If you’re ready to stand out in a competitive niche, you’re in the right place. Because today, most office cleaning services follow the same playbook. They run some Google ads. They have a basic website. They manually try to get reviews. All of these are fine, but it means there’s zero differentiation between your business and the one down the street.

If you want to stand out and land better commercial clients, sometimes it pays to think differently. That’s where these lesser-known but effective strategies come in. They’re not just creative, they’re built to attract higher-value, long-term cleaning contracts.

Most importantly, they’ve been proven to work. In this post, you’ll discover 3 underrated ways to grow your commercial cleaning business plus how to take action on each one.

But before we get there, here’s why it matters.

The Blue Ocean Strategy For Office Cleaners

Most cleaning companies are stuck in what’s called a Red Ocean: a crowded space where everyone’s offering the same services, saying the same things, and undercutting prices.

It’s noisy, competitive and hard to stand out.

The smarter play? Step into a Blue Ocean, where there’s less competition, more differentiation and opportunity. That means finding partnerships other cleaners ignore, targeting overlooked markets like coworking spaces or medical startups, or creating a signature service that no one else is promoting.

The Blue Ocean has fewer players and bigger opportunities.

1. Build Partnerships with Brokers and Property Managers

Most office cleaning companies chase the clients directly. That works, but it’s also a grind. What if someone could just refer you when a tenant signs a lease or when a company moves into a new space?

That’s the power of partnerships. Commercial real estate brokers, leasing agents and property managers are already in contact with the businesses you want to clean for. They know when new tenants are moving in. They hear when a business is frustrated with their current janitorial service.

If you’re able to be on their list of go-to office cleaners, you start getting warm leads who already trust you.

Actionable Step: Make a list of 10 local commercial brokers, office leasing companies and property management firms. Reach out with a short, professional message like:

“Hey [Name], I run a commercial cleaning company here in [City], and I know your clients often need cleaning vendors they can trust. I’d love to be a resource for you when those needs come up and create a win-win. Have 10 minutes to connect this week?”

Don’t oversell. Just be easy to work with. A single referral source like this can send you thousands in revenue per year.

2. Sponsor Business Events (The Ones No One Else Does)

Local business expos and trade shows get a lot of attention and a lot of competition. But what about the monthly networking events that local coworking spaces host? Or regional chamber luncheons for property managers, architects and facilities professionals?

These smaller events are gold mines. They’re full of office decision-makers who are likely to listen, talk and remember your name because there are fewer people fighting for attention.

Plus, the cost to sponsor these events is often cheap, while giving you face time with the exact people who book cleanings or influence vendors.

Actionable Step: Google “commercial real estate events [Your City]” or “property management group [Your City].” Look for:

• Local BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association) chapters

• IFMA (International Facility Management Association) meetings

• Real estate investor groups or facility manager lunch-and-learns

• Small business meetups hosted by coworking spaces or downtown development groups

Sponsor an event, bring branded wipes or desk-cleaning kits and have your team wear matching outfits.

3. Use a “Silent Case Study” on Your Website

Instead of writing a long case study that screams, “look how amazing we are,” create a short, storytelling-style post on your site that quietly shows your results. These stories build trust without sounding braggy or scripted.

For example:

“We were recently called in by a local law office that had struggled to keep their building fresh during allergy season. We implemented a recurring air vent cleaning rotation and switched them to hypoallergenic products. Within weeks, employees were commenting on how much easier it was to breathe and sick days dropped. Small shifts, big impact.”

See why this works? Office managers and business owners see themselves in the story. They think, “That’s exactly the problem we’re dealing with.”

With any piece of content, you always want to make it about the people you’re serving. It sounds super obvious, but 80% of businesses forget it.

Actionable Step: Write 2–3 short, punchy case study stories (200–300 words max). Post them on your blog or create a “How We Help Businesses” page. Focus on problems solved, not how amazing you are. Then, share these stories in emails or on LinkedIn. People remember stories.

Stand Out. Deliver Value. Grow Your Business.

If you’re serious about growing your office cleaning business, you need strategies that go beyond the basics. The best opportunities often come through real relationships, smart positioning and subtle trust builders your competitors never think to use.

At Slamdot, we specialize in helping service-based businesses like yours stand out, rank higher and generate real leads through digital marketing.

Whether it’s your website, Google ads or SEO strategy, we help you get in front of of the right office cleaning clients.

Want to see how we can help you grow? Contact us today!

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