Here are a few suggestions to use when bidding commercial jobs. If you have any additional ideas, we would love to hear your input so we may spread the word to benefit other cleaners around the nation.
During a walk through with a facilities manager, maintenance technician, engineer, etc, feel free to be fully transparent. Sometimes it may feel like asking too many questions will cross a line, however historical experience from many of our customers says the opposite. Be bold, ask away. Here are a list of questions you can ask.
- When was it last cleaned?
- What was your previous or current frequency of service?
- What made you call me? How did you find us?
- Are you unhappy with the quality of current cleaner? If so, can you share the details they are missing?
- What are your goals? Are you looking for the lowest price, or best quality results at a fair price? (Can't have both)
- If you are looking for the lowest possible price, what other prices have you already received? Did they provide scopes of work to match their quote? I will see if I can create a scope of work that will match or beat them.
- Are there specific times of the day, night, or weekend in which the work must be done?
There are many questions you can ask, but these are just a few. We have found when bidding a large job, we never know the goals of the company inquiring. Assuming we know will potentially lose us the job.
We recently helped customer bid a 5,000 sq ft cleaning job. He reached out asking for help since it was a big opportunity for him and he wanted to be sure he got it. He knew there were already other bids in for the job, which is great. It's always a favorable position for negotiation when you are not the first bidder. His intuition said he needed to beat the price. However we suggested to dig a bit more first, go in ready to give at least 2 or 3 options for the client to choose from, and ask the client what their goals were. We gave some advice and requested to hear the results from his meeting. This is how it ended up playing out: After parking on the street, he actually ran into the facility manager on the sidewalk, so they made some small talk as they walked inside, creating good rapport with the potential client. After the walk through, he asked what their goals were. Do they want the best possible price? Or do they want the best possible results, even if it costs a little bit more? The facility manager did not give a direct response, so he gave them a few different options. We can do a maintenance cleaning with our portable extraction equipment using detergent rinse for $x.xx. Or we can do a restoration deep cleaning using prespray, mechanical agitation, hot water extraction with neutralizing rinse, for $x.xx. Of course his second scope was a higher quote, and after some discussion, he got the job at the higher rate, which was also higher than the previous bids.
So what is the moral of this story? Always provide options to your customers, don't assume you know what they want. Talk to them like they are your neighbor, they are regular people too, we all breathe the same air and have the same 24 hours in a day. Do not be afraid to ask direct questions, it will only help you give better info to them, which will in turn benefit you both. There is no wrong way to clean, your perspective may vary from everyone else, and providing options with detailed scope of work will make their job easier. If they hand you a scope of work up front, that is different, but you are the professional, so don't be afraid to tell the client your process.
I hope these tidbits will help you and your success in the future. This story is a great example of seeing it in action, and I an very happy to see my clients do well in the field. My motto is to always support those who support you, and always provide options to your clients. Leave the ball in their court and see the world unfold in front of you.
If you have a similar story to share, or any other suggestions you would like to add, please email me at dave@cleanprosupply.com and I would be more than happy to add to this post or create a new one.
Good luck out there, keep up the great work!
Sincerely,
Dave Belliveau, Owner