ron p
scott, it is my opinion that in order to get commerical flat work you need to do some important things.
one find the person in charge of hireing someone like you. It's not as easy as you might think.
Do you look like a professional? lettered rig,recapture system,nice shirt with co. logo[with collar],professional biz. cards,letter of insurance,msds for your chems.,proof of workmans comp.,fax #,24 hour #,lights on your rig,ect...
Then you need to have a good idea of what other contractors in your work area charge.
It's either beat the price,service,or workmanship.
Then you need to prove it to the customer. Free demo's.
Then sometimes there's a matter of grease, grease makes the world go round.[do you get my meaning?] property managers like grease, not owners. I would call them comp's.
[i dont encourage this, nor do i practice this, but lot's do]
Phoenix's ideas are good for homeowner customers.
[tip-ask the local pool supply shops if you can hang a flyer in there store?]
good luck and keep on plugging away.