Do not smoke, even if invited by the prospect, and never accept a drink even coffee until after you have a signed contract in your briefcase. Once you've made the sale, the best thing is to shake hands with your new customer, thank him, and leave. A little small talk after the sale is appropriate, but becoming too friendly is not. You create an impression, and preserve it, by maintaining a businesslike relationship. When you go to make your cost estimate, take along a ruled tablet such as those used by elementary school students, carbon paper, a calculator, and your appointment book.
Some people find it easier to work with a clipboard and ordinary blank paper with carbon.
Later on, you may want to have general checklists printed up for each room in the house, with blank lines or space for special instructions. Whatever you use, it's important to appear methodical, thorough, and professional while leading the prospect through the specifics of what he or she wants you to take care. Simply identify the specific room at the top of the sheet of paper, then lead your prospect through the cleaning steps of each room, covering everything in it. Always have carbon paper under each piece of paper you're writing on, and always look around each room one more time before leaving it. Then ask the prospect if he or she can think of any special instructions to note for that room.