Commercial cleaning cold calling script: free scripts you can copy

Most janitorial cold call scripts online are long PDFs that read like a brochure out loud. This page gives you a commercial cleaning cold calling script built the other way round: short lines, one goal, and a separate version for each type of building you are likely to ring. Copy the blocks, swap the brackets for your details, and say them in your own voice.

Cold calling sits alongside email, not instead of it. If you are also writing to buildings, our guide to cold email for cleaning companies covers sending setup and the law for email. Where the call fits in the wider pipeline is laid out in the commercial cleaning sales process. This page stays on the phone.

What is the goal of a cold call for cleaning contracts?

The goal of a cleaning cold call is to book a walk-through, nothing more. Nobody signs a janitorial contract with a stranger on the phone, and nobody should, because you cannot price a building you have not seen.

Holding to that goal keeps the call short. You do not need to list services or defend your price. You need the buyer to agree that 20 minutes of their time is worth it. Every line in the scripts below is there to earn that yes, or to learn when a yes might come.

A useful second prize: if the timing is wrong, get the month their current agreement ends. That date is worth more than any brochure you could mail them. Our piece on when businesses switch cleaning companies explains why contract dates matter so much.

What should you research before each call?

Spend about 30 seconds per building, no more. You are looking for one detail that makes the call sound local and specific, not a dossier.

A quick pre-call checklist:

• Building type and size. Single tenant office, medical suite, multi-tenant building, warehouse, school office, store.
• Hours. When it opens and closes tells you if the pitch is nights, days or a day porter.
• A recent change. New tenant, new location, renovation, expansion, a job posting for a facilities role.
• A name if one is public. Office manager or facilities manager from the company website or a professional profile.
• Your nearest account. If you already clean a building nearby, that is your best opening line.

Write the detail at the top of your call sheet. Found nothing? Use the building type as your hook.

How do you open a cold call without getting hung up on?

Open by saying who you are and asking for 30 seconds. A permission-based opener lowers the guard of the person on the line because it admits you are interrupting.

Hi [First name], this is [Your name] with [Company], a cleaning company here in [area]. I'm calling out of the blue, so can I take 30 seconds to tell you why, and you can tell me if it's worth a longer chat?

Then stop talking. Most people say yes, or say "go ahead" with a sigh. Either is fine. If they say they are busy, ask when is better and put it in your calendar while you are still on the line.

What is the best gatekeeper script for cleaning companies?

The best gatekeeper script asks for a name, not a transfer. Receptionists are told to screen sales calls, but most will happily tell you who handles cleaning if you ask plainly and briefly.

Hi, this is [Your name] from [Company]. Quick question, who looks after the cleaning or janitorial contract for your building?

If they give a name:

Thanks. Is [Name] usually in early or later in the day? And is there a direct line, or is it best through you?

If they ask what it is about:

We clean [building type] in [area] and I'd like to see if it's worth [Name]'s time to look at us before the next contract review. I'm happy to call back when it suits them.

If they say "we're happy with our cleaner":

That's good to hear. Who would I speak to if that ever changed? I'll just note the name so I'm not bothering the wrong person.

Always write down the gatekeeper's name and use it next time. "Hi Maria, it's [Your name] again, is Dan around?" goes a lot further than starting from scratch.

What should you say to the decision-maker?

Say three things in order: why you are relevant to their building, a reason to look now, and a small, specific ask. Keep each part to a sentence or two.

1. Relevance. "We clean three medical suites on [street] and..."
2. A reason to look now. A contract renewal coming up, a new floor, a complaint common to their building type, a change in their hours.
3. The ask. Two specific times for a short walk-through, not "let me know."

Then ask one open question and listen. "What would you change about the cleaning right now if you could?" tells you more than any pitch. If they open up, run through the questions in how to qualify a cleaning lead before you commit to a visit.

Can you copy a cold calling script for each type of building?

Yes. Each script below follows the same opener, relevance, reason and ask pattern, tuned to what that kind of buyer usually cares about. Use them after the permission line.

Office script

We clean offices around [area], mostly nights after staff leave. Usually when an office manager takes my call it's because restrooms or the kitchen are slipping, or the cleaner keeps changing. Is any of that happening at [Company]? If it's worth a look, I could see the space Tuesday at 5 or Thursday at 8 in the morning, about 20 minutes.

Medical office script

We clean medical and dental offices in [area] after the last patient leaves, and we leave a nightly log for exam rooms and restrooms. Practice managers tell me the log is what they want when someone asks how a room was cleaned. Would it be worth 20 minutes for me to walk the suite and send you a price? I have Wednesday at 6 or Friday at noon.

Property manager script

We clean common areas and tenant spaces in multi-tenant buildings around [area]. I know a property manager hears about restrooms and lobbies from tenants before anyone else does, so we send a short report after each visit. Do you have a building in [area] where the current service is up for review this year? I'd like to walk one with you, maybe [day] or [day].

For property managers, ask which buildings they look after. One good relationship can mean several sites. Our guide to winning property management portfolios covers that longer game.

School or district office script

I'm calling about cleaning for the [school or district] admin office, not the classrooms. We do evening cleaning for offices in [area] and I know the timing often has to fit around meetings and board nights. Who handles cleaning contracts on your side, and is there a renewal date I should know about?

Public schools often buy through formal bids. If the answer is "it goes out to bid," ask when, where it is posted, and if you can see the building beforehand. How to get school cleaning contracts explains the process.

Warehouse script

We clean warehouses and distribution sites in [area], usually the offices, break rooms and restrooms, with floor work on a schedule that fits your shifts. When warehouse managers talk to us, it's usually break rooms getting ahead of the cleaner on a busy shift. Is that something you deal with? I can walk the site [day] or [day], whichever fits your shift change.

Retail script

We clean stores in [area] before opening or after close, so customers never see a mop. Store managers I talk to care most about the floors and the restrooms on weekends. Who handles cleaning for this location, you or someone at head office?

Retail chains often buy centrally. If so, ask for the regional contact by name.

What should you say in a cold call voicemail?

Say your name, a single reason to call back, and your number twice, in under about 20 seconds. Here are three variants to rotate across attempts.

Voicemail 1: the local hook

Hi [First name], it's [Your name] from [Company]. We clean [building type] on [nearby street] and I wanted to ask you one question about cleaning at [their building]. My number is [phone]. Again, [phone]. Thanks.

Voicemail 2: the contract date

Hi [First name], [Your name] at [Company] again. No need to call back if the timing's wrong. I just want to know when your cleaning agreement is next up, so I can check in then and not before. [Phone], that's [phone].

Voicemail 3: the close-out

Hi [First name], [Your name] from [Company]. I've tried you a few times, so I'll stop calling after this one. If cleaning ever comes up, I'm at [phone]. I'll send a short email with my details too.

Only use the close-out if you mean it.

What follow-up email should you send after the call?

Send a short email the same day, matched to how the call went. Keep it to a few lines, plain text, no attachments.

After a booked walk-through:

Subject: walk-through at [Building] on [day]

Hi [First name], thanks for the time today. Confirming [day] at [time] at [address]. I'll need about 20 minutes and will ask about restrooms, floors and your hours. If anything changes, reply here or call me at [phone].

[Your name], [Company]

After a voicemail or a "not now":

Subject: cleaning at [Building]

Hi [First name], I left you a voicemail earlier. We clean [building type] in [area]. If a quick look at your building would be useful, reply with a day that suits. If the timing's wrong, tell me when your agreement is up and I'll check back then.

[Your name], [Company], [phone]

Before the visit, read through our commercial cleaning walk-through checklist so the meeting you just booked turns into a proposal you can price.

How often should you call the same building?

Spread several touches over two weeks, then pause. The table below is one cadence you can copy. Adjust the days to your week, but keep the mix of calls, voicemails and emails.

If anyone asks you to stop, stop that day and mark the record so nobody calls again.

How do you track if your cold calls are working?

Track three counts every session: dials, conversations and walk-throughs booked. From those you get the only ratios that matter.

• Connect rate = conversations divided by dials. A conversation means you spoke with the decision-maker, not the front desk.
• Booking rate = walk-throughs booked divided by conversations.
• Dials per walk-through = dials divided by walk-throughs booked. This is the number that tells you how many calls next week's goal needs.

Also keep a column for contract end dates collected. Those are future walk-throughs.

There is no fair target ratio to give you here. It depends on your area, your list and the buildings you call, and your own numbers after a few weeks are the honest benchmark. If the connect rate is low, work on the gatekeeper script and the times you call. If you reach people but book few visits, the problem is in the relevance line or the ask.

How do you get better at cold calling?

Practice out loud before you dial and review calls after. A script you have said 20 times sounds like you. One you are reading for the first time sounds like a script.

• Role-play with someone on your team. Have them play a busy office manager and throw the common brush-offs at you: "we have someone," "send me an email," "how much do you charge?"
• Call in blocks. One focused hour beats a few calls between jobs, because you warm up and stay sharp.
• Write down the objections you hear. After two weeks you will have your own list, and better answers to it.
• Change one thing at a time. New opener this week, same everything else, so you can tell what helped.

If the price question comes up, give the walk-through as the answer: "It depends on the hours the building needs. That's why I'd like to see it. I can get you a firm number within a day of the visit."

What are the legal basics of cold calling businesses?

In the US, most business-to-business sales calls fall outside the main federal telemarketing rule, but not all of them, and state rules and cell phone rules still apply. This section is general information, not legal advice.

The FTC's guide to complying with the Telemarketing Sales Rule says most calls between a telemarketer and a business are exempt from the rule, and that the National Do Not Call Registry prohibition does not apply to business-to-business calls. It lists exceptions: calls to sell nondurable office or cleaning supplies to businesses are not exempt, and calls to business lines that pitch employees something for their own use are not treated as business-to-business. The same guide says the rule does not override state law and that some states run their own do-not-call registries.

Separately, the federal rule at 47 CFR 64.1200 restricts calls made with an automatic telephone dialing system or an artificial or prerecorded voice to cell phone numbers unless the person called has given prior express consent. Many office managers and owners list a mobile as their direct line, so hand-dial those numbers and do not drop prerecorded messages on them. State rules vary on top of this. Before you or anyone working for you starts a calling program, talk to a lawyer about the rules where you call. If you plan to hand dialing to a freelancer, our comparison of a freelance appointment setter vs LeadWharf covers what to agree with them first.

When does it make sense to stop cold calling yourself?

Cold calling works, but it eats the hours you would otherwise spend on walk-throughs, crews and existing clients. Once you know your dials per walk-through, you can price that time honestly and decide whether to keep doing it.

LeadWharf is one alternative. We find and verify decision-makers in your area, write to them in your company's name, and pass you a lead only when the building is in your area, the contact has said they want regular cleaning at your frequency and job size, and they are the person who signs, on a direct line. Each lead goes to you alone, and you pay per qualified lead. You still make one call: the friendly one where you book the walk-through. Our janitorial appointments page explains why that call stays with you. If that sounds like a better use of your week, book a call.