The best cold call a commercial cleaner can make is built on a single question: "Who cleans your office today?" Everything else follows from the answer. You learn whether they have a cleaner, whether they're happy, and when the contract ends, and you book a walk-through only when it makes sense for them.
Below is the script, word for word, then what to say to the three replies you will hear most, a voicemail, a follow-up email, and a simple way to log contract end dates so you call again at the right time. It's written for calls to office managers and property managers of small and mid-sized offices. Adjust the names and the wording until it sounds like you.
Who to call and when
The person who decides on cleaning is usually the office manager in an office of 10 to 100 people, the property manager for a multi-tenant building, or the owner in a very small business. How to find office managers and facility managers shows how to get the names. If you reach a receptionist first, how to get past the gatekeeper when cold calling covers that.
Timing matters because cleaners work when the office is empty and managers are busy when it's full. Two windows tend to work: early, between about 7:30 and 9:00 a.m., when the office manager has arrived before the rest of the staff, and late, between about 4:00 and 5:30 p.m., when calls slow down. Avoid Monday mornings and Friday afternoons. If you would rather see who is cleaning than guess, drive past offices in the evening and note the cleaning vans, since that tells you who your competition is.
One legal note. The national Do Not Call registry protects personal numbers, and calls to business lines are generally treated differently, but some states have their own rules on business calls and on call recording. Call business numbers rather than mobile numbers, keep your own list of anyone who asks you to stop, and tell people if you record a call. Check your state's rules.
The opener that asks who cleans today
"Hi, is this Marcus? This is Joanna from Cedar Row Cleaning here in town. I know I'm calling out of the blue. Do you have 30 seconds, and if it's not relevant you can tell me and I'll let you go? ... I clean offices after hours, and I'm calling every office on Route 9 to ask one question: who cleans your office today?"
Why it works: it asks permission, names the reason, shows you are local, and ends in a question they can answer in one word. It does not describe your company, and it gives them an exit. People who feel they can leave stay on the line.
Variation: if you have a real reason, use it. "I cleaned the office next door last month and saw your sign." Do not invent connections.
When does the contract end
Once they tell you who cleans, ask two more things in a friendly voice:
"How's that going for you? Any nights they miss, or things that don't get done?" ... "And is that on a contract, or month to month? When does it come up?"
The first question lets them complain if they want to. A complaint about missed trash or a bathroom that isn't stocked is the strongest reason someone will talk to you, and you can write it down. The second question is the most valuable one on the call: an end date you can act on. A person who says "it renews in March" has just told you when to call again.
Booking the walk-through
"Would it make sense for me to walk through the space for 20 minutes, after hours or first thing in the morning, whichever is easier? I'd give you a written bid with one price for everything. If you're happy with your cleaner, you'll still have a number to compare when the contract comes up."
Offer two specific times: "Would Tuesday at 7:30 in the morning or Thursday after five work?" A vague offer to "stop by sometime" never becomes a visit. Confirm by email the same day with the time, your name and your number.
What to say when they already have a cleaner
This is the most common reply. Don't argue and don't criticize the other company.
"That's good to hear. Who do you use? ... I'm not asking you to switch today. Most offices only look at the market once the contract is near its end, so I'd like to be one of the numbers you have. Can I send a short bid now and call you in a few months, before your renewal?"
Log the name of the current cleaner and the contract end date. That is the call that pays off six months from now.
What to say when they ask for an email, or for the price
"Just send me an email." Say yes and ask one question: "Happy to. So I send you the right thing, about how many square feet is the office, and how many nights a week do you want it cleaned?" The answer qualifies them and gives you something to put in the email. Then send it that day.
"How much does it cost?" Don't dodge and don't guess. "It depends on the square footage, the number of restrooms, the floors and how many nights a week. A written price after a 15-minute walk will be much more accurate than a guess on the phone. Does Thursday evening work?" If they insist, give a range only after you know the size.
If they don't pick up: the voicemail, then the email
Leave a voicemail of about 20 seconds:
"Hi Marcus, this is Joanna with Cedar Row Cleaning. I'm calling about who cleans your office at Brookfield Partners. I'll send you a short email. If you'd like a written bid before your next renewal, reply to it, or call me at 555-0142. That's 555-0142. Thanks."
Then send the email within the hour:
Subject: Who cleans Brookfield Partners?
Hi Marcus, I just left you a voicemail. I run Cedar Row Cleaning and I clean offices around Route 9. If you're open to a second price when your current contract comes up, I can walk the office for 20 minutes and send one written bid. If not, no problem, and tell me if I should stop writing. Joanna Pruitt, Cedar Row Cleaning, 41 Mill Street, Brookfield. Reply STOP to be removed.
The postal address and opt-out line are what CAN-SPAM requires of commercial email in the United States. How to get commercial cleaning clients has the wider strategy, and getting customers for a cleaning business covers residential work.
Logging contract end dates
A spreadsheet with seven columns is enough: company, contact, phone, current cleaner, contract end or renewal month, what they said about the service, and next call date. Set the next call for about 90 days before the end date, which is when a manager starts asking for quotes. A plausible hour might look like 20 dials, 6 conversations, 3 end dates logged and 1 walk-through booked. That is an example, not a promise. But if an hour a day gave you 3 end dates, 20 working days would leave you with 60 offices to call again at exactly the right time.
If you'd rather not spend your own hours dialing, Rocketship's AI workers find the offices and managers by name and send the first email and every follow-up from your own Gmail. See also what is a commercial client and how to get Airbnb cleaning clients for a different kind of cleaning customer.
A script helps only if you use it every week. Rocketship finds the buyers, emails them from your own Gmail, follows up, and books the meeting on its own. Plans that get you customers start at $24.99 a month (Launch), and every monthly plan starts with a 7-day free trial, card required.