ISSA Show Educational Speakers Ready To Share Their Knowledge
By Harrell Kerkhoff, Maintenance Sales News Editor
Educational sessions and workshops will be in abundance during The ISSA Show North America 2024, scheduled for November 17-21, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, in Las Vegas, NV.
Sessions for this year’s event will cover the latest in cleaning-related regulatory and sustainability issues, tech trends, distributor strategies, customer service guidance, employee training, AI capabilities — and much more.
Maintenance Sales News Magazine recently spoke with several of the many educational session presenters who will be at this year’s ISSA Show. The objective was to learn more about the vast educational opportunities available at the event.
Selling The ‘Outcome,’ Not The ‘Who,’ ‘Why’ Or ‘How’
Overcomplicating the selling process with too many steps and irrelevant information that buyers don’t care about is keeping many companies from reaching higher sales objectives, according to ISSA educational session speaker Ed Marsh, founder of Ed Marsh Consulting (edmarshconsulting.com). He will present, “They’ll Buy the Outcome – Not Who or Why or How You Clean!” from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. on Monday, November 18.
“The worst things for marketing professionals and salespeople to talk about are often the very things that feel most important and natural to them. They want to talk cleaning, in all its details and intricacies, and they want to talk about their process, their chemicals and equipment, their people and certifications, and their training and accreditations,” Marsh said. “Those subjects feel important to salespeople, because we believe those are the details that are important to maintaining a facility.
“But here’s the harsh truth — those subjects don’t matter to your buyers.”
According to Marsh, the only thing that really matters to buyers is that the topic of cleaning and maintenance will never be a concern to them during a contract. The outcome they truly seek is that everything works; that all building services are managed proactively; and that problems never end up on their desks.
“When we, as salespeople, talk about ‘our stuff’ we sound like our competitors. When we talk about ‘their (the potential buyer’s) outcomes,’ then we sound unique, add value, reframe conversations, and win the business,” Marsh explained.
Marsh spends the majority of his time with B2B companies, focusing on revenue growth. He draws on his years in management, marketing and sales, including extensive industrial and technology experience. His work combines operational expertise, ownership perspective, and governance oversight as an independent corporate director.
During his ISSA session, Marsh will explore why it’s so important — and hard — to focus solely on the buyer’s true needs when it comes to marketing and sales.
“We’ll also explore the impact of buying teams, risk aversion, and changing buying habits. And we’ll cover the specific steps that must be taken to shift a company culture to truly empower marketing and sales teams to succeed.”
When it comes to a clean and safe facility, Marsh reiterated the major objective of facility maintenance buyers is that their employees are happy and productive; there are no complaints, hassles and/or workplace grievances; and there are no slip and fall accidents.
“Basically, the ultimate outcome they seek is what everybody wants — for everything to go well with no problems. Everything else a salesperson feels is important — such as information on equipment, training, certifications, etc., is not actually relevant to the buyer. It’s much better to talk about a buyer’s ultimate outcome from the products and services they will receive, rather than all the things we (the seller) have to sell,” Marsh explained. “The problem is that this new way of interacting with buyers is a big mindset change for sellers, and it often takes a higher level of salesperson to pull it off.”
According to Marsh, four key takeaways from his session will be:
- Helping sellers change their perceptions as to what true value looks like to buyers.
“The value they (sellers) create isn’t through a checklist of products and services,” Marsh said. “The true value they create is by helping buyers achieve a clean facility environment involving all the necessary standards of cleanliness, but with no hassles. Buyers often have too much on their plates to deal with hassles.”
- Helping sellers understand how to adapt their messaging to better reach the true priorities of buyers.
- Helping sellers understand how to better differentiate themselves from their competition.
- And, if those first three steps are too hard to accomplish, helping sellers select sales reps who can deliver a higher level of conceptual sale.
Marsh is Directorship® Certified by the National Association of Independent Directors and holds Private Directors Association certificates in Private Company Governance and Private Equity Portfolio Company Governance. He is a partner with major marketing and sales technology platforms, and the host of the Industrial Growth Institute podcast. Marsh is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and a former Ranger-qualified Airborne Infantry Officer.
“I spend my days working with industrial companies helping them sell more through better strategy, better marketing, and better customer experiences,” Marsh said. “Technology ties all that together, but fundamentally it all comes back to understanding how buyer behaviors have changed and the best way to adapt to those new behaviors.”
Marsh added that change is ubiquitous, and the cleaning industry is no different than other forms of business when it comes to change. For example, change continues to take place related to cleaning chemicals and equipment, training, and overall understanding of how to properly measure cleanliness.
“Generational changes are also taking place in the workplace that includes buyer habits, workforce expectations, and marketing and sales practices,” Marsh said. “That is why education is so important, such as provided during these sessions at the ISSA Show. It’s a way to help people in the cleaning industry keep up with change.
“A main focus of my session is to help sellers understand how they can boost their conversations with buyers in an effort to improve each buyer’s outcome as it relates to keeping facilities clean.”
Generational Strengths
Baby Boomers and Generations X, Y, and Z are all working together in today’s business landscape. The cleaning industry is no different. Understanding how each generation thinks, works, and what makes them ‘tick’ can help company leaders better focus on each age group’s strengths. The end goal involves making the most of everyone’s natural tendencies.
Speaking on this subject will be Lee Silber (leesilber.com), an award-winning author of 26 books with a new book about generations due out soon. A professional speaker with 32 years of experience, Silber is also the co-host of a weekly podcast on efficiency and a former janitor with experience in commercial cleaning. His session at the ISSA Show is titled “Generation We: Getting All Ages To Work Better Together,” and is scheduled for 3 to 4 p.m. on Monday, November 18.
“When we know what brings out the best in each generation, we see an increase in productivity and a decrease in stress. We’re also able to make the most of mentorships, often involving experienced workers teaching their younger counterparts, and vice versa,” Silber said. “With a greater understanding of each generation’s influences comes greater acceptance and respect — something extremely important in the workplace. Lastly, when we know what drives each age group and how to best lead, manage, and work together, we create a more harmonious work environment.
“I will focus the first half of my presentation on what makes each generation unique. Basically, we will discuss ‘why they are and way they are,’” Silber said. “When we better understand the people representing these different generations, we are put in a better position — as a company — to succeed.”
The second half of Silber’s presentation will focus on what each generation has in common with the others.
“There are many things that make each generation similar when it comes to needs, happiness, and a desire to succeed,” Silber said. “Today, it’s very possible to find representatives of five generations working at the same place. These are people who grew up in different eras and thus have different experiences in life. That often influences their approach to interactions and work in general. I will also discuss the differences between ‘right-’ and ‘left-brained people’ as it pertains to interactions in the workplace. Everyone is different, but some people are ‘wired’ differently than others. It helps to understand such differences to grow and succeed as co-workers.
“Just because people are different doesn’t mean they can’t work together. That includes people from different generations and thought processes. In fact, our differences can make us all stronger.”
Silber said his presentation will be interactive, adding, “There are people who learn by seeing, others who learn by hearing, but almost everyone learns by doing.”
He explained there is no age limit when it comes to learning, which is why attending educational sessions, such as the one Silber will present, is so important.
“When you are learning, you are also evolving and improving,” he added. “The opposite is doing things the way you’ve always done them, and then risk becoming obsolete.”
Key Training Principles
It’s not uncommon to feel that employee training within the cleaning industry is a big waste of time and money due to a variety of challenges and negative outcomes. According to ISSA Show educational session speaker Martha Woodward, such belief may stem from the practice of training based on a time frame, rather than based on competency. Her session will help change that belief.
Woodward’s session is titled, “Six Training Principles To Ensure Competent ‘Graduates,’” with the session taking place from 3 to 4 p.m. on Monday, November 18.
“These six training principles can be applied to any type of business because they have nothing to do with specific skills. The training principles are based on what you are trying to accomplish, which is to find the best ‘graduates,’ and then have those people ‘hit the ground running,’” Woodward said. “No longer do (managers) have to wonder if their new hires will really work out.
“When these six training principles are applied, you can almost ensure that everyone who graduates from your training program will know what they are supposed to do and perform at a higher level. Quality control in training is the single most important factor for reducing employee issues in the future.”
Woodward further explained that: “We all train differently based on different tasks, different methods, and different expectations, but there are six principles that must hold true for an effective training program. In this session, we will talk about the ‘must haves’ for a successful, consistent training experience. Most people/companies already have a training program in place. I will be helping people figure out where the holes, aka problems, are within their training.”
Woodward had worked for years in corporate healthcare when she decided to open a residential cleaning business.
“I thought it would be easy based on the fact that I had an MBA, had supervised over 40 people in my department, and knew I could figure out the cleaning aspect,” Woodward said. “Boy was I wrong.”
She quickly learned what not to do when it came to supervising employees and figured out how to build a self-motivated, self-directed team by building employee leadership systems. She now shares those systems with home service businesses across the country and is the co-founder of Quality Driven Software (qualitydrivensoftware.com).
“I’m all about a ‘Pay for Performance’ culture. Because so many benefits and bonuses were based on quality results, however, I needed to know with certainty (while running her residential cleaning business) that everyone who went through our training program had the necessary skills. Enhancing our training program was the No. 1 thing we did to improve not only our company’s reputation, but also our company’s culture,” Woodward said.
After attending her session at the ISSA Show, attendees should be able to insert the six principles into their own training programs, according to Woodward. The result will be an increased level of competency involving “the new grads,” while reaping the benefits of a better cultural fit from the employees who make it through the training program.
When asked what attendees can do to properly benefit from the information being provided at her educational session, Woodward said the best advice she can give is to “implement.”
“Nothing changes unless you change the process. If your current training program is producing newly trained, but incompetent or ‘bad cultural fit’ employees, you need to change your program,” she said.
As for all educational sessions being provided at this year’s ISSA Show, Woodward noted that every speaker has his/her own area of expertise, and they are passing along their best practices.
“Coming to an educational event, such as the ISSA Show, allows you to pick and choose the areas that you, your management staff, and/or the company in general need improvement on. By attending those hand-picked sessions, you now have new tools and strategies to fix the holes in your business. No one person has all the answers, and you should never stop learning,” Woodward said. “I would add that in addition to education, networking ranks near the top of importance when attending the ISSA Show.
“There are so many benefits to networking. First and foremost, you realize that you are not alone. You meet so many people who have experienced all the highs and lows of running a cleaning business. Many have not only survived but thrived, and they are almost always willing to tell you exactly how they made it to the other side of the problem. If you are like me, you will also make lifelong friends.”
Humanizing Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is generally viewed as solely a transactional process in which a participating company works to convert strangers into customers at scale. Often, that is hard to master because most people get digital marketing wrong. They position their campaigns to service themselves, not the strangers they are targeting. They tell their story, not the story of their audiences. They optimize for their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), not the buyers’ KPIs, according to ISSA Show educational speaker Danny Murawinski, founder and CEO of Exit Built (exitbuilt.com).
Murawinski will speak on “Scaling Human Experiences Through Digital Marketing,” scheduled for 1:45 to 2:45 p.m. on Monday, November 18.
“We live in a world where people are fed up with being ‘sold’ to. However, people still love buying! We also live in a consumer driven marketplace found in every single industry. From government contracting, to the cleaning industry, pet shops, online retail, doctors, you name it — consumers have access to instant information and know how to use it extremely effectively when making a purchasing decision,” Murawinski said. “That’s why focusing on amazing human experiences is critical when it comes to growing any business. It requires empathy and caring — from the initial reach out to the close of the deal and the ongoing work. It is about creating, nurturing, and supporting new and existing human relationships. Digital marketing can be a powerful ally when it comes to building relationships at scale.”
As it relates to the cleaning industry, he added that purchasing a cleaning service has a very different feel to many people than purchasing a new car or building a new office space.
“Often (the cleaning service) is placed in the same bucket as other necessary ‘evils.’ It’s viewed as, ‘The service needs to get done, but we just want it as cheap as possible with a reputable company,’” Murawinski explained. “Knowing the simple truth is exactly why companies in this digital marketing space that focus on enhancing the human experience stand out from the crowd.”
Upon completion of this session, Murawinski said attendees will:
- Understand critical elements that make up a positive human digital marketing experience;
- Leverage digital marketing to expand on what is already working; and,
- Apply digital marketing from prospecting to close — while keeping the human at the center of the experience.
Murawinski is an entrepreneur and digital marketing strategist. As founder and CEO of Exit Built, he has been instrumental in developing unique marketing strategies that align with each client’s individual message and goals. His expertise spans SEO, SEM, and social media marketing, and he is a member of the Forbes Communications Council, a professional organization for senior-level marketing and communications executives.
With a background that includes serving as a CTO, CGO, and CMO, as well as a professional snowboard coach, Murawinski brings a diverse skill set to the table. He is passionate about building relationship-driven sales strategies and leveraging digital marketing to scale businesses effectively. His podcast, Just Be Humans, offers insights for B2B leaders looking to break through revenue ceilings by nurturing customer relationships and driving conversions through empathy and value.
Regarding his session at the ISSA Show, Murawinski said a key point he wants attendees to understand is the importance of “relevancy” when it comes to humanizing digital marketing.
“Relevancy is what drives all business. One of my favorite quotes is, ‘The right answer at the wrong time is still the wrong answer.’ That is true because (the right answer in that case) is not relevant,” Murawinski said. “As it pertains to digital marketing, the message being delivered must be relevant to the right audience. It’s all about relevancy.
“It’s important to understand who your audience is, understand that the content you provide must be relevant to that audience, and then understand how to break down that content into bite-size chunks for proper engagement. The second part of that is knowing how to build content at scale.”
He added the cleaning industry, for the most part, has been “slow to the game” when it comes to implementing proper digital marketing.
“However, there remains huge opportunities for companies within the industry that are able to create relevant content around the things that matter most from a humanistic standpoint,” Murawinski said. “The end result can lead to a positive impact on business.”