Do you only have 10 minutes to sell your cleaning company?

Make it Fast - I've Only Got 10 Minutes!

Jean Hanson

Have you ever made a sales call and had the prospect tell you they've only got 10 minutes to talk? How do you handle it? The way I see it, you've got three choices.

Choice One:
Take advantage of the 10 minutes they've given you and talk nonstop about your cleaning services. 

Choice Two:
Ask them to reschedule the meeting for a time when they have more than 10 minutes to talk.

Choice Three:
Do the opposite of Choice One and get them to talk for 10 minutes. 

So let's review our three choices. With Choice One, you sound like a salesperson, which isn't a good thing. You've given them the chance to say at the end of your 10 minutes, "Well I'm afraid I've got to go. I'll be in touch."  And then you never hear from them again.

Choice Two might sound like a good alternative (rescheduling the meeting), but it's not. If they are in fact busy and have just 10 minutes to give you, they're not going to want to set aside more time for you later. And if they used the "I've only got 10 minutes" as an excuse to get rid of you quickly, then they'll just find another excuse not to see you.

You might have guessed that Choice Three is the one that gets the best results. With the first choice, where you do all the talking, you need to figure out a way for them to understand the value in your cleaning services -- in just 10 minutes. In their mind however, they may be thinking about their next appointment or wondering "What's in it for me? I don't really care how great you are at cleaning toilets."

But if you can get them to see the value in talking with you, then they'll want to hear more and may either go over their 10 minutes, or ask you to come back for another appointment. 

To get them to see the value, or "what's in it for me," start asking questions. You want to get the prospect talking so you can spend the time listening. When you take this approach, you no longer sound like a salesperson trying to sell your cleaning services, so they may let their guard down a bit.  If you ask targeted questions to get them talking, they start to realize that you're not selling to them, but actively listening and learning about their situation. 

People want to talk to people who are interested in helping them improve their situation or solve their problems. If they feel you are sincere and want to help, they'll start to see the value in doing business with you. Here's an example of how you could reply when a prospect says, "I've only got 10 minutes":

"There is so much I could tell you about our cleaning services, but I'd hate to waste any more of your time by talking about services that might not be relevant to your situation.  Instead I'd like to spend the next 10 minutes finding out about any issues you might have. That way, I'll be able to tell you what we can do to help resolve those issues. To do that, I'd like to ask you a few questions..."

So the next time someone says, "I only have 10 minutes," don't fall into the trap of trying to sell your services in 10 minutes. Instead, get them talking by asking targeted questions that will get them thinking. Your 10 minutes just may end up being a 30-minute meeting! 

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Jean Hanson helps owners of small cleaning companies build a more profitable and successful cleaning business through her online community at TheJanitorialStore.com. Read inspirational cleaning success stories at http://www.cleaning-success.com, and sign up for weekly cleaning tips at http://www.TheJanitorialStore.com.