Winning a new customer is exciting, but the real work begins after the contract is signed. The first few months of a new account often determine whether it becomes a long-term partnership, a source of referrals, and a profitable relationship, or one that never reaches its potential.
That early window deserves far more attention than many leaders give it, said Jeff Carmon, a business consultant for Elite BSC. In a conversation about onboarding and implementation, Carmon explained why new account startups matter more than some owners realize, where they most often break down, and what strong handoffs, communication, and early execution look like in practice.
The contract is only the start
Many leaders celebrate the moment a contract is signed, and Carmon understands the impulse. He also knows the celebration can be premature.
“We used to joke a little bit in the office when we would land a new account,” Carmon said. “It was like, hey, we have a new account, and then we’d go, oh shoot, we have a new account.”
The reason comes down to what the customer is risking. When a facility chooses a contractor, it is acting on a promise made during the sales process, and that decision carries personal stakes.
“They’ve chosen our companies to come in and clean their building based on a promise that was made during the sales process,” Carmon said. “In a sense, they’ve really put their professional reputation on the line by choosing to move forward with your company.”
The unspoken question, Carmon said, is simple: “Are you going to make me look good, or are you going to make me look bad?”
How a company answers it in the first weeks sets the tone for everything that follows. “That startup window really determines if the relationship is going to start off with trust, or you’re going to spend a lot of time trying to build that trust back,” Carmon said. “You can recover from a bad startup, but it costs a lot of goodwill and time, and a lot of companies, unfortunately, never recover from a bad startup.”
Where startups break down
When a startup goes wrong, the cause is rarely a mystery. “The root cause is almost always the same, and it’s just a lack of processes,” Carmon said.
Every breakdown, he said, traces back to one of three areas: staff, supplies, and systems. Each is about quality, not quantity.
On staffing, the question is not whether there are enough bodies to fill a shift. “You’re saying, do we have the right people? Are they properly trained? Do they have the right uniform? Do they have PPE?” Carmon said. “Is your staff prepared to go in and do a good job?”
Supplies work the same way. “It’s, do we have the right supplies? And is everything procured? Is it set up? Is it staged and ready to go when your startup date or your commencement date starts?” Carmon said.
The third area, systems, is the one Carmon believes leaders overlook most. It is more than possessing a scope of work, he said. It is having the right documents in hand to guide the team through an unfamiliar building, including access codes, the location of shutoffs, and emergency contact numbers.
“If we walk into a building on day one without that information, we’re not really starting up,” Carmon said. “We’re just improvising as we go.”
Three phases of a strong startup
The companies that consistently retain and grow accounts treat the startup as a structured window, not a single date, Carmon said. He divides it into three phases.
The first is pre-startup, typically 30 to 60 days and compressed somewhat for smaller accounts. It centers on a proper kickoff meeting that brings together the customer, the operations team or operations lead, and the salesperson. “So there’s no miscommunication about what was discussed in the sales process and what the expectations are moving forward,” Carmon said. The meeting is also where the team defines what success looks like in the opening weeks.
The second phase is the commencement date itself. “Good companies treat this like an event, and not just another shift,” Carmon said. Extra staffing is brought in, closets are set up, and routines are walked so the first day runs smoothly.
The third phase, post-startup, covers roughly 30 to 60 days after commencement. This is the period for refining processes, learning routes, and adding equipment that makes the team more efficient. Carmon said the strongest companies are transparent with customers about what this stretch involves. “In these first 60 to 90 days, we’re going to make mistakes,” he said. “But what’s important is how you respond to them, and how you make sure your team doesn’t continue to make those same mistakes.” That transparency, he added, builds trust rather than eroding it.
Same energy, start to finish
Carmon’s closing advice ties the startup back to the effort that won the account in the first place.
“Treat startup with the same energy that you gave the sales process,” Carmon said. “The startup process is one of the most important steps in the customer journey.”
The stakes, he said, are bigger than the contract on paper. “Never forget that the person that signed the contract didn’t hire just a cleaning company,” Carmon said. “They’re putting their name on the line.”
Winning a new customer is exciting, but the real work begins after the contract is signed. The first few months of a new account often determine whether it becomes a long-term partnership, a source of referrals, and a profitable relationship, or one that never reaches its potential.
That early window deserves far more attention than many leaders give it, said Jeff Carmon, a business consultant for Elite BSC. In a conversation about onboarding and implementation, Carmon explained why new account startups matter more than some owners realize, where they most often break down, and what strong handoffs, communication, and early execution look like in practice.
The contract is only the start
Many leaders celebrate the moment a contract is signed, and Carmon understands the impulse. He also knows the celebration can be premature.
“We used to joke a little bit in the office when we would land a new account,” Carmon said. “It was like, hey, we have a new account, and then we’d go, oh shoot, we have a new account.”
The reason comes down to what the customer is risking. When a facility chooses a contractor, it is acting on a promise made during the sales process, and that decision carries personal stakes.
“They’ve chosen our companies to come in and clean their building based on a promise that was made during the sales process,” Carmon said. “In a sense, they’ve really put their professional reputation on the line by choosing to move forward with your company.”
The unspoken question, Carmon said, is simple: “Are you going to make me look good, or are you going to make me look bad?”
How a company answers it in the first weeks sets the tone for everything that follows. “That startup window really determines if the relationship is going to start off with trust, or you’re going to spend a lot of time trying to build that trust back,” Carmon said. “You can recover from a bad startup, but it costs a lot of goodwill and time, and a lot of companies, unfortunately, never recover from a bad startup.”
Where startups break down
When a startup goes wrong, the cause is rarely a mystery. “The root cause is almost always the same, and it’s just a lack of processes,” Carmon said.
Every breakdown, he said, traces back to one of three areas: staff, supplies, and systems. Each is about quality, not quantity.
On staffing, the question is not whether there are enough bodies to fill a shift. “You’re saying, do we have the right people? Are they properly trained? Do they have the right uniform? Do they have PPE?” Carmon said. “Is your staff prepared to go in and do a good job?”
Supplies work the same way. “It’s, do we have the right supplies? And is everything procured? Is it set up? Is it staged and ready to go when your startup date or your commencement date starts?” Carmon said.
The third area, systems, is the one Carmon believes leaders overlook most. It is more than possessing a scope of work, he said. It is having the right documents in hand to guide the team through an unfamiliar building, including access codes, the location of shutoffs, and emergency contact numbers.
“If we walk into a building on day one without that information, we’re not really starting up,” Carmon said. “We’re just improvising as we go.”
Three phases of a strong startup
The companies that consistently retain and grow accounts treat the startup as a structured window, not a single date, Carmon said. He divides it into three phases.
The first is pre-startup, typically 30 to 60 days and compressed somewhat for smaller accounts. It centers on a proper kickoff meeting that brings together the customer, the operations team or operations lead, and the salesperson. “So there’s no miscommunication about what was discussed in the sales process and what the expectations are moving forward,” Carmon said. The meeting is also where the team defines what success looks like in the opening weeks.
The second phase is the commencement date itself. “Good companies treat this like an event, and not just another shift,” Carmon said. Extra staffing is brought in, closets are set up, and routines are walked so the first day runs smoothly.
The third phase, post-startup, covers roughly 30 to 60 days after commencement. This is the period for refining processes, learning routes, and adding equipment that makes the team more efficient. Carmon said the strongest companies are transparent with customers about what this stretch involves. “In these first 60 to 90 days, we’re going to make mistakes,” he said. “But what’s important is how you respond to them, and how you make sure your team doesn’t continue to make those same mistakes.” That transparency, he added, builds trust rather than eroding it.
Same energy, start to finish
Carmon’s closing advice ties the startup back to the effort that won the account in the first place.
“Treat startup with the same energy that you gave the sales process,” Carmon said. “The startup process is one of the most important steps in the customer journey.”
The stakes, he said, are bigger than the contract on paper. “Never forget that the person that signed the contract didn’t hire just a cleaning company,” Carmon said. “They’re putting their name on the line.”
