Words: Jeff Cross

Technology is changing the way cleaning companies operate – and fast. For those responsible for sales and marketing, keeping up with that change means more than staying informed. It means rethinking how you plan, communicate and grow.

Online Marketing Muscle business coach Dean Mercado is one of the voices encouraging companies to get proactive. In a recent presentation, he shared a simple framework that helps business owners and managers take advantage of modern tools and techniques, without getting overwhelmed in the process.

The framework, built around the acronym TCC AAL, stands for Thinking, Creating, Communicating, Analysing, Automating and Learning. Mercado affectionately refers to it as “tickle”, a quirky way to help teams remember the key categories where technology can play a role in making business better.

Let’s take a closer look at how each part of this model applies to sales and marketing in the cleaning world – and what it might mean for your team.

1. Smarter thinking and planning

Running a cleaning business means wearing a lot of hats, and strategic planning often gets pushed aside in favour of daily operations. Mercado argues that ‘thinking time’ is essential and can be significantly improved with digital tools. These tools can help you reflect on past results, brainstorm new service packages or test out messaging strategies before you commit. The idea isn’t to replace human insight but to speed up the process of getting to good ideas.

Whether you’re preparing for a new quarter or evaluating why a campaign underperformed, the ability to ‘think with support’ can lead to more confident decisions.

2. Faster, stronger content creation

In a marketing landscape that values speed and visibility, being able to produce great content quickly is a huge advantage. From social media captions to customer-facing emails, cleaning companies are now expected to show up consistently – and with polish. That’s where these tools shine. They can help outline blog posts, fine-tune web copy and even suggest fresh ways to explain complex services.

According to Mercado, using the right tools to generate rough drafts or visual concepts can cut down production time dramatically. What used to take a week might now take a day. That efficiency can mean more time spent refining your message or following up with leads.

3. Clearer, more personalised communication

Customer communication can make or break a relationship. Whether it’s responding to a service inquiry, translating a message for a multilingual team or crafting a thoughtful reply to a review, clarity and tone matter.

These days, companies have access to simple tools that can help them write clearly, catch potential misunderstandings and tailor messages to specific audiences. Think of it as having a communication coach in your pocket. This is especially helpful for owners who are juggling multiple priorities or for teams that want to present a more consistent brand voice across platforms.

4. Looking deeper into your numbers

Most cleaning businesses have data they’re not fully using – service reports, customer feedback and seasonal booking trends. But raw data doesn’t help unless you can see the patterns in it.

Mercado recommends running reports through tools that can highlight what’s working, what needs improvement and where opportunities lie. Want to know which services are your most profitable? Or which neighbourhoods show repeat bookings? It’s easier to get those answers when you let technology help spot the trends. This type of review turns guesswork into strategy.

5. Automating what drains your time

For many small and mid-sized cleaning companies, growth creates a new set of challenges – especially when it comes to managing time. Following up with leads, booking appointments, sending invoices or publishing weekly posts can eat up hours.

That’s where automation tools come into play. By building smart systems behind the scenes, companies can streamline repetitive tasks without sacrificing the human touch. Mercado points out that automation has allowed his own business to operate like a much larger team – without adding to payroll.

Whether it’s an email sequence that checks in after a service, a chatbot that answers basic questions or a scheduling system that eliminates back-and-forth, automation helps keep things running smoothly while freeing up valuable hours.

6. Staying curious and open to new ideas

Perhaps the most important part of Mercado’s model is the ‘L’ for Learning. The pace of change in marketing and technology can feel overwhelming – but it doesn’t have to be.

He encourages business owners to stay curious, not to master everything, but to start with one question at a time. For example: “How can I respond to customer enquiries faster?” or “What’s the best way to showcase our disinfecting services to new clients?” From there, use the tools available to learn, whether it’s through a summary, a short video or a quick tutorial.

Over time, that learning adds up. Companies that stay flexible and open to change are the ones that will lead their markets, not follow them.

Case studies: real-world innovation

Plenty of companies are already putting these ideas to work.

• Adobe has launched virtual assistants inside its marketing software that can automatically sort leads, personalise messaging and adjust campaign settings on the fly.
• Auxia, a digital marketing startup, uses data to personalise every customer interaction, ensuring messages land with the right tone and timing.
• Must Have Ideas, a direct-to-consumer business, introduced a 24/7 interactive TV shopping experience that runs almost entirely through automation and content generation tools, dramatically lowering overheads while boosting customer satisfaction.

These aren’t science fiction stories. They’re smart, real-world adaptations of tools that any business – cleaning included – can start using today.

Getting started: a practical approach

If you’re wondering where to begin, Mercado offers a simple suggestion: Start with the one thing that’s eating up too much of your time. Is it writing emails? Keeping up with quotes? Planning next month’s marketing?

Pick one issue and find a tool or process that helps you solve it. Then, build from there. As you save time, you’ll create space to tackle the next challenge. Before long, you’ll find you’ve made significant improvements without ever feeling overwhelmed.

Lead the way forward

The future of sales and marketing in the cleaning industry is already taking shape. The question is: Will you lead or fall behind?

Now is the time to rethink how you communicate, create and grow. Whether you’re managing a crew of five or a national operation, success comes from staying sharp and staying open. Identify your biggest challenge, take one step toward solving it, and let that success fuel your next move.

Sales and marketing have always been about connection – reaching the right people, with the right message, at the right time. What’s changing is how we get there. Tools and strategies are evolving and the businesses that adapt will be the ones people remember.

So don’t just keep up – stand out. Rethink your systems, revisit your goals and use what’s available to do more with less. The road ahead is full of opportunity. All you have to do is take the first step.

This article first appeared in the May/June print edition of INCLEAN Magazine