SELLING OR MARKETING: HOW TO WIN NEW CLEANING CONTRACTS
Stephen MacDonald, Managing Director of SMA, explains why professional marketing is essential for cleaning contractors.
All cleaning contractors want to grow their revenue with profitable new business. The problem is it’s a lot easier to say than do since, at risk of stating the obvious, two things need to happen: you need to be invited to bid for work, and you need to succeed in the tender process.
In the private sector the first of these can often be the most difficult. Unlike the public sector, clients are not obliged to review contracts at prescribed intervals, nor are they required to advertise their tenders.
Traditional approaches are to pay a telesales company to make appointments, use pay per click (PPC) advertising, or recruit a proactive business development manager (BDM) who works their socks off calling, door-stepping, networking and building relationships.
The first two methods are costly and can often result in the wrong sort of opportunity – too small or too distant. The third is the best, provided you can find and afford the right person. But it’s surprising how many contractors are prepared to invest £40-50k a year in a BDM, yet fail to support them.
By this I mean fail to provide three fundamental things: a good story to tell, some quality promotional material, and a campaign of positive news and publicity to back up their efforts.
‘People buy from people’, I hear you say, but clients also like new ideas and the problem is that too many think ‘cleaning is just cleaning’, resulting in decisions made on price. As an industry we get upset by this, but we do little to give clients real reasons to prefer a particular contractor and then to pay more. Thoughtful marketing is the start of this process.
FOUR STEPS TO IMPROVE YOUR MARKETING:
1
Identify what makes you different – your unique selling points:
• Experience in a particular sector, for example leisure centres, managed buildings, production facilities.
• Your wide range of ancillary services, e.g. hygiene services, in- house window cleaning.
• Expertise in certain specialisms, e.g. data room cleaning, kitchen deep cleaning.
2
Develop a strapline for your company and explanatory names
for your services:
As a rule, all consumers – and buyers of cleaning contracts are no different – like services or products that have helpful names. A strapline should give your target audience an immediate indication of your offer, for example ‘Cleaning and Support Services’, or ‘London Office Cleaners’.
Your individual services should have names that describe the benefits they offer rather than just list their features. For example, ‘Flexible office cleaning to match your building’s usage’ sounds more useful on your website than just ‘Office cleaning’.
3
Create some memorable marketing:
Translate your offer into a portfolio of materials that your BDMs can use to convert prospects into sales. Printed brochures are not necessary in cleaning, but a comprehensive, easy- to-navigate website that actually tells clients what you offer most certainly is.
Glossy, quirkily designed postcards can liven up the post bag of a facilities manager, while printed case studies make your BDM’s job a lot easier when they’re standing at a prospect’s reception, trying to wheedle out the name of the facilities manager.
4
Use public relations to get your name out there:
• The cleaning and FM media are always on the lookout for interesting stories, or news of contract wins, industry awards and senior appointments.
• Tap into the goldmines that are LinkedIn and Twitter to broaden your network and subtly spread your message amongst your target audience.
Experience suggests that many contractors see BDMs and marketing as an either/or. The reality is they need both.
SMA is a consultancy set up six years ago specifically to help cleaning contractors and suppliers in the key areas of marketing, business development, ISO accreditation and business planning.
www.stephenmacdonaldassociates.co.uk
40 | FEATURE
twitter.com/TomoCleaning
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74
