Commercial Cleaning Cold Calling Script to Book Walkthroughs

A commercial cleaning cold calling script works best with one goal: a walkthrough. Ask for the person who looks after the cleaning, ask four short questions about who cleans now, how often, how it's going and when the contract ends, then offer a free walkthrough and quote. If they're under contract, write down the end date and call back before it. Below you'll find the full script, answers to the five objections cleaning companies hear most, and gatekeeper and voicemail lines.

Why the Walkthrough Is the Goal

You can't price a cleaning contract without seeing the building: its size, its floors, its restrooms and how often it needs cleaning. So don't try to sell on the phone. The call has one job: find the person who decides and book a time to visit.

A free walkthrough and quote is easy to say yes to. A meeting about "your cleaning needs" isn't. That's why every line of this commercial cleaning cold calling script leads to the walkthrough.

Who to Ask For

In many multi-tenant buildings the landlord arranges cleaning. Ask whether cleaning comes with the lease. If it does, get the property manager's name and call them instead.

The Commercial Cleaning Cold Calling Script

Fill in the parts in brackets of this commercial cleaning cold calling script, and say it in your own words.

Opener: "Hi [name], this is [your name] with [company]. I'll be quick: I know I'm calling out of the blue."

Reason for the call: "We clean [type of building, such as offices or medical practices] around [area]. I'm calling to ask how your cleaning is going at the moment."

The four questions:

1. "Who looks after your cleaning now: a company, or your own staff?"
2. "How many nights a week do they come in?"
3. "How's it going? Anything you'd change?"
4. "When does your current agreement come up for renewal?"

Then, depending on the answers:

• Unhappy, or the contract ends soon: "We'd be glad to take a look. A walkthrough takes about 20 minutes, and we'll send a quote the same week. Would [day] or [day] work?"
• Happy, contract ends later: "Good to hear. Would it be all right if I called you a couple of months before it renews, just to offer a comparison?"
• They don't decide: "No problem. Who decides on the cleaning contract? I'll give them a call."

The ask: "[Salesperson's name] can come by on [day] at [time] or [day] at [time]. Which works better?"

Close-out: "Great. I'll send a confirmation to [email]. If you can, have someone show [salesperson's name] the restrooms, kitchen and any areas that need special attention."

Answers to the 5 Objections You'll Hear Most

Agree, give one short reply, then ask a question. If they say no twice, thank them and move on.

1. "We already have a cleaner."

"Most places do. How's it going with them? And when does your agreement come up for renewal?"

2. "We're under contract."

"Then the timing's wrong, and I won't take your time. When does it end, so I can call a couple of months before?"

3. "The landlord handles it."

"That makes sense. Who manages the building? I'll check with them directly."

4. "Just email me a price."

"Happy to. To price it fairly we need to see the space, and the walkthrough only takes about 20 minutes. Is [day] or [day] better?"

5. "Our own staff do the cleaning."

"Plenty of places start that way. Is it taking time away from their real work? A quote costs nothing, and you can compare it with what the time is worth."

Gatekeeper Lines

• "Hi, who looks after the cleaning for the office?"
• "Could you put me through to [name]?"
• If asked what it's about: "It's about your cleaning service. Is [name] the right person?"

Voicemail Script

"Hi [name], [your name] with [company]. We clean [type of building] around [area] and I'd like to offer a free walkthrough and quote. Call me on [number]. That's [number] again. Thanks."

Keep a Contract End Date List

The end dates you collect are worth more than any single call. Keep a simple list with:

• The building, the contact and their title
• The current cleaner and the contract end date, if they'll say
• What they mentioned: missed cleans, complaints, a move or a new manager
• The date to call back, a couple of months before the contract ends

Call back on time, mention what they told you last time, and ask for the walkthrough. Over a few months, more of each week's calls land at the right moment.

Calling Rules for Cleaning Companies

Before you use this commercial cleaning cold calling script, check the rules where you're calling. Calls to businesses face lighter rules than calls to consumers in most countries, but a few things still matter:

• US: the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule exempts business-to-business calls, except calls involving retail sales of nondurable office or cleaning supplies. Calls about your cleaning service are business-to-business, but if you also sell cleaning supplies by phone, those calls are covered by the rule. Business numbers are outside the Do Not Call Registry, but a small office owner's personal mobile may be on it. Some states also set calling hours for business calls. See cold calling laws in the US.
• UK: the ICO's business-to-business guidance treats sole traders and some partnerships like individuals, so check business lists against both the TPS and the CTPS. See cold calling laws in the UK.
• Elsewhere: compare every market in cold calling laws by country.

Never use this script on homes. Residential cleaning means calling consumers, which has much stricter rules.

Need Someone to Make the Calls?

A commercial cleaning cold calling script only works if someone makes the calls every day, and that's hard to do while running crews. Our cold calling for commercial cleaning service gives you a dedicated caller who phones office, facility and property managers and books walkthroughs with your sales team. Two ways to work with us:

• We Call for You (from $2,199/month per caller): we supply, train and manage the caller, write the script with you, and send call recordings and a weekly report.
• Hire a Caller (from $1,499/month per caller): a vetted, full-time caller works your list during your prospects' business hours and reports to you.

Both services have no setup fee, run month to month and start in about two weeks. See prices by caller country. For more general openers, see our B2B cold calling script template.