Wondering how to find janitorial contracts? If you aren’t using LinkedIn, you could be missing out on lucrative jobs.

Figuring out how to find janitorial contracts is perhaps one of the most frequent problems building services contractors deal with. And it’s one that so few are prepared for. You can be the best at your job. You have years of experience in janitorial services, groundskeeping, general maintenance, and all the little things that make up your daily schedule. But it’s rare that anywhere in your years of work, anyone shared the ins and outs of actually finding and winning contracts.

The sad thing is that we probably all know a few excellent contractors who had to close their businesses because they couldn’t figure out where or how to find janitorial contracts that would pay the bills. Likewise, we’ve all met (or maybe are) people new to the industry who feel lost when it comes to the administrative side of running a business.

You aren’t alone. Many small business owners face this problem. Some phenomenal cooks open restaurants but can’t draw in patrons. Amazing interior designers never manage to land that ideal client. Fantastic artists never move beyond local craft shows.

At the same time, those who master the administrative and marketing side of a business can thrive. They can go on to employ multiple teams and grow to a size that allows them to truly do their best work without constant worry and stress. And while there are plenty of ways to market your business and find contracts, one of the most overlooked is through LinkedIn.

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How to find janitorial contracts on LinkedIn without driving yourself mad

You do have a LinkedIn profile, right?

If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, go set one up right now. It’s easier than you think. On the top right of your personal profile, click the “work” icon. At the bottom of the drop-down menu, click the “create a company page” option.

From there, choose your business size, then go through the steps of filling in your basic information. This includes your business name, your website, your logo, and the tagline.

So what happens once you have a page? You need to make yourself visible and active. This occurs over time, but one way to start is through posting updates and articles. This can take the form of congratulating clients on any awards or milestones they’ve reached. It could be posting links to your blog or writing articles on do-it-yourself cleaning projects, such as the best green cleaners on the market or how to change air filters.

You might think this is boring, ordinary stuff, but you’d be surprised by how many people want tutorials on the things you do on a daily basis. Not everyone knows how to replace a doorknob, how to light a pilot light, or how to get mold and mildew out of a basement.

And you can do all of this without coming across as sales-y. It’s on your page, so people know it’s you sharing this helpful information. Just like that, you are an expert in their eyes.

Here’s an example of what that might look like. In this case, Building Maintenance Management Inc. is posting a link to an article about unclogging your drains. That’s undoubtedly some useful knowledge that anyone could use.

This is all great for subtly advertising yourself when people come to your page. But to really get your business name out there, you’ll need to go on to the next step, which involves actively seeking out places where you can promote your business locally. It’s also important to bear in mind that “promote” doesn’t mean getting on the page of every local business and proclaiming your greatness and telling people to hire you. This kind of promotion takes a much more patient and classy approach.

To begin, follow any local businesses you think would fit your client profile. If you specialize in working with office buildings, search for property management companies and office building management companies in your area. Keep up with what they are posting. When they post a comment asking if anyone can recommend a good building services contractor because their drains keep getting clogged, you have two options.

You can reply to them with something like, “We are the number one BSC in the city. Send me a message, and I’ll set you up with a contract.”

The second option might go more like this: “Hi XYZ Properties. Most clogged drains aren’t too difficult to handle on your own. Here’s an article that might be helpful. If the drain is still giving you problems, I’d be happy to talk to you. Here’s my number: 123-867-5309.” And, of course, make sure you add the link to the article.

One of these comes across as far more conversational and genuine. You can decide which one, but chances are, with the second reply, your phone might ring, and you’ll hear, “Thanks for the article, but I don’t have time to deal with drains. Could you give me an estimate?”

There’s also an exponential effect with this approach. All the other property managers that follow XYZ will see your reply. Without “advertising” yourself, you’ve just created goodwill, shared your contact information, and made yourself visible.

This may sound like a lot, but in most cases, it will take less than 30 minutes of your time. Once it becomes a habit, you could use LinkedIn for as little as 15 minutes each day and still get the benefits. You can use a similar approach with other social media platforms. Still, LinkedIn is specifically geared toward a more professional audience, so for most contractors, it will be the best place to interact with people who could become clients.

Easily stay in touch with employees and clients, bid on jobs, manage projects, and more with Janitorial Manager. Check out a free demo to learn about all the great features!