[pete41]

Just been asked to supply my first commercial estimate for office carpet cleaning totalling 804 sqyds !!! client will only accept quotes over the phone then invite carpet cleaners into office to do a proper survey and estimate. i did exlain that it is very difficult to price a job without seeing it first... any advice chaps on prices as i dont want to be to cheap or to dear using a porty and hot water extraction process.

[Liahona]

You need to explain that you need to see the "job" before you can quote.  If they are not interested in you seeing it before hand then I would give it a miss.

Without seeing it you will under price it and then when you get to see it you wouldnt be able to up the over the phone price.

Other than that as it is about 800 yards you could try for £3 a yard. 

I would want twice that but thats just me. 

Again though, by the sounds of it they will only want to pay a few hundred pounds and the job is worth way more.  Even if it is empty, best, Dave.

[pete41]

thanks dave ! custy said he would ring me back

[calmore]

You could submit a range of prices...

Say something like: "£3 per square yard (Or whatever) would be the MAXIMUM we'd charge for a really dirty carpet. However, you'll probably pay far less. Our prices go as low as £1 per square yard, depending on how dirty the carpet is...etc"

That way, you are tempting the customer with the prospect of really low prices but aren't committing yourself to a fixed price.  

You are also making it sound like you put work into making your prices as low as possible.

As an aside, shouldn't we all be quoting in metric these days?  EU laws and what have you?

[pete41]

many thanks for the realistic advice

[Cloverleaf]

many commercial customers are after price only and not interested in quality! thats why they don't want you to come and see it

I recently put a quote in for a few offices @ £185. Custy rang back and said how many sq feet was it?
I know that she was probably trying to get quotes over the phone from more companys after I had been to survey and quote.
I was in no way going to give her the sq footage after spending traveling and time, just to hand the job to another company  :
Happens all the time.
John

[Shaun_Ashmore]

The things is that they don't think anything about what you have done and what you offer and cheapening it, the person on the other end of the phone thinks she is comparing buying paper clips, thinking that she can compare like for like.

Cheap is cheap for a reason when you start looking at sevices ond the way we work it is not like buying a product.

Shaun

[Mr Dvae]

not saying anything but u lot arer GREEDY!

[David_Annable]

Hi

In my opinion people like this are wasing your time & need to be told.

Dave

If it looks like a duck & quacks like a duck, it is a Duck.

[Phil Marlor]

Agree with Dave, how can you quote on a big area like this without seeing it, I would probably give it a miss.

Wouldn't fancy using a portable for an area that big anyway, with office carpet it is usually better to use a bonnet machine.

Phil

[calmore]

I recently put a quote in for a few offices @ £185. Custy rang back and said how many sq feet was it?
I know that she was probably trying to get quotes over the phone from more companys after I had been to survey and quote.

Double the number of sq feet and quote that!