[martin19842]

hi there,

this is an observation that i have made time after time after time with this site.

on countless occassions a post will appear,

along the lines of

just going to quote XX job, what will it involve me cleaning , furniture, vents , carpets etc.

well whenever i have been selling, and lets not fool around here when you are quoting you are selling.  THe golden rule--- establish the client requirements.

what does the client want you to clean, ask the question.

cause if you dont somebody else will !!!!

you must give yourself as much chance as pssible of winning the business.

you must understand what you are quoting to clean, let the client tell you the areas to be cleaned.  cause then you give yourself the chance to deliver a like for like quote, against any competitors quoting.

Better still, the client may already have a cleaning specification, if they have a copy ask tkem for a copy, they will give you a copy.

why do you want a copy??? to quote competitively.

the other big thing is

posts that read

what should i charge

well you and only you know your labour costs, and your material costs, and then your overheads, and ultimately the profit line that you want to achieve.  By using all of that information will determine the charging level that you need to be at.

its no good charging the same price as xk ckeaning down the road, if your operation doesnt resemble their operation.

it all boils down to developing a level of selling skills.  whenever you go and buy something, irrespective of what it is, you will experieince a level of selling from the supplier you are buying from.  Watch those people and very soon, you'll start to analyse the way you are sold to, some good some very very bad.

Its just the offering of an opinion.

But in running your business however large or small, the SELLING operation is one of the most IMPORTANT aspects of your business.

NO SALES no CUSTOMERS, no BUSINESS.

regards

martin

[dustdees]

Well said!!!!!! 

Someone at last has posted a topic that makes sense!!!!

Buy that man a drink!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


<a href="http://" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://</a>

[Cinders]

Very good advice, and as someone new in the business Im going to take that on board.

I had my first client on tuesday (domestic clean) and its true....hindsight is a wonderful thing!

I was there for 2 1/2 hours and only managed to clean the upstairs of her house (4 beds, internal windows...plus trying very hard as it was my first job!) and luckily rather than the fortnightly clean the client wanted she has asked me back next week to do the downstairs!

I just wish I had said 'what do you want doing in the 2 1/2 hrs rather than dissapointinly not finishing the whole house which is what I expected.

So...next week I will do a full clean of the downstairs and from then on ask what she would like me to do in the 2 1/2 hrs I am there!


Thanks for advice again

 

[mpajek]

That is a good point Martin 

You have to sell what the customer wants.

But there is also other side of the story....

When you are new to the business, you know nothing about it.
So this kind of questions could give you some guidance, something to start from.

Of course it wouldn't be smart to do everything exactly as posted, you have to always adjust the advice to your situation.

I've read many posts like this before and I found them very helpful, they can give a big picture of the industry.

A newbie like me, has to start from somewhere.

[Tim Downer]

Must admit that i have never asked the customer what they want cleaned!

I always know what should be cleaned, after a walk around the clients premises with my note pad and making notes of what needs to be cleaned, and making note of areas not being cleaned by the current cleaning  - but this is all down to the experience of working in the industry for a few years......and from the gleamings and ideas from people such as are on this forum.

The complete cleaning package for that particular client / office is what you should be selling, and explain the cleaning specification to the client........ as in most cases the client knows nothing about the cleaning in detail like we do.

Take for example one of my clients. They had a 3 day a week service (which was c*#p). If i had asked them what they were after, they would have said a 3 day a week service please........such as what they were used to by the previous cleaning contractor!!

However, i managed to sell them a 5 day a week cleaning service, after talking to them about their previous service, compared to the one i was selling them. Managed to sell it to them, and they have never looked back since.

We have to, as i have said many times before......educate the clients/customers as to the service levels we can provide for them......at a price that reflects that service.

I will agree with Martin on the No Sales, No Customers, No Business......but as regards asking the potential client what they would like cleaning...........who are the professionals who should know what needs cleaning??

Why should you offer a like for like service........when, as in my example above, you can offer a better service for like!! Oh, and i always ask for the cleaning spec too......as they are always happy to oblige. However, it does look good to expand on their cleaning spec with your own one. 

Regards

Tim

[Benchmark Hygiene]

Must say as a newcomer to this site these were my first thoughts.

Also how can you provide a service if you don;t know what service you are there to provide?

And surely you need experience to do a good job and bulid up a good clientelle base..like some questions i have seen you cannot just look at a piece of ducting and get out a cloth...... ior ask other people how to do something or how to quote.

Surely if you do not know these things you shouldn't be doing that service! I do not want to cause offence......but it's not proffessional and just enlightens how many cowboys clients are actually faced with!

[mpajek]

I can't agree with that,

People ask questions because they want to provide better and more proffesional service. (maybe not all of them )

General cleaning has its secrets that newbies don't know, but compared to carpet or deep kitchen cleaning its an easy job that doesn't require that much experience.

Most ot the tasks preformed, everyone has done at home thousand times.

So I think its a bit not fair saying that people who want to start the business shouldn't do it.

PS I hope everyone understands that I'm not saying experience is not important, I just think with general cleaning you are able to provide quality service even when you are new to the industry ( at least that what I'm gonna do  )

cheers

Martin





 

[Benchmark Hygiene]

No i see what you are saying in that respect!

However the amount of questions i have seen asking how to do this and that - that are more specialised is a little worrying! And clients we've had saying office cleaners trying to do anythign other than that just because it 'can't be hard' generally ruin the good name for people who are experienced and specialise in that area..iyswim!

General Cleaning however..i see that exactly ...........

[Tim Downer]

I have had a long day, and am very tired and thought i would sign on before retiring......i mean going to bed!! But i didn't really understand the last couple of comments......so apologise if getting the wrong end of the stick.

But i though the idea of this site was for those who are starting up their own cleaning business, and need somewhere to sound off ideas, ask questions, find things out and to pass on your experience to others?

Martin from mpajek said a very valid point: People ask questions because they want to provide better and more professional service.....

If someone is a general cleaner and the customer asks if they could look into cleaning the ducting....or to clean the carpets, ......or to steam their kitchens......or whatever, i think there is no reason to ask the questions......because those of us who do those jobs can give that person a lot of encouragement, helpful advise etc etc.......or suggest they leave this particular job to those who know what they are doing!!

And besides, Cowboys do not ask the right questions.....they just go ahead and do the work without asking the pro!!

Regards

Tim

     .......and goodnight! 

[Ali_D]

Hi

Every single person on this forum had no experience of cleaning at some stage in their life.  As they say, you learn something new everyday.  Just because you learnt something yesterday doesn't mean you can do the job any worse than someone who's been doing it for 20 years.  But that's just my humble, inexperienced  () opinion.

[Benchmark Hygiene]

Nope, i do agree with you!

People have to gain experience from somewhere, but also should be aware of problems that can occur! A service such as duct cleaning is pretty specialist and even people who have years of experience come across major problems. This is also (or is soon to be) monitored by the fire brigade so can be a pretty dodgy area to 'set up'.

I think it's fab people can come on here and get info - sound off etc! No-one gets anywhere without asking. But it's fine saying it's easy mate, it's like this and this - when that's not always correct!

And i think it's great that people are realising they could probably do what the so called 'big boys' do and charge the earth for!

Don't want to come across as all bullish - but at the end of the day, not everything is as easy as it appears to be. Yes everything has it's risks - and there are many things we wouldn't try or give our time of day too in our business!
 

It's fab there is a site where you can get tips and advice though......

[martin19842]

hi there

well i went away for the weekend, and provoke d healthy debate GREAT.

one scenario that a lot of people seem to miss is

where your  prospect client already has a cleaning supplier, you have to quote like for like as a STARTING point to illustrate the competitiveness, of your company

then offer your alternative, ie the client is cleaned 5 days a week, the current supplier, wipes the desks every day, in reality they may only need wiping 3 days a week.

another point

ask the customer " how are the current cleaners doing?"  then when they tell you that the toilets are a concern, you can focus on that when you tour the building.

either to your advantage if the toilets are filthy, or as a marker point of the client  standards if they are indeed CLEAN,  maybe worth marking the quote up, if the client may be a FUSSY one.

another point,

demonstrate to the client, that over time they would make a saving financially if they purchased a dishwasher rahther than washing up by hand

also d/.washer delivers cleaner cups, and you save time by not having to wash up, but you still charge a smaller rate to load or unload the dishwasher.

regards

martin

[Benchmark Hygiene]

Exactly Martin!

And for instance you may be looking at something another firm does - but isn't really a 'specialist' service of yours - -you in some respects need to know how in depth there service already is.

Ie cleaning toilets - they could be having a clean similar to a general toilet clean you would do at home - or a full washroom hygiene service which you don't really offer.


All in all you know what you offer - and you need to know what the client expects.

[Marigold]

Selling is all about benefits.  We're selling a product or service sure,  but the client needs to know what the benefits are to them.  If they have a cleaner already who is doing a bad job, the client will probably home in on all the things that he/she is unhappy with, then you sell the benefits of them hiring your company as opposed to the other one.  Also I don't sell on cost.  Anyone can do cheap, but not everyone does quality.  if a clients wants the best they may have to pay a bit more for it, but the benefit is...they'll be happy and satisfied in the long run!

[martin19842]

hi there

unfortunately most clients have a budget for the cleaning, facilities maintenance, and irrespective of being offered a rolls  royce service, they not be able to run to that.

we are in a world, where price and service are in a delicate balance

regards
martin