Tailoring Your Bid To The Customer

I have been contacted by several individuals who either want to start a cleaning service or have one or two small accounts and want to grow. In Question 3, we offered Mrs. Jones to take on the contract, same terms, price and conditions for a limited period to time usually from 30 to 90 days so that you can give her an opportunity to evaluate your service without any major commitments. 

Of course, the benefits to you are obvious. You have not had to bid on the contract and should be able to determine within a relatively short period of time if it is feasible based on the terms and payment. The prospect may respond that she does not have a real set of specifications which is OK. You can assist with determining what would be the correct tasks and frequencies for services based on a short interview related to what work is currently being provided. If you have done your homework, you will have a sample task/frequency form to share with them and when practical, ask them to check off the tasks such as pulling trash, vacuuming, etc. that is currently being provided. 

Once you have outlined the tasks/frequencies, you then ask how much they are paying per week/month for these services. Again, if you have established a rapport with the prospect, he/she should be willing to discuss their current budget limits with you. The ideal would be for them to share the current contract in place and you then can assist them with determining if the specifications actually meet their needs. Although this approach will not work every time, if you are persistent, you can learn about the market and also some of the forms they utilize. Either way it will be a great learning experience. 

Contract development is a totally different series of articles. 

Your comments and questions are important. I hope to hear from you soon. Until then, keep it clean…

Mickey Crowe has been involved in the industry for over 35 years. He is a trainer, speaker and consultant. You can reach Mickey at 678-314-2171 or CTCG50@comcast.net.