scrservices

  • Posts: 11
help
« on: September 09, 2004, 10:40:19 pm »
could any one help with this quote?

3x per week

10 offices are carpeted (hoover only). 23 desk's to polish only. 10 computers clean screens and keypads. 1 printer.( 8 windows inside only once every 2weeks). biggest office 18ftx18ft.  6 washrooms all lino floor. 8 toilets . 8 basins 2 urinals 1 window biggest toilet 11ftx15ft.  1 kitchen 1 sink 1 cooker lino floor. 45 stairs lino. 17 bins to empty. no buffing

Len Gribble

  • Posts: 5106
Re: help
« Reply #1 on: September 09, 2004, 11:09:37 pm »
Not a lot on details here so I will only pick three Hoover what that? Do you mean Vacuum is it detailed every clean or traffic area only, computers what are you expected to do i.e. key board clean? Hard floor is it a damp mop/strip and seal X 1 and or buff.

By the way bit of a loss why you are requesting a poll.

Len
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other. (Sidcup Kent)

garyj

Re: help
« Reply #2 on: September 09, 2004, 11:47:44 pm »
I don't get this!!!!!

Len Gribble

  • Posts: 5106
Re: help
« Reply #3 on: September 10, 2004, 12:22:22 am »
Sorry a time waster.

Come back if you think differently.

Len
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other. (Sidcup Kent)

Musicman

  • Posts: 249
Re: help
« Reply #4 on: September 10, 2004, 11:46:37 am »
scrservices, I recommend this link.

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Generalcon;action=display;num=1094259665

I don't think it could apply to anyone more than it does to you.

Some people clearly should not get into this industry as they know absolutely nothing about it.

I wouldn't trust you to p*ss in a toilet let alone clean one!

Success is where hard work meets opportunity!

Philip Hanson

  • Posts: 652
Re: help
« Reply #5 on: September 10, 2004, 12:09:49 pm »
scrservices:

This forum is a very useful source of information and lively debate.  If you look through any of the longer topics, you will see that many contributers, especially the regulars, freely give their knowledge and experience to help out others.

If someone came up to you in the street and said "SHOW ME WHERE SMITH ROAD IS"  you'd think it was, at best, impolite.  But you have done a very similar thing up there.  As your profile is very scant, we dont know anything about you, where you operate etc etc.  It is customary on a first post on the forum, especially if you are asking a question, to give a little bit of background to yourself, why you're asking the question, about the building etc.  in a friendly and courteous manner.  Do that and you will get useful responses.

But treat the forum like its your own personal "question answering machine" and guess what, nobody will want to know.

And insulting our regular and valued contributers is a sure-fire way to get banned.

Now go and tell the headmaster what you have done, and only come back when you are ready to behave yourself.

-Philip
Editor, Professional Window Cleaner Magazine

"The irony of the information age is that it has given new respectability to uninformed opinion"
John Lawton

scrservices

  • Posts: 11
Re: help
« Reply #6 on: September 10, 2004, 01:29:31 pm »
sorry Phil , didn't mean any offence. I am based in the northwest and have just been ask to give my first office clean quote, I have taken into account my weekly overheads for the job,ie.wages,materials,Insurance,Admin,machinery. There is no specialist cleaning involved just general, dusting,vacuum, moping,emptying bins.


garyj

Re: help
« Reply #7 on: September 10, 2004, 02:59:25 pm »
How can you be so abusive, delete the post and then say you didn't mean any offence!!!!!

Len Gribble

  • Posts: 5106
Re: help
« Reply #8 on: September 10, 2004, 09:49:56 pm »
I did not take offence I took as his name, honestly. ;D

Any way granted there might not be any specialised cleaning but one has a cleaning schedule, example vacuum traffic area daily, weekly/biweekly detailed vacuuming, then you have the dusting high/low level am not talking about desks the list is of tasks open, so no one can advise on what to quote.

One of the first things I learnt is to ask what they wanted, frequency plus other bits and what their budget is, then come to a compromise with them, because all customers want everything cleaned every time but there budget zero.

Len
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other. (Sidcup Kent)

The Great One

  • Posts: 11764
Re: help
« Reply #9 on: September 10, 2004, 10:35:08 pm »
Hi Guys

What is going on in this post? Scrservices is obviously a new bod and should be given the benifit of the doubt.

He made a mistake and gets slated for it! He may just be starting out and this may just be his very 1st job ever
(could be Jasonb in disguise?)

Scrservices

This forum is a very professional one, you can glean a lot of help here, I know it certainly helped me in the begining. Fill out your profile and people will trust you a little more, when asking for help ask as if you were asking in person, help will then be freely given

Regards

Martin 8)

Len Gribble

  • Posts: 5106
Re: help
« Reply #10 on: September 11, 2004, 12:45:33 am »
Martin

Don’t think I was slating him all I done was ask questions granted did in a round about way questioning ability as I will do with any one how long is a bit string! And it appears I got more or less the same reply from him as I did from dunny (still waiting lets have a debate I will concede if wrong)

Also cleaning carpets/cars is a bit different than cleaning commercial/domestic premises!

Musicman attachment is very relevant.

Len
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other. (Sidcup Kent)

The Great One

  • Posts: 11764
Re: help
« Reply #11 on: September 11, 2004, 01:13:21 am »
Hi len

Yes it is true they are all different, that why i do them all. Cars, Domestic and commercial, clean and carpets.

I will agree with fox and others about newbies just asking outright for help but that is part of what this forum is for, to get advice and to help if we can.

It was tough from his post as to what EXACTLY needed to be done, info was too sparse to give accurate price which is one reason i didn't answer.

need to know


m2
materials
staff requirements
allotted time
computer specifics
size of windows
size of washrooms
size of kitchen
appliances
time spent doing paperwork
travel expenses
staff travel expenses
H&S requirements
method statements
require ladder/step ladders
distance to offices (same place or spread out)

Did i miss anything?
Was there a thread deleted here?

Most warmest regards imaginable

Martin 8)



martin19842

  • Posts: 1945
Re: help
« Reply #12 on: September 11, 2004, 12:05:11 pm »
well that seemed to have got everybody a little excited.

one thing though, even if you were new to this game, wouldnt you have expected to have done a little homework with regard to pricing.

its a bit like waking up one morning and deciding that you are going to become a car mechanic, then ringing up the ford dealer for instructions on how to carry out a service and the correct price to charge.

how easy would that make it for everybody.

the only advantage would be that everypone would be quoting on an even playing field.  and then the decision would be down to service and not price.

anyway have a great weekend people.

regards

martin




Just a cleaner.

  • Posts: 47
Re: help
« Reply #13 on: September 11, 2004, 03:27:55 pm »
Why start a business if you don't know how to even price your services??
When all the trees have been felled, and all the rivers are poisoned, we will dicover that we can't eat money.

The Great One

  • Posts: 11764
Re: help
« Reply #14 on: September 11, 2004, 11:46:58 pm »
Hi guys

When I started cleaning 1 year ago I didn't have a clue how to price my services and my 2nd 2 jobs even though they were paid cost me a client, my 1st job i didn't get paid for, through my own ignorance at the time.

To be a mechanic takes years of training, to be a cleaner takes zero training and anyone can do it, so the 2 scenarios have no relevance.

pricing is also a very contensious issue, and i am quite sure a lot of us still get it wrong even after time doing our business.

I have on occasion asked for pricing advice and have never had such a negitive response?

Why should scrservices recieve it?

Regards

Martin 8)

Len Gribble

  • Posts: 5106
Re: help
« Reply #15 on: September 12, 2004, 12:30:15 am »
Martin 606

If you look at my first thread, not a lot of detail! And asked what had to be done? Its reply was as ambiguous as its post (it don’t know gender) then it came back with a very questionable reply and it wants to be a pro? Next it will want to sweep snow from Mount Everest

I have read the posts re Fox and totally agree, my first point of call what dose the customer want? Then I would do the costing and not the costing first as A x Z can = zero

Deletion Yes I believe it or the admin deleted it, wish they wouldn’t, as I love a good debate.

Question general cleaners using a ladder/step ladder? Working height directive?

Len
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other. (Sidcup Kent)

scrservices

  • Posts: 11
Re: help
« Reply #16 on: September 12, 2004, 02:34:24 am »
Hi Martin 606 thanks for the support

As IT is such an expert in this field I wonder how IT started off Without asking questions?

Is not what this forum is for? Asking questions?

Fox

  • Posts: 824
Re: help
« Reply #17 on: September 12, 2004, 05:08:22 am »
scserices - I feel I have to join in on this one - even after after a night out on the town!

Martin606 - I admire your atempt at making this person feel comfatable using the forum - and yes in a way we are here to give advice.

But I ask you - are we here to give it to all and sundry (which we have no control over as people can read anyway) or are we here to help one another?  

You seem to be doing well in all markets - you do the lot - so maybe you can afford the time and effort to give your knowledge without predudice!  Well I must say I'm into commercial cleaning and have been for nearly 9 years - that's my area - I don't pretend to know anyting much about carpet cleaning or window cleaning although it is part of my industrstry and do carry out these services.

I have learnt through trial and error and expect others to at least tell us about other avenues they have sought advice through before giving valued info.

As for Martin 19842 and mechanics - he has got a good point - would you take a phone call from this person asking this question? Yes? Then you are more gullible than I thought!

Fox

The Great One

  • Posts: 11764
Re: help
« Reply #18 on: September 12, 2004, 12:49:14 pm »
Hi

Hi Fox haven't seen you around for a while.

We all learn through trial and error, sadly it does take longer and is more expensive that way. Does that mean that everyone should have to learn that way?

I have made a few errors over the past year, some of them pricey. I don't feel everyone should do the same just because I did it that way.

if someone is or seems genuine in their request and I can help then I will if I can or if I have the time, a commoditiy that is becoming scarce as the valeting side is getting busy.

I do have much to learn myself only having done this kind of business for one year.

This forum has helped and guided me a lot, i have no problem giving something back if i can

Regards

Martin 8)

Len Gribble

  • Posts: 5106
Re: help
« Reply #19 on: September 12, 2004, 10:13:39 pm »
Scrservices

Yes I did First of all I used my real name! Also still ask with various members of this and other forums as they probably have more experience in certain areas then I do, but they will need facts that’s what I was tying to ask you granted in a round a bout manor Hoover that a make of machine not what it dose!  I call it networking can also be very lucrative.

Ask yourself if I post your first thread how would have you answered it or any one on this board? Even Martin 606 questioned it what need to be done so where the problem in replying.

Martin 606 level playing field I have a Vito I want a full valet but I have only £5.50 to spend each time 3 visit per how many days would it take for a full valet? Isn’t it the same scenario as cleaning commercial!

You and some think I may have been a hard so be it. You wait its call BUSSNESS.

Yes these forums are of a benefit if dealing on a level ground, I would always help/lend equipment etc but when ask the above you need to draw as much info from the poster as possible, if they are reluctant they are time waster.

Note the name


Len
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other. (Sidcup Kent)