how do I get restaurant business?

[juniorc82]

I might be losing a key account this winter due to a facilities mgr early retirement. I need to supplement that income by gaining about 5 - 10 restaurants or regular commercial accounts to help with the slow season. I have a couple restys that I do regularly . I dont want to give my work away but that seems to be the expectation for restaurant work.
Anyway I send mailers with gift cards out and drop off cards and havent gotten great results. How should I go about getting them? I am also chasing more stripping and waxing as that seems to be a great winter service

 

[Ron Werner]

maybe ask the owners of the ones you're cleaning for referrals

 

[ACE]

The nice thing about restaurants is that you can usually get an audience with a decision maker if you come during a slower time of day. If you want restaurants, go talk the owner or GM and waste no time with advertising.

If your price is right, picking up the accounts should be easy. My question is, how do you manage the accounts to keep them on schedule and profitable? I have never been able to negotiate favorable terms with restaurant managers. I think the key would be finding a way to entice the GM to sign a contract.

 

[FLYERMAN]

If you have something that works DO more of that.

He's right just drop in during the slow time of the day and ask to talk to whoever is charge of the carpet cleaning.

 

[NobleCarpetCleaners]

The work is insane but my experience is don't waste any time talking/selling to anybody but the decision maker. Mornings are the best to catch these managers. Have your sales speech polished yet very "matter of fact". Be a little aggressive on closing the sale. They work in and manage a world of hustle hustle hustle so keep things short and to the point. They are the moodiest people I have ever run into in the commercial world. Don't take any personal; have thick skin.

 

[Ross Buettner]

Be prepared to be blown out of the water when the resty manager tells you what he's currently paying. Most around here are 4-6 cents per square foot. It's an agressive market.

And the saying goes: "I don't know if I'd get out of bed for that much money." Granted, restys are low price, and almost ALWAYS want you to move every chair, every table, and everything else in the way.

I have a close freind that cleans a well-known nationwide building in my town. It's a 4-5 hour job, and only pays 225.00. He needs to have one person constantly moving air movers, chairs, and tables.

I would advise you look into health care. They are always open, always need to be cleaned, and generally large footage with minimal movement of items on the floor. I also advise that even if you don't get into the flooring right away... to hit them up for chair cleanings.

I've done over 3000 chairs this season at 3-4 bucks a chair. Most were done with a spayer, brush, and encap solution.

 

[Able 1]

If I were you I wouldn't go after restaurants I would go after big apt. complexes.. They will keep you more consistent and you won't work be working late nights.

 

[idreadnought]

No matter what you go after the trick to getting noticed is a free demonstration. I have made more money cleaning carpets for free than any other marketing approach ever. I am not saying clean the entire restaurant for free but offer to clean a badly soiled area that getts re-soiled fast.

Get the greas out that is causing the re-soiling and they will stay clean longer. Use a citrus or pog booster and that works miracles. Most companies do a restaurant cheap but they leave the grease thats causing the soiling and wham they are dirty fast. Most restaurants will pay for better results and better service, at least in my market.

Medical buildings are the same. Give them a demonstration. I cimex commercial glue down carpet in everything but restaurants. Go over and area and wow them. Easier pick up when they see the results.

And Again same thing with apartments. Clean one unit for free. Chances are they aren't dazzled with their current company and if you show them the difference then they are more inclined to change.

I tend to sell on quality not price. Sure there are customers that are only price motivated but spending time to find ones that pay more will profit more than spending time cleaning for those that are cheap. As a bonus a customer that appreciates quality and service is less likely to leave you than one that is only price motivated.

 

[Duane Oxley]

You have to get their attention first.

Back when I cleaned, I did several restaurants. And the way I got most of them was to go there and eat and look at the carpet as I did. I wrote my price on the back of one of my business cards, then, while I was still seated, I asked for "the manager".

Believe me on this: A customer asking for the manager, while eating, has a totally different response, than a mail- out, or a walk- in to quote.

If they have someone they're "happy with", a very good question to ask is: "When was the last time your carpet was cleaned?".

I got responses as recent as, "last night", and "last week", related to carpets that were obviously not clean.

Best way to get their attention in response to their attempted brush- off is to walk over to a wall, where the carpet is close to original condition, in terms of cleanliness, and point it out to them. "THIS is how your carpet should look. Not, THAT." Then offer to do a free demo to show them what you're describing isn't that difficult.

When doing a demo, tell them up front that you'll do a section for free, just to show them the difference. Make sure it's one of the dirtiest areas and preferably a large dining area. Then do half of the room, making sure to leave a line as a result, that is a night and day difference.

Trust me on this: If you get to that point, and you do make that much of a difference, you have the account.

I got a chain of restaurants that way. We went in the very next night (by pre- arranged agreement with the manager...) after their cleaner did, and drew a line across the banquet room, changing the color of the carpet of the area we cleaned, back to the original red and silver, from the then- current burgundy and gray. And the cleaner who had them had 2 opportunities to go back (We were about 30% more expensive than he was...) and clean as thoroughly as we did- but just couldn't make that line go away.

The secret is high heat / high flow and CleanStreak, BTW...

 

[hogjowl]

I never doubted it. And you had clean streak at your disposal way back in 1980 when you were cleaning?

 

[Duane Oxley]

Mardy:

I started cleaning in 1988, actually. Didn't get into the restaurant thing until a couple of years later.

Shortly after I started doing restaurants, while visiting a local watering hole, I met a guy who owned a chemical company and we struck up a conversation that lead to a friendship, since we had similar interests. When he found out what my business was, he offered to make chemicals for me, which included the early version of CleanStreak.

In 1997, my friend called me to inform me that his company had grown and as a result, had become busy enough, that our small orders were getting in the way. But as a friend, he'd give me the formulas and give me free access to his chemist for any questions that came up.

Once I got a look at what the formulas were, I started studying "why" and learned a lot, and, as I had done with the dye business in my earlier incarnation in truckmount and chemical sales in the early 1980's, I spent a lot of time on the phone with the chemist, learning all I could and improving formulas as a result.

That same chemist subsequently left that company, but we are now personal friends and he's the one who does all of our liquids. One thing he's learned from me is that some of the "weird" ideas I come up with are more worthy of consideration than he at first thinks. For instance, I was pushing him to do some things with peroxide years ago. And I've handed him formulas that I've come up with (OneStep liquid, for instance), that he's expressed sincere appreciation for, in terms of how well they go together.

So, Mardy, if you've read this far, you now know...

"The rest of the story..."

 

[Ron Werner]

thats all dependent on how well the other cleaner does
be interesting if the other cleaner came in and YOUR side looked worse

 

[Duane Oxley]

Ron:

There are a lot of cleaners doing restaurants who aren't very good, or don't do their best.

They're easy to find.

Duane

 

[BLewis]

So what "if" the other cleaner came in and had better results than you. What have you lost by trying,other than getting to the bottom of why his results were better! You won't gain any new accounts if you don't at least get out and try. I ordered my 45# tub of slop and gobble today I think I will do all of my restaurant accounts with it for the month of October just to see the results.

I would never assume that our results are going to be better all the time, but if anyone can out perform us then I will certainly get to the bottom of why.

 

[floorguy]

So what "if" the other cleaner came in and had better results than you. What have you lost by trying,other than getting to the bottom of why his results were better! You won't gain any new accounts if you don't at least get out and try. I ordered my 45# tub of slop and gobble today I think I will do all of my restaurant accounts with it for the month of October just to see the results.

I would never assume that our results are going to be better all the time, but if anyone can out perform us then I will certainly get to the bottom of why.

Ding ding ding...we have a winner....

and ditto here...actually I ALWAYS think my results are better. Which is why if they out cleaned me, i want to know WHY

 

[Duane Oxley]

(Like they would REALLY tell you how they do it...)

 

[Ron Werner]

good answers !gotcha!