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home | Bidding & Estimating
 

Bidding & Estimating

What can make or break a cleaning company is bidding and estimating correctly. 

Too high of a bid and you are most likely going to lose the job, but too low of a bid and you will not make any profit.  A proper bid depends on the type and size of the building, the services you are asked to provide, and the production rates for your cleaning company. 

The articles in this section will help you learn the many factors that go into preparing that successful cleaning bid - from measuring a building correctly, to knowing what questions to ask the building's owner, to analyzing employee workloads, and much more!

WEBINAR: Estimating Essentials for Residential Cleaning Services
WEBINAR: Estimating Essentials for Residential Cleaning Services Stop Losing Money Due to Inaccurate Cleaning Estimates! Join Sharon Cowan of Cleaning Business Consulting Group and Steve Hanson of MyHouseCleaningBiz.com on August 26th for this 2 hour LIVE WEBINAR. The entire estimating and pricing process has an enormous impact on the success of your cleaning company; especially if you're just getting started. Many new cleaning company owners worry that they'll price too high and not get the client, so the temptation is to price low to ensure they'll win the proposal. When it comes to putting together a price for cleaning a home, are you just grasping at numbers? Read more . . . keep reading
Questions to Ask During the Walk-Through
Steve Hanson
Before submitting a proposal for cleaning a building, you must walk through the building with the prospective client. This offers you not only a chance to do a detailed site inspection, but to ask questions and get to know your prospective client and start building a relationship with that person. . . . keep reading
VIDEO: Common Mistakes People Make When Bidding on Commercial Cleaning
VIDEO: Common Mistakes People Make When Bidding on Commercial Cleaning Have you ever wanted to avoid the same mistakes others have made when bidding on commercial cleaning accounts? In this video Jean and Steve discuss some of the common mistakes they've seen building service contractors make. . . . keep reading
WEBINAR ON CD: Bidding & Estimating Basics for Commercial Cleaning Companies
WEBINAR ON CD: Bidding & Estimating Basics for Commercial Cleaning Companies Did you miss the webinar? No problem - the recording is now available on CD! The entire bidding and estimating process has an enormous impact on the success of your cleaning company, and especially if you're just getting started in the industry. Many new cleaning company owners worry that they'll price to high and not get the account, so the temptation is to price low to ensure they'll win the proposal. This can be a dangerous situation that will quickly become apparent. Winning the proposal for a cleaning contract doesn't necessarily mean that you have to offer the lowest price. This is why you want to do your home work and present the best proposal possible, offering both value to the prospect and profit for your business. . . . keep reading
Reviving Prospects who Disappear into "The Black Hole"
Jill Konrath
Reviving Prospects who Disappear into "The Black Hole" Have you ever had hot prospects who suddenly stopped returning your call? Then you know how disconcerting it can be - especially when they'd expressed so much interest in your product or service only days before. . . . keep reading
Bidding Office Buildings: No Two Are Exactly Alike
Steve Hanson
Almost every day we're asked to help with a bid of one sort or another. Sometimes we're given plenty of detail about the location, while other times we're simply told, "I have to bid on a 15,000 square foot office building that has 4 restrooms and a breakroom. How much shoud I charge?" That doesn't give us much to go on, does it? And then to top it off, people wonder why there is no "cookie-cutter" formula or "going rate" for bidding on cleaning jobs. . . . keep reading
BOOK: Selling Contract Cleaning Services 101
Dick Ollek
BOOK: Selling Contract Cleaning Services 101 If you are new in the Building Services Contracting business or an emerging company wanting to grow and improve, this is the book for you. Dick takes you through who and what you are, to finding the prospects, getting the appointment, securing the walk through, preparing the proposal, and closing the sale. . . . keep reading
AUDIO: How to Create a Bid Proposal - Seminar Recap - 2008 BSCAI Convention
AUDIO: How to Create a Bid Proposal - Seminar Recap - 2008 BSCAI Convention This is a recap of the "How to Create a Bid Proposal" Seminar at the 2008 BSCAI Annual Convention and Trade Show. There is also a written transcription of the audio if you prefer to read about it. . . . keep reading
How to Track Cleaning Jobs on a White Board
Jean Hanson
How to Track Cleaning Jobs on a White Board As you grow your cleaning business, you may find yourself struggling to make sure you're getting everything done that you're supposed to do. This is especially true for cleaning companies who offer various services to their clients - such as window washing, carpet cleaning and ceramic tile cleaning. How do you keep track of who wants what done and when they want it done? . . . keep reading
How Much Time Will it Take to Clean?
How Much Time Will it Take to Clean? This is a question that cleaning business owners ask themselves all the time. After all, how can you know how much to charge if you don't know how long it takes to clean? . . . keep reading
Mobile Pressure Power Wash Price Survey
Robert M. Hinderliter
If you've ever thought about offering pressure washing services, then you need to read this article. Not only does it list prices for a multitude of mobile pressure washing services, but it offers great advice on everything from how to get the job to how to charge for travel time and expense. . . . keep reading
How to do a Site Inspection When Bidding on Cleaning a Building
Steve Hanson
How to do a Site Inspection When Bidding on Cleaning a Building If you want to bid accurately, then you need to do a complete site inspection with the prospective client. You don't want to "wing it" and then discover you under-bid and can't make a profit. You'll also want to see the condition of the building in order to determine what you'll need to charge for the initial cleaning. . . . keep reading
How to Measure a Building for a Cleaning Bid
Steve Hanson
How to Measure a Building for a Cleaning Bid If you're in the commercial cleaning business, then one of the steps necessary in bidding a new account is to measure the building. Sometimes the customer will tell you the total square footage, but this number is not always accurate. Plus, it doesn't break down how many square feet there are per type of floor surface. So how do you measure a building? Read on. . . . keep reading
What to Include in Your Cleaning Bid Packet
Jean Hanson
Putting together a bid packet to present to a prospective client shows that you are a professional in the cleaning business. Many small businesses seeking cleaning services do not know what to expect when receiving a bid, or their experience has been receiving a single page bid, which is not very impressive. When you present a nicely packaged proposal, you've just increased your chances of winning the bid, regardless of price. . . . keep reading
How to Analyze Employee Workloads
Jean Hanson
One of the most important things you need to know is how long it will take to clean a building. Production times will vary depending on the specific building that you are cleaning; however, there are some basic formulas that you can apply to figure out how long and how many employees you will need to clean your clients' buildings. . . . keep reading
How to Develop Production Rates for Your Cleaning Company
Steve Hanson
There are a number of cleaning production rates charts available to cleaning contractors. One such chart is available at TheJanitorialStore.com. They usually list how many minutes it takes to perform a particular task or how many minutes per 1,000 square feet it takes to get the job done. . . . keep reading
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