In service industries like commercial cleaning, building strong customer relationships means more than just fulfilling contract terms. It’s about forming genuine connections, gaining trust, and providing real value to clients.
This idea is core to ongoing talks with Larry Levine, author of Selling from the Heart, who urges professionals to rethink what genuine partnership entails.
Levine stressed that commercial cleaning is fundamentally a highly relational business. Many providers develop strong personal ties with their clients—meeting over lunch, playing golf, and fostering friendly rapport are common parts of the job. While such relationships can open doors, Levine cautioned that relying only on likability carries a hidden risk.
“What do you truly know about their business?” Levine asked.
Levine said that many service providers confuse friendship with genuine understanding. They might feel close to a customer but not truly understand the customer’s goals, challenges, deadlines, or long-term plans. He encouraged cleaning professionals to pause and ask themselves some key questions: What challenges is the customer facing now? What needs to be solved in the next 30, 60, or 90 days? What does success look like in six months or a year?
If those answers are unclear, Levine said, the chance to strengthen the relationship remains very possible. He clarified that sharing business insights doesn’t weaken personal ties; it helps build more trust. When service providers help customers see their operations differently and guide them through challenges they might not have mentioned, they become more than just pleasant to work with—they become essential.
Levine warned that the “friend zone” can become especially risky in competitive markets. Even long-term relationships can be vulnerable if a competitor enters with fresh ideas and a sharper business outlook. A customer might suddenly realize that, although the relationship feels comfortable, it hasn’t been helping them move forward.
To prevent this issue, Levine advised professionals to ask better questions and not shy away from tough ones. He stressed the importance of creating a space where customers feel comfortable sharing their true concerns, including the issues that worry them most.
Levine explained that intention matters most. If conversations focus only on closing a deal, customers notice. But when the focus shifts to understanding impact, risk, and results, the discussion changes. Asking how cleanliness affects reputation, safety, or daily work encourages more open and honest conversations.
He also emphasized the importance of balancing short-term needs with long-term plans. Contracts and cash flow are crucial, but sustainable growth comes from establishing consistency, trust, and ongoing relationships over time.
In closing, Levine left viewers with a simple but powerful reminder: “Do not get caught in the friend zone.”
He said that being friendly isn’t the issue. The problem is staying only at that level. The real opportunity is to combine genuine relationships with real business value, which leads to stronger partnerships and more resilient businesses.
Watch the interview and listen to the podcast:
