hi ther neil
i do lot of schools as well , when quoteing
the first thing i do is give a free demo befor talking about price at all
leave that till the last, then i measure up the areas to be cleaned
care taker is usealy with you at this preiod so ask them about any problem
areas that they may have give good sound advice. If you know about hard
floor cleaning talk a little about that as well main thing here is sell your self
it gose a long way (people like working with people they like and trust)
if you have done a good demo and sold your service well, plus got on well with the care taker price is the last hurdle to over come.
once i have got all my measurments. i will then go home
and type up my proposal. hand deliver the next day talk about price then
and always presume that they will be getting you to do the job
you can include in your proposal things like insrance, work garantees, you will be there when you say you will be. you will finish the job befor going any were else. safty data sheets on chemecal to be used training certifacates this may sound like simple things but it will go a long way to build trust and credabuilty in your self and service when you get the job buy extra chewing gum remover.
hope his helps
davy