Cleaning firms: commercial clients search differently
The buyer is not the user. A commercial cleaning contract is chosen by somebody who has to justify the decision internally, so the deciding material is verifiable facts rather than persuasion, and consumers of any kind now consult an average of six sources first. Write for the person who must defend the choice.
Two different buyers
A domestic customer chooses for themselves and can change their mind freely. A commercial customer chooses on behalf of an organisation and will be asked why. That single difference changes what the page has to contain.
The commercial buyer needs material they can forward: what is covered, how often, at what price, with what notice period, and what happens when something goes wrong. Persuasion does not forward well; facts do.
They also check. Consumers consult an average of six sources before choosing a business, and a buyer who has to justify a recurring cost checks at least as thoroughly as somebody choosing a restaurant.
And they stay. A domestic job is one decision; a commercial contract is a decision that recurs monthly until somebody actively changes it, which is why the value per enquiry is a different number entirely.
What the value difference does to the arithmetic
Run the two separately. If a domestic job averages 180 euros and closes one in 3, an enquiry is worth 60 euros. If a commercial contract averages 900 euros a month, runs for 24 months and closes one in 5, an enquiry is worth 4,320 euros.
Against a placement at 250 euros a month, the domestic side needs 4.2 enquiries a month to break even and the commercial side needs 0.06, which is 1 enquiry every 17 months. Same business, same invoice, opposite conclusions.
That is why counting enquiries by type matters more here than in most trades. One sheet with a column for domestic or commercial answers a question that the total number never will.
| Property | Domestic | Commercial |
|---|---|---|
| Decides | For themselves | For an organisation |
| Needs | Reassurance | Material to forward |
| Example value per enquiry | 60 € | 4,320 € |
| Break even at 250 € a month | 4.2 enquiries | 0.06 enquiries |
| Duration | One job | Recurring until changed |
What to put on the commercial page
Scope, frequency, price basis, notice period, insurance, and what happens when something is missed. Six facts, all forwardable, none of them adjectives.
Then a reference that can be checked, with permission. A commercial buyer showing a colleague one verifiable reference has done more for you than a page of claims, and it costs one email to arrange.
Questions and answers
Should I have separate pages?
What do commercial buyers actually check?
Why is the enquiry value so different?
Do reviews matter for commercial work?
Sources
- BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 The six source average and checking behaviour
- Seer Interactive, AI traffic conversion study Closing rates by source for the value calculation
