Don’t Sell Cleaning, Do This
What You’ll Learn
- Clarify how the company learns the hours to price the job
- Show how the company will supervise the work
- Prove how inspections catch missed work
Short Summary
Many owners pick another company when the bid feels fuzzy. A clear view of the plan cuts risk for the manager. They want a clear plan for how the building will get cleaned. The company should explain how it figures out labor hours for the price. It should show who will watch the work each visit. It should explain how a checklist is used during site checks. That shows how the team finds tasks that got missed. Before sending a bid, share these points in simple words.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a bid explain besides the price?
The bid should explain the labor hours behind the price. It should explain how the work gets watched and checked.
How much detail should be shared about labor hours?
Share enough detail to show where the hours came from. Keep the words simple.
What does “supervise the work” mean to a building owner?
It means someone will watch the cleaning on site. It also means issues get handled with a clear owner.
Are checklists worth mentioning in the bid?
Yes, a checklist shows how site checks get done. It also shows how missed tasks get found.
Does a calm tone matter during the sales talk?
Yes, a calm tone can lower worry. It can make the company sound sure about the plan.
Transcript
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Well, hi there. Welcome back. Dan again from CleanGuru.
Have you ever noticed that it seems some cleaning contractors just land better buildings, better contracts, better relationships? You might think to yourself it’s probably because they have better salespeople, but very often that’s not it, even though it’s tempting to think that.
Building owners and managers aren’t really looking for confidence and charisma from the salesperson. They’re not looking so much for confidence as they are clarity: clarity from the cleaning contractor as to how they bid the job. Do they understand their building? How are they going to clean it? How long is it going to take to clean it? Clarity about how they’re going to manage it, staff it, train to those hours, and, if anything gets missed, what procedures they have to take care of that. What ways do they have to inspect, checklist, and manage the work? Clarity from how they learned how to price the job with the hours to how to manage the job.
They’re concerned a great deal, not so much with charisma as they are with avoiding and lowering risk. They’re worried. They want to hire a company that they know can take care of this job.
Another big thing they’re looking for, that often isn’t said, is when a cleaning contractor has kind of a calm confidence. They’re not needy or desperate for the job. They come across not desperate. They’re simply explaining, “Sir or madam, here is how we do this kind of project. Here’s how we learn the hours. Here’s how we price it. Here’s how we train it. Here’s how we supervise it. Here’s how we manage it. We take care of other clients like yours.” They may give references and so on.
They have quite a bit of confidence in saying, “We know what we’re doing to do our job properly, and we would like to do it for you. Here are all the specifications that we have about your job: the size of the project, all the duties you want taken care of, and when.” That kind of clarity and calm confidence is what attracts building owners and managers, not so much just a very competent, charismatic salesperson.
Something to keep in mind is: not only how you handle your bidding and how you explain it, but how you handle the actual staffing and training and the work that’s going to be done. All the procedures, from timekeeping and folks showing up on time, to inspecting, and if something gets missed, how you handle it. If that is a clear picture to the building owner, that kind of clarity attracts them a lot more than just a charismatic salesperson.
Till next time, remember: you can do this. You really can.
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