HOW DO I GET COMMERCIAL WORK?

« **on:** September 02, 2006, 11:44:33 pm »

Hi everybody!

Sorry ive not posted for a long time now, but been v busy!
New baby born 10 weeks early named "Reo", loads a problems inc meningitus on the day he was meant to come home! Ok now though! Moving house in 1 1/2 weeks too so on top of work gonna b busy!

Anyway, been doing wfp since early March, 1st cleans done and earning well including approx 50% customers with price increases.
So, how do i go about getting commercial work?
Do i ring around local companies i shortlist and ask who would deal with their window cleaning and then send a letter, or what do I do?

Can anybody help please as I do now feel after 6 years I have gone forward with wfp and now believe i could do commercial.

Any letters or anything to help me greatly appreciated!

Cheers Craig

« **Reply #1 on:** September 03, 2006, 11:07:16 am »

I would phone up as many as possible to find out who to speak to about the window cleaning contract and ask them if the contract is coming up for renewall and that you would like to give them a quote for it. Follow this up with a letter, but don't expect immediate results with this it takes time, if they say no do not give up, try again every 6 months.
Also you need a good advert in the yellow pages, I think that this is essential if you want commercial work.

« **Reply #2 on:** September 03, 2006, 04:01:35 pm »

Cheers groundhog, thamks for advise!!!

To be honest though I thought there would have been a few more replies or is the way groundhog does it the same for everybody?

Also how do you price up, the same as residential?

I stopped a window cleaner near his van earlier and asked whether he did commercial. We had a chat and he gave me an address to go and price up for 1st floor only wfp, (he to follow round and do bottoms)> I know it might seem as though he using me for the hard work,but the experience might be good. He is sub contracting for some other company too, how does this work?

« **Reply #3 on:** September 03, 2006, 04:14:22 pm »

The best way is to visit all the commercial properties and leave a card and business letter, explaining what services you provide, when you do this try to find the name of the person who is responsible for the cleaning and kept a note of this, if you haven't heard anything from them within a month, telephone the company and make an appointment with Mr bloggs all whoever their person responsible for the cleaning is.

« **Reply #4 on:** September 03, 2006, 11:54:52 pm »

WILLIAM WERE YOUVE BEEN? JUST CAME FROM THE BAR AT WINDEX?
HOPE TO SEE YOU IN BRUM.

GAZA

« **Reply #5 on:** September 05, 2006, 01:42:55 pm »

I got a tip from somebody to see about pricing up a very large (to me anyway) commercial job ie old peoples home.

I spoke to the person concerned there who informed me she wasnt happy with the company who do it at present. So after selling myself, have arranged a demo next week and she will give me details as to how many windows etc ( it is very big), and discuss contract of inside one month and outside another.

Sorry no pics but as asked befor how do you price commercial is it still same as residential or more?

Please help me, this could be a big break, even lessons in pricing and approaching possible commercial clients!!!!

Many thanks Craig

« **Reply #6 on:** September 05, 2006, 03:04:23 pm »

Try asking for sub work from some of the major office 'only' cleaning firms like Minster and Premier etc.

« **Reply #7 on:** September 05, 2006, 06:53:39 pm »

I believe i read somewhere if you subcontract from somebody they can deduct 18% off your price.
Because ive not encountered this before , subbing, how does that work ?

« **Reply #8 on:** September 05, 2006, 07:46:30 pm »

Pick an area or maybe an industrial estate.

Get smartly dressed and cold call. You will usually get as far as the reception and no further on your first call. Have your business cards and some literature with you about who you are and what you do that you can leave. Explain to the receptionist or whoever you get to talk to that you are looking for business in that area and most importantly of all get the name of the person who MAKES THE DECISION about who gets the work. To save a lot of time ask the receptionist for a company compliment slip and write down the info you gain on the back of it. Follow it up with a phone call to the DECISION MAKER to make an appointment.

Try to make a unique business proposal as your main sales tool. Be different and professional and be prepared for hard knocks but keep at it. Its a numbers game in more ways than one.

« **Reply #9 on:** September 05, 2006, 09:33:21 pm »

Still no takers as to how i price up?

« **Reply #10 on:** September 05, 2006, 09:42:09 pm »

Quote from: riversidewindowcle on September 05, 2006, 09:33:21 pm

Still no takers as to how i price up?

Work out how much per hour you need to charge to make a profit as a business and use that as a guideline. You should know this figure because if you dont you can end up working at a loss.

Bear in mind that for this type of work you can wait up to 90 days plus to get paid so also factor in what effect it will have on your cashflow. Big prestigious accounts can tempt many to go in at very low prices and do a lot of work in terms of hours but thats a fools game. Can you afford to wait for payment and what hourly rate are you prepared to work for will determine how much to quote.

« **Reply #11 on:** September 05, 2006, 09:42:28 pm »

Quote from: riversidewindowcle on September 05, 2006, 09:33:21 pm

Still no takers as to how i price up?

What you need to do is work out how much you need to earn per hour, then times this by how many hours you reckon the job will take you then add about 20%.

When you are doing the quotation find out everything that they want you to do and how often they want you to do this.

The last thing you want is for the goal post to be moved after you have the job.

« **Reply #12 on:** September 05, 2006, 09:51:23 pm »

Use your hourly rate as a basis. How you present the price to the client may vary according to what they are asking. All you have to remember is how long the job will take you. Lets say your hourly rate is 10. (or whatever it is)
4 hour job= £40. Present it however you want now you know it's £40.
ie. 100 panes of glass + 2 sets sliding doors + glazed partition(both sides), including frames & sills = £40
Or whatever it takes to make them realise the extent of the task.

« **Reply #13 on:** September 05, 2006, 09:59:33 pm »

At last some answers, CHEERS!

However, do I work this figure out for my first clean, bearing in mind this will take longer, or the future cleans?

What £s an hour do you reckon for commercial, as my residential hourly rate varies? Should commercial be more than residential?

I will get a rough idea how long they will take when i do the demo! Foresight or what!!!!!!

I hope so

Well, look forward to any other info.

Regards Craig

« **Reply #14 on:** September 05, 2006, 10:07:25 pm »

Work the figure out for your first clean, if you get quicker that will be where you make your bonus!

take your hourly rate average and go in a bit higher, allowing for future months when you won't have the nerve to increase it until you are better established.

« **Reply #15 on:** September 05, 2006, 10:11:32 pm »

Craig

Your hourly rate should what you need to earn each working hour for you to live on and for your business to make a profit and be able to grow.

You should have done a business plan when you first started, to find this figure, what you need to do is list everything that you will spending money on this year including an allowance to cover unexpected things happening. Add all of this together and don't forget the Inland Revenue slice of cake, from this figure you will find out what you operating costs are per working hour, don't forget to make allowances for when you can't work though sickness, holiday and weather.

Then you need to add a profit to this figure, as for charging customers more for 1st cleans, this is nessasary because 1st clleans take more time and time is money to you.

« **Reply #16 on:** September 05, 2006, 10:19:20 pm »

Excellent PJ just the answer I was after!!

Williamx should i really charge extra for first clean?

Hopefully ill price the job right will keep you all posted as to how it goes! Bearing in mind overheads,
I THINK THIS ONE WILL BE A BIG TEST AS TO HOW MUCH I REALLY WANT TO DO WELL!

Got to give the demo next week so ill time the windows in question to give me an idea! They are very big most are approx 6ft accross x 10ft high made up of small windows.

CHEERS ONCE AGAIN!!!!!!

« **Reply #17 on:** September 05, 2006, 10:24:52 pm »

Try to remember: Most of us are inclined to underestimate the time it will take to do the job. So round it up to the next highest figure. You'll be glad to do a good thorough job when you know you have time to spare...even if it's only minutes.

« **Reply #18 on:** September 05, 2006, 10:31:05 pm »

You don't have to charge extra for the first clean, I don't if its a fixed term contract, but remember when you are doing your demo then this going to take longer than say after 3 cleans when you can save time by knowing how to clean this job faster.

« **Reply #19 on:** September 05, 2006, 10:40:20 pm »

OBVIOUSLY EXPERIENCE IS THE KEY AND GETTING MY FIRST CLEAN RIGHT AS A GOOD FOUNDATION.

I BELIEVE THEY WILL REQUIRE A FIXED TERM CONTRACT.

HAS ANYBODY GOT ONE FOR MY PERUSAL WHICH I COULD DOCTOR ACCORDINGLY? IF POSS!!

MANY THANKS!

MY EMAIL IS CRAIG_RIVERSIDE@YAHOO.CO.UK
IF YOU WOULD PREFER TO SEND IT ME!

« **Reply #20 on:** September 06, 2006, 10:57:20 pm »

So, Can anybody help me with a contract please?

« **Reply #21 on:** September 08, 2006, 11:48:23 pm »

What i find works well with pricing largish jobs is to break the job down into sections and look at each section and think this one will take x amount of time and do the rest for the other section.

Add them all up and you will roughly know how long the job will take then times it by your hourly rate.

I also work out per window rate and see what that comes out and usually stick my price in between those two numbers.

Paul

« **Reply #22 on:** September 09, 2006, 01:48:10 am »

Quote from: riversidewindowcle on September 06, 2006, 10:57:20 pm

So, Can anybody help me with a contract please?

Its the commercial customer that gives out the contract, and when that is up then the tender goes back out again, your better off having a on going agreement this way if both of you are happy then it will go on for many years to come, so in short contracts are not worth the paper they are written on

Andy

« **Reply #23 on:** September 09, 2006, 01:59:09 am »

If you wont to cover your self you could set a terms & conditions of doing business with commercial customers, what we do thou is put the quote in the post and at the bottom get them to sign saying they agree for us to processed with the work at the set price and times of visits, if anything did happen and say they didnt pay you and you had to take them to a small claims court, then the judge can see they agreed for you to do the work, which is better than, no agreement in place

Andy

« **Reply #24 on:** September 09, 2006, 11:56:57 am »

Steady on please children, have had to remove a couple of replies from this thread.

Ian

« **Reply #25 on:** September 09, 2006, 12:55:13 pm »

just go and see the potential customer. you could do what i have done and given a free demo of the system at work (dont clean the whole building though

). show them what insurance you have (public liability etc), trying to get over to them that you are a proffesional and WILL provide a very good service.

then put in a reasonable price!

« **Reply #26 on:** September 09, 2006, 06:51:07 pm »

Cheers all!

Hope it works well for me when i see them!