1Q: Helping Clients Succeed

ServiceMaster Clean of HRM is in the rather mundane field of office furnishings cleaning for tenants in buildings. We aren't creating a life-saving medical product or a breakthrough environmental resource that will cut greenhouse gases by 80% (although we are cutting our carbon footprint 30% this year). We make offices cleaner and we keep them cleaner. So what do we do to make life better and more productive for our clients?

We all want to make a competitive impact in our careers, to solve problems and enjoy the rewards. In any B2B company its easy to start asking the question "who will I sell to and what will they find compelling about what I have to offer? It's a natural question. It's also the wrong question.


In our inter-connected world it's not about "me."


It may become eventually become about "us;" but only if you can convince potential clients that you really, really care about "them." Not the canned "what keeps the CEO/CFO/CIO/VP awake at night" spiel that was pre-packaged in the latest industry "solutions" article. And don't talk about "partnering" or any other "verbing" of an unrealized noun. The one question that matters in B2B relationships is "how can I help you, help your clients succeed?"

This is hard work. In our business we help keep client environment's clean, but we really do something else. That something else differs from client to client.

For one of our professional services clients, what we really do is provide a pristine 30,000 square foot image brand--like their letterhead and business cards--and maintain it (their appearance) so that it always looks pristine. "Their" clients come for audits, advice and succession help, and those folks care a lot that these people are professional. For this client we are helping them keep trust with their customers by supporting their brand promise.

Another client has a different but equally important image to portray in their industrial sector business of heavy equipment and marine engines. They supply some of the most durable, reliable and abused equipment and services on the face of the earth (and "in" and "under" the earth!) We maintain their office environment to the very high standard that they promise to their customers. With their facility they are in effect saying "its OK to come in with dirt all over your boots, its designed to be maintained and we'll take care of you." We are helping this client keep the promise of quality, trustworthiness and reliability.

I'm also working with a large government service integrator serving Canada's military services. The Integrator firm has been ISO registered with three separate standards for years and are a part multi-billion dollar Canadian services firm. So is their biggest competitor. In its own way I can justify how cleaning service can be significant for this project but that is only part of the story. How the place looks affects morale, yes. But I am in my client's sandbox. What we are building together is a service eco-system to help our mutual client focus on their core mission better. Consultant Dave Pollard has helped me clarify my intentions and actions in creating a business that adds value to a whole greater than itself.

My client's work involves a lot of suppliers--most of whom are oblivious to each other. How we can all of us in this ecosystem help this customer save their resources for their mission? Innovation and reducing variation in maintenance services are what we are striving for. New systems that save time and money in the life-cycle of the fixtures and finishes. I'm exploring wax that "tells" the user when it is approaching the point of no-return on wear. Incremental and continuous improvement of cleaning products and services save money and time in retrofits. That means more available time in service. That saves lives and protects our sovereignty. What this customer--the ultimate customer--does with our collective work really matters.

How can ServiceMaster Clean help you, help your clients succeed?