"Marketing Doesn't Work for Me"

Mike and Jackson tackle one of the most common things cleaning company owners say when they're frustrated: "Marketing doesn't work for me." Maybe Facebook ads felt like a waste. Maybe Google leads seemed bad. Maybe mailers worked for a while and then suddenly slowed down. The problem is, most owners jump straight to blaming the marketing before they actually know what happened.

Feelings Are Not Data

Jackson points out that marketing has ups and downs. What worked in January might feel slower in April, but that doesn't automatically mean the whole strategy is broken. Mike brings it back to the real issue: if you're not tracking, you're not making decisions based on truth. You're making decisions based on stress, memory, and whatever felt bad that week. That's dangerous because a campaign can feel broken even when it's actually working.

The good news? Tracking doesn't have to be complicated. Jackson says owners just need a starting point. How many calls came in? How many leads? How many bids? How many became customers? Mike adds one more big number: how much did you spend? You don't need a giant fancy spreadsheet to start. You just need enough numbers to stop guessing.

A lot of cleaning company owners panic too early. They get a few bad calls, a slow week, or some leads that don't close, and suddenly they want to shut everything off. Mike and Jackson push back on that hard. Sometimes the problem isn't the lead source. It might be the offer, the follow-up speed, the sales process, the target audience, or just not enough time. If you don't have the numbers, you might kill something that was actually making you money.

The big takeaway is simple: before you say your marketing failed, prove it. Track your spend, leads, bids, sales, and recurring revenue. Once you have the data, you can make real decisions. Without it, you're just guessing — and guessing is expensive. Marketing becomes way less scary when you can actually see what's happening.

Podcast Show Notes

In this episode, Mike Campion and Jackson Pinkoski break down why so many cleaning company owners feel like their marketing "isn't working." The real issue usually isn't Facebook, Google, mailers, or bad leads — it's that the owner isn't tracking enough to know what's actually happening. Mike and Jackson explain why feelings are not data, why owners panic too early, and what simple numbers every cleaning company should track before making marketing decisions. If you've ever wanted to shut off your ads, blame the lead source, or say "marketing doesn't work for me," this episode will help you slow down, look at the numbers, and stop guessing.

Most commercial cleaning owners think a bigger contract is automatically a win. Bigger account, bigger monthly revenue, bigger company. But in this episode, Mike Campion talks with Luke Embry of Commercial Cleaning with Commonwealth about the part most owners don't slow down to look at: margin, cost of goods sold, payment terms, and whether that "big opportunity" is actually making the business stronger — or just busier. Luke started his company in 2021, grew to around 65 team members, and hit his first million-dollar year in 2025, so this is a real scaling question from someone already in the game.

Bigger Doesn't Automatically Mean Better

Luke brings up a problem a lot of commercial cleaning owners eventually run into: as the contracts get bigger, the pressure to lower margins gets stronger. It feels reasonable at first. A larger client wants a better price, the contract is worth more money, and the owner starts thinking, "Maybe I can take a smaller percentage because the total pie is bigger."

Mike's response is blunt: the math matters more than the excitement. A bigger contract with thin margins can create more risk, more payroll pressure, and more stress without creating much actual profit.

The "Smaller Piece of a Bigger Pie" Trap

The dangerous part is that "smaller piece of a bigger pie" sounds smart. But Mike points out that the details matter. If your cost of goods sold moves from 50% to 60%, 70%, or even 75%, you may not be taking a smaller piece of a bigger pie — you may be giving away the whole pie.

That's the part a lot of owners miss. Revenue goes up, but payroll, overhead, risk, and payment delays go up too. If the margin disappears, the big client can become a liability instead of a win.

Payment Terms Can Make a Bad Deal Worse

Mike also digs into payment terms, especially for commercial cleaning companies. If you're paying cleaners before the client pays you, you're basically financing the client's cleaning service.

That may not feel like a big deal on a small account. But on a large contract, one slow-paying client can put serious pressure on cash flow. Thin margins plus bad payment terms can turn a "great" contract into a business problem fast.

Price Isn't the Only Thing You Can Negotiate

One of the strongest takeaways from this conversation is that owners don't always have to negotiate price. They can negotiate scope.If a prospect has a smaller budget, that doesn't automatically mean you should discount the same level of service. It may mean offering a different package, a different scope, or a different level of result. That keeps the business from quietly absorbing the cost just to win the account.

Know the Difference Between Revenue and Profit

Luke shares that he once looked at a million-dollar contract that would have more than doubled the company's revenue, but after digging into the numbers, it would have meant working twice as hard for almost nothing. That's the real lesson of this episode: revenue is not the prize if the profit isn't there.

Most cleaning owners don't need more big accounts. They need better accounts, better math, and the confidence to walk away when the numbers don't work.

Podcast Show Notes

A bigger commercial cleaning contract sounds like the dream.

More revenue. Bigger client. Bigger company.

But what happens when that big contract comes with smaller margins, slower payment terms, and way more risk?

In this episode, Mike Campion talks with Luke Embree of Commercial Cleaning with Commonwealth about the hidden side of larger commercial contracts. Luke has grown his company to around 65 team members and hit his first million-dollar year, but now he's facing the next-level question: should bigger clients mean lower margins?

Mike breaks down why "smaller margin on a bigger contract" can be dangerous, how cost of goods sold actually impacts profit, why payment terms matter, and why cleaning business owners need to stop celebrating revenue before they check the math.

If you've ever looked at a big commercial account and wondered whether you should lower your price to win it, this episode is for you.

A lot of cleaning company owners are not stuck because they lack information. They have watched the videos, listened to the podcasts, taken notes, and probably already know a lot of the "right" things to do. The real issue is turning that knowledge into action. In this episode, Mike Campion talks with performance coach Suzanne Bandick about why owners stay stuck, how unclear goals create scattered action, and how the G.R.O.W. framework helps turn vision into real movement.

Mike opens the conversation by making an important distinction: tactics feel good because they give owners more knowledge, but knowledge alone does not create results. Suzanne's role as a performance coach is helping owners actually apply what they know so it impacts their business and life. That is the big theme of this conversation: if you keep learning but nothing changes, the missing piece probably is not more information. It is clarity and action.

Suzanne starts the G.R.O.W. framework with Goal. But she does not stop at simple business goals like revenue, employees, or customer retention. She pushes owners to ask why they want those things in the first place.

Mike adds that many cleaning company owners say they want a million-dollar business, but when pressed, what they really want is profit, freedom, family time, travel, or a different life. If the goal is just "more revenue," it may not be strong enough to carry you through the uncomfortable actions required to grow.

Reality Means Data, Not Drama

The second step is Reality. This is where Mike gets especially fired up because owners often confuse stories with facts.

A cleaning owner might say, "Marketing doesn't work," but that is drama unless they can point to real numbers: how much they spent, how many leads came in, how many bids were given, and how many sales closed. The same applies to hiring, profit, time, or any other problem in the business. Reality is not the story you tell yourself. Reality is the data in front of you.

The third step is Options. Once the goal is clear and the reality is honest, owners can start looking at possible paths forward.

Mike explains that one of the best questions a coach can ask is, "Is that really true?" That question helps challenge limiting beliefs like "nobody wants to work," "marketing never works," or "I can't grow because I have too many responsibilities." Sometimes those obstacles are real, but they need to be looked at clearly instead of turned into a reason to stay stuck.

The final step is Way Forward. This is where the owner chooses the next action and commits to it.

But Suzanne adds an important caveat: choosing not to move forward right now is still a choice. If the cost of a goal is too high, it is better to be honest than to pretend you are committed while quietly avoiding the work. Mike expands on this by saying that business owners often skip straight to action without doing the deeper work of clarifying the goal, reality, and options first. That is why action fails.

Most cleaning company owners do not need more information.

They already know plenty.

The real problem is turning what they know into action.

In this episode, Mike Campion talks with performance coach Suzanne Bandick about the G.R.O.W. framework and why cleaning business owners stay stuck even when they know what they should be doing.

They discuss how to get clear on your real goals, why revenue is often the wrong target, how to separate data from drama, and why the right next step becomes easier when you stop guessing.

If your cleaning business feels stuck, scattered, or like you keep learning without moving forward, this episode will help you slow down, get honest, and find the next move that actually matters.

What do you do when your cleaners start getting too comfortable, moving too slowly, missing details, or acting like the job doesn't really matter anymore? Most cleaning company owners immediately think they need better SOPs, more training videos, or a thicker employee handbook. In this episode, Mike Campion talks with Noelle Nickerson about why that usually doesn't fix the real issue. The problem often isn't information. It's alignment, core values, and whether the cleaner actually wants to show up the right way.

When cleaners get sloppy, slow, or complacent, the first instinct is usually to train harder. Make another checklist. Record another video. Explain the job one more time. Mike pushes back on that idea. If someone doesn't care, more information won't suddenly make them care. Training can help the right person get better, but it won't turn the wrong person into the right fit. Before adding more systems, owners need to ask whether the cleaner is actually aligned with the company's values.

Mike explains the difference between external pressure and internal pressure. External pressure is when the owner tries to force a cleaner to behave a certain way. That usually leads to defensiveness, excuses, and resentment. Internal pressure is different. When the cleaner already shares the company's values, the conversation becomes less about "you did something wrong" and more about "is this how you really want to show up?" That kind of conversation gives the employee a chance to self-correct instead of just pushing back.

A huge part of the conversation is how to actually talk to a cleaner who is underperforming. Mike recommends coming in curious, not judgmental. Instead of saying, "You're too slow" or "You're doing a bad job," he shows how to connect the issue back to shared values. If the company values making money, helping out, being real, and having fun, then the conversation becomes about whether the behavior supports those values. This keeps the drama down and makes the cleaner part of the solution.

Noelle asks what to do when a cleaner has the right values but just moves too slowly. Mike walks through a role play where the cleaner is taking 30, 40, or 50 percent longer than everyone else. Instead of attacking her, he frames the conversation around reality. The job is taking too long. That affects profit. It affects the team. It affects the client experience. Then he gives the cleaner space to reflect. The goal isn't to shame them into moving faster. The goal is to find out if they're willing to own the issue and improve.

One of the most useful takeaways is that these conversations force clarity. If the cleaner is aligned and wants to improve, they'll usually step up. If they aren't aligned, they'll usually reveal that too. Either way, the owner gets an answer. Mike explains that when you lead with values instead of blame, people often self-select. The right people take responsibility. The wrong people make it clear they aren't a fit. That means less drama, less guessing, and a healthier team.

PODCAST SHOW NOTES
In this episode, Mike Campion talks with Noelle Nickerson about how to handle slow, complacent, or inconsistent cleaners without immediately reaching for more SOPs and training videos. Noelle brings up a common problem cleaning company owners face: cleaners who get too comfortable, start missing details, rush through jobs, or move too slowly because they're bored. Mike explains why better training usually isn't the real fix and shows how core values create the internal pressure that actually changes behavior. He walks through how to have these conversations without judgment, how to stay curious, and how to help cleaners either step up or self-select out. If you've ever wondered how to deal with underperforming cleaners without more drama, this episode gives you a practical way to lead through values instead of frustration.

Caitlin Fuessel started her cleaning company in Dallas at 18 years old in 2019, and in this episode she sits down with Mike Campion to talk about the hidden problem that kept her revenue flat even when her marketing and hiring were thriving. Mike breaks down exactly how they used her tracking data to spot the issue in minutes, make a hard personnel decision, and build the systems that needed to exist from the start. Caitlin shares the real emotional journey... from fear of calling her own clients to hitting her lowest churn month ever at just 3% in March. If you've ever felt like you're working hard but not growing, this episode will show you what might actually be going on.

After 10 years helping thousands of cleaning company owners grow- I've seen the same pattern over and over:

Most owners aren't stuck because of competition, the economy or even bad luck. They're stuck because they're solving the wrong problem.

In this video, I break down the 3 true bottlenecks behind stalled cleaning businesses:

• Cash
• Capacity
• Clients

If your cleaning business feels chaotic, overwhelming, or harder to grow than it should be, this quick survey will help you identify the real bottleneck and what to do to fix it

Take the free Five Minute Find Your Bottleneck Survey here: http://growmycleaningcompany.com/ytbottleneck

👉 If you're doing $20,000+ per month and you're ready to stop being the bottleneck, click here https://growmycleaningcompany.com/yt to see if working together makes sense.