When you decide that it would be fun to launch a brand for a coworking space called Mixtape that you’ll also have as the base of operations for your marketing agency, there are a ton of things that you don’t think about needing to handle. The HVAC air filters need to be changed. So do the filters for the refrigerator. The printer needs more toner and the kitchen needs more coffee. On top of all that, the place does need to be cleaned once in a while. Cue my search for janitorial services.

A quick side note…since 2007, we have worked with a fun children’s brand called The Little Gym. They have locations in 20+ countries and do all sorts of fun classes, using gymnastics as a springboard for kids to develop both coordination and confidence. One of the interesting dynamics about the brand is that many first-time parents have invariably never ever bought ANYTHING in the children’s activity category. They are complete neophytes when it comes to being customers of brands like The Little Gym.

So it was with me and janitorial services. I had never hired office cleaners previously. We have never had a house cleaner either so I was clueless. Not wanting to rely on straight Google, Yelp or NextDoor (IMO, the latter two are increasingly “sus” as the youths like to say), my search was decidedly low tech. I drove to a janitorial supply store for some items and asked them for a recommendation, sort of like finding a painter off the bulletin board you find at Sherwin Williams stores. A referral came for an old-timer named Chuck. He was great. He showed me the ropes and his crew had the place looking fantastic. Sadly though, Chuck passed away (if heaven has a golf course, he’s definitely on it) and I was back to square one.

So, I asked one of the tenants in the building about the crew that cleaned their space and got the name—a company called Anago. I was impressed right away. Here’s why:

I called and explained my need. You could tell the rep was inputting notes into a system (awesome) and said I’d be contacted.
A woman named Karina reached out within a couple hours. You could tell she had reviewed the notes (none of me having to repeat everything I’d already laid out for the first person – sweet). She set up a meeting time and sent a calendar invite which is so much more official than a verbal agreement. This reassured me she wouldn’t no-show like, I don’t know, probably 226,571 or so service providers have done to me in my lifetime.
She showed up on time in a company shirt, with a business card and a collateral piece.
Again, she had notes from both of my previous interactions with the company. We walked around and she was writing MORE things down as we went.
She said she’d follow up with an emailed proposal. She sent it when she said she was going to do so – the same day she visited Mixtape.
The proposal was actually a link to a multi-step online tool with the first page being an overview of their firm and a diagram of their six key points, or what I would call RTBs about how they do what they do. The cover note with the proposal said when she’d follow up and she did just that.
We talked again as I wanted to revise a couple things. BAM – she had it done lickety-split.
I signed the deal and an account rep reached out that same day to book a meeting for the next day to do a walk-through with the crew and pick up keys.
We agreed on a place to keep a communication binder they provided so if I need to leave a note for them or they need to leave a note for me, that’s where we’ll do it.

The take-away? This B2B marketing/sales interaction was beautifully simple. They fielded an inbound lead. They were responsive*, they listened, they conveyed credibility, and they had some key messages/pillars. Their communication touchpoints—from their personnel to their printed materials to their online tool—were all completely in sync and the branding was on point.

They start the day after tomorrow. I’m so friggin’ excited that I put together a welcome gift for their crew for when they visit the office the first time. They haven’t even started and I’m a fan. How many businesses would love to have this kind of customer reaction? Hopefully this inspires you to clean up your own customer interactions.

*A friend of mine named Jay Baer has a great business read about this topic called “The Time To Win.”