Random Musings After 1000 Sales Walkthroughs

This, by no means, is exhaustive. Plenty in Mark's head to go around. But after 1000 walkthroughs in prospective churches, schools, banks, office buildings, car dealerships, and dozens of others, the below are the completely random thoughts that stood out from my 27+ year journey in commercial cleaning. I'll add more in time.

• Listen 2x more than you speak. God gave you two ears and a mouth for a reason.
• Pick up on keywords. Track each in your walkthrough. Mirror back their words. 
• Never make fun of your competitors’ work. 
• The customer is not always right.
• Employee dishonesty bonds are nothing. Of 1000 walkthroughs, only ONE required an employee dishonesty bond. 
• Your prospect has a list of pain points or problems in their head. If you’re not offering a solution to those, they won’t hire you. 
• The cheapest price doesn’t always win. 
• It’s a bad thing to win 100% of your bids.
• Never give your price in the walkthrough. No...let me rephrase...never ever never ever give your price in the walkthrough.
• If you’re not 5 minutes early, you’re late. 
• Dress sharp and professional in your walkthrough. They're judging you. 
• If you’re showing up in a dirty car, you blew it. 
• Spend at least 3x more in time preparing for the walkthrough as compared to the walkthrough itself. 
• Do a personality assessment on your point of contact before you meet them. It'll give you a leg up in relatability.
• Utilize social media, your prospect’s website, and review sites to see what others are saying about them. 
• Your prospects generally don’t care if you’re certified in this or that. Of the 1000, only 2 asked for any specific certifications.
• Keep a log, whether in your CRM or in your notes somewhere, of your interaction with your prospect. You might just encounter them 5 years from now and you'll wish you had a better memory.
• If you're not seen as an asset, you'll automatically be viewed as a liability.
• Ask to take a peek into the janitorial closet. You'll learn a thing to two.
• You have to be the one to initiate the follow up and follow through. If it's not you, then it's your competitor.
• Never trust the square footage any of your prospects or clients give you.
• Always look at the HVAC vents. It'll tell you how dusty their place will be.
• Leave a client's location five minutes before they want you to leave.
• Summarize anything your client tells you, from the walkthrough stage through ongoing meetings. It'll show you're interested in what they have to say.
• If you want to take a picture of your client's location, ask for permission. Some locations we clean have banned cameras and anything with GPS. 
• Going on a walkthrough makes you a sales pro, just as much as standing on a golf course makes you the next Tiger Woods.
• If you show up and your point of contact delegated the walkthrough to a co-worker, that's ok. Roll with it.
• If you're hanging up the walkthrough with your laser pointy thingy or you're counting of tiles, you're apt to lose the bid on frustration alone.
• Remove as many friction points between you and the prospect as possible.
• If you encounter a prospect who is a Chatty Cathy, end the convo 10 minutes before you think you should. They'll still respect you for that time.
• Come to the table with resources to help your prospect. It doesn't always have to be about cleaning.
• The mind is like a parachute. It won't work unless it's open.
• It's ok to be told "no". 
• If they go with a competitor or look elsewhere, it's ok. Do an exit interview and learn why.
• Don't you dare enter the property with your phone with the ringer on, or even in a loud vibrate mode. That next call can wait.
• If something doesn't seem right or potentially misspoken by the prospect, ask them to clarify. For example, if the property is a 50,000 office building and they only want weekly cleaning, then something is wrong there. It needs daily cleaning if people are working daily. 
• Don't be afraid to push back. If they need an upgrade in their services, tell them that. The last thing you need is more headaches because you were too passive in your recommendations.
• A "no" now is a "yes" later.
• If they're calling or emailing you to request a quote, get back with them immediately. If not, they're calling your competitor.
• If you say you'll deliver a proposal by X day, then do it. Your word is your bond.
• More forthcoming....

Next on Deck: So You Lost a Bid - Have You Asked Why?