How would you go about submitting a proposal to a company with say 20 (arbitrary number) locations on a local level that make they’re per store contrator decisions from one centralized local corporate office? Some locations being in another city about an hour away that I am not traveling to, so therefore I would be subbing those locations out to another window cleaning company. It seems like it would be such a pain in the ass to drive to every store location to count the windows. There has to be an easier way?
How would I bid on this type proposal? ((I know, take into consideration drive time, and price per window (based on a per hour basis) for the part of the job I personally will handle)) But what about the bid part that the other window cleaner(s) will be handling for me? What kind of professional proposal structure would I, could I, use to convince the facilities manager to go with my proposal/bid, as the main company to go with, versus the current one?
Look at each location. Use bing.com and the birds eye view if you don’t want to drive there. Get an idea on how much you want for each location. For the ones you will be subbing, make sure that price is suitable to pay a local window cleaner a fair amount plus a little on top of that for your trouble, like invoicing or paperwork.
You don’t have to go into to many details unless they ask. If they’re only looking for a price to have their windows cleaned, give them that price. They don’t have to know it won’t actually be YOU cleaning them. If they ask, be honest though. Be ready to stand behind that window cleaners work and guarantee it.
Ill tell you the easier way Leo. Go the residential route, and put the commercial stuff on the back burner. With all the efforts your putting into commercial you probably would have made some good money on residential already. Obviously its the money your after right? Commercial is tough man, there are too many hacks and lowballers with crews that will underbid you in a heartbeat. Commercial is a tough nut to crack. Good luck.
If I tell you who’s account I may be taking away soon, you guys would be proud. I’m not swimming in that pond to tell you though. But granted, I have to drop my price lower than I care to go. But I can do that. Because I am the new guy.
I thought you were crazy after the first couple of posts you made. You’re in your own little world dude.
If I tell you who’s account I may be taking away soon, you guys would be proud. I’m not swimming in that pond to tell you though. But granted, I have to drop my price lower than I care to go. But I can do that. Because I am the new guy.
Yeah you’re the new guy all right. You’re pretty confident (cocky) for a new guy with zero experience. Good luck with that.
“God, I completely wasted brain power in this topic”
Uh… That hurts dude. I did f up I think. I ment to send that last post to the DINOSAURS WILL DIE post, not micahs post. I’ve been drinking some. Sorry. I’m signing off for the night. Time to actually get the f outta here. Ciao.
Because I will be better. And I will guarantee that. There were several f ups when I reviewed the clients windows. And multiple windows missed. I will be the better service. Even with no experience. And my price is actually in line from what I can tell in my community. Don’t know about yours.
I don’t know what establishment your are looking at locally here in the Dallas area, but there is one (a sit down/fast food style restaurant) that a few locals were going after a few years back. One company would get it, have it for sometime then someone else would get it. It sounded like a good thing because it was many many locations from Dallas to Fort Worth. The pay out was not pennies, not even peanuts, but more like the shells from those peanuts. If you do not have some sort of established commercial route in those areas where these places area it will not be that profitable (peanut shells). Meaning if you are driving from the one location to the next 20-30 or more minutes away, you will come out not making so much.
You may be better even with no experience, but you are going to have to spend the time to do it. The problem is that you are going to want to make money. Experienced window cleaners are able to do a good job in a short time. They will get a lot more done than you will If you spend too much time driving and too much time doing the windows, you are not going to make much money. Commercial accounts are competitive. There will be people soliciting your work just as you did theirs.
If he dumps his old service to save money with your service, it is likely he will also dump you when the next “new guy” offers him a lower price and better service than you offer. He may even decide to have his employees do the job.
Also if you subcontract the jobs out, you are likely to have a problem getting the work done right. They may do it, or they may not. They will want to be paid for their work in a timely manner. No credit allowed. If you don’t pay, they don’t work, so you will need the customer to pay you in a timely manner or you will have a problem with that. You may have to put out your own money before you are paid.
Leo,
I think in about 6 more months you’ll be able to write a book entitled “The Window Cleaner’s Bible”.
So far all I’ve seen in your posts is that you own Quick Books and a 12’ ettore pole. Maybe I missed a squeegee or mop somewhere. Like so many others have suggested, why don’t you just get some practice on your place or a friends. Or if you’re intrepid enough to consider some of these pretty large jobs you’ve mentioned, go for a house that doesn’t require any big ladders, just to get a feel for it. If you’ve passed the inquiry stage, my apologies. But you’ll never make money until you get paid guy!
From the been there done that department. Multiple gigs from one source most always means you lose $$$ mulitple times. The time to get there, do it, get out, on to the next one, invoice, payroll etc… Then the company hires a new district manager that is going to SAVE the COMPANY 3.5% by cutting costs in ALL areas of their expenditures and now that you have the jobs all dialed in and built some accounts in each area of their stores and boom-lada-bing. You are notified that you HAVE to reduce your prices or your out!
Count the costs and really think about what direction you want to take your biz. My employees wanted a paycheck but not interested in doing the work. Fired them all, got rid of the stress and the headaches. Went with residential and never looked back. Doubled my income and can take days off easier than doing route work.
The down side to 1 man show or with 1 employee. The day you don’t work is a day you don’t get paid.
True…or the new manager has a brother in law that wants to go into the lucrative window cleaning business where everyone is rich. Meanwhile you have built up some business around the multiple locations. When you are dumped, those jobs are usually not worth driving for, so you have lost a big chunk.
That Bing program is really neat. But it doesn’t get up close enough to those storefronts to be able to tell anything. So I guess I’d have to drive to every location is what you are telling me.
As far as the subbing: Do you think I could put an ad on Craigslist looking for persons with window cleaning experience to work part time in a specified area, give them the store locations, and schedule to be there, and then have them fill out a time sheet along with having to get the managers signature each time they do a store, then fax it to me? Of course I would interview them, and have them show me what they can do on actual windows. And convey my need for them to be very detail oriented, and that there cannot be any corners cut, and that I will be performing spot checks periodically. ********** Or… Maybe take a few bids from established WC comps, and go with the lowest, also doing the time sheet, and mgr signature part as well?
Do you think an extra 15% or 20% per subbed location is enough profit for me to add on top of what I’m paying out, to be included in “my” bid to corporate for all the stores that I’m not doing myself?
I will segway into residential eventually. But I pass so many stores on the way to my other job each day, that it seems easier for me to get started in this way. I have a bunch of managers to follow up with next week, so hopfully something good will happen, and I can get started with my new career. If I was devoting 100% of my time to this, I would already have WC jobs by now. And that day is right around the corner. But up until now, I’ve just been slightly affraid to cut my ties with what I’m doing now. Though I do have enough money not to make a dime for over 6 months, so I think I am over worrying. Because as you can tell, I have a good amount of confidence with what I believe can happen for me with this window cleaning thing. As long as I know I have money coming in from the storefronts, and am doing this full time, then I will take the next step into trying to secure residential accounts. I need to get myself a website of some sort. Get listed on numerous sites that promote WC’ers, and work on putting together a brochure, and a comm and res flyer.
I will not take a job like that. It has to make sense when you put everything together. Yes, getting such an account seems attractive. But if the numbers don’t work. I don’t plan on spreading myself that thin for peanuts (or less). But I have to try and see what the reality is for myself. And see if there is a solution to certain problems of acquiring such an account. That’s where I’m at now. And I may not get into the bigger chain store game for a little while, or maybe never. I’m just checking it all out. Have to see what works, while formulating my short term, and long term goals.
I never said I haven’t practiced on mine and my friends windows yet.
Oh, and you forgot the new Chevy Suburban I just bought, so I don’t look like a shlock driving around in the older more beat up car I got rid of. The $350 roof racks I’ll need once I get my 28’ ladder, and lets not forget the 30’ pole, all of which I will buy at moments notice once I get the job I need them for. And I have all the squeegees and scrapers, and so on, and so forth, to get started right now.
And if I come, the money will be there. And eventually they will be giving it to me. So yes, you are right. Thanks for writing, and please keep it up.
