It’s frustrating when your cleaning company’s growth slows after a period of success. Many Building Service Contractors (BSCs) hit this kind of plateau at various stages. While it’s normal to experience ups and downs in business, the key is understanding why growth stalls and what you can do to get sales moving again.
Here are three steps to get your business growing again:
1. Refocus on Your Sales Process
One of the most common reasons growth stalls is that operational challenges start pulling attention away from business development. Whether it’s staffing issues, equipment failures, or simply day-to-day distractions, these problems often derail growth efforts. If you don’t have a dedicated sales or business development team, growth can easily get sidelined as you focus on other urgent tasks.
Even if you have a team, long sales cycles can lead to burnout. To jump-start growth, revisit your sales process. If you don’t have a defined process, now is the time to create one. This process should include steps like finding prospects, making connections, nurturing leads, and following through with proposals. If any part of your process is missing or underperforming, it can prevent new business from coming in. For example, if your team isn’t actively making calls or sending follow-up emails, it’s time to refocus on these basic activities.
2. Track Key Business Development Activities
Once you’ve refocused on the process, it’s important to measure your progress. Break down business development into three key areas: administrative tasks, prospect engagement, and research. Prospect engagement activities like cold calling, email outreach, and nurturing campaigns should be the bulk of your business development efforts, while research helps you identify new prospects and opportunities.
If you aren’t already, start tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) like how many calls or emails your team is sending out each week, how many meetings are set, and how many proposals are submitted. Having these KPIs in place helps you identify where things are getting stuck and where you need to increase activity. Without tracking these key metrics, it’s easy to overlook the work that drives growth.
3. Stay Committed to Growth
As the owner or leader of your company, it’s easy to focus entirely on retaining customers and handling daily operations. While customer retention is critical, it’s just as important to stay engaged in the growth process. Successful companies in the industry often have owners who remain deeply connected to business development. They don’t let the demands of running the business take their attention away from growth.
To prevent stalling, make sure you’re regularly involved in growth activities. Review your pipeline, meet with your sales team, and ensure you’re keeping your foot on the gas when it comes to driving new business. While keeping current customers happy is essential, overemphasizing retention at the expense of growth can quickly lead to a plateau.
By refocusing on your sales process, tracking your business development efforts, and staying committed to growth, you can overcome the challenges that stall your company’s progress. When business growth stalls, taking action in these three areas can help you get sales rolling again.
