Commercial Sales Manager

[Cassandra]

Hi everybody,

I'm Cassandra and this is my 1st post.


I'm the Commercial Sales Manager at Appleby Cleaning. I've been knocking doors for over a year and landed a
few nice accounts. I'd like to ramp up new accounts this year. If you or your salepeople have some suggestions or systems that
you've found to be sucessful, I'd appreciate reading them. Last year I purchased Chuck Violand's commercial sales
disk.

 

[Ken Snow]

Hi Cassandra~ welcome to MB

It would help topo know what your bus model is for commercial cleaning i.e.

High volume value priced
Lower volume premium price

Depending on which is your primary focus it would be different marketing methods in my opinion.

 

[Cassandra]

Point taken. I target professional, medical and hi tech offices as well as health clubs. I guess you'd put me in the low volume, premium price category.
Love your website Ken.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Hi Cassanda.

What services are you selling for Appleby's? What is your standard proceedure and who are you targeting and how often are you going out?

Sorry for all the questions but we have know where you're coming from to see if anything different can be suggested.

 

[Cassandra]

We offer carpet, upholstery area rug and hard surface cleaning (no vct). HWE and encap as needed.
I cold call at the door, try to reach the decision maker and do an estimate. I re-visit until they give me
an opportunity. Usually I start with restorative cleaning and try to work them into a maintenance plan
using encap.

 

[Cassandra]

I put in about 15-20 hrs a week and project manage any job I sell.

 

[Steve Toburen]

What is your standard proceedure and who are you targeting and how often are you going out?

Sorry for all the questions but we have know where you're coming from to see if anything different can be suggested.

Don't fall for this old line, Cassandra. Chavez is famous for offering to help, picking your brains and then shamelessly coopting everything he learned from you for his own operation. Even worse, he then tells his partner, Big Dan, that he thought of it all himself during his lengthy every afternoon "closed door office sessions". (Otherwise known as "naps".)

Steve

PS Seriously, the Chavez boys are super dialed in and you can learn a lot from their multi-faceted operation. Plus here's a neat idea we ran in a recent QuickTIP on how to break through to the Decision Maker in the larger medical and tech campuses.

And Cassandra, if you are serious about the commercial market we've got an entire section on commercial selling on the SFS site. (And it is all free.)

 

[Steve Toburen]

I re-visit until they give me an opportunity... and try to work them into a maintenance plan
using encap.

These two things (if you stay with them) will separate you from 95% of the other companies out there.

Steve

PS Most CC'er's sell like my dear wife diets. They do "binge selling". As evidently you have learned- "Selling should be a PROCESS- not an EVENT!"

 

[Mikey P]

Id be dropping off cards and baskets of doughnuts and goat jerky treats to all the Mongmarts, Mong Depots, Bank of Mongolias and Mongo Buffets while in your hottest low cut dress.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Our marketer splits time between retention of our current clients and in developing new business. If it’s cold calling, she will call the potential client look for a facilities manager, risk manager or the person in charge of the facility.

Once she has the name she sends a letter of introduction and then later follows up with the semi-cold calling as you do. Our goal is to keep in their face at least once a month, doesn’t have to be face to face, can be a newsletter, brochure or just drop off pens or pads, coffee mug, or magnet clip, something.

Her goal is to get a demo, demo’s sell well for us so she is always out there asking for the opportunity to show what we can do.

The main thing is developing a relationship, the better they get to know you the easier it will be to get work from them.

Steve is the Guru on commercial cleaning, he's been there and back!

 

[Desk Jockey]

Id be dropping off cards and baskets of doughnuts and goat jerky treats to all the Mongmarts, Mong Depots, Bank of Mongolias, Mongo Buffets while in your hottest low cut dress.

Erin does take cookies now and then but in slacks or dress jeans. Nothing sexy....ever, it's business...not monkey business. LOL

 

[Desk Jockey]

Don't fall for this old line, Cassandra. Chavez is famous for offering to help, picking your brains and then shamelessly coopting everything he learned from you for his own operation. Even worse, he then tells his partner, Big Dan, that he thought of it all himself during his lengthy every afternoon "closed door office sessions". (Otherwise known as "naps".)

Steve I've found it is much easier to steal from you....ummm borrow from you that to figure it out myself.

Honestly your help and SFS have been an incredible resource and continued support for us. Thank you!

I have to go, hungry horses are staring at a door I should be walking through! Later!

 

[Connor]

Id be dropping off .............. while in your hottest low cut dress.

Motorbike riding vegan in drag.....sounds just like California.

 

[Steve Toburen]

I have to go, hungry horses are staring at a door I should be walking through! Later!

Many years ago Sioux and I had horses.

Then one day as I humped hay to our nags in a blizzard I thought, "Wait a minute- just like with our kids we are building our entire life around these animals, feeding them every day, calling the doctor when they are sick, etc. The difference is these beings are never going to "grow up" and (hopefully) take care of Sioux and I in our old age! Even worse, there hasn't been a saddle on these horse's backs in over a year! So what good are they?"

Sioux cried when I walked back in and told her we were going to sell the horses.

Steve

PS Now we don't even have a dog. (And much as she likes pets Sioux agrees.)

 

[Mikey P]

Motorbike riding vegan in drag.....sounds just like California.

I have a photo of her boss in assless chaps and a fluffy white shirt riding his POS Harley across Death Valley around here somewhere

 

[GCCLee]

did we really have to go assless chaps, I mean dang fellas

 

[Connor]

I have a photo of her boss in assless chaps and a fluffy white shirt riding his POS Harley across Death Valley around here somewhere

All chaps are assless.


All the way across death vally, eh? You chased him that far?

 

[Joe Appleby]

Wasn't it you tailgating me in the tight leather cat suit through the valley.

 

[Joe Appleby]

I kept winking at you with my big beautiful brown eye.

Dont read any of this Cassandra.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Many years ago Sioux and I had horses.

Then one day as I humped hay to our nags in a blizzard I thought, "Wait a minute- just like with our kids we are building our entire life around these animals, feeding them every day, calling the doctor when they are sick, etc. The difference is these beings are never going to "grow up" and (hopefully) take care of Sioux and I in our old age! Even worse, there hasn't been a saddle on these horse's backs in over a year! So what good are they?"

Sioux cried when I walked back in and told her we were going to sell the horses.

Steve

PS Now we don't even have a dog. (And much as she likes pets Sioux agrees.)

I have 10-cats and a boxer too and I'm not even a pet guy.

 

[GCCLee]

someone forgot to to to to take their medicine again.....


funny fookers, lol

 

[Mikey P]

any of you Mikefesters want to make certain to spend some time with Mr Appleby...

He has the 4 truck operation thing down pat.

ask him to tell you the story about his sister and my old helper...

 

[Cassandra]

Okay. Let's get away from my boss's back side and back to business.

Thank you for the info Steve and Doc.

Doc, anything special about your intro letter? Do you offer a sample cleaning in it or a list of services? Would you share it?

Steve, do you ever mail the pictures of your prospects' dirty carpets if you can't get an appointment, or is that too creepy? Your articles are great!

What are Ken's commercial salespeople's secrets of success?

P.S. Besides the soft surface crews, Joe also has 3 hard surface vans running and a full service rug plant. If anyone needs help in the San Francisco Bay Area with those
services, let me know.

P.S.S. Steve, who is Chavez?

 

[GCCLee]

Okay. Let's get away from my boss's back side and back to business.

P.S.S. Steve, who is Chavez?

Thank GOD!

Your gonna need a drink Cass, lol

 

[Shane Deubell]

Keep changing your service message, some companies have a tile problem and you can add on carpet and some have a carpet problem so you can add on tile...

Then EVERY company has a restroom problem, don't forget to add this to the mix and cross-sell the others. Office furniture is kinda nichee but we try to run a short campaign just in case, usually pick up a couple accounts here/there but nothing to jump up and down about.

 

[Steve Toburen]

Steve, do you ever mail the pictures of your prospects' dirty carpets if you can't get an appointment, or is that too creepy?

Absolutely. These aren't photos of somebody's private bedroom. I'm taking photos of different challenges I've noted in the Facility Manager's building and offering answers. Nothing "creepy" about offering "solutions" to their point of pain!

Cassandra, check out this info on how to build an "encap route". I don't know if it would fit Joe's business model but it is a genius concept for an owner-operator who wants to consistently gross more without adding trucks and fixed overhead.

Steve

PS Who is "Chavez"? We've all been wondering about that for a long time. Here's a little bit about his brother's company where Richard takes his afternoon naps. (Richard Chavez has been known to veer between screen names. Right now he is hiding behind the alias "Doc Holliday"!)

 

[GCCLee]

Chavez huh, why such popularity then?

Tell us a story Doc......

 

[Cassandra]

Guess I lost Doc Chavez and Ken with too many questions. Sorry guys.

Steve, what's a realistic target for new maintenance contracts per month as a part time salesperson? I spend about 40 hrs a month cold calling including drive times.
The other 40 is spent servicing existing accounts, project managing and paperwork.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Guess I lost Doc Chavez and Ken with too many questions. Sorry guys.

Steve, what's a realistic target for new maintenance contracts per month as a part time salesperson? I spend about 40 hrs a month cold calling including drive times.
The other 40 is spent servicing existing accounts, project managing and paperwork.

That will have a lot to do with the size of your market, we have a very small market compared to someone like Ken.

I think Erin makes it to 100 contacts a month or more. Out of that she may pull out a job or two.

It's not the best economy to bring in work but we are planting seeds. She keeps in contact (watering those seeds) eventually getting an opportunity for a quote or a demo.

We hit those contacts on two fronts, commercial carpet cleaning (upholstery & fabric panels, T&G) & emergency services. If they already have cleaning taken care of then we move on to emergency preparedness for water damage and smoke and fire. Again planting seeds for if and when they might encounter a loss.

I feel Erin has the toughest job in the company.....well second to mine of course.

She gets consistently beat down every day, every once in a while she comes back smiling with work, a quote or a demo but for the most part it's tough sledding if you're expecting immediate results.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Guess I lost Doc Chavez and Ken with too many questions. Sorry guys.

Steve, what's a realistic target for new maintenance contracts per month as a part time salesperson? I spend about 40 hrs a month cold calling including drive times.
The other 40 is spent servicing existing accounts, project managing and paperwork.

That will have a lot to do with the size of your market, we have a very small market compared to someone like Ken.

I think Erin makes it to 100 contacts a month or more. Out of that she may pull out a job or two.

It's not the best economy to bring in work but we are planting seeds. She keeps in contact (watering those seeds) eventually getting an opportunity for a quote or a demo.

We hit those contacts on two fronts, commercial carpet cleaning (upholstery & fabric panels, T&G) & emergency services. If they already have cleaning taken care of then we move on to emergency preparedness for water damage and smoke and fire. Again planting seeds for if and when they might encounter a loss.

I feel Erin has the toughest job in the company.....well second to mine of course.

She gets consistently beat down every day, every once in a while she comes back smiling with work, a quote or a demo but for the most part it's tough sledding if you're expecting immediate results.


Oh ask all the questions you want and I'll answer all I can. ig: