In commercial cleaning sales, targeting the right decision-maker is critical. Many companies lose contracts not because of price or quality, but because they pitch the wrong person.
In most commercial properties, the buying authority usually sits with either a facility manager or a property manager.
While their titles sound similar, their responsibilities, priorities, and budget control are different.
Understanding this difference affects:
- Who controls the cleaning budget
- Who evaluates service quality
- Who signs vendor contracts
- How proposals should be structured
So, we are going to explain to you how to identify the right buyer, qualify prospects correctly, and improve your commercial cleaning conversion rates.
What’s The Difference Between A Facility Manager and A Property Manager?
The main difference between facility managers and property managers is that they both have different types of roles, with different pay. We will explain to you shortly here about what they exactly do.
- A facility manager is generally the one who takes care of the running and cleaning of a building. Their attention is on performance, security, compliance, and everyday operational matters. They’re thinking about what cleaning has to do with employees, production workers, and visitors.
- The property manager manages the financial and administrative affairs of the property. They are caring for the owner’s interests, checking expenses, and taking care of tenant satisfaction.
This is how that gap often plays out in commercial cleaning sales:
- According to facility managers, cleaning companies are judged on quality of service, response time, number of workers, and how easy it is to track outcomes.
- Budget impact, contract structure, liability coverage, and tenant complaints are among the criteria property managers use to assess cleaning vendors.
Facility managers inquire: “Would you be able to consistently meet our cleaning standards?”
Property managers inquire: “Can you provide this within our budget to operate?”
What Facility Managers Are Responsible For?
Well, the facility managers manage the day-to-day functionality of the building. Their main purpose is to keep the workplace running safely, easily, and without interruption.
They do different things in various fields:
- Corporate Offices: Scheduling maintenance and cleaning for your janitors, keeping the restrooms clean, and making sure your employees are happy.
- Medical Facilities: Maintaining anesthesia and infection control protocols.
- Factories: Scheduling facility cleaning, slip/trip/fall prevention, and waste removal.
- Schools: Managing classrooms, common locations, and sanitation protocols.
Typical responsibilities include:
- Supervising cleaning crews and vendors
- Monitoring service level agreements (SLAs)
- Conducting inspections and quality checks
- Ensuring OSHA and safety compliance
- Managing maintenance and facility systems
- Handling service complaints internally
Stakeholders want to know answers about missed cleans, inspection scores, and emergency response times. When pitching to them, you have to emphasize:
- Detailed cleaning scopes
- Quality assurance programs
- On-site supervision
- Reporting dashboards
- Compliance knowledge
They care more about reliability and quality of service than the lowest price.
What Property Managers Are Responsible For?
Property managers are responsible for maximizing a property’s financial performance and maintaining the asset’s value, while they take care of the day-to-day operations.
Their job is to keep the buildings filled with tenants and asset values protected.
They are particularly important in:
- Multi-tenant office buildings
- Retail shopping centers
- Commercial complexes
- Mixed-use developments
- Residential high-rises with commercial space
Their key responsibilities include:
- Creation and administration of the annual operating budgets
- Managing and cutting back the above-mentioned CAM charges
- Negotiating vendor contracts
- Managing tenant relationships
- Provide insurance and compliance requirements for the vendor
- Reporting to owners or asset managers
For your cleaning contracts commercial, property managers are typically concerned with:
- Competitive bidding processes
- Fixed-term agreements
- Cost predictability
- Liability coverage
- Risk reduction
When you are selling to property managers, emphasize:
- Transparent pricing models
- Cost-saving options
- Flexible contract terms
- Strong insurance and compliance credentials
- Tenant complaint reduction strategies
Price tends to be more important than it is with facility managers, but that doesn’t mean they don’t value reliability.
Where The Two Roles Overlap?
Facility managers and property managers have shared sway in the cleaning of most commercial properties. The form varies based on ownership and building size.
Common overlap areas include:
- Reviewing cleaning proposals
- Evaluating vendor performance
- Addressing tenant or employee complaints
- Approval of changes or additions to services
- Renewing or terminating contracts
For example:
- A facility manager might have complete decision rights over the cleaning contract at a head office.
- In a retail plaza, the property manager may maintain the budget, and a facility supervisor monitors daily operation.
- While based at large commercial towers, the reviewer and vendor roles go to vendor review meetings.
When it comes to commercial cleaning lead generation, you need to map that chain of decision-making as early as possible.
Find out who is in charge of operations and who signs off on contracts. Addressing the interests of both parties results in faster close rates and stops last-minute “money” objections.
Who Has The Authority to Hire A Commercial Cleaning Company?
Sales authority in commercial cleaning sales is determined by who owns the buildings, what the management structure is, and ultimately, who controls the budget.
Although many cleaning contracts are delayed because vendors pitch the wrong stakeholder.
Knowing who controls the shop and signs the contracts is crucial.
- In owner-occupied buildings, such as headquarters facilities, manufacturing sites, and medical facilities, the power may reside with the facility manager.
- In multi-tenant buildings such as office towers and retail plazas, the property manager typically controls the vendor contracts and operating budgets.
There are generally three ways authority operates:
- Facility Manager Controlling Cleaning Budget – Cleaning options, standards, and vendor oversight are controlled by service setting managers in an operationally focused environment. They have the possibility to request a quote, compare offers, and approve directly in touch. Their focus is on quality of service, compliance, and efficiency in operation.
- Property Manager Controlling Cleaning Budget – Common area maintenance costs include cleaning in investor-owned properties. Managers haggle contracts, vet bids, and frequently need approval from owners before they sign.
- Who owns the Vendor Relationship – Sometimes we manage performance, and they manage contracts, or vice versa. The sooner you reveal that both jobs are in play, the better your close rate.
Industries Where Each Buyer Type Dominates
Industries vary in the way they allocate control of cleanliness, depending on the complexity of the business and its financial model.
Industries Where Facility Managers Are The Primary Buyer
Facilities managers are the decision-makers in hospitals, factories, distribution centers, schools, and office buildings when it comes to cleaning contracts. Here, the security is crucial, and also regulatory actions are relevant that monitor how satisfactory the performance is enforced.
Industries Where Property Managers Are The Primary Buyer
Building owners or managers of commercial office buildings, shopping centers, apartment complexes, and mixed-use developments typically manage cleaning contracts. Their three main concerns are controlling costs, keeping the tenant happy, and protecting their investment.
Industries With Dual Buyer Structures
These two roles can overlap in large real estate portfolios. Service delivery is evaluated by facility managers, and budgets are to be approved by property/asset managers. By combining your pitch with both, deal success goes up.
How to Identify The Right Buyer Before You Pitch?
In commercial cleaning sales, selling to the wrong person is a time suck that dilutes your close rate. Before you submit a proposal or schedule that site visit, really figure out who is in charge of operations and who is in charge of the money.
This is where the magic happens when it comes to commercial cleaning leads. Begin by finding out more about the company structure on LinkedIn, the company’s website, or even property sites.
Search for roles like Facility Manager, Property Manager, Operations Manager, or Asset Manager.
In that initial call, make it about decision authority. Pay attention to:
- Who manages daily cleaning performance
- Who approves vendor contracts
- If the building is owner-occupied or multi-tenant
- If janitorial is a line item of operations or CAM(Common Area Maintenance)
Whether multiple stakeholders are involved
- If you are making a pitch to a facilities manager, concentrate your presentation on the quality of service or efficiency of operation.
- If you are talking to a property manager, talk about cost control and tenant satisfaction.
Getting to the right purchaser quickly avoids hold-ups and stops you from sending proposals to someone without the authority to sign.
Qualification Questions to Ask On a Cold Call or Discovery Call
The best way to get around this is to ask the right questions and find out who you’re actually dealing with. Instead of asking as if you’re demanding authority, employ qualifying questions straight but in a professional manner.
You can ask:
- “Who is in charge of your cleaning right now?”
- “Do they have in-house cleaning, or is it managed through property management?”
- “Who signs off on vendor contracts for this building?”
- “Is your cleaning budget included in your operating, or CAM charges?”
- “Who besides you is the decision maker in vendor selection?”
- “When does your existing contract expire?”
These questions help you identify:
- Budget authority
- Contract timelines
- Influencers vs final decision-makers
- Opportunity gaps
Qualification is so clear that there are fewer wasted follow-ups and more accurate proposals. For cleaning sales in B2B markets, clarity equals shortening the sales cycle.
Final Words
If a cleaning contract is being controlled by a facility manager or a property manager can turn into your success rate. Facility managers are more about optimizing performance, and property managers are all about control. In others, each is influential in the decision.
Qualify authority, validate budget ownership, and map the decision chain before you do any kind of pitching.
When you write your proposal in a way that meets the decision maker where they are at, you will get more responses, fewer objections, and sell more commercial cleaning services.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who typically signs commercial cleaning service contracts?
It depends on building ownership. Facility owners and controllers check in owner-occupied buildings. Property managers sign in multi-tenant buildings.
Do I pitch property managers as well as facility managers?
Yes, if both are factored into the decision. This keeps the delays and resistance inside an organization, pointed out.
How do I find out who is responsible for the cleaning budget?
Just tell or ask during your discovery call. Define whichever cleaning is an operating or property management cost.
What if I pitch the wrong person?
Your project could get held up, need to be reapproved, and lose momentum. Proper qualification prevents this.
