Monday, March 31, 2008

Commercial cleaning contracts

Our article "Putting together a cleaning service proposal" continues to be one of our highest traffic pages. The other day I came across a binder of information I collected years ago from James Nokes at Build A Business. When I checked his site, yes the example Commercial Cleaning Contract is still there :) http://build-a-business.com/cleaning_contract_sample.html

This article gives a good explanation of necessary items for your contracts such as monthly fees, late payment fees, and a termination clause that is followed by a sample written contract for janitorial services.

Don't forget that you can also get a pre-made contract for commercial cleaning services from the Cleaning Business Forms Storefor $20.00

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Hiring employees for your cleaning company

Hiring staff for your cleaning company

As you grow your cleaning business you will be faced with needing to hire employees.
In an industry where turn over averages over 300% annually recruiting can become expensive and time consuming.

One of the most common questions asked by cleaning companies recruiting for the first time is ‘where to advertise’ for employees.

Newspaper ads in most medium to large cities can be very expensive. If your community has a free ‘shopper’ these are usually more affordable than a newspaper ad.

Many churches will allow members to place employment ads in their bulletins.

Putting flyers on laundry mat bulletin boards in the areas you are recruiting for have proven effective for many cleaning contractors.

Local employment service directory websites are good resources but can become expensive.

Craig’s List employment ads are free and can generate a lot of applications. (If you are using Craig’s List for recruiting we recommend you read our tips here http://www.cleaningdesign.com/customerarea/showthread.php?t=2982 or you could end up with so many phone calls that you shy away from using their website again.)

Friends, family and neighbors- talk to everyone you know, let them know you are looking for quality workers and ask them to spread the word then hand them a business card.

Existing employees- let them know about the job openings you have. Offer referral bonuses for any employees that send you people you hire.


Once you find a system that works for you make sure you are always recruiting. By doing so you will be able to maintain a database (collection) of people you could interview right away and will reduce the likelihood of having to do ‘crisis hiring’.

Other articles for after you have recruited employees
Prescreening cleaning company employees- http://www.cleanpeers.com/peers/viewtopic.php?t=45

Communicating with your cleaning staff- http://www.cleanpeers.com/peers/viewtopic.php?t=42

Determining wages for your cleaning staff-
http://www.cleanpeers.com/peers/viewtopic.php?t=41

Motivating your cleaning staff- http://www.cleanpeers.com/peers/viewtopic.php?t=40

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

A name for your cleaning business....

Everyday we see several people come in thru the search engines with the phrase 'name for a cleaning business' and we thought why not include that as another thing we do since helping cleaning companies IS what we do and enjoy :)

Feel free to post information about the cleaning service you are starting or hoping to come up with a name for in our forums and let's see if our staff can help you pick out a great name to get you started. http://cleanoutlook.com/portals/viewtopic.php?t=714

Who knows, if you select your cleaning company name on our site we might even throw in a discount on cleaning business logo design!

Friday, March 14, 2008

Interesting Articles

Cold Calling for Sales-
Intimidated by knocking on a door? Can’t find the right words? Afraid you can’t get past the gatekeeper? These are probably some of the most frequent requests for help READ THE FULL ARTICLE by Ken Galo of Cleanpeers.com

The History of Spring Cleaning from Plano and Lewisville, Texas Cleaning Service, RZJ Janitorial http://www.rzjservices.com/articles/

Are You The Kind of Janitorial Service Customers Are Looking For? Los Angeles Janitorial Company Advanced Cleaning Concepts: http://los-angeles-janitorial.advccleaning.com/articles.htm#choosing-a-janitor-service0