Winning your first 10 business clients – sales for cleaning companies

Contents

1. The channels at a glance
2. 1. Network: the fastest first jobs
3. 2. Google Business Profile and website
4. 3. Property managers
5. 4. Offices, practices and shops in your area
6. Call guide (short)
7. Follow-up – where most contracts are won
8. 30-day sales plan
9. Figures you should know
10. What builds trust
11. Tenders: the second step
12. What to avoid
13. The one-page introduction
14. Frequently asked questions

In short: For your first business clients proximity, trust and availability count. Start with your network and a complete Google Business Profile, approach property managers and small offices/practices in your area, offer site visits quickly and follow up. Public tenders are a second step. As of October 2026.

As a cleaning company in Vienna we know: clients rarely switch over a few euros. They switch because the current company is unreachable, keeps sending different people or doesn’t fix problems. That is your opportunity as a new company – if you are reliable, reachable and local.

The channels at a glance

1. Network: the fastest first jobs

Write down 30 people who run an office, practice or shop – or know someone who does. Tax advisers, doctors, hairdressers, small agencies, associations. Call instead of sending mass e-mails. One sentence is enough: “We’ve started a cleaning company for offices and practices in the 7th, 8th and 9th districts – who looks after cleaning for you?”

2. Google Business Profile and website

Many enquiries come from local search. A complete profile with services, service area, real photos (team, van, equipment – no client premises without permission) and quick replies to reviews costs nothing and works.

The website doesn’t need to be big. What matters:

• services (contract cleaning, windows, deep cleaning) and service area
• your licence (building cleaning) and staff registered under the collective agreement
• an easy way to get in touch with a fast response, e.g. a form or button
• a legal notice (Impressum) with the required details

3. Property managers

Property managers look after many buildings and need reliable partners – including for short-notice jobs such as cleaning after water damage or flat handovers. Mind the licence: stairwell cleaning in residential buildings is possible with caretaking, but offices and shops in the same building require the craft: Trade licence for cleaning in Austria – building cleaning (regulated) or caretaking (free)?.

Send a one-page introduction, call a week later and offer to take on a single building “on trial”.

4. Offices, practices and shops in your area

Small sites decide quickly, often the owner personally. Walk your area, note businesses, call and offer a free site visit. Stay local: travel between scattered sites eats your profit: Working time, breaks and records in the cleaning industry.

Call guide (short)

1. Who you are, area, licence (building cleaning).
2. Ask instead of selling: how is it cleaned now, what bothers them?
3. Offer a site visit with a concrete date.
4. Send the quote within a few days: Writing a quote for contract cleaning – with service specification.
5. Follow up after a week – friendly, asking about open points.

Good questions during the visit: Who decides? By when? What didn’t work with the previous company? Are there times when cleaning is not allowed? Who is the day-to-day contact?

Follow-up – where most contracts are won

Many quotes go unanswered not because they are bad but because the client is busy. A proven rhythm:

30-day sales plan

• Week 1: Google profile and website ready, list of 30 network contacts and 50 local businesses
• Week 2: 30 calls in your network, write to 10 property managers
• Week 3: walk your area, arrange 5 site visits
• Week 4: send quotes, follow up consistently, ask for a first referral

Figures you should know

Note channel, date and status for every contact. After a few weeks you’ll see your own rates – how many conversations lead to a visit and how many visits to a contract. Example (assumption): if one in four visits becomes a contract, you need around 40 visits for 10 clients. Plan your weeks accordingly.

What builds trust

• Trade licence and company register details in your legal notice
• Liability insurance incl. key loss: Insurance for cleaning companies – what you really need
• Staff registered under the collective agreement: Registering employees in Austria – employer account, ELDA, written statement
• A fixed contact person, cover during sick leave
• Fast response to complaints – same or next day

Tenders: the second step

Public bodies and large companies often award cleaning through tenders, requiring references, documents (licence, insurance, clearance certificates), capacity and sometimes e-invoicing: Accounting and invoicing software for cleaning companies – what matters. Start with smaller contracts, build references, then apply selectively.

What to avoid

Don’t underprice to get in – the contract often stays unprofitable: Calculating the hourly rate for cleaning – the right way. Other costly beginner mistakes: The 10 costliest mistakes of cleaning company founders.

The one-page introduction

For property managers and offices, one page is enough:

1. Who you are: cleaning company, area, since when, building-cleaning licence
2. What you do: contract cleaning, stairwells, windows, deep cleaning
3. What sets you apart: fixed teams, a fixed contact person, response to complaints within one working day
4. Credentials: liability insurance incl. key loss, staff registered under the agreement
5. Next step: free site visit with a concrete date

Avoid long service lists and superlatives. Decision-makers want to know in 30 seconds whether you are reliable and work nearby.

Frequently asked questions