Once you’ve figured out who is respinsible for the maintenance of a property, how do you initially approach them? Do you only offer a bid, offer to clean their windows, or both? How do you suggest that they be put on your route? How do you ask them about frequency of service? The idea I have for my bid forms is too include multiple price options for different service options (I.e. $$/weekly, $$/biweekly, $$/monthly). Is this a common practice, or how do yoy sell frequency?
I guess what I’m getting at is…(Would you like your windows cleaned today?" or “Would you like an estimate to have your windows cleaned?”)
Does anyone adjust their prices according to frequency? Say a customer only wants once a month, do you charge more than if they were weekly?
Any help is appreciated and I’m sure theres more ?s to come.
I go in, write an estimate and if they want it done, I’ll do it right then. I try to clean them as soon as I can and get them in the system. If it’s a bigger job, I’ll schedule for the next day or later in the week. If it’s a hotel or big commercial, then we’ll schedule it for the future.
If I had a salesman, I’d expect him to know the routes so he could tell them exactly when we’ll be in the area cleaning. “We’ll be here next week, would tuesday or wednesday work for you?”
I don’t really do multiple price options, not for storefront. I usually give them an in/out price and an out/only price. Then depending on the business, I’ll suggest a frequency.
Restaurants, I’ll write “Every week or two.” Normal store front “every 2 or 4 weeks.” Commercial “every 4 or 8 weeks.” Projects “every 8 or 12 weeks.”
By giving them a frequency and price option, it lets them determine what their budget is and how often it’s needed. I do sometimes explain to them what similar businesses are doing.
I don’t really change my prices based on frequency but I make it clear that the price I’m giving them is valid for up to 4 week frequency, it’s about maintenance. If it’s a normal storefront and they only want it done once a quarter or “I’ll call you when I need it,” I might raise the price (50% more or double it) because it’s going to be a first clean every single time I go. Under a normal frequency, the first clean difficulty is made up on the maintenance.
For me the sweet spot is every 2 weeks. A weekly clean is nice money, but be careful how many of them you take on. You can find yourself roped into a handful of weekly’s with no room for residential.
But if the customer is interested and they have the authority to make the decision: ask for the sale. “Humm, that price looks good.” So, “When would you like to get started? I can do it right now and get everything looking good for your customers.”
If they say “I’ll have to think about it.” then you need to ask them if there is anything else that needs to be explained.
