Networking Events: Be Interested, Not Interesting
Gerren Sprauve, author and owner of Clean Slate Janitorial Services, gave advice on this that's stuck with me: "The goal is to be interested rather than being interesting."
At networking events, the instinct is to prepare a pitch — something concise and compelling that explains your business. The problem is everyone else has the same instinct, and the room fills with people half-listening while waiting for their turn to pitch.
The owners who get the best results at networking events are the ones who ask questions and actually listen to the answers.
When you approach someone at a networking event, your goal is to understand their world — their facility, their current challenges, their experience with cleaning vendors. You're not selling. You're gathering information that lets you have a more relevant follow-up conversation later.
When they ask about you, keep your answer short and curious: "I run a commercial cleaning company — we work mostly with [facility type]. A lot of what we hear from clients is that they're frustrated with [specific pain point]. Is that something you've run into?"
You've mentioned your business, you've established industry knowledge, and you've immediately turned the conversation back to their experience. That's a more memorable introduction than any elevator pitch.
Online Introductions: The Customer Is the Hero
In written contexts — LinkedIn outreach, website copy, emails, your Google Business Profile description — the principle shifts slightly. You can't ask questions in real time, so you have to speak to the prospect's situation accurately enough that they feel understood.
The framework that works: make the customer the hero of the story, not your business.
Compare these two website opening lines:
Version A: "Impact Cleaning Professionals provides professional commercial cleaning services for offices and facilities in the DC metro area. We are licensed, insured, and background-checked."
Version B: "Most facility managers have dealt with cleaning companies that start strong and slowly get inconsistent. We built our whole operation around fixing that — documented quality checks, dedicated account managers, and the same team every time."
Version B speaks directly to a problem the prospect has probably experienced. It positions the business as the solution to their specific frustration without listing credentials. They'll read the credentials anyway — what earns the click is the sense that you understand their situation.
According to Statista, 98% of people search online before doing business locally. Your website, your GBP description, and your LinkedIn profile are doing your introduction before you ever speak to someone. Write them for the person reading, not for you.
For more on how your online presence connects to local search visibility, read Why Every Cleaning Business Needs SEO.
The One-Page Portfolio: What to Leave Behind
Need help growing your cleaning business? We build marketing systems for BSCs — SEO, GBP optimization, CRM automation, and lead generation — all set up and running in weeks, not months.
Book a free strategy call →Whether you're doing door-to-door visits or submitting proposals, leaving something physical or digital that the prospect can reference later significantly improves conversion rates.
What goes on a one-page capability overview for a cleaning business:
Your brand message. What you do and who you do it for, in plain language. Not "professional cleaning services" — the specific thing you do better than alternatives.
Core services. The 3–5 services you want to be hired for, described in client-benefit terms (not "floor stripping and waxing" — "floor care that passes inspection and extends floor life").
Client testimonials. One or two specific quotes from actual clients. Even short ones: "They've been cleaning our facility for two years and we've never had to follow up on anything." Specific beats generic every time.
Certifications and affiliations. BSCAI membership, any relevant licenses, insurance information. These are trust signals that decision-makers use to justify the hire to their leadership.
Contact information. Phone, email, website. Make it easy to take the next step.
One page. Clean layout. Professional printing or a well-designed PDF. This document does the introduction work after you've left the room.
The Online Intro That Opens Doors
LinkedIn outreach for commercial cleaning is underutilized. Facility managers, property managers, office managers, and building owners are all on the platform. A thoughtful message that references something specific about their role or company converts at a much higher rate than a generic pitch.
What works: - Connect first with a brief note — not a pitch ("I work with facility managers in the DC area and would love to connect") - Once connected, wait a week before following up with anything substantive - Reference something specific: their recent post, their company's expansion, their industry - Lead with curiosity: "I noticed you're managing a facility in [area] — curious if cleaning consistency is something you've ever had to navigate with vendors there?"
What doesn't work: - Immediately pitching your services in the connection request - Generic "I help businesses like yours" language - Any message that's clearly been sent to 500 people
For the broader marketing system that makes these introductions work at scale, read Marketing Your Cleaning Business and How to Get Leads for Your Cleaning Business.
Real-World Examples
Wingfoot Services is a good example of this kind of introduction done well. Their messaging stays grounded in experience, consistency, and long-term trust instead of hype.
GermSmart shows the same idea in a more compliance-focused way. They make it easy to understand what they do, how they work, and why a facility manager should trust them.
There isn't one — at least not a scripted version. The cleaning business owners who are best at introductions lead with curiosity about the other person, not a pitch about their services. The goal of an introduction isn't to close a deal. It's to create a connection that makes the other person want to hear more.
Lead with the customer's problem, not your services. "We help commercial facility managers eliminate the guesswork of cleaning consistency" lands differently than "We provide professional commercial cleaning services." Position your business as the guide that helps the client solve their problem — not the hero of your own story.
A one-page capability overview: your brand message, core services, relevant certifications or affiliations, client testimonials or references, and contact information. This gives decision-makers something concrete to share internally. A professional one-pager makes you memorable in a stack of quote sheets.
Know their problem before you talk about your solution. The most effective first impressions in commercial cleaning come from owners who've done enough research to reference something specific about the prospect's facility, industry, or situation. Generic introductions get generic responses.
Directly. Your introduction sets the frame for the entire sales process. If your introduction is generic ("we're a professional, reliable cleaning company"), the prospect has no reason to pay more than the cheapest bid. If your introduction establishes a specific differentiator that solves their real problem, you're competing on value from the first conversation.
Ready to grow your cleaning business with a proven marketing system? Let’s talk about what’s possible for your company.
Book a free strategy call →