. But they did not care who they wrote the check out to as long as the price was right and the work was satisfactory. They may have had concerns about insurance and workmens compensation and tax id numbers. But again, as long as the cleaner had them, they were happy to pay me, or pay Joe or pay Mary. This bank as with all commercial establishments try and get the best vendor they can

find at the lowest price the can find. This opens the market for janitorial brokers. (See Addendum: Wheres the Loyalty) I worked off and on as a janitorial broker from 1986 to 1998. I probably bid on just about any and every kind of locations you can imagine: gyms, offices, schools, banks, churches, medical centers, government offices, high rise buildings, property managers, surgery and dialysis centers, even a meat packing plant. Except for government offices, I never met one customer who objected to working with a janitorial broker nor objected to me selling the account to someone else. They may have made comments that I was not aware of but as long as they were happy with the cleaner I got for them, the price was right and things were going smoothly, everyone was happy. I was usually quickly forgotten. I just picked up my check and was out the door. If you think about it, it is not unusual for a company to sell a contract. Recently I got a large bill from an unknown company. At first I had no idea what it was. Then I realized, the amount they

wanted and the due date for the amount were the same as my monthly mortgage. My original lender had sold my mortgage to some giant firm and nobody even took the time to send me a letter or explain the change in names. Mortgages are bought and sold every day. The same goes for just about any type of lending activity. Once I was involved with a house in San Francisco. There was a second loan on the house that I was also paying. One evening, a man knocked on my door, showed me some paper work and told me Im to pay him each month instead of the person I had been dealing with all along. Another contract sold. I have to admit, I am no expert on high finance, mortgages, stocks and bonds. But from what I can tell, buying and selling contracts happen every day and it happens in all types of industries. When I began looking for a web designer for my web site, I met a woman who represented a company, gave me a beautiful proposal and a good estimate. When I decided to sign

her contract and work with her company, she asked me to me the person who would actually be doing the work. It was at this meeting that I realized she was actually a broker for this young man. He was an artist, not to interested in finding customers on his own. She was a good marketer but just knew the basics about web design. It was fine with me and I am still working with the person she got me. Since the customer is only concerned with price and quality they are open to any way to attain this. Thus opens the door to janitorial brokers. Lets face it! Some cleaning people have their expertise in marketing. They like going out, soliciting and calling on prospects and getting accounts and customers. Other people in our industry are more comfortable with just providing the service and doing their job, a good job. They are uncomfortable, have no patience or the ongoing stamina required for marketing and cold calling. Working together, broker and cleaner, the two can make an

excellent team with the customer quite happy as well. How To Find Your Buyers Finding people, janitorial contractors, to buy your accounts is not difficult. But finding people you like, that take care of the customers needs and you are comfortable doing business with may take a little time. Start by placing an ad in the business opportunity section of your local newspaper. If you working in many different areas of a large metropolitan area, place ads in those different localities. Most cleaning people prefer to stay close to home and, in the long run, it works better for you as well. Your ad should say something like this: Janitorial Accounts For Sale All Shapes and Sizes All within ----- County Call 678 380 5554 With an ad like the one above, you will get calls from just

about everyone including people dreaming about going into the business. If you are just starting out as a janitorial broker, you might want to start with this ad so that the door is wide open for you to get all kinds of calls from all kinds of people. In time, you may want to be a bit more restrictive. In my experience, you will get calls from a lot of people not even in the business. They will take your time, asking all kinds of questions about the janitorial business with no real interest in working with you. To eliminate these time wasters, you might want to add one or both of the following lines: Must Have Business Insurance Or Must Have Janitorial Service Now With this comment about insurance or the requirement that they have a business now, more of the dreamers and super small janitorial firms pass on the ad. The result is you will get more qualified callers. People will call you who have a janitorial service

now and are ready and able to start cleaning a location as soon as you get it. Unfortunately, dealing with people who do not qualify to buy janitorial accounts is an issue. After working as a broker on and off for 13 years, whenever I would get a call from someone interested in purchasing janitorial accounts, the first thing I would ask them is if the have a service now and if they have insurance. If they did not, I learned the hard way it was best to just end the call as quickly as possible. The bottom line, you are looking for people who have a cleaning service now, in the local area you are now marketing in, with General Liability insurance, business name and all the legalities in place. The customer will not accept an individual as an outside vendor. There could be tax implications and problems once they start issuing a payment for services. Find established cleaning companies to work with. Who Buys Janitorial Accounts

I dealt with all kinds of janitorial services and all kinds of people in the janitorial business. The first thing I would like to say before we explore this topic, and I mean this from the bottom of my heart is that I have found most of the people in the janitorial industry are hardworking, honest people with a lot of integrity. Most have a true customer service attitude and will do a little extra or take the extra steps to keep a customer happy. How much money they personally make is a concern but not the only concern. The people who seem to appreciate your service as a janitorial broker the most are the small time operator, the person just entering the business and, most of all, people who work during the day at regular jobs and then work again in the evenings and weekends cleaning buildings. I have had large janitorial services buy accounts from me but it happened only when the owners of the company did not like marketing themselves or decided it was cost effective to just buy accounts as needed instead of hiring a full-time salesperson.

Living in California, we had many new immigrants in the state. I found some of these people to be my very best buyers of janitorial accounts and the very best people to work with. I am referring to people from just about everywhere in the world. I worked with people from India, from Mexico, from Peru, from Russia, from Poland.you name it. These people have a terrific work ethic. Unlike myself and a lot of people from my generation, staying home at night and watching television was just not the way they were brought up. If they were awake, they worked. Since language was often a problem for these people, cleaning buildings was one of the best businesses to get into. Working at night, by yourself, requires very little language skills. Many times these buyers from foreign countries would get accounts for family members who could not speak English at all. The only problem here is someone has to speak English. In California, I heard the comment over and over again that the client could not communicate with their cleaning service because they

did not speak English. Since this issue can squash a transaction, make sure that at least one mature family member is well versed in the language. The First Meeting with the Cleaning Company As soon as you start getting calls from janitorial service providers, talk to them a little on the phone before arranging a meeting. Ask them if they have a service now and if they have General Liability Insurance. If they do not, move on. If they do, ask what kind of accounts they now clean, how long they have been in business and what they are looking for as far as janitorial accounts. You will get people who want all kinds of janitorial accounts. Usually, I would not call on bars, restaurants or beauty shops. However, if I had someone who liked these kinds of businesses, and you will find them, then I would open the door and try and get them. After youve spoken with the caller for a few minutes and the

conversation seems to be going well-your questions are being answered with the responses you want to hear-ask to meet at a coffee shop to talk further. When I first started working as a janitorial broker, I never told people on the phone that I was a broker. I thought it best to meet with them first, face to face, and then discuss exactly what I do. However, by the end of my career, I would tell them right over the phone exactly who I was and what I was offering. The mystery, at least in California, of what a janitorial broker actually was is now long gone. Everyone in the industry knew what a janitorial broker was and it just saved time to mention it right from the start. If you are not in California and just starting out, I would hold off any further comments until you meet with the janitorial contractor face to face. Before you meet with your client you have to realize something that might be a little foggy right now. As a janitorial broker, you have two customers: the client and the cleaning

contractor. This person you are about to meet is the one who will be paying you but, without the client, there is nothing to pay for. Your goal is to put the two parties together and keep everyone happy. So from the start, develop a sense of respect for both parties. Try to look out for the needs and wants both. For clarification throughout this book, we will refer to the company who wants the janitorial service as the client, the customer or the prospect. The cleaning person or cleaningjanitorial contractor is understood to be the company providing the actual janitorial service. They will be known as the janitorial contractor, janitorial service and, for our purposes in this book, the buyer. No matter how the cleaning person looks when you are to meet with him, you always dress in business attire. I had a policy with both client and janitorial contractor of always being dressed in a nice shirt and tie whenever we met accept if it was in the evening, after hours. This is a business meeting, always look the

part, and people will respect you for it. At the meeting, tell the cleaning contractor exactly what you are and what you are doing. You are a janitorial broker. You bid on the janitorial needs of all kinds of establishments throughout the area. As the prospect calls and decides to accept your janitorial proposal, you find people in the business, just like the person you are now meeting with, to purchase the contracts and take the account. It is very important to present yourself as honest, straightforward and open. The janitorial contractor may be a bit skeptical and guarded. Its normal at the start of any business meeting of any kind. Some will decide not to work with you, that happens about 25% of the time. You will also meet people you do not want to work with. That happens often and it is better now than later. I knew one fellow who rejected almost 90% of the people who contacted him to buy accounts because they either did not have insurance, were not in business long enough or he just did not think he could work with them.

After you explain who you are and what you are doing, present them with some written information such as this on the following page:

Corporate Building Services

Post Office Box 4402 Novato, Calif. 94948

Telephone 1 800 896 CLEAN

What is Corporate Building Services? CBS is a janitorial marketing firm. We find and secure janitorial contracts around the San Francisco Bay Area. Once secured, we then sell them to people like yourself who perform the actual cleaning needs for the client. Who Bills The Customer?

Once the account is paid for, you bill them. What is the Fee for the account? Our accounts are sold for three times monthly gross as long as it is paid within 30 days. For example, if the account pays $200.00 per month, our fee is $600.00. There are different ways to pay for our service. We can accept one check for the full amount or two checks dated thirty days apart and then you bill the customer from the start of service. Or we may bill the customer for one or two months with those amounts applied to our fee. We also accept post dated checks. If we must bill the customer, we do charge a finance charge of 5% per month. This covers our costs to manage the account during this period. We will still need a minimum of one time down to start service and will refund any balance at the end of the billing period or apply that to another account as you decide. What is the Guarantee? We guarantee the accounts for up to six months. The only risk

you take is if the customer cancels the service due to faulty workmanship or poor service. If you lose the account due to customer dissatisfaction, our fee is still due unless we are able to get someone else to take over the janitorial services for the customer. You would forfeit any amounts we have been paid. If you lose the account for any reason other than faulty workmanship or customer dissatisfaction, we are obligated to replace the account or refund your money. As you start getting paid from the customer, our obligation to you decreases by 1/6th. By the end of six months, we no longer have an obligation to you. The procedure and what you will need. Once we secure an account, we call you and will discuss the account in detail, its monthly fee, service requirements, service days, etc. If you decide you want to see the account, we make an appointment to introduce you to the customer and inspect the building. You will have a complete copy of the contract with the customer. If you decide to take it, we will make arrangements to

get the keys, payment for our services and start the service. This pretty much summarizes what you do and how you do it. Note the guarantee. Most cleaning people will wonder how they are protected and this will be their second major concern. I found it best to be clear and concise explaining exactly how you guarantee the accounts. Also note the sliding scale. As your cleaning person gets paid your obligation decreases. This sliding scale has been upheld in court cases as fair and reasonable. As far as I know, it is the most workable plan. The first concern your cleaning person may have is your charge. If you are in California, three times monthly gross is common and recognized as the going rate. When I first moved to the Atlanta area, I tried for a very brief period to work as a janitorial broker and to charge three times monthly gross. I got absolutely no takers. When I lowered my fee to two times gross, people did say they would work with me. The irony of the situation is that I have found getting janitorial accounts in Atlanta much

more difficult than in California and yet my fee was less. I accepted that as a sign that it was time for me to look for something else to do in life, more on this later. If your charge becomes an issue, take a few minutes to explain how much your service actually costs you. I have itemized this expense for you in a later chapter. However, at this meeting, you can explain that only 20-30% of the people you call on accept your service. You must pay a telemarketer to make the appointments for you, you are driving here and there each and every day, it takes time to win an account and there is a lot of competition. Some people want the accounts but have no value for your service. There is nothing you can do but walk away. Other people will respect your service and understand the charge. You may have to be flexible. If you are getting no takers at three times gross, start a little lower and then adjust your fee or try to adjust it six months down the road. Screening out the Good from the Bad

Usually, during this meeting, you and the janitorial contractor will get a feel for each other. Once you describe your service, especially how much you charge and how you handle things, some people will say they are interested and others will walk away. If you are a good judge of human nature and character, you will learn a lot from these meetings and make decisions accordingly. Once a woman was referred to me. She cleaned houses but wanted to expand into the commercial janitorial business. She called and called and called. Unfortunately, I kept missing her calls until finally we reached each other. She said she was so happy to find someone like myself and how eager she was to get into commercial cleaning. We met and her excitement and enthusiasm were still bubbling over. Then I told her I charged three times monthly gross for the contracts. It was like a hole opened up in the floor and she dropped six feet. She thought the charge was ridiculous. She offered to pay me $50 per account.

That meant I would be making a good solid income of about 10 cents per hour. This happened in Atlanta and again I took it as another sign that it was time for me to do something else with my life. Point is, you will find people who do not appreciate your service. They may not have the slightest idea how to get an account themselves and that in fact, is the reason they underestimate your value. Just smile and be on your way. Dont be surprised if they call at a later date and have a little more respect for your time, charges and services. Assuming you have now found someone who has their own business, has insurance if you are requiring it, has integrity and wants to work with you and you with them, there is one more thing you must stress. In the information package above, it says you will call them to describe in detail exactly what accounts you have available. This is very important and needs further explanation to save you time and trouble. Explain that when an account is available, you will tell them

just about everything you know about the location. This includes: 1. How much the account pays 2. Where it is located or what part of town 3. The frequency of service 4. Any special requirements (blinds dusted, floors polished, etc.) 5. How fussy you believe the customer will be 6. Any special characteristics or requirements such as: can not be cleaned on the weekend or can only be cleaned on the weekend; must be cleaned after a certain hour or before a certain hour, etc. Heres the concern. By telling the janitorial contractor everything, you save a lot of time and prevent the embarrassment in front of the client if he or she decides not to take the account after they have seen it. If the cleaning person decides not to take the location after introducing them to the client, than you must apologize to the customer and give one reason or another why you must bring someone else by.

If a cleaning person declines an account after I have explained everything about it and it is declined because of something I have already mentioned, then my policy was to never work with this person again. You just can not waste your time or the clients time with this behavior and it could lose the account for you. If you continue to work with this person, it will happen again, I guarantee it. Though this may seem like a strong reaction, it is best to not work with this person again. By now we have a person or persons who wants to purchase janitorial accounts from us. There is one final step. Its best now to get some information from them so you have everything accurate and put it into your computer database. You can also ask them to sign a non-compete clause. We will discuss this as well. First the information form needed on each janitorial contractor. Below is something I have used which covers most all the bases:

Corporate Building Services

Robert Kravitz Post Office Box 5504 Novato, Calif. 94948

Telephone 1 800 896 CLEAN Janitorial Contractor Profile Date:______________________ Name:___________________________________________________________ ______ Business Name:________________________________________________________ Address:_________________________________________________________ ______ CSZ:_____________________________________________________________ ______

Home Phone:__________________________________________________________ Business Phone:_______________________________________________________ Beeper:__________________________________________________________ ______ Social Security Number:_______________________________________________ Insurance Carrier____________________________________________________ Workmens Compensation Carrier___________________________________________________________ _____ Type of Accounts Desired:_________________________________________________________ ______ __________________________________________________________________

_____ __________________________________________________________________ ______ Location Desired:______________________________________________________ Strip Floors: Y N Clean Carpets Y N Clean Windows Y N Number or Employees_________________________________________________ Subcontractors Y N Will Take: (please circle) Restaurants Bars Beauty Shops Gyms Day Jobs No Key Locations Day Care Centers Other Information:_____________________________________________________ ______

__________________________________________________________________ ______

There will be very few problems filling out this form except for one area and it is kind of important. Some people are reluctant to give out their social security numbers. If you have to pay someone a refund and it is over $600 you may be required to report this amount on a 1099 Misc. income form for the Internal Revenue Service. Another and more common situation which may come up is after the start of service, the clients accounts payable department may call and ask for your tax id number or social security number. If you give them yours and the cleaning person is billing the customer, all the money paid to the cleaning contractor will be reported on your tax id number. You dont want that to happen. If you have their social security number handy, go ahead and give it to them. If you are billing the customer for a month or two while the

janitor is working off his fee to you, give them your tax id number. Once the account has been transferred completely to the cleaning person, call the accounts payable person and give them the cleaning persons number or just tell them the number you gave them is no longer valid. This is important. In January of each year, the client is required by law to send you or the cleaning person a copy of their 1099 Misc. Income Statement. It reports what they paid you during the course of the previous year. If all the money they paid Joes Cleaning Service is being reported as paid to Corporate Building Services via your tax identification number, guess who the government is going to go after? One final form before we leave this chapter should also be filled out. This is an agreement to non-solicit. In the purchase agreement I will share with you later, it is repeated again in a much shorter version. However, this form is very customary. If your cleaning person says they are uncomfortable with it, ask

them to take it home with them and return it if they want to work with you. Filling out this form keeps everything legal and professional. I never had anyone in California try and solicit an account after I had showed it to them, but you never know. This is a sample of a non-solicit, non-compete clause: AGREEMENT TO NOT DISCLOSE OR SOLICIT Robert Kravitz and Lisa Zavalata agree as follows: 1. Clark currently owns a janitorial brokerage doing business as Corporate Building Services. 2. Lisa Zavalata wishes to purchase certain accounts from Clark 3. Before negotiations proceed further, Kravitz recognizes that Lisa Zavalata has the right to inspect the job locations to verify the accounts and the scope of each. 4. All parties further acknowledge that inspection of the accounts requires the disclosure by Kravitz of

his account's names and address that all parties agree are properly Clarks trade secrets. 5. Accordingly, Lisa Zavalata agrees that if Clark discloses such accounts she will not re-disclose to third parties the names of the accounts or any details related to Clark business or solicit, either directly, through agents or employees, such accounts. 6. All parties agree that if suit is brought by either party to enforce this agreement, the prevailing party shall recover reasonable attorney's fees and costs of suits. 7. The term of this agreement and specifically the term of non-disclosure and non-solicitation shall be for one year from the date of execution of this agreement and one year from the date of inspecting any specific account.

Date: October 22, 1995 Agreed: You can see it is actually very clear and straightforward. For a very short period in my life, I worked as a business broker. We were licensed real estate agents who helped people buy and sell businesses instead of real estate. We could lose our license if the above form was not filled out. We were not allowed to say anything about any of our business listings until the buyers signature of confidentiality was on file. Again, if you have any trouble getting your person to sign this non-solicit form, give them time. Explain it again slowly and carefully. People are often afraid to sign things but once it is explained and understood, they will usually come around and even respect you and your business for insisting on it. There is a bigger issue here other than just protecting yourself and having them sign this form. If they refuse then most likely they will be difficult to work with on other issues as they evolve.

One thing I learned early as a janitorial broker is that I must set the rules for my business. These people came to play with me so that means I must tell them how things work in my business. If they want to buy from Sears, they have to do business the Sears Roebuck way. If they want to do business with you, establish the groundwork so they know how everything is done. If you have to explain why something must be done a certain way, of course, take the time to explain it. I have found in almost all situations and all circumstances that people are fair as long as you are with them and clear why you need something handled a certain way. Finding the Customers A brokers job is to put two different parties together. You have the cleaners, now you need to find places for them to clean. As mentioned earlier, most janitorial contractors, if they market at all, will consider marketing and getting new accounts just one aspect of their business. Often, they will only go out looking for new clients if for one reason or another they lose an old one.

Servicing their customers is really their full time job, not marketing. With you, the opposite is true. You may have no actual customers so marketing is what you do and all you do. Once I met a very successful janitorial broker in San Francisco. She was so high energy, when I left her in the middle of the afternoon, I had to have a drink and I rarely drink. I asked her exactly what she does and how she does it and her answer was in three words: MarketMarket-Market! From morning until night she was making appointments, taking appointments, cold calling, mailing. She was indeed a marketing-machine and very, very successful. I was never as high energy or committed to the business as she was. She thrived on it and it was her life. But if you decide to become a janitorial broker, than Market-Market-Market will have to be written on your forehead and office wall. This book will not go into all the different ways to get janitorial accounts. I have an excellent section on it in my first

book, The Janitorial Contractors Bible, and my second book, Get That Account! is devoted to getting janitorial accounts. If you want to learn more on marketing or brush up on your skills, I highly encourage you to get those books. In this book, I would like to discuss marketing as it pertains to a janitorial broker. First of all, you will have to telemarket. Telemarketing for a janitorial broker is a must and it is a full time job. This means you will have to hire someone or a service to help you. I have hired companies to actually telemarket for me. They can charge $40 to $50 per hour and I did not find they do a better job than an individual working out of their home or in your office for $10-$12 per hour. I have known janitorial brokers who telemarket themselves. If you are good at it and do not mind it, than you can save a lot of money and problems. However, eventually you will probably want a telemarketer since calling on accounts, handling transactions with cleaners driving all over the area will take so much of your

time. In my experience, with few exceptions, the most successful janitorial brokers delegate this job out. However, be prepared from the start. Getting and keeping a telemarketer is the hardest part of this job. It makes it all the more difficult when you realize how dependent you are on them. You may get an excellent person who will call you just as things are really rolling and tell you she got another job starting tomorrow. You may go for two or three months looking for someone before you find a person that does the job and does it well. Put an ad in the paper under the help wanted section. You will get many calls. State in the ad about how many hours per week they will work, if they may work at home or in your office and what you will pay. Also say they will be making appointments for a maintenance company. Say very clearly in your ad that experience is required. I discovered something very interesting in placing ads for

telemarketers. I used to pay $8 per hour, which is a bit low in California. I would get every Tom, Dick and Mary call about the job. But as soon as I said I paid $12 per hour, it acted like a filter. The people who knew they really were not experienced telemarketers or not that good stopped calling. At $8 per hour, I often got high school kids looking for some extra money. At $12 per hour, I got professionals! In the summer months, teachers will often accept jobs as telemarketers. They can be excellent workers and I highly recommend them. Also look for people who telemarket for a living. Often they will work for you, and maybe an insurance company and possibly a real estate agent as well. Over the many years I worked with telemarketers, I had two people who stood out as excellent. One was a fellow that lived in a cabin out in the woods in Northern California. He was a scriptwriter and submitted scripts for television programs in Los Angeles. To make ends meet, he worked for me three mornings

per week and he could definitely churn out those appointments. He was not the best at qualifying the leads but he did keep me busy. Since we so often work with women in our industry and since he was probably in his early 30s, I have an idea he knew how to put on the charm. It really did not matter to me as long as he remained polite and professional. I just wanted the appointments. I had another person, a 68-year-old woman who was the meanest old lady I have ever met. When she would call me, she never said hello or good by. She just conveyed her message and then hung up. I paid her every Friday and would drop off the check since she lived near my house. Even after working for me for years, if I was not there by noon with her check, she would start calling my home and literally scream on my answering machine: Wheres My Check? Wheres My Check? She and I fired each other many times over the years. Then I needed her or she needed a job and we made up. She was persistent, that was the

secret of her success and she did get me good, qualified appointments. She taught me some little tricks that I still use today like calling offices 6:30 and 7:30 in the morning or after 6pm trying to get to the office manager. When you call before or after the receptionist has left, then you have a better chance of getting around the office roadblocks. (Items like dealing with the office receptionist are discussed in detail in Get That Account!) If you stay in the business, you will eventually find people who do a good job for you. Treat them well! They are your life-line to the customer and to your success. Usually, you will be able to tell within 3-4 hours of work if someone will be good at this. Once you find a good person, pay them well and allow some flexibility, adjusting to their work schedule. If they need a break you may decide to take a break as well. Telemarketing is very hard work. Its full of rejection and isolation. Again, when you find a good person, treat them very well.

Below are some telemarketer guidelines I developed for my business when I was working almost exclusively as a janitorial broker. The more specific you are with your telemarketer as far as what you are looking for and what you do not want, the better it usually works out Guidelines for Telemarketing What I am looking for: Any and all businesses which hire a service at least once per week to handle their janitorial needs. What I do not want: Businesses with service less than once per week; No bars, restaurants, beauty shops or government offices No one time cleanings like carpet cleaning or window cleaning only The Appointment must be made with: The person who actually hires janitorial services for this location or their immediate assistant. I do not take appointments with the office receptionist or anyone not directly involved with the hiring of

janitorial services. Appointment Times: I take appointments from10am to 2pm, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I do not take appointments on Friday under any circumstances. I will consider an appointment on Monday if no other day is available. Payment: I pay $12 per hour and $5 per qualified appointment. If an appointment does not qualify it will not be paid for. If an appt. must be rescheduled, it will not be paid for once it is rescheduled. Checks are mailed every Friday for the hours worked that week and the appts seen that week. You are paid as an independent contractor. I will need to send you a 1099 at the end of the year for the full amount you have earned. These guidelines worked well for me for many years. You can change them to meet your needs and situation. Make sure you review each item of the guidelines with your telemarketer.

Paying a person to make calls for you gets expensive. If they make appointments for you that do not qualify you have no choice but to not pay them for the appointment. I would allow some latitude when a person first starts working for me. But eventually, if you do not draw the line, you will end up paying for appointments that do you no good. Unfortunately, once they start, they can keep coming in. One other point should be mentioned. When you work with people who work out of their homes, when and how you pay them is very important. If you say the check will be mailed on Friday, make sure it is. If you are late or can not mail it for one reason or another, call and let them know when it will be going out. Trust is very important with a telemarketer as it is in any business relationship. As soon as you lose that trust, dont be surprised to find the telemarketer pack up and leave. You should also have an actual agreement with your telemarketer. Most of the people who work with you will work out

of their homes as independent contractors. The following agreement covers the tax issues and serves as the employment contract:

Corporate Building Services Robert Kravitz

Telephone1 800 896 CLEAN Cell/Page 707 380 5554 Appointment Setter Agreement Appointment setters are paid $12.00 per hour and $5.00 per appointment. Payment is made on Friday of each week for the hours worked that week and the appointments seen that week. Appointments may be made with any business as long as it meets the following criteria: 1. No retail, restaurants, bars or beauty shops

2. The company must have a service now at least once per week 3. The company must hire the service directly 4. No Government offices When calling/emailing/faxing in the appointments, I will need the following information: 1. Date and time of the appointment (block of time...10-11/11-12, etc.) 2. Company name, contact persons name 3. Company address with a cross street or major freeway exit 4. Company phone number 5. How often the office is now cleaned 6. Any other information they may have provided General Notes Regarding Telemarketing I take appointments on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10am to 2pm. I like them close together with no gaps

and can usually take two appointments per hour. You work at your own pace and set your own hours. The only day that is NOT good for this work is Friday. The best times seem to be the morning hours however many people have been successful in the afternoon as well. Suggestions On Things To Say Are you happy with your current janitorial service now? Often we are able to lower your janitorial costs I have been in the janitorial business since 1976 Employees are bonded and insured. We use no Subcontractors and pay benefits to ensure a stable crew. If you are currently happy, great. A back up proposal is always good in case something changes in the future. Date: Agreed: The following are three telephone scripts I provided telemarketers. I encouraged them to just learn them and then say

what ever they thought was best on the phone as long as it was polite and professional. The most important thing with the first script is getting to the decision-maker and then qualifying the appointment. With me, qualifying the appointment meant that they did indeed hire a janitorial service. The other two scripts dealt with handling objections and whether money or quality of service was the issue this prospect was most concerned about. The Qualifier Script:

Telemarketing Script Hi! This is ---------- with Corporate Building Services. May I ask you if you hire a cleaning service for your office now? If yes-----------Are you the person who handles this or may I speak with your office manager? Then--------May I ask you if you are happy with your current cleaning service?

(if hesitant at all or the answer is negative, proceed with an appt. If positive, you can still try for an appt. using saving money as a reason for the appt) This is ------- with Corporate Building Services. We have been in the cleaning business for more than 25 years. We know a customer is looking for both price and quality of service and our goal is to offer both. We would like to give you an estimate for cleaning your office. It usually takes about 5 minuets. Possibly we can save you some money. Is next Tuesday convenient or how about Wednesday. The Save Money Call: (To whoever answers the phone, usually the receptionist) YOU: Hi, this is Bob with ABC Maintenance. May I ask if you hire a cleaning service to clean your office now? (This qualifies them so you dont waste time with companies who do not need your services.)

RECEPTIONIST: Yes. YOU: Are you the person who hires cleaning services for your office? RECEPTIONIST: No, that is Ms. Jones. (At this point she will often transfer you to Ms. Jones. Continue slowly and politely.) YOU: Hello Ms. Jones. This is Bob with ABC Maintenance. We are cleaning other offices in your area. Id like to save you some money on your office cleaning. I was wondering if we could meet this week to give you an estimate for cleaning your office. Wouldnt you like to lower your janitorial costs? MS. JONES: Im very happy with my present people, thank you. Weve had them a long time. I dont think so right now. YOU: Im glad you are happy with your present contractor. But things often change. I have had people

call me back months later! Possibly your present contractors rate is no longer in line with current charges. Wouldnt it be better to know if your costs are in line with current market rates? Ask questions which must be answered with a yes. MS. JONES: Well, he does raise his rates every year. YOU: The appointment usually takes just a few minutes. I am happy to bring along some references. If you like, I will just mail the estimate back to you. Again, its possible we could save you some money. MS. JONES: Well, all right, as long as it just takes a few minutes. How about Tuesday at 10:00 AM... The Are You Happy? Call: (To whomever answers the phone, usually the receptionist.) YOU: Hi, this is Bob with ABC Maintenance. May I ask if you hire a cleaning service to clean your office

now? RECEPTIONIST: Yes. YOU: Are you the person who hires cleaning services for your office? RECEPTIONIST: No, that is Ms. Jones. YOU: May I speak with her? Thank you. YOU: Ms. Jones, this is Bob with ABC Maintenance. We are cleaning other offices in your area. May I ask you if you are happy with your present janitorial service? MS. JONES: Well, for the most part they are (pause) fine. We have had them a long time. Note some hesitation in her answer. YOU: Have you had some problems recently? Ive been in the cleaning business many years and I know things can change and quality goes up and down. MS. JONES: Recently they changed people and the new people are not as good as the old. How would I know you are

any better? YOU: I am happy to bring several references and let my customers speak for me. We call every customer every month. I visit most of my customers every month as well. With every invoice is a feedback request on quality. In my experience, the only way to keep a customer happy is close contact and close supervision. Wouldnt you like to be happy with your cleaning service? May I meet with you tomorrow and present my references? MS. JONES: Alright, but Thursday is better. Ill take a bid for future reference. Other Ways to Market-Market-Market Again, this book is not going to go in to the actual details of marketing. But, as a janitorial broker, you must keep marketing the central thought and the central job in your mind at all times. By going out on appointments, you will find other ways to get customers. For instance, always mix telemarketing appointments

with cold calling. If one customer in an office complex is unhappy with a cleaning service, it is very likely that same company is cleaning other locations in the park. Someone else may be unhappy with them as well. When you work as a janitorial broker, it is not uncommon to meet with the same prospect again and again. You will find some people take appointments just to take appointments. I dont understand why they do it, I guess it gives them something to do. I had one lady in Hayward, California, who met with me three or four times over the years. Foolishly, I mailed her a proposal after each visit and each time she gave me the same story. She said that her boss did not want to change cleaning services. After the last visit, I actually asked her to mail back the proposal. She did and when I received it, I found it had never even been opened. With other prospects, often the second and even third visit is the charm. I have gotten many places the second time I met with

the same person so do not feel uncomfortable about calling on someone every year. Its the third and fourth time that you call on them and get nowhere that you know they are probably a time waster. Start a mailing program. Again, this is discussed in Get That Account! but if marketing is your chief concern, make Monday of each week a day to call or mail follow-up information to people you met one, two and even six months ago. Keep in touch. When the time comes to change services or at least look at the issue again, you will be called. Start a newsletter, mail out janitorial tips, offer to have someones carpets cleaned or windows cleaned at a discount. Again, by keeping in touch, the prospect will remember you and call on you. Below is an article I wrote regarding marketing for a janitorial service. You will find it in my book, Get That Account! as well. Since it will help you as a janitorial broker, I am going to reprint

it here in its entirety: Keeping in Touch! A while back, on one of the janitorial message boards, a contractor mentioned she had called on a builder soliciting his new construction clean-up work. She had not heard back and was wondering if it was appropriate to call again. I answered with a resounding YES! But I really did not tell her ways to do it nor why it was so important. To win over a customer and build your business, you do have to have a program of keeping in touch. If they were willing to meet with you at all, there must have been some interest in your service and what you had to offer. If you keep in touch with these prospects on a regular basis, you stand a greater chance of being first in line for consideration when their need for a new cleaning service comes up. First we have to realize something. When we are marketing our service, we are the sellers. When a prospect accepts an invitation

from us to bid on their cleaning needs, we are the ones excited and hopeful. The customer, the buyer in this case, may have responded to several calls and solicitations from other cleaning services. Shes not as excited to see us. Ive had many appointments where my contact totally forgot I was even coming by. Without follow-up, keeping in touch, we are quickly forgotten. You have to be persistent if you want to make an impression. Many salespeople believe in what is called The Rule of Seven. One way or another, you have to keep in touch with these people up to seven times during the course of a year or two after the first meeting. Every couple of months do one of the following that lets the prospect know you are still around, still interested and still available to handle their cleaning needs: Go ahead and pick up the phone and say hello. Even if you get voice mail, leave a pleasant message just saying hi and that you hope all is well. You dont have to sell anything, just say hi.

If you have a newsletter, add potential customers to the mailing list. If you do not have a newsletter, mail them a note or a nice card and let them know how things are going with you. Always include your business card. If you have acquired a new account near your prospects office, let them know about it with a letter-Birds of a feather fly together. If you are already cleaning the neighbors offices, this prospect will feel closer to you. Many times, when meeting with prospects for the second or third time, I have found they kept all my newsletters and notes. Those prospects had been anticipating the time when they would need to call on me. Buy some gift items like pens, paperweights, note pads, etc. Put your business name and phone number on them and mail them to your prospects or, even better, drop them off at their offices. We purchased little hand mirrors that fit into a hot pink plastic cover. Our business name and

phone number was imprinted on them. Our female prospects loved them. People do like these gifts and see them everyday. If you see an article or newspaper clipping that could be of interest to them, mail it to them. If you know of an event coming up that might be of interest to their business, let them know. Just add a note like Susan: thought this might interest you, and include your card. Susan will remember this. A sure winner is sending them a happy customer testimonial. If its from an office near your prospect or a similar type of business as theirs, its even better. People like familiarity and they really value other peoples comments about you. They remember your successes! Never hesitate to ask your present customers to jot down a kind word or two about you. If they are indeed happy with you they enjoy

doing so. These are just some suggestions. Once you get into the habit of keeping in touch, other possibilities will materialize. What is important is making it a habit, a formal habit. Every two months, send a card out, give a call, mail a small gift and keep in touch. The cumulative effect is that they remember you, you are in their mind, and when the need arises, you, my friend, will get the call.

What and When do I tell the Customer? The big question that always come up when you work as a janitorial broker is if, when and how do you tell the client that you will be selling the cleaning contract to another cleaning service. Its really not difficult to handle. The most important part of the transaction like any business transaction is allowing things to move along smoothly. Dont throw any new irons in the fire or surprise curves, just keep everything nice and smooth. It can help if you keep repeating to yourself this mantra:

I am providing a service. My service is to provide a good cleaning company for this customer. As I achieve this goal, I am rewarded financially and spiritually. Many years ago, I met a woman who wanted to become just like me: a successful janitorial contractor and broker. She did it in such a underhanded way, it took me awhile to find out exactly what she was up to. She would call me and ask what accounts I had available. In stead of meeting with me during the day, she would ask to meet in the evening and just look inside the window of the accounts I had coming up. To my knowledge, she never tried to solicit one of my customers but I suspect she did. She would ask all kinds of questions: how much it paid, when do you clean it, were they fussy or not, etc. But then she always decided she was not interested. Finally when she called the fourth time asking what was available, always with a cheery voice, I told her I had all the people

I needed to buy accounts now in that area. Two or three months later, I noticed an ad in the paper for janitorial accounts for sale. She had started her own business but I knew right away that it was going to fail. You know how I knew? She named her company The Janitorial Brokers. Right away, instead of keeping everything nice and smooth, the prospect would ask why did you call your business The Janitorial Brokers, arent you a janitorial service? No she would then have to explain, and tell the prospect I sell janitorial accounts. Then of course the customer would say, well I dont know who you are selling the account to, I dont know who has my keys, I dont know you and I dont know the next person you find for me. Already, everything is off to a very rocky start with lots of explaining required. Then the customer would end by saying Ive never heard of such a thing before and I dont believe my boss will go for it and my conniving friend would be out on the street. You do not have to tell the customer everything going on

and every detail of your operation at least at first. If your mantra is starting to shape your business and you are looking for good people to service the client, there is no harm and nothing unethical about what you are doing. If you are looking just to make a quick buck and do not care who you get or who takes the account, you better get your check and run away fast. You will be asking for problems and they will be looking for you. The Procedure: The First Meeting I found it best to bid on a janitorial account the same way no matter if I was working as a janitorial service provider or a broker. There would be customers I decided to keep and others I would sell, so you never really know any way. When you meet for the first time, go through the normal steps of walking through the location and sizing up how much, how long and what it will cost to clean the facility. If you decide to talk a bit about yourself, just tell the prospect how long you have been in business and that there

will be several references included with the proposal. Since I did have my own people cleaning locations, should the question come up regarding employees, I would answer in the affirmative that I had my own people. Usually what the customer is fishing for if they ask if you have your own employees is whether or not you subcontract your accounts. Since you would be selling the locations, you are not subcontracting. Just say, If you are asking if I use subcontractors, the answer is no. One of the questions that often comes up when meeting with a client for the first time is if you should or should not ask how much they are currently paying. Ive discussed this in my other books but feel it important enough to add this discussion to this one as well. Though marketing experts have told me it is not inappropriate to ask this question, just to phrase it in a very polite manner, working as a broker I would never ask it. Again, you want to keep everything nice and smooth. Most people do not like it when you ask them how much they are paying currently. Put

yourself in their shoes, would it not make you uncomfortable as well? Once I was bidding on a large French School in San Francisco. It was a big complex and she was indeed taking bids and wanted a new janitorial service. The entire meeting was going along beautifully and then I asked, how much are you paying now. She just turned cold after that. I guess she thought it was totally incorrect and impolite to ask. When I followed up on my bid, she would not even accept my call. Again my advice, do not ask how much they are paying now. This book is not going to go further into the marketing process and specifics of the meetings and courting necessary to win a client. It is just going to deal with the issues that may or may not come up working as a janitorial broker. As far as the question mentioned above or any other questions the client may have, just try and stay in charge of the meeting. You may volunteer during your walk through that you do

not hire subcontractors. Answer ahead of time the questions which may or may not come up like how long you have been in business, do you clean yourself, do you have supervisors, do you do same or similar offices or offices in this area already? Just as with any business meeting, be polite, acts relaxed and, again, keep everything smooth. You do not need to tell the client you are a broker. The Procedure: The Bid When you bid on janitorial accounts as a broker, your bid can reflect who will probably be cleaning the location if you get it. If it is a large building or facility, you will need to find a company to clean the location that hires a crew. That means, they will probably need to pay workmans compensation insurance and have higher insurance and expenses than a small mom and pop firm. Your bid will have to reflect these costs. If it is a smaller office and you have people who clean offices themselves as a second job, your bid can be a little lower to help

win the account. They may not have any of the expenses mentioned above and welcome the account even if it pays just a little less than they like. A few comments about bidding as a janitorial broker must be made. First of all, if your bid is too low, the customer will not accept it. I have had people come right out and say Id love to go with you but you came in so low we dont think you can do the job. That is actually more difficult to work with than a client saying you came in to high. Second, if you bid too low, no one will buy the account. You could get stuck with it or promise to try and re-negotiate the bid once the service has begun. If a cleaner decides to work with you and take it, hoping it will be renegotiated, he or she may refuse to pay you until it is. So, at least for now, you will get nothing for all your efforts. The third and final issue is that customers, at least sophisticated customers usually choose a bid that seems fair and is mid-range. They dont go with the high bid or the low bid. Try

and bid your locations so it is fair to both parties. The rest of your proposal will be the same as if you are bidding on a location you might clean yourself. Provide a schedule of services, comments about your business, a guarantee if you offer it and the actual agreement or contract. The only area, which may need to be handled a bit more carefully, is the references. During my many years in the janitorial business, whenever I saw another janitorial proposal I would try and make a copy of it. I was always interested in how other companies presented their proposals and estimates. Some janitorial brokers would provide the actually names of customers and then add cleaned by Joe Smith or cleaned by Joe Smith Janitorial Service. I felt this caused confusion and was contrary to my attempt at keeping everything smooth. However, it is one way to supply references if you are no longer involved with an account or billing the customer. Of course, you must make sure with any reference that the customer is happy with the service in order to offer their name at

all and you must have their permission. I found a better way to provide a reference was to offer written testimonials from happy customers. These were golden. Nothing expresses satisfaction with a product or service than one of your clients. As you grow and get more locations, keep in touch with some of the locations you have already gotten. Call them monthly and check on the service. Eventually, with all going well, ask them if they would write down there comments so that you may use them to bid on another location. Youd be surprised, people often are more than happy to do this. Start collecting them. I would present as many as 15 statements with my proposals and they did have an impact. The Procedure: Introducing the Cleaning Company Well, heres the part you have been waiting for. How do you tell the customer that the janitorial provider will be cleaning their location and billing them directly for their services? This is called transferring the account. The answer is simple, you dont have to

say anything. Lets back up just a bit. The customer says they like the bid and want to go with you. They must give 30 days notice to their present contractor and would like you to start on the 1st. Perfect and terrific. Call some of your cleaning contractors, tell them exactly what you have and if they are interested. Usually, I would know right away who would want an account. I even developed a skill of telling what personalities worked best with what people. Remember, you are the broker putting people together. If you put Mr. Hot in with Ms. Cold, it probably will not work. Once you have a cleaner who wants the account, make an appointment with the client. Tell them you want to introduce her or him to the people who will be cleaning the location and that you wish to walk through the entire office again reviewing what is part of the service agreement. Stress that you want everything clear from the start. During this meeting, the cleaner will see if he does indeed

want the account, likes the client and feels the bid is acceptable. We will go into re-negotiating later if there is a problem. At this meeting, give the buyer a complete copy of the proposal so he knows exactly what is to be done, how often and how much he will be paid. I would usually not say anything more to the customer. My goal now is to pick up the office keys, get the service started and work out the transaction with the buyer. Some cleaning people will want to give the client their business card. If they do, all you have to say is that your buyer works with you and has his own cleaning service as well. For years, I asked the janitor not to give his card at this meeting since I felt it was disruptive but then I realized the customer actually appreciated it. They liked being able to call the janitor directly if they needed to. His home phone and beeper were already printed on the card. However, I would never tell the client that the janitor is

actually buying the contract. The transaction is between the buyer and myself. The clients concern is price and quality and that they are happy with the service and happy dealing with the cleaning company and me. I do know of other janitorial brokerages in the San Francisco Bay Area, which handled this a bit differently. One even used the fact that the cleaning company was purchasing the contracts as a marketing tool to sway the customer. The company run by Ms. High Energy mentioned earlier had a very long, drawn out contract that they required the customer to sign. In that contract, it said very clearly that the janitorial company introduced to the client will be billing the client directly and that they had paid Ms. High Energy a fee for her referral services. Another brokerage handled it in two different ways. One of the ways they handled it was very direct and became a marketing tool. They would tell the client that the janitorial service provider was paying them a substantial fee to handle the clients

maintenance needs. As a result, the client was almost guaranteed that they would be happy with the service for the cleaner will lose his or her money if they are not. When you think about this approach, it has its merits and the client realized this as well. I have also seen this concept put into practice in the real world. With my own janitorial services, when I got a new location, I would train someone on the new account and then let them take over. To them, as an employee, it was just a job. But sometimes I would later sell them the account. This same individual changes rather dramatically in his attitude toward that location. Now the account has much greater meaning and importance. It is now his or hers baby and treated accordingly. This same brokerage also got very sloppy over the years in handling the transfer or notice to the customer. Often they simply did nothing. If the client called and said they got a strange bill from Joes Cleaning instead of the janitorial brokerages

company, they would simply say: We let the cleaners bill you directly. Sometimes, they would not say anything and let the cleaner explain to the customer that they had purchased the janitorial contract. This was messy, sloppy and showed absolutely no respect for either the janitorial service provider or the client. It is an example of the problems the industry, janitorial brokers, must deal with. This is discussed in greater detail in the chapter entitled Integrity. Now you have two or three ways of handling the transfer. If you feel you must tell the client that the cleaner will billing them directly right from the start, that almost always works out fine. If you want to mention it in a contract the client must sign or even use it as part of your marketing efforts then that will be up to you. I still advise against telling the client you were paid a fee for referring the janitor or that the cleaning provider even purchased the contract from you. I just do not think it is necessary at this

juncture and it can break the flow of the transaction. The way I handled the transfer worked very well for years. This is because it meets my business criteria of handling everything in a smooth, flowing manner. Get the service started and the location looking terrific. Then, once that is accomplished and your fee has been paid or you are comfortable that it will, the following letter would be mailed to the client: Corporate Building Services Robert Kravitz

Telephone 1 800 896 CLEAN FAX 707 245 1234 9/2/05

Ms. Helen Smith North Bay Plumbing 1234 North Woodward Avenue

Hayward, Calif. 94123

Dear Helen, We want to take this opportunity again to thank you for allowing us to handle your janitorial needs. We appreciate your business and we are proud to be apart of your office operation.

Our office will call each month to check on the service. This helps us assure the quality of our work. our attention. Please take this opportunity to bring anything to

Richard and I will begin billing you under his business name Night Owl Cleaning. This is for bookkeeping and tax purposes.

Again, thank you for letting us handle your janitorial needs.

Yours,

Robert Kravitz

This transfer letter sufficed for the 13 years I sold janitorial accounts. With my first janitorial company, I actually sold the company myself in three parts. There were about 100 customers total and three different companies purchased about 35 accounts each. I sent the above letter to almost all the locations as the accounts were taken over and it worked beautifully. You may still have some cleaning services that ask you to tell the client they are buying the contract. You have to be in charge here and do what is best for the transaction. There simply

is no reason for it at this meeting. Once your cleaner has worked with you a time or two, they will agree with you. Other cleaning companies will ask you to have the client sign one of their cleaning contracts that lists them and their business as the actual janitorial contractor. If it was a big account and I thought I could handle it smoothly, I did it. If it was a small location, I told the cleaner that again, there simply was no reason. In reality, the only real contract between a customer and the janitorial service is the quality of work and the price they are paying for it. If the customer is not happy with the service or the price drifts out of the ballpark, you can have them sign every page in the Bible and you still are going to lose the account. Possibly I grew up in another era, but I placed more value on doing what I said I was going to do and trusting the other parties would do the same than anything signed, sealed and delivered. In my 30 years in the janitorial business, I have had about a hand-full of legal problems and even those were minimal.

The comments above regarding handling the transfer may sound a bit tough. But you, as the janitorial broker, must see the bigger picture. Putting a good service together with a good customer is all that is really important. Everything else is going to come together beautifully. The paperwork is just the paperwork. The good service of the service provided is what seals the deal. Your janitor may be a little nervous and not see the forest beyond the trees. You have to calm him or her and remind them it is a good account that will help their business. I have had people work with me who initially wanted elaborate contracts with the client, with each page signed and authenticated. Then, after two or three transactions with me, a handshake and a smile was all they needed.

The Sales Transaction The janitor likes the account and the client likes the cleaner. Now its time to make some money! Before you meet at all to show

the location, tell your cleaner to make sure and bring their checkbook. If they decide to take the location, you will need a deposit. If they forgot their check, offer to go to their home with them if you have the time. If it looks like they are being evasive, get in your car and call someone else as soon as you get to your office. I found, that when I first started selling accounts, I had a few people who played games with me or wanted to negotiate my fee even though I had already told them what I charged. Later, as I got more experienced, I guess I seemed surer of myself because those same people decided somewhere along the line not to work with me any longer. There are different ways to pay for the account. I know one very large janitorial brokerage in San Francisco that had a very strict policy: The account would not be transferred to the buyer until paid in full. For years, I had the same policy. However, once you have people that you trust and you are comfortable doing business with, you can work out other plans that actually help

both parties in paying your fee. For instance I did accept post-dated checks. The buyer always had to give me a deposit at the start of service but I would accept two or three checks and deposit them as dated. The only requirement is that I get all the checks to me at this meeting, at the same time. The last thing I wanted is to camp out by my mailbox and see if the checks arrived. The checks also served a secondary purpose. In themselves, they were a contract to purchase an account. Often I did not even ask the buyer nor did the buyer ask for a purchase agreement. I liked my business best when we could all do business with a handshake! However, you should have a formal contract and you should definitely use it the first time you work with a new person. Should anything happen in the future, you can always show that the buyer knew the rules of the game because he or she had already been playing with you. Below is a copy of a purchase agreement you can use as a

janitorial broker. An attorney wrote it up many years ago. The very few times I have had to go to small claims court, it has always been upheld by the judge and the judges rulings were based on this agreement. Agreement for Sale of Assets 1. Bill Clark (seller) doing business as Maintenance Systems and Lynn Willis (buyer) doing business as The Cleaning Company agree as follows: 2. Seller agrees to sell to buyer the following accounts. The seller represents that these accounts are on a month to month agreement with the customer. The buyer understands that such accounts are based on written agreements with seller. 3. The accounts, their monthly service charge and purchase price are as follows: 4. The title to the above mentioned accounts shall be transferred to buyer when paid or on: (date) 5. Seller guarantees that these accounts shall remain clients of

buyer with said guarantee running for six months from the start of service. However, seller does not guarantee the accounts of buyer where the customer cancels due to faulty workmanship, poor service, or for any related reason. Seller does not guarantee the accounts where buyer breaches the written agreement established between seller and customer. Both buyer and seller agree to accept the representation of the client as to the reason for the termination. 6. If the account terminates for any reason other than faulty workmanship during this six month period, seller agrees to replace the account for the buyer equal to the purchase amount of the canceled account minus amounts billed or received on a prorated basis: For every month worked, sellers obligation decreases by 1/6. 7. Buyer acknowledges that the business of Maintenance Systems is to obtain a janitor for the customer. If the buyer participates in any way to circumvent this arrangement, the buyer will be

liable to Maintenance Systems for three (3) times monthly gross income of the account. 8. Seller agrees to assist buyer for a period of 90 days from the start of service to help buyer in the customer servicing of the account and the transition of the account to buyer. 9. If Maintenance Systems bills the customer until all purchase price fees have been paid and this period extends beyond three months, a billing fee shall be charged of 5% per month. Once paid, buyer bills customer directly. Date: Sellers Signature Buyers Signature Lets take a few seconds and review all of the provisions of this contract. It is actually a very simple and clear agreement but as I mentioned, it will stand-up in court if an unfortunate situation arises. Lets go through it section by section to understand it better.

The first two paragraphs just introduce the players and what they are about to do, buy and sell janitorial contracts. The third paragraph discusses the purchase price and how the broker will be paid. It can be filled out in this manner: The accounts, their monthly service charge and purchase price are as follows: North Bay Plumbing, $500 per month Purchase Price $1500 Payed: $500 November 1, 1998, $500 Dec. 1 1998, and $500 Jan. 1, 1999. The next paragraph deals with the actual transfer of title. This means when the buyer actually starts billing the customer and the transfer letter is mailed to the client. If you are billing the client, then the transfer is sent out after they pay you. If the cleaner has given you a check or checks to pay for the account, you can transfer the account at the start of service. Paragraphs 5 and 6 deal with the guarantee. This has

already been discussed and it is fairly clear to understand. Something you should know right now is that most all transactions work beautifully. I would say only one in ten or maybe one in fifteen transactions has problems. If there are problems, it is usually because the customer is not happy with the janitors work. About two or three times per year, a client will decide they do not want a cleaning service and have someone in the office take care of the office cleaning. In this case, just get the person another location and credit them with the amounts they have paid. It was rare that someone asked me for his or her money back. Note paragraph 7. An attorney suggested I add this paragraph. If you have a buyer that indeed reads every word of the agreement, they may not understand what this paragraph means. What it is, is another non-solicit clause. Once they have read and signed it here, it pretty much holds for any transaction the two of you may have. It says that your business as a janitorial broker is to find a

cleaner for the client. Should the janitor in any way try to interfere with this transaction, they can be held liable for your fee. As I am writing this, I do not recall one incident where someone tried to go behind my back and steal one of my clients. I remember very few real problems with any of my buyers. I think one reason for this was because I did protect myself. Another reason is that most people in the cleaning industry are honest. I did meet some unscrupulous people and I met some people who I would never work with again. Its always best to make sure you have all the bases covered. After all, this is your business and how you make a living. Usually the buyer will want you to be apart of the action for at least 90 days. Sometimes there are problems and to save the transaction you have to intervene. If I liked someone and worked with them often, I would be available years after I sold them an account and not just 90 days. Usually I wanted to help and be available if the buyer or the customer needed me. In the long run,

it is the thing to do. The final item is a billing fee. Some janitorial brokers will charge a 5% billing fee per month if they have to bill the customer. This is a finance charge for their money as well as a management fee for handling phone calls, checking with the customer, etc. I would do it at no charge for a month or two but if I had to bill a customer longer than two months, I usually did ask for a fee by the second month. Sometimes it encourages the janitor to pay you faster and take over the account directly. The Cost of an Appointment Earlier I mentioned you would meet people who do not understand just how hard it is to get accounts and how much it actually costs to market. In a book I am writing regarding customer relations, I itemized all the expenses that marketing entail. Since a janitorial broker does one thing, Market-MarketMarket, I am going to share that chapter in this book as well. I have already said that a telemarketer is your lifeline to the

client. So, valuing a good telemarketer, I would pay them $10-$15 per hour. I would also pay them $3-$6 per qualified appointment. When I was really rolling, the cost of my telemarketers easily could be one of my major expenses. Working with a marketing guru, we realized that it normally took 1 to 2 hours for the telemarketer to book one qualified appointment. Averaging out my expenses, it meant it cost me about $20 for the telemarketers to book one appointment plus another $5 for the appointment itself. I took appointments all over the San Francisco Bay Area. Some were 15 minutes from my office and some were almost 2 hours away. It appeared each appointment took an average of at least one hour to drive to and then another hour to drive from. Booking appointments in the same general area allowed me to call on two different locations within an hour, but it still averaged out, when adding up all my calls through the month, that each appointment took about an hour in driving and visiting time. Even though the actual appointment tended to be very quick, just 10-15

minutes, it was the time to and from the appointment that added up. Once you place a value on your time, which you must, you realize the hidden cost of obtaining a customer. I valued my time at $50 per hour. That means each actual call was costing me about $50. When you consider gas, wear and tear on my car, road tolls, parking, etc. you can easily add another $3 per appointment. So now, it has cost me $25 for the appointment by paying my telemarketer plus $53 in time and energy to make the call. We are not done yet! My policy was to always bid on my locations that day while the information was still fresh in my mind. Often I would sleep on my bid a couple of days and review it again but I found it very important to actually type the proposal that day. It would take me about 30 minutes to consider, evaluate, bid and then print each proposal. If it was a complicated office, I would often go back and re-consider my figures. Many times, I would rewrite the proposal completely, believing I had it wrong the first time around. But the important thing here is that each proposal

took about 30 minutes to prepare. Valuing my time again at $50 per hour, this means it cost me $25 to prepare the cleaning proposal. Lets not forget about the cost of stationary, stamps, cards and thank you notes. How about the marketing directories we were using, those cost money as well. It all added up and came out of my pocket. Each proposal cost me about $3 to cover these miscellaneous costs. To save time and money, I normally mailed my proposals back to my prospects unless it was a very important bid or they asked for a follow-up appointment. To mail the proposals back cost me about $2 each. So, we must add on another $5 just to get the bid out the door. Lets total up our costs to this point. Remember that we do not even have the customer yet, we are just trying to win their business. This just shows us how much money it costs to begin the process in the first place: The Telemarketer $25.00

Time, gas & energy $53.00 The Proposal $25.00 Postage, cards, stationary $5.00 Total cost of each appointment $108.00 Pretty shocking isnt it? Until I actually sat down with the figures, analyzed how much is involved with each call, I never realized just how much it was actually costing me per appointment to solicit someones business. Now you may feel the telemarketer expense could be eliminated. Then you have to add on to your own time cold calling, calling on offices, canvassing business parks and walking the streets. Remember that a telemarketer can call on an entire office park in a couple of hours. It could possibly take you a day to do the same thing. That is your time and time is money. It probably evens out either way. But theres more! When you consider that my goal was to

have nine to ten appointments per week, we are looking at a cool $1000 per week in marketing costs. By the way, for the slow counters like me, thats about $4000 per month and about $48000 per year. The point being, marketing is expensive. You will get 2030% of the prospects you call on so your business, whether a janitorial brokerage or a janitorial service, will grow if you market. But to really re-coup your expenses, pay yourself back and cover your marketing costs, you must now: 1. Retain the customer if you are providing a janitorial service or; 2. Market well and successfully if you are working as a janitorial broker.

Management Services-Another Approach One of the problems you will eventually encounter being a janitorial broker is it gets a bit tiring and there are times of the year business is active and others when things are slow.

In California, the most active time of the year was from about April through September. It seemed like everyone was taking bids for cleaning and many people were indeed changing janitorial services. The slowest months of the year were January and February and sometimes March. So, when things get lean or you are tired of knocking on doors, its good to have another way to keep the money coming in. I was surprised how many people would actually turn to me to manage their accounts. They were quite happy to do the work and provide the service but they did not want to bill the customer. They had no interest in handling phone calls or customer relations. Its true, many did not speak English all that well so some really needed me. But, I even had one fellow who drove a Mercedes and owned apartment buildings all over the city that asked me and offered to generously pay me to manage his janitorial accounts. To manage a janitorial account means you bill the client each month, you handle any and all phone calls, you visit with the

customer or at least call each month to see how all is going. For this service, the normally fee is 10 to 15% of what the customer pays. In your agreement with your janitor, it must be clear that you will bill the customer on a certain date each month and they can expect payment when the customer pays you. If you pay the janitor before the customer has paid you, it could legally jeopardize your agreement and business. In a tax audit, the government might ignore all the business transactions you have had with the cleaning person previously and rule that they are really an employee. There could be severe tax repercussions. If you decide to manage some accounts, make sure you have the tax id numbers of all the cleaning companies for whom you are managing accounts. They should have there own business insurance, as a matter of fact, I would insist on it. They should also have their own accounts and be aware of them just for your own records. In my first book, The Janitorial Contractors Bible, I go into detail about independent contractors and the rules that

apply. You might want to refer to this book for more information. As the client pays you for cleaning their location, wait about one week and then pay the janitor. Deduct your fee from the check. Managing janitorial accounts can give you a base income each month. If you decide to take a break or you are going through a slow period, at least you will have some money coming in. I managed some janitorial accounts but, in time, I decided against it. I only kept my actual customers and turned over full control and responsibility to the buyers of the janitorial accounts sold. I did this because if there were problems, you as the broker were often forced into the middle of things. Sometimes it was more of a problem and more time consuming then the fee you were getting. Another reason I shied away from it was because of the tax implications. Even if you are doing everything by the book, if the government sees a lot of 1099s from one company, they tend to

examine your tax affairs. I was audited once. With the IRS, you are always guilty first and must prove yourself innocent. I thought the audit was a nightmare, my accountant charged me a fortune and I never want to go through that again. However, in Northern California, I knew of one company that sold accounts and managed them all as policy. They were very successful and had a very good business. One situation you will not have to deal with if you manage accounts is that you will not have to transfer the account and tell the customer someone else will be billing them. Since you manage the account, you will be billing the location. A management contract between you and a janitorial service should include the following: 1. The janitorial service must give you a certificate of insurance. 2. The janitorial service must give you a tax id number 3. Explain in detail what you will and will not do for your service 4. State the charge for your fee and how it will be paid

5. State when you will bill the client and when you will pay the janitor 6. Give the management contract a time period and a way to terminate. You or both parties may decide not to continue and this will allow a formal way to part ways. For tax purposes, if you decide to manage accounts, you should also be aware of the following items regarding independent contractors and make sure you meet all of these requirements. As mentioned earlier, the IRS has a tendency to completely disregard contracts, transactions and agreements you may have established with your janitorial buyers. If you manage accounts, make sure you treat the buyers of these cleaners as true independent contractors. Below are some of the items that you should be aware of: 1. Repeating, the janitorial contractor should have business insurance. 2. You are only concerned about the results accomplished by

the contractors work and not the means and methods used to do the work 3. The contractor sets his own hours, determines his own time and routine and is free to hire his own helpers 4. The janitorial contractor has his own customers and does same or similar work for them 5. The contractor has his own tools and supplies 6. Repeating, you pay by the contracted amount and when the customer pays you. There are no bonuses nor any amounts paid which are not paid by the client. Re-Negotiating a Monthly Service Charge When you visit lots and lots of offices, you sometimes forget which one was which. I have had as many as eight appointments in one day and that is way to many. Even if you take notes, it is easy to make bidding mistakes. Its not the end of the world. If you have found people who trust you and you trust them, there are ways to still make the

transaction work should the customer hire you and keep everyone happy. If your bid is low, encourage the janitorial service provider to take the account and get everything running beautifully. Once all is running well, offer to meet with the client and try and adjust the monthly service charge if it still is necessary. I used to call this my back door policy. If we came in too low, we first got the office looking great. Most clients, as I have said, place concerns of quality over price. Once things are indeed looking very good, I would very humbly walk back in-as if going through the back doorand ask the client if we could adjust the monthly service charge. As long as you can negotiate from strength with a happy customer, you can almost always make an adjustment in the monthly service charge. Above I also mentioned I would offer to re-negotiate the contract if it is still necessary. As we all know by now, the secret to the cleaning business is that the longer we do a location, the

easier and faster it gets. Many times a location which appeared underbid initially, turns out to work fine without any service charge adjustments. Below is an article I have written on re-negotiating contracts. It discusses a variety of ways of re-negotiating contracts both as a broker and a janitorial service provider. I do not believe I can say it better than I have already, so I am re-printing it here in its entirety: How do you re-negotiate a contract when you find it is taking more time to clean and maintain the building than you estimated? This happens and it happens with large and small companies as well as experienced and inexperienced business owners. Since it is common, do not be embarrassed. It has to be handled, and here are some ways to do that. If you realize that you made a mistake and you havent started the account, you can discuss it with the customer before taking over the service. Ask to meet with them in their office. Be

sincere and humble. Tell them why you are concerned so they have a reason and understand your situation. Let them know what you feel the monthly charge will eventually have to be. Many times I have been able to re-negotiate the agreement right their in her office especially if they know I came in a little low. Something very important to remember, the customer does not always hire a janitorial service or any vendor just because of their bid amount. They hire because they want you, they like you, they trust you, and were impressed with you. If you handle this meeting well, these feelings will only be increased. Also remember, ultimately the customer wants this to work for you and for them. It takes your client time to take bids, walk people through their building, evaluate proposals, call on references, or even visit with them. Hiring a janitorial service is just one of their many duties. If they found someone they like and want to try, most likely they will work with you on the re-negotiation. Another way to handle the situation at the same meeting is

to offer to clean the office for 30 to 90 days at the amount quoted and see how things work out. Many times the concerns you have iron themselves out and you can continue at the amount originally quoted. What happens if you go ahead and start the service believing your bid is good and you can make a profit but then find it is too low? This also happens many times. Continue cleaning the office for at least three or four weeks to see exactly how long it takes and if the time is coming down. If not, call the customer and discuss the situation just as in the preceding scenario. But, before you call for a meeting, you must do one very important thing. Make sure that office looks TERRIFIC! You cannot re-negotiate after starting the service if they are not happy with your work. You must renegotiate from strength after you have proven yourself to your customer. If they are not happy and they took other bids, they may just move on to the next bidder. But if they are happy, they will work with you.

How bout the Money? Being a janitorial broker is lucrative! If you live in a large metropolitan area you will make money, a lot of money. Other than your time, your telemarketer, your gas and your car, you will have few expenses. But, as mentioned earlier, each appointment costs money, quite a bit of money, so it definitely is not a free ride. To be a success as a janitorial broker, you do need to live around or near a lot of people. For awhile, I lived in the wine country of California, about one hour north of San Francisco. I could work my area, Sonoma and Napa counties, which were excellent, in a month or two. That meant I had 10 months left to work other areas. If you know the Bay Area, this little geography lesson will be clear. I would then work the area south of San Francisco, Hayward and Fremont. These areas are loaded with business parks and industrial parks. Even though they were called on a lot by janitorial services and janitorial brokers, I still was able to do

well down there year after year. I could easily spend four months of each year in Hayward and Fremont. San Francisco was a mixed bag. One year, 1992, I worked almost the entire year in the city and it was golden, just like in the early 70s. The economy in California was very bad that year, and it should be pointed out now, when the economy is bad, your business will be good. Why, because when businesses are struggling they are always open to someone who can provide a product or service a little cheaper. If you can, youve got the job. Other than that one year, San Francisco never worked for me again. When you consider all the problems parking and getting around, I never called in the city again even though, somehow, I still got two or three places a year in the city. This is because and an example of the importance of keeping in touch. People do not change cleaning services until the need arises. If you stay in touch, when the need arises to look for another cleaning service, you will get called.

East of San Francisco is Walnut Creek and Concord. These areas were reasonably good and I did make calls here two or three months each year. Its a very large area now with many, many businesses. For some reason, it never was as good business-wise as the areas south of San Francisco. I assumed there was a lot more competition in these areas. Its possible my physical distance from the area hampered my success. After a couple of months in Walnut Creek and Concord, I would start working my way back to my home base in Northern California. Working as a janitorial broker, to make good money, you will have to do some traveling. I would say within 1.5 hours of your office is fine. My cards and letterhead all said I was based in Novato, about 30 minutes north of San Francisco. Occasionally, a prospect an hour or more away would balk at the distance between there office and mine. But it was rare. In California, there would be companies based in Los Angles cleaning banks in the wine country, a good eight hours away by car. I would always tell the

client, if it became an issue, that the cleaners were local and that we cleaned other locations in the area. All were true. Rarely did my physical address become a problem. Working as a janitorial broker, I was on the road three days per week and then worked the phones out of my home on Monday. I found being on the road four days per week just too tiring. Though traffic was nothing like it is here in the Atlanta area, all that driving wears you down. It is important, as mentioned earlier, to look and feel fresh when you are selling. Mondays would be call-back days. I would call on past proposals and see whats happening. Usually, it took about a day. So, in reality, I worked three good, strong days per week and one easy day per week. I forgot to mention another plus. I did not work 12 months per year. The slow period for this business is January. From about mid-December until February 1, I took a vacation or worked only if a customer called me. Im not going to say exactly what I earned, and I did not work

full time as a janitorial broker each year, but most janitorial brokers can make $50,000 to $60,000 per year relatively easy. I know the super high energy woman I met many years ago, the one who said she only does three things, Market-Market-Market, was earning over $100,000 annually back in the 80s. The company that first contacted me 20 years ago about buying the cleaning contract for that bank, their owners were famous for their new Mercedes Benzes and expensive lifestyle. You can do well, its not hard, and it takes lots and lots of perseverance and stamina. But this brings up the other side of the business: burnout and frustration. Im going to get very personal here about my own experience but I saw this happen with other people and I also saw how other janitorial brokerages handled it. This is not to discourage you. Today, people change careers every 6-8 years. Being a janitorial broker for this amount of time is about right. It will stay exciting for most of that time, you will make a lot of money and you probably will enjoy it for many of

those years. Hopefully, in that time, you will have helped many people, clients and cleaners, along the way. I started my third company in 1991. This company, Corporate Building Services, was both a janitorial service and janitorial brokerage. I would pick and choose what accounts to sell or to keep which is another option you always have. Though the first three months were very slow, within a year it was doing fairly well and I decided to devote most of my energy to being a broker. For about three years, I truly loved being a janitorial broker. It was exciting, I was meeting all kinds of business people, I was driving and seeing areas of Northern California I had never been in before. All of the excitement was working for me as well. Life is a mirror, if you are feeling good and expressing enthusiasm and excitement, thats what life will return to you. I was also making good money, people had heard about me, both clients and cleaners, and business was flowing in the door.

About 1995, slowly with little notice, things began to change. All the driving was starting to wear me down. I noticed I was getting bitter and angry. All I was concerned about was getting my check. The cleaning people bored me with their problems and I could not understand why every client I called on did not hire me. I was still doing well financially but in every other way I was entering burn-out. One of the things that scared me the most is how I would concentrate on my business problems while I was driving. Being a janitorial broker, your only real problem will be money and that becomes a problem when its not coming in or someone owes you some money. I often found myself driving 75 miles per hour, concerned about money, and not concentrating on the highway. Within a year, I started telling people that I had begun to dislike what I was doing for a living. However, I was making so much money, I just could not let it go. I told everyone that the only thing that would end my career would probably be a car accident.

Thank heaven that never happened. But shortly after I made the decision to get out of the janitorial brokerage business, I witnessed a very dramatic event. I was driving home late at night and, for the first time in my life, I saw an extremely serious car accident happen. A SUV passed me going over 90 miles per hour and plowed right into a car stalled in the fast lane. The SUV flew into the air and landed on its top. The stalled car exploded. I was right there when it occurred and the first one on the spot calling 911. To this day, I call what I witnessed my car accident. It was symbolic to me. In my eyes, the Universe, God, whatever you want to call it said, this is your car accident, move on to a new career now, your past career is over. In less dramatic ways, there are other methods to handle this burnout stage. I knew how two companies handled it or failed to handle it. First, Ill tell you the story of Paul. I met Paul through some of my cleaners. He was super high-energy like many salespeople. He would start his day about 6 in the morning,

driving all over the Bay Area and be up working until 11pm or 12pm each evening writing proposals and bidding on projects. He did very well financially. He was famous for calling cleaners at midnight to ask them questions or check on an account. Paul was up working and just assumed they would be as well. Paul was the most bitter man I have ever met. I dont know how he acted around customers, but with his janitorial buyers and me, his anger and frustration just poured out. He was always suing someone and someone was always suing him. I am almost 50 years old now and I have never heard or met anyone involved with as many lawsuits as Paul. It was a reflection of his anger, his frustration and his burnout. Paul over the years would literally walk over people. He would do what ever he had to do to get his money or get an account. He became a big steam engine and he just kept plowing through the crowd, not caring who got caught under the wheels. When I asked him why he did not try something else or a

new career, he would always reply, this is all I know. He was stuck in the same bind I was, making a lot of money and refusing to let it go. It probably would take a car accident to get him out of the business as well. Instead of growing as a person, he was resisting and fighting life every step of the way. The experts will tell you, it can only go on so long. In time, Paul may have a car accident, literally or symbolically, his health may suffer or he may finally let go and change careers. He may also change the way he runs his business. I do not know and I have no idea what finally happened to him. Another example of evolving in the business is more positive. I knew of two men who started with Ms. High Energy back in the mid-80s. They began their own company a couple of years later. What they did is hire sales people. They looked for young, attractive people and they would teach them how to bid, how to market and how to sell janitorial services. They had three or four full time telemarketers working in their office, churning out

appointments all over the Bay Area to keep their salespeople busy. Like any business, they had their share of problems. There best sales people would go off on their own and start their own business. Telemarketes were always coming and going. But they were actually running a business now out of a beautiful office in San Francisco. They also were very involved with the management of janitorial accounts. As a matter of fact, management was the third word of their business name. This allowed them to always have a stream of money coming in no matter what was going on in the office or out in the janitorial trenches. Instead of burning out by making all the calls themselves, they evolved into a full service janitorial company, a janitorial brokerage selling some accounts and a management company, managing other locations. What I tired to do in this chapter is answer the question, What bout the Money? Yes, the potential to make a lot of money is definitely available. But working in sales-sales-sales gets tiring.

And when your only goal becomes the money then you are in for trouble. Thats when bitterness and anger take over. More on this when we discuss integrity in the next chapter. Integrity I love what I do now for a living. I write books, share information and help people in the janitorial industry. I give, people appreciate my work and my service and I am paid accordingly. Most everyone who really loves what they do for a living will look at what they are offering to others as one of the greatest benefits. The money comes but it becomes a secondary issue. Look at any great artist or entertainer. They just want to start another canvas or get back out on the stage and see those admiring faces in the audience. That is what they love and why they do what they do. In the business world, the same is true. A good stockbroker will become famous and even more successful the more he or she

helps their clients and helps them make money. For a very short time, I worked as a real estate agent. I saw first hand that the successful people in real estate were those who gave and gave and gave of their time and service. They did not worry about the money it just arrived. One of the drawbacks working as a janitorial broker is that you may lose sight of the benefits of your service. I do strongly believe that a janitorial broker can be beneficial and helpful to others. There are people in the cleaning industries that are excellent janitors. Their chief concern is the quality of their work and the satisfaction in their work by their customers. However, these same people may be totally unable or inept in marketing their service to others. You can help get them accounts and allow them to give to more and more customers. Of course, the customer is happy as well and so everyone is rewarded by your service. Remember the mantra?

I am providing a service. My service is to provide a good cleaning company for this customer. As I achieve this goal, I am rewarded financially and spiritually. As long as you can keep this in mind, you will do better and you will be able to continue this work longer. Write it down, tape it to your notebook and the dashboard of your car. Always remind yourself of what you are trying to do and the benefits of your service. Unfortunately, there will be times when you really have to remember just what you are doing and what it is all about. Working as a janitorial broker, money can become your one and only concern, especially once you start making some good money and you want to see it continuing. Since you may be working 100% on commission, there are always those fears that even though this was a good month, everything could fall apart next month. Unfortunately that does

happen. I have had Novembers where I had to run to the bank every other day to deposit a check. I also had one November where I did not make any money at all. When you work just for money, you start to lose sight of what you are offering and your integrity can suffer. Many times the cleaning people do not appreciate you. Once I had a bright guy who wanted to buy accounts from me. He did a very good job so it was in my interest to work with him but we always had problems. I have always tried to keep myself in good shape and maintain a fit appearance. This young man, about 25, was way to heavy and very out of shape for his age. I think for that reason alone he was reluctant to go out and make marketing calls for he had the smarts to do it. I kept getting accounts and offering to him. He thought they just flowed in nice and easy with little effort. He believed he was the one who had the difficult task of cleaning the bathrooms and doing the hard work every night. In time, we

dickered and argued over my fee so much that I finally had to drop him altogether. He had no respect for my service. He thought it was easy with no idea and no concept of how much work it takes to get an account, how many nos you have to endure before a yes comes in. He had no idea how much driving I had to do or how expensive each appointment was. This fellow was not the only one. I think, especially when I was really on a roll, most everyone was a bit envious and underestimated just how much I was working. The result, I had to fight for my money. When people dont value your service or think you have it too easy, you always have to prove yourself and your value to others. Its true this may happen in many industries but since janitorial brokers are new, few and far between, it happens a lot in this business. When you always have to fight to prove your value, your integrity can suffer. Money and your self worth become your goal and not the value of your service.

The customer may appreciate the fact that you have gotten them a good cleaning person but dont expect them to roll out the red carpet for you as far as references and referrals. Once they realize that they are working with the person who has purchased the contract, he is now there vendor. You just put the two together. If anyone deserves good references or a referral, the customer feels it is their cleaner coming in every night. Again, you may have to remind your client how you made this good deed happen. You got them the cleaner they are so happy about. I found the client quickly forgets the broker unless they are NOT happy with the cleaner. Oh yes, if there are problems then they do remember you. You will get calls expressing not only their complaints and unhappiness but also their unhappiness with you for not telling them you were selling the janitorial contract. Often they will say that they thought you were going to be the one in charge. When they are happy, this is never an issue and never comes up. When they are unhappy, it becomes a major sore point.

Again, your personal integrity is taking it on the chin. The dictionary defines integrity as meaning: Adherence to a code of moral, artistic or other values; Honesty I do think when money becomes the one and only concern in any business or for any individual, people will do just about anything and everything to make a buck. Again, I said the one and only concern. If you have a good product or offer a good service, there is nothing wrong with getting the most you can for it. But, when you lose sight of that you have problems. As a janitorial broker, when you try just to make the deal happen one way or another so that you get your check, then your integrity suffers. You are no longer adhering to a code of moral values. Honest is out the door in order to get your money. Ive seen it happen, Ive felt it before myself and it can happen to you if you lose sight of your mantra: I am providing a service. My service is to

provide a good cleaning company for this customer. As I achieve this goal, I am rewarded financially and spiritually. One of my janitorial contractor friends took a janitorial broker to court. The janitorial broker had become so dishonest he sold my friend an account that he did not even have. He told my friend the service was to start on the first of the following month and that he would need to give the broker his check by the 25th of the month to get the account. He paid the money, $1500, and the broker said they would meet again on the 1st and get the keys to the building. On the first, the broker called and told my friend to go ahead and meet with someone at the building and she would have his keys. When he introduced himself to this person, she had no idea what he was talking about or why he was there. They had not changed cleaning services, she knew who the broker was but did not hire him or contract with his company. My friend was duped! He lost $1500. At first he was going

to just walk away from the situation but then he decided to fight. He filed in small claims court and the process server was finally able to track down the broker. When my friend entered the courtroom he was in for a very big surprise. There was the broker with his attorney (actually forbidden in small claims court) and everyone else in that room was suing this same janitorial broker! What the court had done, since there were so many cases against this guy, is put them altogether for the same day and hear them all. You can just imagine all the stories the judge heard about the dishonesty and corruption of this one individual. The attorney for the broker was permitted to stay and kept defending his client by saying these were all misunderstandings and bookkeeping errors. The judge did not see it that way. He ruled against the broker in every case and gave him quite a lecture on integrity at the end of the day. The lecture did not help. The broker refused to honor the

courts ruling and paid none of the cleaning companies suing him. Most turned over their judgments to collection agencies which eventually secured some money and others, like my friend, were able to get the money out of his bank account before he closed it. This is an extreme case. But I have heard stories about other janitorial brokers not telling the truth or having money become their one and only concern. The only way you can keep your integrity is to keep reminding yourself of your mantra and just who you are. If you feel you are an honest and honorable person, you can be an honest and honorable janitorial broker. If a transaction falls apart or you have a slow month or two, maintain your integrity and faith in what you are doing and this will see you through the difficulties. I think what happens with many janitorial brokers is that they start working out of fear. When that happens, when fear of not getting a new account or fear your bank account is dwindling, anything that gets in their way will be plowed over.

Let go of the fear, once you start making some money you will realize that there may be ups and downs in your business but you can do well. Ups and downs happen in every business and especially in an industry such as sales. Staying in faith and not in fear, keeping sight of the true service you are trying to provide will help you maintain your personal and business integrity. The Future of the Industry To discuss the future of janitorial brokering we must first look at the future of the cleaning industry. Statistics show that the janitorial industry is a growing field. At times it has been the fastest growing industry in the country. Way back in 1950, the building maintenance industry had gross sales of around $90 million. By the late 60s, that figure had jumped to over $1 billion. It is now well over $20 billion in gross sales per year and growing. You will almost always find the industry listed in the top fastest growing job categories in almost every part of the country. According to J. Michael Farr in his book Americas 50 Fastest

Growing Jobs, the growth of the janitorial job market is listed number eight with an expected 548,000 new job openings developing between 1995 and 2005. The Georgia Department of Labor recently predicted that the number of janitors working more than 35 hours per week will increase by 16.6% in the next five years. In Los Angeles County, the janitorial industry is growing by over 4% per year. Its not only in this country. In England, the Labour Force Update for 1999 reported support services providing services to buildings (janitorial services and landscaping) made up the largest component and contributed the largest percentage of (job) increase since 1989. These figures show that the janitorial business is a good, solid enterprise and definitely expanding. It is needed and necessary. A good service will always find its place. Just look around for yourself at all the new office parks, the new office buildings, banks, doctors offices, schools and stores. Everywhere you look there are buildings where people work, shop, and frequent. They all have to be cleaned. And its not just new

offices. For years, I have called on established facilities and bid on their cleaning needs. People change services about every two years, sometimes more often. They are all potential customers. I have no doubts that the cleaning industry will continue to grow and expand. I have read reports where more and more people are trying to work out of their homes. The truth is, at best they may work out of their homes a couple of days per week. Many people have found they miss the camaraderie and energy that the office has to offer. Even if they do like working out of their homes, there will always be a central office where everything is based. So this will not really slow the growth of new offices and office parks. From time to time I see articles about janitorial robots replacing the cleaning person. I do not place much credence in these reports either. What seems to be evolving are better machines to do floor work, carpet cleaning even automated vacuum cleaners. But offices have not evolved to the place where a machine can now vacuum around all the desks and behind the

water cooler. Nor has one been made to clean the restrooms, the kitchen counter, appliances and dust the desks. Hardy individuals who like to keep things clean will probably always perform this work. My big concern about the future of the mysterious world of janitorial brokers is the honesty or lack thereof of the profession. I got caught up myself in the frenzy of the money and left my integrity in the gutter. I did some things I now regret but nothing like I know others have done and done to clients and cleaners alike. I have heard horror stories, similar to the one mentioned earlier where every lawsuit heard that day in one courtroom involved the same janitorial broker. I really wonder if that janitorial broker changed his ways. I wish not to be pessimistic, but something tells me he did not. These are the things and the people that will destroy the industry of janitorial brokering if they are not checked. Shortly before I moved out of California, a woman who lost

an account I sold her sued me in small claims court. She had paid me about $4500 for a large office contract in San Francisco. This woman had a horrible cleaning service, I knew it and she knew it. But I so rarely got places in San Francisco toward the end of my career, when the client called me I had very few cleaning companies to call. She took the account, lost it in about four months and then wanted her money back. I got a letter from the customer saying that the service was terminated because they were so unhappy with this womans cleaning service. When we went to court, I felt very confident because of the letter from the customer. About all I brought to the court was the letter and my sales agreement with this janitorial contractor. In the past, the very few times I ever went to court as a janitorial broker, I always had to explain to the judge exactly what a janitorial broker was. Usually, the judge had never heard of this profession nor understand the concept. Well, not this judge! As

soon as I told the judge I sold this woman the account and began to describe what a janitorial broker was, she stopped me in midsentence and, with a smug smile, said she knew all about janitorial brokers. That was my first sign that I did not prepare for this judge and this lawsuit. My buyer claimed I did not tell her everything that needed to be performed at the location. She claimed this and she claimed that and the judge gave her a very sympathetic ear. Even though she lied about one issue and the judge discovered it, she still listened to her as if she were the victim of another janitorial broker. Well, the judge could not really disagree with the clients letter nor the agreement the contractor and I had signed. The janitorial contractor did lie on one issue and was caught. She did bring to court a complete copy of the list of services at this location so it was hard to claim she did not know what services she was to provide.

The judge did award her a few hundred dollars of the $4500 she wanted back because of what amounted to a technicality. I believe in reality, she just wanted to punish the profession and punish me for being a janitorial broker. The fact that this judge was so sympathetic to the contractors woes made me realizes that the industry was getting a bad name. I had met janitorial brokers myself who I would never do business with. I met and heard of many janitorial brokers who, as I have described, when caught in the money frenzy would run over and roll over anyone that got between them and their check. This is my big concern about the future of the industry janitorial brokering. Im concerned that some of the most successful people working as janitorial brokers are also the most dishonest. It can be a good, valuable service. I hope if you have read this far, you see that this is true. If more people can place the value of the service and what they are trying to do over the end

result-the money-janitorial brokering can stay and grow into a positive part of the cleaning industry. If you decide to venture into janitorial brokering, even just as a side business along with your janitorial service, keep this in mind. Place the customer and the cleaner first. Be honest and honorable and you will attract similar people to you. Consider it a profession and honor it and respect it as such. I hope that will be the future of the industry.

A Little About Me And Cleaning I always tell people I learned how to clean in college. I had cleaned my familys house growing up and helped with the chores. But it was not until I started college and needed some extra income that I really learned how to clean. At the University of New Mexico, I was hired to clean Hodgin Hall, the oldest building on the campus. Once I learned the building and was trained to do the job, my supervisor gave me the keys at 5:00 p.m. and did not come back until 10:00 p.m. He

knew he could trust me, and more important, he knew the building would be cleaned and cleaned well. I took pride in that building. Starting on the top floor classrooms, I mopped each room, cleaned the 70-year-old restrooms, dusted counters, and arranged the chairs. I had this daydream that the professors and the students would come in the next morning and admire how clean the building was. Of course that dream was just mine. But I was proud of that building and I was proud of my work. After college, I moved to Northern California. That was during the tail end of the hippie movement. I worked at an electronics store and then at a bank and disliked both. So, needing money to pay the rent, I started a housecleaning service. I applied the same pride of workmanship to that business as I applied to Hodgin Hall. One homeowner referred me to another homeowner, then one to another. An ad in the paper here, a flyer or two over there, and before I knew it, I was cleaning houses all

over the San Francisco Bay Area. It was time to take my cleaning business to the next level. For some unknown reason, I decided I wanted to clean restaurants. Restaurants are very hard work, especially if you have to clean the kitchen. There is also a lot to learn. So to educate myself, I worked with a restaurant cleaning crew for no pay. We met at 4:00 every morning for about three weeks and they taught me everything, top to bottom. I enjoyed it. The fact that there was no wage did not bother me at all. The knowledge and education were the payoff. My first restaurant client was a very in French restaurant in the Union Street area of San Francisco, very fashionable and popular. When I first started cleaning that restaurant, I hired a helper and the two of us started at midnight and finished at 6:00 in the morning. In time, I was able to clean the entire place myself in just 4 hours. So I learned one of the first lessons about the cleaning business: the more often you do it, the easier it gets. I

found this to be true over and over again. After that restaurant, I got another French restaurant. In time I was cleaning six restaurants in San Francisco. I was so proud of my restaurants, I collected the Menus and mailed them to my folks and friends to impress them. They were indeed my babies. From the restaurants, I started calling on offices all over the Bay Area. I put 10 to 15 business cards in my pocket and didnt go back to my home/office until I had used up all of my cards. Within three years I had 80 customers. I ran the first business for 15 years. I sold it myself through an ad in the Sunday newspaper. By the time I sold it, it had about 100 customers and 22 employees. I then started my second business at a location an hour north of San Francisco. The second business was even easier to start and get going than the first one. However, I grew much too fast. In less than one year, I had 52 customers including some of the major banks in the

Northern California area. Soon, I decided to run an ad in the paper again to try to sell that business. I was able to sell the business myself, just like the first one, and did even better. Since marketing was the most exciting part of the cleaning business for me, in 1990, I began working as a janitorial broker. A janitorial broker calls on all types of businesses trying to secure the maintenance contract for the facility. When awarded the contract, the broker then sells it to a janitorial contractor who actually performs the work. It is very common in California. In many ways, most janitorial franchises are a form of janitorial brokers since their main emphasis is on marketing and then selling the accounts to the franchisee. Through my years of experience in the industry, I met many wonderful people along the way who helped me and taught me a lot. My wish is to share with you what I have learned so that you too can become a success in the janitorial industry. Addendum

So wheres the loyalty? (The following is an article I wrote for America On Line and other media sources regarding janitorial brokers and the loyalty or lack of loyalty which the customer may have a janitorial vendor. It also discusses ways to increase customer loyalty and secure your client.) Many years ago, a company called and asked me if I wanted to purchase some janitorial contracts. This firm was in the business of acquiring and then selling cleaning contracts. In California, they are called janitorial brokers. I thought it was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard of. What customer would work with a broker and hire a service they do not even know? The customer, I believed, wanted to bond with the cleaning company and its owner. I thought there was a loyalty that grew and evolved between the two parties. Just like my father who would never buy anything but a

Chrysler car. I thought the customer would bond with the new cleaning service and its owner. Well, Im here to tell you those days are gone. The last time I saw the fellow who offered to sell me those janitorial contracts, he was in a brand new Mercedes and had just purchased a new house. There really is no such thing as customer loyalty any longer for anything. The customer, just like you and just like me, shops for the best price and the best service they can find. They really do not care who provides it as long as it meets this criteria. That does not mean you give up and assume someone may just underbid you and get your accounts. No, by no means! You win them over with good, quality service. You get close to your customer. You visit them regularly. Its easy to fire someone they never see. You are there when they need you and they know they can count on you. You become a part of their office family.

Try as well to do something extra which offers a special touch. I have called on people who love their current janitor because he vacuums a flower in the carpet. This carpet flower greets them every morning and they love it. We had a newsletter that went out every month for years. So many people complimented me on that newsletter it became a joy to write. Our Mothers Day and Fathers Day issues always resulted in Thank You notes to our office. Another possibility, at one time we had a policy of taking two customers out to lunch each month. Its fun and they appreciate it. Think of the customers you have now. If you have not been visiting them regularly, drop by, its time. Make sure your customers are getting the good, quality service you want for all your clients. Think of ways to personalize your service so that you are special. There may no longer be customer loyalty but you can still stand out way above the crowd.

lobal Cleaning Association > General > General What I've learned from GCA is... http://www.globalcleaningassociation.com/f...?showtopic=5258

pazinhim I'd like everyone to share with the group at least ONE thing, one piece of information, one tidbit you've picked up on the GCA message boards, that has helped you in your cleaning business. I'll share a few things off the top of my head that I've learned just to get us started:

1. I have learned (from Sonya) how to document EVERYTHING when it comes to employees. Every write up, every verbal warning, etc. should be documented.

2. I've learned that "good 'ole Ivory does a great job of leaving everything sparkly. (from Ken)

3. I've learned how to save tons of money on cleaning products (thanks Quality John!!)

4. I learned that Microsoft Outlook works wonders to help you get organized in your business (from Hazel). Don't know where I'd

be without this program, actually.

5. No acidic cleaners on any type of stone or marble! (Stoner)

6. Scheduling only the first house with a specific time works wonders...No more trying to rush from one home to the next in order to meet a time quoted! (from nanettecelina)

7. It IS alright to say, "Next!" (from Christy)-Christy also taught me the importance of trying to use as many natural chemicals as possible for health's sake.

8. From Rhonda-It is TOTALLY exceptable to charge well for the services you are providing!

9. From Dave--the term "think value"

10. What a service agreement should look like! (Thanks a million, Sherri!)

11. From DawnR: Has inspired me to go big on my residential cleaning service.

12. Don't be a pushover when it comes to employees (from Diane L)

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hazel1 I've learned that I am not alone, lol, which means a great deal to me. Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I typically do not follow the crowd. For example, instead of continuing on with my teaching career like so many people told me I should do, I decided to turn my life completely upside down and start this business. I essentially threw 10 years of teaching down the drain, horrifying just about everyone I know. They certainly weren't shocked that I did it, just horrified... like "why in the world would you want to do this?"

My mother nearly had a stroke. Hubby thought I was going through a temporary mid-life crisis and believed it would pass. My kids looked at me like I had lost my mind. It was so funny.

For the first few weeks as I was preparing to officially open my doors for business, my entire family called me on the phone as if I were sick... family members who hadn't called me in months started to call... they would say, "Oh, I'm just calling to see how things are. Do you need anything? Everything okay? Are you sure you're doing the right thing

honey?" PUHLEEZE!!! Gimme a break, lol.

Needless to say, I was feeling pretty much alone & isolated before finding this board and getting to know the GCA members here. It is a g-r-e-a-t feeling to know that I am not the ONLY one whose "crazy" enough (I prefer BRAVE enough) to start my own biz, lol. It's important to surround yourself with people who understand what it's like to manage your own business. Thanks everybody! --------

Sharbysyd Great topic, Maria.

I've learned so much - I don't know where to begin.

I've gained the confidence to charge a fair price for what I do. Without this board, I know I would have ended up quoting my prices MUCH lower and not making any money.

I've learned about making my own door hangers and have been inspired to make them and distribute them. I've also gotten several other marketing ideas.

I've learned that it's important to look like a big, successful company even though I'm not one.

I've learned what to do or say in many situations that have come up when I would have been completely lost had I not had this board (ie. when it didn't look like we'd get paid a couple of times - what to do about cancellations).

I downloaded a sample cleaning agreement from the download section which I revised and use for my customers.

I got a lot of support when doing my first walk-through. It helped me immensely with pricing and confidence.

I've learned that natural dish soap is really good for getting grease off of stoves.

I've learned that I shouldn't wash microfiber cloths with other cloths and that I shouldn't wash them in hot water or mix them with clothes which oils are used on.

I've learned where I can advertise for free online - Criagslist and more.

I've learned that I don't have to take on customers who give me a hard time or don't want to pay my prices and that I should never lower my prices for someone (thanks Maria, Rhonda, Hazel).

I've learned that I don't have to worry about competing with trunk slammers, that if I just keep plugging along and doing a good job, I will get customers. I've also learned what to say to differentiate myself from trunk slammers.

I've learned so much about every aspect of running my business. I've gained so much knowledge from this board, I just cannot say it enough. I'm very thankful to have found the board. It was just what I needed when we were starting out and continues to be a wonderful resource. I've also met some great people here. Thank you all. -----------------------

HelpMeRhonda (words to remember.. words to live by... ) We've all learned a lot haven't we?

I would be a board hog if I stated all I've learned from GCA. But one thing I've learned that affects everything from me personally, to my family, to my clients, to other people that come in contact with me and my

company is this:

I am a CLEANING PROFESSIONAL and I operate a PROFESSIONAL CLEANING COMPANY. This one concept has changed all I think, feel, promote and understand about this business. It has also figured heavily into how I run it, who I employ, what jobs I take, what charges I place on my work, what I believe about my workers and the place they occupy in my company's present and future. When I introduce myself and someone asks what do you do, I state " I own a professional cleaning service that services residential and corporate clients."

It affects everything. --------------------------------KenG Thank you Rhonda

You have just stated what I have been waiting to hear since I firsted started out helping people on the internet way back in 2000 when I was first a lurker and then rare poster on various sites.

Far too long have I heard the phrases " You're just the cleaners" " It doesn't matter to them, they are the cleaners" etc....

It was the driving force for me personally to start CleanPeers, get involved in online forum discussions, hook up with great people like Dave and Christy and now all of you.

My goal is not to change our industry, my goal is to change the perception of our industry and that starts with each one of you.

Thanks again Rhonda

1 down, 89,999 to go...................... -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Century Rhonda, I am going to change everything I have to corporate instead of commercial.

I hate to break up this resi love fest and be the CORPORATE (nonresidential) voice (big mouth) to chime in...we're not as soft spoken as you resi's I think...well, except for sunflowerdomestics. She is pretty soft spoken and maybe she is both resi and corporate? I dunno..anyhow...and Ken doesn't count because, well.. he's....Ken.

I cannot list all of the things that I have learned here at GCA but I can and WILL say that GCA has made us a better company through supplies, ideas, new friends, networking etc. I really could go on and on but, I won't. You'll have to wait for the book

I have come to believe that a business owner who stays only within the confines of the buildings that they clean, will never grow to their true potential without a community like GCA. Think outside the box err... building

Resi love fest.. great one.. ---------------------------

Sparkling Clean THIS BOARD HAS INSPIRED ME TO "BE ALL OF A PROFESSIONAL CLEANING SERVICE I CAN BE" FROM MARKETING UNTIL "JOB WELL DONE" I WAS SATISFIED JUST COASTING ALONG.........NO MORE........I HAVE IMPLEMENTED SO MANY THINGS INTO MY BUSINESS BECAUSE OF THIS SITE.......THERE IS SO MUCH MORE POTENTIAL IN THE BUSINESS THAN I EVER REALLY EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT BEFORE. I'M EXCITED ABOUT HAVING A CLEANING COMPANY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A WHILE AND THAT

IS..........PRICELESS. *--------------------------------------

.............until yesterday(b4 i joined GCA) i was just saying "i'm working on starting my own cleaning company" now i'm lyk "hey, i'm a cleaner!" I will always How To Start Your Own Cleaning Business

Next in this topic forum you will find the following posts. Start-up Checklist Commercial basic start-up equipment list Residential basic start-up equipment list Getting Started Basic Cleaning Chemicals

In the Natural and Green sections Cleaning compounds and solutions.. Links here. Natural and Green Cleaning http://www.globalcleaningassociation.com/f...hp?showforum=14

http://www.globalcleaningassociation.com/f...hp?showforum=37 How to get started with Green, Enviro products that work, for Pennies.

Now you will have lots of questions, USE the search feature, and especially the More Search Options see the screen top right hand side in the grey bar. IT IS YOUR FRIEND

Sections to visit next are;

CLEANING SUPPLIES SUPPORT FORUM http://www.globalcleaningassociation.com/f...hp?showforum=26 http://www.qualityjohnsupply.com/

Cleaning Peers and Advisors http://www.globalcleaningassociation.com/f...hp?showforum=70

Esser Hayes Insurance Group (for the US) http://www.globalcleaningassociation.com/f...hp?showforum=28 Yes, you need insurance and bonding...

````` John Knecht has just posted a reply to a topic that you have subscribed to titled "How do i start off as a partner of a foreign cleaner?".

http://www.globalcleaningassociation.com/f...view=getnewpost

---------------------------------------------------------------------I think Ed had a wonderful idea! First I think, to get started we take the "Foreign" out of it. That turns this post into what I think is the real underlying question(s):

How do I start my business with limited capital and no existing client

base? What do I NEED? What can the members of GCA do to help me?

There has been some good posts and great info on this thread. Are we answering the question? Let's back away from any pre-conceived ideas we may have and think back to when we started, what we did right, what we did wrong and what we wish we would have done! I know we can come up with some good info for those that are just starting. And those that ARE just starting CHIME IN with what you are going through!

It really doesn't take that much to start. Those of us that have been at this game for a little while know that we usually start off with too much. We dwindle our buckets down as time goes on right? I mean Cheyne cleans all of Branson with a single depot PAC of PP red

Someone start us off here!!! What are the bare minimums? What would be your course of action? (You have virtually no capital. No existing clients. Just a will and a work ethic!)

First lets set the minimum in capital you have! Xave or Lulu Chime in here. We have to have a minimum start up cost. Let's say $200 is that a sound $ figure?

Let the game begin! Who can build the business the biggest and Quickest with the least amount of capital!!! Winner gets an all expense paid Weekend at Dave's (Um Dave that's alright right??? )

``` HVS - Dave has just posted a reply to a topic that you have subscribed to titled "How do i start off as a partner of a foreign cleaner?".

---------------------------------------------------------------------John / Others,

Sure....come on down....

But...............seriously speaking.........

Nothing can begin.......can succeed.............without a........................PLAN.

Imagine trying to learn how to swim by simply jumping into 30ft of water and "hoping" that you'll learn quick enough before.........you drown.

It's the same in business.........ANY BUSINESS..........

Does the Plan have to be 80 pages long, filled with oodels of numbers and lots of "meaningless fluff"............NO.

It's quite simple..............

HERE'S WHERE I AM TODAY.........

HERE'S WHERE I WANT TO BE IN 3 OR 6 OR 9 MONTHS.......OR A YEAR.......

AND (this is the real important ingredient...)

HOW AM I GOING TO GET THERE........???

I know I tend to over-simplify sometimes but, you'd be amazed at how many people go/try to go into business for themselves..........without a "-simple-"......PLAN

---------------------------------------------------------------------Well said Dave!

That is what I think we were lacking here and what those that are looking to start out overlook! Keep it simple. We are in the cleaning industry and are all small business owners. You do not need offices, $10000 worth of equipment, your phone ringing off the hook on the first day! Actually, I think, if that is your case you are destined to fail! You really need very little. But what you do need are goals, vision, fortitude, desire, and a very strong work ethic. This is a tuff business. All business is tuff. I just read about Vonage loosing $600,000 worth of customers a year and that is expected! What do we really need to start up? Yes, Thanks dave! A plan. Was not touched on here! You can't just go out and say, I'm a cleaning company! Here I am! Now we are talkin! thumbsup2.gif --------------------------------------------------------------

Hazel had posted a wonderful section on profit and how it affects your business, here it is, link,,, not sure..

Hazel = Is it more profitable to clean 10 houses a day for an average of $75.00 per house or 7 houses per day for an average of $120.00?

10 X 75.00 = $750.00 (MORE drive time pay for employees, MORE customers to manage) 7 X 120.00 = $840.00 (LESS drive time pay for employees, FEWER customers to manage)

As you can see, in this particular case, the company cleaning only 7 houses per day is more profitable than the one cleaning 10 houses per day. The company cleaning only 7 houses per day also needs fewer employees, has fewer customers to manage, less paperwork, less chemical and supply usage... there's a domino effect which can increase your revenue exponentially over time. Just food for thought!

Number of House Cleanings & Revenue Per Year

Daily..... Weekly..... 50 Weeks..... ............$50.00..................$75.00........ ........$100.00 (number of cleanings)........................................ ...........(average price per house)

2 .......... 10 .......... 500 .......... ................$25,000 ...............$37,500...............$50,0000 4 .......... 20 .......... 1000 .......... ..............$50,000 ...............$75,000 ..............$100,000

Take a look at this chart. Someone who does 500 cleanings and charges an average price of $50.00 per clean will make $25,000 in annual revenue. However, I could make the same amount of money by doing just 250 cleanings if I can charge an average price of $100.00 per cleaning.

Another example. Let's say you do 1,000 cleanings at an average price of $50.00 per cleaning. You would make $50,000 in revenue. However, I could clean only 500 houses for an average price of $100.00 and make the same exact money as you did ($50,000), but I did HALF THE WORK which translates into half the headaches.

This chart also shows you that you can do 500 cleanings at an average price of $50.00 and make $25,000 or you could do 500 cleanings at an average price of $75.00 and make $37,500. But if you could raise your prices and get your average clean up to $100.00 per cleaning, then you could do the same 500 cleans and make $50,000 in annual revenue.

Do the math and consider how you are pricing your jobs. More work and more accounts does not necessarily mean more money. Having 500 $50.00 jobs ($25,000) is not going to make you as much money as having 300 $100.00 jobs ($30,000).

``````` Now,,, Marketing (it will make or break you...)

http://www.globalcleaningassociation.com/f...hp?showforum=12

```` some of the excerts from the original post that led to this post are now being put in order.. ****

Dirty Talk posted... ...That's the one great thing about the cleaning business, Fell@Home Cleaning, you don't need any capital to start a business just a broom, a few cleaning rags and determination. That's how we all started, sounds like youre set. Good Luck ****

lulumassawe posted.. Welcome to the site. Excited to have you. If you are serious about starting this business then this is a great site for you. Most of us here started with

little capital and worked up so you are on the right track. What is your name by the way? Do you have any targets for your business there? Are you going to do residential or commercial? Lulu ... Those were some great questions there, things you need to think about.. ***

Ken posted... (When Ken talks, listen to what he says..) When looking for foreign or outside of your country investors you might want to contact international banks that deal with 'angel investors' or people who set up investment funds for this purpose.

Business owners here would not be aware of all the legal aspects, especially tax based codes, on investing in what is called off shore business.

Good luck on establishing your cleaning business in your country and if any of us can help, just ask! highfive.gif **

lulumassawe posted.. I have lots of ideas that I think will work for you out there. You can hook you up and work with DTV guys and IPP Media guys (these are two TV stations in Tanzania) to take you to another level. You have what it takes.

I like your persistance in interacting on the site. Keep it up. Lulu ***

feel@home Cleane.. posted.. OWKAY!! icon_eek.gif We r working on the budget right now, kindly give us till this saturday to work out everything we need for starting off, then OFRCOURSE we'l give u the estimated amount...we need the capital for mostly buying equipment and some for starting off with; petty cash and maybe first salaries for employees, and ofcourse to get a license and registration and we might need to rent an office and a car, that is if it doesnt work out with my cousin.

I pray that we impress u enough to consider being our partner. Sheesh and the DTV & ITV idea...my fingers are so crossed!!! Bruno says hi, and u'l be hearing from him very soon. He's going to his home Kenya for Easter.

Thank you for showing faith in us, lulu. I wish u lots of happiness. truly, xave ***

Cheyne... posted.. great advice here.. Dont get too ahead of yourself. I HIGHLY recommend caution in any money transfers taking place via the internet. That being said, you should start with a small investment. You can get all the equipment you need for a couple hundred dollars. You dont need an office/car/salaries/petty cash/etc yet until you have a customer base.

Your best bet is to just buy the few items you need, spend a little on some NICE marketing (flyers, business cards, mailers) and hit the streets. Once you pick up a few accounts, build your own bankroll, then you can start

reinvesting into your business. This isnt the type of company you just start over night. You need a customer base first and foremost.

Many many people on this site run decent sized companies and dont have offices. A computer, filing cabinet, and a work desk is all you need. Wait on the office until you are much further down the road. Use your own vehicle as well, no point in buying a company vehicle at this time. ***

KenG posted.. Thank you Lulu

I am sure there are other foreign members of our board too who can attest to the major differences in business climates between what we have here and what they must contend with.

I for one, appreciate the education and if anyone has personal knowledge like this, please share it! The better we understand each other and the better we understand where we work the better we can all help each other.

***

Cheyne posted.. My advice was to minimize start up costs. Dont go out and rent an office, hire a full staff of employees, load up on excess equipment and supplies. Thats just rediculous for anyone starting in this business with no experience......ESPECIALLY when they're in a country like the one you have described. ****

Turner Clean posted... Interesting posts by everyone. I am from Canada, not so international to the US but it is very different from the US in some regards.

Question, why not just start small. Some business cards and some flyers. If you email Ken with some info, and ask if you can put the GCA logo on your business cards?? That is international.

Now take a bus or whathaveyou.. what have you, go to proffessional offices. Dentists, lawyers, Doctors, offer your cleaning services and in the flyer, put in there that you will give a 10% disscount to any employees of the offices where you clean. I do that and have gotten a few jobs that way already. So what you take a bus. There are a few cleaners here in this GCA who have posted they do not own a car and take busses. Why, who knows, I do not ask them. Idea if you do.. Get some T-shirts printed that advertise your cleaning company. So travel and advertise. You may get some good responces that way. If transportation is so expensive it is not unreasonable. If asked say, taking a bus is good for the environment and I have a green cleaning company, see info below.

Cost, there are a few posts in the archive here on how to start a cleaning business with only $100, look it up. (lists of all the equipment as well.) (also a post on what is in your bucket, as in the supplies in the bucket, ideas)

You could use the offices vacumme, bring your own tote bag of supplies, and you are in business. There must be places to get some used vacummes there, right? If you get more than one office in a building, ask the customers if you could store your vacumme there and use in all the

offices. That way, you can have one vac for many offices and not need to lug it around.

How about looking into the natural cleaning section run by April, offer green cleaning to your customers. April and Laura as well as others have posted their own cleaning solutions, these run from .02c per gallon to 1.00 per gallon. Africa is waking to the fact of overpopulation, polution and health concerns. Be the forerunner, clean environmentally friendly.

Do you not think this will be a instant talking point? Why look into loans, start small, just the two of you, then in a 4-6 month period, then you hire another student to do some of the work, and to have a back up to help out and give you a day off. ***

breatheez posted...

Welcome to GCA...I am very happy you have found us and hope that you will find the information you need to get your business started in the right direction...it already looks like you have found a friend in Lulu.

Lulu, thank you for educating us on Tanzania and her people. As a young child we lived in Durban, South Africa....this was during the 60's so you can imagine what that would have been like for a family who had never witnessed this way of life....I do not remember much but I do remember my father vigorously drilling it in to our heads...'you are no different than the blacks (Africans)...you are not better...you are the same'.

As far as getting funding..have you looked at Kiva...they are an organization who help people like yourself, around the world, start their own business/keep their business running, or expand...sometimes they just need extra money to put their children through school. They use the funds loaned by private people, like myself, to help others in countries where it is very difficult to get the help...especially for women. It is kiva.org I look forward to hearing more from you Xave April ***

John Knecht

Thank you for your persistence. It is people like yourself that will truly make or association global. Yes, as Americans we are very skeptical of those that ask for money. Keep your vision and you will succeed. We all have obstacles to over come and it can be done.

I grew up in a home where there were 10 of us. Our house burned to the ground and when after two years we finally got a new place to live we had added another, my grandmother. I shared a room with my little sister, It was supposed to be the dinning room but we slept there for a year and a half in sleeping bags. I started working in a retail store at 16 and at 20 became a manager. I worked anywhere from 60 to 80 hours a week for the next 10 years to be able to get a home for my family. I still struggle to pay my bills but now run a cleaning company with my sister. We all have obstacles. You are not alone!

What would help us to understand you is for you to tell us what you believe are your obstacles to starting your business. What supplies do you believe you need? What places do you believe would require and want your service? What service are you looking to provide them?

At the stage you are apparently in, you should be asking questions! This community is set up to help you answer them as best we can. And if you read the board a bit you will see there are quite a few members that can answer a variety of questions.

What I challenge you to do, if you a serious in making an attempt at starting a business is to develop these Questions, post them here, and listen. We will do what we can to help! Good luck, ***

lulumassawe posted... Read objectively, filter like we all do. Take what you can use the rest put aside. Like in any family sibblings get on each others nerves, sometimes even fight, but does that change the fact that they are a family? Well same here. You are a GCA member like any of us. Lets communicate and see how we can help each other,

Please take serious the ideas posted about starting small and growing into it. I think it will give you an edge in your market. The key is to display your proffesionalism and not be threatened by your newness to the business. It is scary I know especially when you are looking at the BIG businesses out there, but I'll tell you what, they all started smaller that they are today. So hold on and lets do this thing. Lulu ***

lulumassawe posted... Do you have access to books on Janitorial business/ cleaning business there? If not let me know. There are several good books people have suggested on the forum, I will be willing to send you some. E-mail me your physical adress too. Lulu ***

feel@home Cleane.. posted.. I hope this one wont rise any controversy...

I'm scared of telling u guys that i dont have a couple hundred dollars stashed somewhere, all i have is this huge urge to do this business, this business is supposed to be my everything. (This is most of us by the way, so no need to feel ashamed..)It is also supposed to get me the couple hundred dollars. In other words, i havent got a penny to start with. My idea is also to start with something small, if i had a few hundred dollars in my account i would have been far by now. I want u all to not worry about that, i just need u to be here for me. For support, education and advice.

I'm persuing a personal loan from my cousin. I want to get a few sets of cleaning equipment & stuff, i have a couple of potential customers already. And besides my partner, we have three other people who are willing to work with us, do u think we r enough? We want to start with homes and small office buildings. The ONLY obstacle is cash, and maybe school for now because my annual University exams start on 23rd April, and i close school on 10th may, for 3 months!! i'm supposed to be far by the time school resumes.

I'm grateful for having this huge supportive family, i will always consult GCA about the business, 4 sure! Maybe to give u a clear picture, i am just this

young female trying to make a difference in my society. I will check out KIVA.ORG...thank you. Lulu is my sister...in africa a child belongs to its community, every older female is either your sister or your mother or your grandmother...so its disrespectful to call Lulu friend because she's older, so i'l call her sister, unless she was my mother's age, then i'd call her mother! God Bless, ***

Cheyne posted... (Words for all of us.. large or small.. how to start) I gave you real business suggestions. Read what I said and stop looking for the negatives. Start small...then grow. Use public transportation like Ed said.

Do you have another job besides this one, that you could use to save up some start-up money while you further research? How do you pay your bills right now? Does your friend have a job? Do you have any relatives that you could ask for help? A few dollars here, a few there....it all adds up.

If you dont have a job now, find a job and start saving. It wont take long before you have enough to get the supplies you need to start your business. Especially if your friend does the same thing.

Then start small....do what you can to get the business on its feet. In America, we like to say Fake It until you Make It. If you have to take the bus, set up your office in a 2 foot by 2 foot space, and make your own business cards....then thats what you do to get started. Later on down the road you can get a nice office, company vehicle, hire full staff to clean your accounts while you stay in the office...etc. I'm here giving you advice. Take it or leave it. ***

Self talk, hurts all of our chances to advance or to start. Just start and worry about some of these things later...

feel@home Cleane.. posted.. But we dont have any money? A loan is mandatory if we really need to start a business, i wish i could explain how exactly it is to be in a so called 3rd world country, things are very different, here we get crammed up to the

door in buses till it cannot close, imagine carrying along a pile of cleaning tools, and public transport is not recommendable for business, when u r running against time. Here is how i plan to do it, i will start with this particular location, the city's suburbs, the only place where people really care to hire proffessional cleaners, here there are also a couple of small offices too.

Its my neighbourhood that's why i didnt put much emphasis on the car. I'm looking for a place to use as an office/store within the neighbourhood, it's also mandatory. With the money we will buy cleaning tools, just a few sets to start with, we have to buy our own vaccum cleaner $150, that's one of the things which will make us look a bit proffessional i believe, we r also thinking of doing gardening as well, so i'l use gardening tools from my parents house.

Then we'l buy detergents and print uniform etc. Roughly $500, we r students and we still depend on our parents, my parents have 6 children, they are both retired. So whatever they get goes to pay fees for my little siblings and feed the family. I want to get this weight off may parents shoulders, the rest of us are studying under government's higher learning loan, we just have to keep on studying because there's very scare

employment opportunities, the best trick is to get self employed and that's what i'm trying to do, No matter what job i get right now, it wont pay more than 50,000 Tz shillings=$50 per month, because i am unskilled, and that will be a full time job, because there are no part time jobs here. and we r full time university students. I'm taking a law degree while my partner is taking chemical engineering. both are very concerntration consuming degrees. We need to start the business during our long 3 months break which starts May10th...so when school resumes we have worked strategies on how to balance things.

What do u think icon_question.gif

***

sklika posted.. I think you sound very ambitious. thumbsup2.gif I wish you all the best. Shari ***

Turner Clean posted.. OK, time for some lateral thinking.

1. Go to garage sales/yard sales, car boot sales, whatever, they have them everywhere in the world I have visited. Get a vacuum or two. 2. Go get a used vacuum, buy one from a relative or neighbour, ask a relative or neighbour to borrow one on short term. Offer to come and vacuum once a week for them and do their windows as well for free in exchange for the vacuum. 3. Look, around your neighbourhood, and in the area you wish to concentrate your business. Find a small warehouse, or business which has some room to spare, are they using all of their area. Approach the owner and ask them if you can come in and clean for ...1 (one) hour a week or every two weeks in exchange for utilizing a small area for your business, make sure you get permission to come and go at all hours of the day and get a key. = cost equals one hour of your time. 2 or 4 times a month

4. Go buy some concentrated cleaning chemicals or ask ALL of your friends and neighbours for any and all spare - extra cleaning supplies, ask them for a donation or give them an IOU.. (I will owe you this much money for this bottle in one or two months) 5. Go buy a small bucket with a strainer for vegetables if you have to!!! Or a proper wringer. Get the small round ones; use the bucket for bringing the supplies with you, to the office. 6. Tell the customers you do not like to bring a vacuum from another job because you value their health and welfare. So, what do I mean, you tell them that some customers may have allergies and some have dogs or cats and you do not want to transfer the dander-fleas from their house or business to theirs.

7. Find a place where you can buy some Iron On transfers and 4 t-shirts or Golf shirts (I prefer the golf shirts they look much more professional to me.) Use an iron and put your company logo on the shirts that way! Cost about $25-35 for all 4. 8. Find a small print shop or a large print shop, tell them you are starting a cleaning company and in exchange for cleaning their offices for one month, they will give you business cards and flyers, also a professional output

original or print on the transfers for your shirts. Cost 1-2 hours every two weeks for one month.

8. Start with only you and your partner, tell everyone else you are setting up jobs for them in the future and leave it at that for now. You can not make any money with employees if you only have a few accounts.

9. Get some bottles, get some cloths, and get a tote, backpack, pail or a bag. You now have your equipment. Yes there are more things like some toothbrushes for small areas. A plastic scraper, etc. but you need the basics first. If you and your partner go to a job together, one does the wet work the other does the dry, so only one set of products.

Use concentrates if you can afford it; use the borrowed chemicals supplies (see above). Go to the following links and take a look at the natural recipes, and create your own supplies. Total cost to you, some time, some hand shakes, some smiles, and minimal cash. Bill Gates started in a garage. Why not you! How about a virtual office. A place where they rent out office space only if you need it, or a very small office per month. Be creative.

Ed Ps. I know what it is like to only eat once a day, North America is not all rich people thumbsup2.gif

Natural and Green Cleaning links.

http://www.globalcleaningassociation...p?showforum=14 http://www.globalcleaningassociation...p?showforum=37

***

Qualityjohn posted.. (read the lines and between the lines .. everyone.. he sums it all up here..)

That is a great start. thumbsup2.gif

So far you have three positive things going good for you...

#1 Potential Customers

#2 More help than most of us start off with

#3 GCA- The Global Cleaning Association is an on-line forum that shares ideas and questions with "peers" of the cleaning industry. And so much more. (as I'm sure you know)... We will help you anyway we can, we will answer questions the best we can, and we will leave comments to requests and comments by you when we can. But we all have our own opinions and ideas, and maybe a few fears.

Welcome to the GCA Family! ***

HelpMeRhonda posted.. (very honest and great start up advice ... ) I started my business with no money, no supplies. I used the customer's vacuum and supplies. I just supplied labor.

I had no office or storage and all of the above was fine here in America. I did have a car, if you wanna call it that. icon_rolleyes.gif

I grossed $500 the first month with five jobs. The rest is history.

Anyone that sets their mind to something can do it, and if they must, can do it alone. Help is a thing that may or may not come along in the ways you think you need. Rhonda ***

liztrot posted.. You have received some of the best advice I've ever seen given to a newbie. Check out other posts - you'll be shocked by the contrast! I know I am. I find it odd. Even the post that was found to be offensive by some, contained excellent advice. This advice is universal to all newbies. There is

a post asking how people got started in the biz. Very few people answered that they started with money. I know I didn't.

This entire thread strikes me as odd for the following reasons:

1. Many more well thought out posts than are typical 2. Many fewer comments about searching the boards to find the answers the answers are being supplied directly to this thread 3. A poster that sounds extremely motivated in all areas of her life but can't see past the $ hurdle - that doesn't appear to be a hurdle for much less motivated posters 4. Excessive talk of location - all circumstances are different, but the focus is rarely so specific to location 5. Few responses to the excellent advice that's been offered

It seems as though people are going above and beyond to help you out specifically. You wouldn't of course know this being new, but most people post questions in individual forums specific to their questions. Typically such a broad request for information would be redirected to lots of different

areas. You have stated that you've received a lot of great information here. Where? Which threads have been the most helpful to you? Do you think there should be a thread specifically devoted to newbie issues? Would that be helpful or do you think newbies, like the rest of us have such varied interests that it is unnecessary. I'm curious about your thoughts on these matters. Thanks for any insight you may be willing to share.

***

sheila71 posted .... Thanks a bundle! Very helpful information that you have shared. thumbsup2.gif Sheila ***

HelpMeRhonda posted.. I can appreciate the differences in cultures. I have been exposed to the same.

I can only say what I believe...it all starts with getting off your butt, strapping on your elbow grease, and moving forward in the best way you know how with WHAT YOU HAVE AVAILABLE.

Reaching forward and grabbing what you CAN do is the way to start and/or grow a business, not reaching out for someone else to do it for you or provide your means of support.

There are many of us that have been in more dire straits and still did it pretty much on our own. She/he may want to search out another means of support/living if this is not something accessible to her at this time. Rhonda ***

lulumassawe posted... If you are reading the post, like someone said they've seen you do...just put one leg in front of the other over and over and you'll soon be walking. Follow the advise that is practical to you and leave out what doesn't apply to you ie "chuja". Like anyone else you can build a successfull business too. I myself am a newbie, will encourage you mostly but when it comes to

hard core questions, post 'em and some veterans hopefully will help you out. ***

pazinhim posted.. Just wanted to say "hi" and that I'm glad you have joined GCA. I truly wish you the best in your business ventures. One of the best things you can do for yourself is to search the boards. The free materials/information that has been provided through these threads are priceless. Post often and let us know how it is going with you! icon_smile.gif *** Last edited by Turner Clean; 12-05-2007 at 10:21 AM. Ed Reply Reply With Quote

04-25-2007, 12:29 PM #2 Turner Clean Poster Extraordinaire Financial Supporter

Join Date Aug 2006 Location Oshawa Ontario Posts 1,101

Marketing

Liztrot posted... These came from Help Me Rhonda in another post - too good to keep out of the Marketing Forum

*I have been known to have a referral sheet ready to hand people I run into in the gas station, water department paying bills, grocery store, etc. as well that tells them my amount I pay for solid referrals THAT SECURE BUSINESS. And I do hand it to them unashamedly.

*Contact churches and ask them to place a small flyer or insert in their Sunday bulletins.

*Have a contest for your existing customers. Give a free or discounted cleaning or an add-on service to the one that gives you the most referrals this month. Make it worth it to them and they will also give you GOOD referrals.

*Use your personal email to send out referral pleas to everyone you know. Do it professionally and then keep a copy in your folder to re-send each and every month to everyone in your address book.

*Make sure you are taking advantage of any and all free advertising such as craigslist, A Ok ads, etc. and update regularly.

*Place a business card inside every piece of local mail you send out. Someone may throw it away, but I have gotten tons of business this way over the years.

*Buy vehicle pockets for your car and place business cards in them. Tons of business from them here, too. http://www.cardpockets.com/

* If you don't already have car magnets or signage, GET IT.

Another one from me

* Attach magnetic business cards to your vehicle. ------------------------------KenG Click on VistaPrint right here on GCA, we had some done for filing cabinets in offices. Good pricing.

Hint: I slap them on to peoples filing cabinets when I am doing bid walks only because I know it drives my competitors nuts knowing I was around! *********

HelpMeRhonda The referral sheet is actually a self-addressed, stamped postcard and it has my logo and basic contact information on the top of the referral side. I have one paragraph under that reading:

Our company needs your help. Referrals are the backbone of any marketing effort, particularly in service-oriented businesses. We appreciate your help in securing new business. Have someone that may be interested in our services? Please take a moment to provide contact information requested and mail back to us. In thanks, we will send you $10.00 for each SECURED customer that gives your name as their referral contact.

Thanks again, XXXX

Then I have a place for address and name of person referring. This is followed by three places for name, address and phone of person being referred. There have been times they have placed their own name in the referral slot, as an afterthought I suppose (Hey wait a minute, I am the one

that needs them), and if I secure a job with them I give them the $10 off their own cleaning.

If they seem to be the type really interested in doing this for us I give them more than one card. icon_smile.gif

Sharon, Go to aoknet.com and try to access the ad site there. On the vehicle pockets, my vehicle is for work so I have not worried too much above whether they are removeable. But the rep told me it can be removed without damage to the vehicle. It is stuck on with 3M-style tape and is semipermanent. The box part of the pocket will slide off for car washes, etc. just like you remove car mags to go through a car wash. The back portion of the pocket holder stays on the car side, but there is adhesive remover that is supposed to remove the residue if you decide not to use them anymore. I have loved mine and gotten a lot of business at the drive-throughs and Sonics I go to during the week. gimme.gif banana.gif icon_lol.gif

Rhonda -----

Turner Clean I just had some coasters done for peoples desks. Now I am putting them on the desks where I clean, and have also given some out at random, as well as places where I go alot. They are made from Cork, quite durable and cost me about 75c each, they are also laser engraved with my company name and Phone number. Ed ----------

liztrot These links have some of the best low cost marketing ideas you will ever find. If you are a newbie you will want to read them in their entirety! http://www.globalcleaningassociation.com/f...?showtopic=7649 [/size] http://www.globalcleaningassociation.com/f...?showtopic=6283

http://www.globalcleaningassociation.com/f...ic=6921&hl= [size="3"]

---------------pazinhim Remind us, what have you already done in terms of marketing?

----HelpMeRhonda .... What a mass of info there.. it is just awesome.. Let's see: There are passive and active forms of marketing. Some reach out and slap someone across the face....others are subtle hints about who you are and what you do. They say it takes 17 repetitions for a concept to make a home in someone's memory. I'd rather someone not use me or my company because I annoyed them with it, rather than they had no idea of who I am or what I do. If they get within three feet of me ( this includes phone calls which are considered in inches) they get who I am and the name of my company. I treat my company and the name etc. as a concept...and I repeat it till I am blue in the face. " Hi, I'm Rhonda Pressgrove with Help Me Rhonda! Cleaning Services" or just " they call me Help Me Rhonda!" and let them ask what that is, it works even

better. All the following ideas end up drumming up business. Some I do/am/have used are below.

Member and active in 3 Chambers in my service area, I attend all ribbon cuttings, business after hours, etc. if possible...sometimes you make the papers. Member and active in the Local Businesswomen's Association Sponsor walkers, runners, etc. in any kind of local event or fundraiser Have signs on all company vehicles Brand myself by cards, shirts, signs, all advertising carrying the same logo and fonts, etc. Place doorhangers regularly, flyers put on bulletin boards and cars in shopping lots Walk the flea market, business expo, mall etc. while wearing uniform shirts Garage sale ( believe it or not I get LOADS of business this way when in uniform or company truck, be sure to carry bid info in case they want one NOW) Give a referral perk for clients, peers, etc. that refer me Participate as a sponsored float in the Christmas parades in my area

Go online in every listing possible that is free a.k.a. craigslist, Angie's List, etc. Go door to door on Sunday afternoon and hand out candy bars wrapped in our advertising ( I have a local vendor who makes the candy wraps for me, and I buy Hershey's etc. when they are on sale 4/1.00 and so forth) along with a 10% off coupon for the first time clean/has expiration date on it. I always have my briefcase and bid info with me to do on -the-spot bids too. Scan the local papers and anytime I can find a new baby born, wedding, accomplishment, etc. announced and can track down where they live, I send a letter of congrats along with a card. Local BNI group ( I have NEVER been a member, but they BEG for cleaning companies in my area, and I go every time they invite me to check them out for the three allowed visits without paying for one referral) Schmooze in general....I have gotten suite tickets ( this weekend again in fact) from clients and those I have met at chamber meetings etc for local professional sporting events and I always go if at all possible, even if it is not something I am really interested in. I get a lot of business this way, and they are usually professionals used to paying for service. I leave a business card with every tip in the restaurant, and place one in every bill I pay by mail that is within my range of servicing

I use the teller window and face to face service as much as possible so they get to know me, and when they know me and like me...they refer me. Same at nail salon, tanning salon, etc. I use co-operative advertising when possible with businesses I can trust that compliment my business such as lawn care etc. Ad costs are halved and referrals are doubled this way. Run ad in local paper whether I have a space for someone or not. You gotta have something all the time in the pipeline whether it is a new account or a new employee....trust me. I am a member of the local programs that support and offer teacher and minister discounts ( they love me). These two groups refer the most at the moment. Bartered services for local radio stations in exchange for ad time Member of Friends of the Library ( most local chapters have a lot of very prominent members). I get to join for 5 bucks, work one library sale ( in work shirt of course) and get my choice of the good books to buy. Also get at least a couple of jobs off this each year, and can list it in my resume under "philanthropic participation". By far the greatest way to drum up business is with satified customers and constant referral requests. Don't be afraid to badger them till they refer you. It's their job as your customer to refer you, you just have to

make it feel like their idea. And don't be above paying them for it...it will return many fold.

It's who you know that gets you business, and what you know that keeps you business. Rhonda -------------------

HelpMeRhonda I think it was Dave that mentioned paying in crisp, new dollar bills when he sent surveys out. People felt like they needed to do it since the dollar was given ahead of time.

I pay for referrals. I give $10-25 per SECURED job. You can do it that way first and see what happens.

By badger I mean, leave referral sheets/cards every month like clockwork on the job. Call the customer to get job/service feedback, then end the conversation with " I appreciate your business and your comments are

important to me. They keep this business and myself going in the right direction. That's also why I ask for referrals from satisfied customers, it helps this company financially of course, but more than that it gives me another person to help direct this business and grow in the customer service area. Did you have someone you believe may be interested in my services at some time in the future?"

I have also, a couple of times a year, done what Dave said but in referrals. I place a 10 dollar bill in an envelope, a plea for referrals and a numbered list 1-10 where they feel subliminally obligated to give you 10 names. Doesn't always happen...but they usually can come up with two or three at that point. And they have that 10 bucks just for being a Good Joe otherwise. ------------------HelpMeRhonda Another way to drum up business is get permission to place a lawn sign out while you are cleaning:

(This home is receiving special treatment) or (This home is getting the White Glove Treatment) or (Be Queen for a Day with cleaning done) by

Help Me Rhonda! Cleaning Services. Call us to get your FREE estimate. XXX-XXXX. Details Make the Difference.

And make your workers place these where they can be seen or it is fruitless. laugh.gif

You can even word the sign in the past tense and leave it for 24-72 hrs. and pick it back up if it is a new customer. Siding companies do it all the time. ------------------

tldyess to the post before me, that's a good idea, we post these signs when we do the home repairs.....

why didn't i think about getting a sign for when I'm cleaning?

now i have order a couple more signs......but good idea

---------------------Ed Reply Reply With Quote

04-25-2007, 12:33 PM #3 Turner Clean Poster Extraordinaire Financial Supporter

Join Date Aug 2006 Location Oshawa Ontario Posts 1,101

Buying an Established Residential cleaning company!, Any advice on financing, business Value, etc?

http://www.globalcleaningassociation.com/f...ic=8438&hl=

Great post and info passed on, go take a look. Ed Reply Reply With Quote

04-25-2007, 12:37 PM #4 Turner Clean Poster Extraordinaire Financial Supporter

Join Date Aug 2006 Location Oshawa Ontario Posts 1,101

Commercial Cleaning Forum

If you want the Commercial bent then go here. If you want to know how to do any walkthroughs, then go here as well.. Great posts and info.. Basic bidding 1-2-3 http://www.globalcleaningassociation.com/f...?showtopic=1656

Site Visit Does and Dont's ? http://www.globalcleaningassociation.com/f...?showtopic=7814

Commercial Bidding Tips http://www.globalcleaningassociation.com/f...p?showtopic=867

I just loved this post and its Title, creative..

My Evil plan is working!

Well its not evil, but seems to be working! Ed Reply Reply With Quote

04-25-2007, 12:47 PM #5 Turner Clean Poster Extraordinaire Financial Supporter

Join Date Aug 2006 Location Oshawa Ontario Posts 1,101

Global Cleaning Association > General > General What I've learned from GCA is...

http://www.globalcleaningassociation.com/f...?showtopic=5258

pazinhim I'd like everyone to share with the group at least ONE thing, one piece of information, one tidbit you've picked up on the GCA message boards, that has helped you in your cleaning business. I'll share a few things off the top of my head that I've learned just to get us started:

1. I have learned (from Sonya) how to document EVERYTHING when it comes to employees. Every write up, every verbal warning, etc. should be documented.

2. I've learned that "good 'ole Ivory does a great job of leaving everything sparkly. (from Ken)

3. I've learned how to save tons of money on cleaning products (thanks Quality John!!)

4. I learned that Microsoft Outlook works wonders to help you get organized in your business (from Hazel). Don't know where I'd be without this program, actually.

5. No acidic cleaners on any type of stone or marble! (Stoner)

6. Scheduling only the first house with a specific time works wonders...No more trying to rush from one home to the next in order to meet a time quoted! (from nanettecelina)

7. It IS alright to say, "Next!" (from Christy)-Christy also taught me the importance of trying to use as many natural chemicals as possible for health's sake.

8. From Rhonda-It is TOTALLY exceptable to charge well for the services you are providing!

9. From Dave--the term "think value"

10. What a service agreement should look like! (Thanks a million, Sherri!)

11. From DawnR: Has inspired me to go big on my residential cleaning service.

12. Don't be a pushover when it comes to employees (from Diane L)

---------------

hazel1 I've learned that I am not alone, lol, which means a great deal to me. Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I typically do not follow the crowd. For example, instead of continuing on with my teaching career like so many people told me I should do, I decided to turn my life completely upside down and start this business. I essentially threw 10 years of teaching down the drain, horrifying just about everyone I know. They certainly weren't shocked that I did it, just horrified... like "why in the world would you want to do this?"

My mother nearly had a stroke. Hubby thought I was going through a temporary mid-life crisis and believed it would pass. My kids looked at me like I had lost my mind. It was so funny.

For the first few weeks as I was preparing to officially open my doors for business, my entire family called me on the phone as if I were sick... family members who hadn't called me in months started to call... they would say, "Oh, I'm just calling to see how things are. Do you need anything? Everything okay? Are you sure you're doing the right thing honey?" PUHLEEZE!!! Gimme a break, lol.

Needless to say, I was feeling pretty much alone & isolated before finding this board and getting to know the GCA members here. It is a g-r-e-a-t feeling to know that I am not the ONLY one whose "crazy" enough (I prefer BRAVE enough) to start my own biz, lol. It's important to surround yourself with people who understand what it's like to manage your own business. Thanks everybody! --------

Sharbysyd Great topic, Maria.

I've learned so much - I don't know where to begin.

I've gained the confidence to charge a fair price for what I do. Without this board, I know I would have ended up quoting my prices MUCH lower and not making any money.

I've learned about making my own door hangers and have been inspired to make them and distribute them. I've also gotten several other marketing ideas.

I've learned that it's important to look like a big, successful company even though I'm not one.

I've learned what to do or say in many situations that have come up when I would have been completely lost had I not had this board (ie. when

it didn't look like we'd get paid a couple of times - what to do about cancellations).

I downloaded a sample cleaning agreement from the download section which I revised and use for my customers.

I got a lot of support when doing my first walk-through. It helped me immensely with pricing and confidence.

I've learned that natural dish soap is really good for getting grease off of stoves.

I've learned that I shouldn't wash microfiber cloths with other cloths and that I shouldn't wash them in hot water or mix them with clothes which oils are used on.

I've learned where I can advertise for free online - Criagslist and more.

I've learned that I don't have to take on customers who give me a hard time or don't want to pay my prices and that I should never lower my prices for someone (thanks Maria, Rhonda, Hazel).

I've learned that I don't have to worry about competing with trunk slammers, that if I just keep plugging along and doing a good job, I will get customers. I've also learned what to say to differentiate myself from trunk slammers.

I've learned so much about every aspect of running my business. I've gained so much knowledge from this board, I just cannot say it enough. I'm very thankful to have found the board. It was just what I needed when we were starting out and continues to be a wonderful resource. I've also met some great people here. Thank you all. -----------------------

HelpMeRhonda (words to remember.. words to live by... ) We've all learned a lot haven't we?

I would be a board hog if I stated all I've learned from GCA. But one thing I've learned that affects everything from me personally, to my family, to my clients, to other people that come in contact with me and my company is this:

I am a CLEANING PROFESSIONAL and I operate a PROFESSIONAL CLEANING COMPANY. This one concept has changed all I think, feel, promote and understand about this business. It has also figured heavily into how I run it, who I employ, what jobs I take, what charges I place on my work, what I believe about my workers and the place they occupy in my company's present and future. When I introduce myself and someone asks what do you do, I state " I own a professional cleaning service that services residential and corporate clients." KenG Thank you Rhonda

You have just stated what I have been waiting to hear since I firsted started out helping people on the internet way back in 2000 when I was first a lurker and then rare poster on various sites.

Far too long have I heard the phrases " You're just the cleaners" " It doesn't matter to them, they are the cleaners" etc....

It was the driving force for me personally to start CleanPeers, get involved in online forum discussions, hook up with great people like Dave and Christy and now all of you.

My goal is not to change our industry, my goal is to change the perception of our industry and that starts with each one of you.

Thanks again Rhonda

1 down, 89,999 to go...................... -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Century Rhonda, I am going to change everything I have to corporate instead of commercial.

I hate to break up this resi love fest and be the CORPORATE (nonresidential) voice (big mouth) to chime in...we're not as soft spoken as you resi's I think...well, except for sunflowerdomestics. She is pretty soft spoken and maybe she is both resi and corporate? I dunno..anyhow...and Ken doesn't count because, well.. he's....Ken.

I cannot list all of the things that I have learned here at GCA but I can and WILL say that GCA has made us a better company through supplies, ideas, new friends, networking etc. I really could go on and on but, I won't. You'll have to wait for the book

I have come to believe that a business owner who stays only within the confines of the buildings that they clean, will never grow to their true potential without a community like GCA. Think outside the box err... building

Resi love fest.. great one..

---------------------------

Sparkling Clean THIS BOARD HAS INSPIRED ME TO "BE ALL OF A PROFESSIONAL CLEANING SERVICE I CAN BE" FROM MARKETING UNTIL "JOB WELL DONE" I WAS SATISFIED JUST COASTING ALONG.........NO MORE........I HAVE IMPLEMENTED SO MANY THINGS INTO MY BUSINESS BECAUSE OF THIS SITE.......THERE IS SO MUCH MORE POTENTIAL IN THE BUSINESS THAN I EVER REALLY EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT BEFORE. I'M EXCITED ABOUT HAVING A CLEANING COMPANY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A WHILE AND THAT IS..........PRICELESS. *--------------------------------------

.............until yesterday(b4 i joined GCA) i was just saying "i'm working on starting my own cleaning company" now i'm lyk "hey, i'm a cleaner!" I will always cherish this place where i got the final push, to go for it! hey i'm set....................

--------

http://www.globalcleaningassociation.com/f...hp?showtopic=64

DAVE......

What makes a board like this successful? Is it the quality and experience of the moderators? Is it the fact that the board is available virtually 24/7? Is it because it's a place where a newcommer to the cleaning industry can gain valuable insight from others more experienced than them? Is it the fact that those more experienced in the business can swap techniques and product information amongst themselves (and the newbies!!!)? Is it because this can be/is a valuable support group? Is it because this is a place you can "vent" after an absolutely terrible day or "gloat" after an absolutely terrific one?

Answer is...it's a little of all of the above but...none of this happens unless the "key"

Only by everyone's participating can we be successful in helping each other. Make it a habit to check in daily and participate. We all suffer when we all don't participate.

We all suffer when we don't hear from you...

---Ed

cherish this place where i got the final push, to go for it! hey i'm set....................

--------

http://www.globalcleaningassociation.com/f...hp?showtopic=64

DAVE......

What makes a board like this successful? Is it the quality and experience of the moderators? Is it the fact that the board is available virtually 24/7? Is it because it's a place where a newcommer to the cleaning industry can gain valuable insight from others more experienced than them? Is it the fact that those more experienced in the business can swap techniques and product information amongst themselves (and the newbies!!!)? Is it because this can be/is a valuable support group? Is it because this is a place you can "vent" after an absolutely terrible day or "gloat" after an absolutely terrific one?

Answer is...it's a little of all of the above but...none of this happens unless the "key"

Only by everyone's participating can we be successful in helping each other. Make it a habit to check in daily and participate. We all suffer when we all don't participate.

We all suffer when we don't hear from you...