Below are the questions we hear most from cleaning and janitorial company owners, grouped by topic. Each answer stands on its own, so skip to the section you care about. The short version: LeadWharf finds decision-makers in your area who want regular cleaning, confirms three things about each one, and sends the contact to you and nobody else. You pay a flat fee per qualified lead after a one-time setup, and nothing monthly.
If you want the detail behind any answer, the how it works page walks through the process step by step, and the pricing page explains how the fee is set. For definitions of the terms used here, see the glossary.
Leads
What is a janitorial lead?
A janitorial lead is a contact at a business or building that wants cleaning services, along with the details you need to pitch them. At LeadWharf, a lead only counts once it is a named decision-maker, for a building in your area, who has said they want recurring cleaning at your frequency and job size.
What exactly arrives in my inbox?
Six things: the company and the building, the contact's name and role, a direct phone number and email, what they need cleaned, how often they want it, and when they want to start. That is enough to pick up the phone and book a walk-through the same day, without hunting for a number or guessing who to ask for.
What makes a lead qualified?
Three checks, and all three must be true. The building sits inside the service area you drew for us. The contact has told us, in their own words, they want recurring cleaning at the frequency and job size you set. And you are getting the person who signs off, with a direct line to them. The guide to qualifying a cleaning lead goes deeper on why these three matter.
Are these real people, or is this automated?
Real businesses and real people, with a real conversation before anything reaches you. Nothing is scraped and forwarded, and nothing is auto-generated. When someone replies to outreach, a person on our side qualifies the conversation before it becomes a lead.
Where do the leads come from?
From outreach we run in your name. We build a dedicated email sending setup for your campaign, find and verify the decision-makers in your area, and send personalized emails that pitch your company to each one. Leads are the replies that pass the three checks.
Is a lead the same as an appointment?
No. A lead here is a qualified contact handed to you. An appointment is a meeting someone else has booked on your calendar. We deliberately hand over the contact and let you book the walk-through, so the first real conversation is between the building and your company. The comparison of pay per lead vs appointment setting covers the trade-offs.
How is this different from a lead list?
A lead list is a spreadsheet of businesses and contacts that you buy and then work yourself. Nobody on the list has said they want cleaning. A LeadWharf lead is a person who has already replied, been qualified against three checks, and is expecting to hear from you. The comparison of buying lead lists vs pay per lead sets the two side by side.
Will the contact know who I am when I call?
Yes. The outreach they replied to was sent in your company's name and pitched your services, so your call is a follow-up to a conversation they started. Open by referring to their reply and what they said they need, then move straight to booking the walk-through.
How quickly should I call a lead?
As soon as you can, ideally the same day. The contact replied recently and is thinking about cleaning now. A prompt call to book the walk-through keeps that momentum, and our guide to the commercial cleaning sales process has more on what to do next.
Exclusivity & territory
Will anyone else get the same lead?
No. Every lead is exclusive, which means it goes to one company only. It is never resold, shared or syndicated, and you are not racing other crews to call first. The exclusive cleaning leads page explains why that matters.
What does "one company per area" mean?
It means your territory is locked to you while you are with us. We do not run the same campaign for a competing cleaning company inside the area you drew. Every building we reach in that patch is being pitched your company, not someone else's.
How do I define my area?
However suits you: a list of cities, a set of ZIP or postal codes, counties, or a radius around your base. The point is that it matches where your crews can actually work. The building has to sit inside it for a lead to pass the first check.
Can I change my territory later?
Yes. If you add a crew, open a second location, or want to pull back from somewhere, tell us. We adjust the targeting and the outreach, and the first check follows the new boundary.
How do I know if my area is still open?
Book a call and ask. We check whether your territory is already locked to another company, and if it is open, we look at what is in it together.
What if a building sits just outside my area?
It does not pass the first check, so it is not sent to you as a qualified lead and you are not charged for it. If you find you would happily take buildings a little further out, widen your area and we will adjust the targeting to match.
Do you cover my city?
We work across the United States and Canada, in major metros and smaller markets alike. Browse the locations hub for state, province and city pages, or bring your area to the call.
Pricing & terms
How does the pricing work?
A one-time setup, then a flat fee for each qualified lead. There is no monthly fee, no retainer, no minimum and no contract. The pricing page explains each part.
Why is there no price listed?
Because the right number depends on your territory. How dense your area is, which buildings you want and how crowded your market is all change the work behind a qualified lead. We quote it on the call with your area in front of us, rather than post a figure that would be wrong for most readers.
What does the setup fee pay for?
The work before any outreach: building and warming the dedicated email setup, sourcing and verifying decision-makers in your area, and writing campaigns that put your company forward accurately. It is paid once.
What if a lead misses one of the checks?
It is credited, with no argument. Tell us which check it missed and we apply the credit against your next qualified lead. You are never paying for a lead that fell short of the standard.
Does a credit mean you guarantee I win the job?
No. A credit covers the lead's standard, not the result of your bid. Winning the contract comes down to your walk-through, your quote and your follow-up. Our guides on how to bid a janitorial job and janitorial bidding mistakes can help with that part.
Is the fee the same for every lead?
Yes. Once your territory is quoted, you pay the same flat fee for every lead that clears the three checks. You will not find one lead priced higher because the building is larger or the contract is worth more.
Am I locked into anything?
No. There is no contract and no notice period. Stop whenever you like. Your territory stays locked to you for as long as you choose to stay.
How do I work out if the fee makes sense for my business?
Compare it with what a new recurring contract is worth to you over the time a client typically stays, and with how often you win after a walk-through. The cost per lead calculator does the arithmetic with your own numbers.
Process
What happens on the first call?
We agree your patch. You tell us the area you cover, the buildings you want, and the smallest job worth sending a crew to. We explain how the process runs and give you the fee for your territory. The contact page lists what to have ready.
What do I need to do after the call?
Fill in a short form so we can learn your pitch: what you do, what you are better at than the last cleaner, and where your pricing starts. After that, your main job is calling the leads we send.
Do the emails go out under my name?
Yes. Outreach goes out in your company's name from a sending setup built for your campaign. The building manager hears about you directly, which makes your follow-up call feel familiar rather than cold.
Why do you need a separate sending setup?
Because deliverability decides whether an email lands in an inbox or in spam. Dedicated, warmed sending domains and inboxes protect your campaign and keep your main company email out of it. It is unglamorous work, and it is where most cold outreach goes wrong.
How long until the first lead?
It depends on your area, the buildings you want and how quickly people reply. The first stretch is mostly setup and warm-up, then outreach starts and replies begin to come in. We will talk it through on the call rather than promise a date.
What should I do after the walk-through?
Send your quote promptly and follow up on a set schedule. Many cleaning contracts are decided in the days after the walk-through, and the company that stays in touch without pestering often wins. Our guide on how to follow up on a cleaning bid has a simple cadence.
Can I see how my company is being described?
Yes. The outreach is built from your pitch form, and you can correct anything that does not sound like your business. We would rather put you forward accurately than make you sound like every other cleaner.
Trades & buildings
What types of buildings can you find?
Any building that buys cleaning. Offices and corporate parks, medical and dental practices, schools and daycares, warehouses and manufacturing sites, retail, restaurants, gyms, churches, banks, car dealerships, hotels, senior living, data centers, government buildings and property portfolios. See the industries hub for each.
Do you work with residential cleaning companies?
Yes. The process works for any trade where you can describe who you want to reach and what a good job looks like. See residential cleaning leads for how the brief changes.
What other trades can you get leads for?
Window cleaning, carpet and floor care, pressure washing, landscaping, pest control, HVAC, restoration, security, waste and recycling, facility maintenance, post-construction cleaning, hood cleaning and more. The trades hub lists them.
Can you find one-off or project work as well as recurring contracts?
Yes. You set the brief, including the frequency and job size that matter to you. If post-construction cleans or periodic deep cleans are what you want, that becomes the standard a lead has to meet.
Can I target property managers who hold several buildings?
Yes. Property management firms are a strong target because one relationship can cover several sites. Our guide on how to find property managers for cleaning contracts explains why.
Still have a question?
Book a call and ask it directly. No question is too small, and we would rather you ask before you start than wonder afterwards. Bring your service area, the buildings you want, and the smallest job worth sending a crew to, and we will answer honestly. The contact page has the booking button and our email address.
