When I talk with BSC owners, the question of hiring a salesperson almost always comes up. Over the years, I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t, and I’ve experienced firsthand why sales hires so often struggle in our industry. Below are the five things I’ve seen most often that cause salespeople to fail in janitorial services.
1. No Operational Foundation for Growth
Too often, sales gets ahead of operations. Before you add business, you have to ask: Can we grow without hurting our service to existing customers? Without strong operations, clear retention goals, and the ability to maintain quality, growth through sales becomes a revolving door. I’ve seen owners celebrate new contracts only to lose them just as fast because the foundation wasn’t ready.
2. Lack of a Sales Process and Pipeline
I’ve seen many companies hire a salesperson with no pipeline or clear sales process in place. The result is frustration—because in our industry, it can take six months or longer to see real results. Janitorial sales is a marathon. Rarely do you meet someone today and hand them a proposal tomorrow. Success comes from having a plan—consistent contacts, meaningful follow-ups, and content that keeps you top of mind. Without that, salespeople get stuck chasing ghosts.
3. Misaligned Expectations
Another mistake I see often is expecting a salesperson to deliver quick wins. That’s not how B2B janitorial sales works. It takes time to build trust and relationships. When owners don’t give space for this process, both sides end up frustrated. The truth is, the first months should be viewed as an investment in building a foundation, not as an immediate return.
4. Hiring the Wrong Profile
I’ve also seen too many companies focus on finding the “natural closer.” In our industry, that profile rarely works. The best salespeople I’ve seen succeed are process-driven, mature, and aligned with the company’s long-term goals. They embody what Patrick Lencioni describes as being humble, hungry, and smart—humble enough to learn, hungry enough to stay driven, and smart enough to work well with people. They focus on bringing in the right customers, not just more customers. Industry knowledge can be taught, but this kind of mindset can’t.
5. Lack of a Value Statement
Finally, one of the most common gaps I see is a lack of a clear value statement. It’s easy for us to talk about ourselves—inspections, quality cleaners, processes—but that’s not what the customer truly cares about. Customers want fewer interruptions caused by cleaning issues, and they want peace of mind that if something goes wrong, it will be made right. Owners often sell better because their passion and credibility come through. Prospective customers think, If I have a problem, I trust that person will handle it. That’s powerful. For a salesperson to succeed, they have to create that same level of trust. It takes time to learn how to connect customer needs to company strengths in a way that feels genuine.
The Bottom Line
Salespeople don’t fail because selling janitorial services is impossible. They fail because of these five factors I see over and over again: weak operational foundations, no process, unrealistic expectations, the wrong hire, and a weak value statement. When you fix these, you give your salesperson—and your company—a real chance to grow the right way.
