Episode 169 Warren Jacobs MCL Green Grow YOUR Cleaning Company using janitorial distributors. In today’s podcast/ blog, Mike welcomes back past guest Warren Jacobs, President of the CSSA and CEO of MCL Green. Last time Warren joined us to explain how to get the most value out of your cleaning company associations. Today, Mike and Warren discuss how to get the most out of your janitorial distributors. RESOURCE ALERT: CLICK HERE to listen to Warren’s last episode on Cleaning Company Associations Here are just some of the things you can get from your janitorial distributors: Cleaning Equipment Training on that equipment Cleaning supplies Paper goods Ideas on how to grow your business Cutting edge information on the latest products and services Support from equipment and supplies manufacturers Janitorial distributors and manufacturers crave the opportunity to work with cleaning contractors. They are there to support those businesses so it’s easy to get their attention. They can serve your best when included from the beginning. Build relationships with janitorial distributors early so you can depend on them when the need arises. The best way to get the most out of your relationships with your janitorial distributors is to be transparent. Let them know what your goals are. Who your customers are. Where you want to be in 5 years. The more they know about your goals, the better they can partner with you to help you achieve your goals. KEY POINT: The industry has changed. It used to be all about cheapest product and lowest price. In order to survive now, janitorial distributors have to truly add value. So what should you look for in a janitorial distributor? Warren says you want to avoid really small companies that don’t have the resources to serve you well. You also want to be careful of really large companies that don’t serve smaller cleaning companies as well. As technology gets better, distance becomes less relevant when it comes to building close relationships with those businesses. This will allow you to work with janitorial distributors that may not be in your town. RESOURCE ALERT: The CSSA and ISSA are great resources to find a janitorial distributor that works for you. Warren and Mike talk about some of the exciting things a good distributor should be offering: New innovations like robotic scrubbers and no touch products. Free dispensing systems Data on how to reduce slip and falls and bacteria reductions Environmental education Air quality education Waste reduction Free training Warren’s company even offers a mobile app to track production! There’s a huge difference between a relationship with your vendor that just sells you stuff and ships it to you and a vendor that provides free training and dispensers and really wants to partner with you to help you to grow. Janitorial distributors should be fighting to raise the bar and help you stand out from your competition! Warren explains that moving boxes and selling trash bags doesn’t really get him fired up. He sees his job as giving value to owners of cleaning companies. Helping them impact their community- reducing slip and falls, allergens, etc. That’s easy to get passionate about it! KEY POINT: You aren’t cleaning toilets- you are changing people’s lives! That kind of value add is how he serves his customers without competing on price. How can you change your offering and charge a premium?? Warren shares how he creates “stickiness” with his customers- pain of disconnect. This is exactly how you justify higher prices for your cleaning services! Mike ends the show by giving Warren the floor to share his best advice for Cleaning Nation. He says- Invest the time to learn, become more professional, listen to your customer’s needs and bring real value and we will all succeed.