34. 5 Tips to Improve Your Bidding on Commercial Cleaning Contracts
They increased my conversion rate to 25%
When you run a commercial cleaning business, bidding for new contracts is one of the most important aspects for growing the business.
After doing the hard work to find your ideal client and turn them into an opportunity, you want to nail the bidding process to win their business.
I ran my cleaning business for over 8 years and bidding was one of the most challenging aspects.
During that time, I bid on over 250 contracts and converted around 25% of them.
Every contract that I bid on helped me prepare for the next one.
Agenda
Read the Contract, Specifications and RFP
Carry out a site visit
Listen to the client
Price the Bid Accurately
Respond to specifications and offer additional options
1. Read the Contract, Specifications and RFP
If a client gives you their contract, written specifications or a request for proposal, read them carefully.
Doing this will help you decide whether the job is worth bidding for.
For smaller contracts, clients are less likely to have things prepared for you. Some clients don’t have a contract at all.
However, bigger businesses will have detailed documentation and requirements to bid for their contracts.
Make sure you review everything in detail and take notes for your site visit.
Highlight any concerns and make a list of questions you want to ask for clarification.
You don’t want to miss any important elements or ignore aspects of the bid that might be out of reach for your cleaning business.
Every aspect of the job needs to be considered in order to price it correctly.
2. Carry out a site visit
Never assume the information you receive from a client is 100% accurate.
Always carry out a site visit and collect the information necessary to carry out the clean.
Ask questions, verify information and take inventory of the site by taking pictures and recording videos.
Note any specific problems, areas or requirements and ask the client how they need to be handled in the contract and when your service starts.
Point out items that are included as part of the regular service and items that are extras.
Look for opportunities to upsell additional services during the bidding process like regular deep cleans, high level cleaning or janitorial supplies.
It’s your responsibility to know the job before bidding. Going back later to ask the client for more money because you didn’t scope out the works properly makes you look incompetent and can sour the business relationship.
Make a note of how you plan to staff the contract, what products and equipment they will need to clean and there’s a janitors cupboard for storage. You don’t want to have to go back to the site repeatedly to collect this additional information.
A site visit takes time and is the perfect opportunity for you to make a good first impression. You’re able to show how professional you are and the level of service your going to provide.
The aim of a site visit is to help you bid accurately and to find out what the client’s expectations are for the clean.
You want to know all this before you submit you bid.
3. Listen to the client
During the site visit, ask questions, listen and take notes.
Show that you’re interested in what the client is saying and start to build rapport.
Asking questions helps you to focus on their main concerns and problem areas.
When I started my cleaning business, I used to run into problems with bids because I didn’t pay attention to the small details that turned into big issues. That’s why listening and taking notes is an important part of the site visit.
Getting all the facts about the clean will help you bid accurately, make a profit and perform according to your client’s expectations.
4. Price the bid accurately
Clients ask you to bid so they can find a supplier who is the right fit in terms or price, value and service.
That’s why pricing is important.
Calculate your prices as accurately as possible.
Don’t overcharge to boost your profits. Don’t undercharge either, because prices significantly lower than your competition will look odd.
Triple check your work. Errors are costly and look unprofessional. They can also cost you new business.
Aside from pricing, the key to a good bid is to demonstrate value.
Show the client new ways to carry out work and identify areas where quality will improve.
Things like improving efficiency, introducing specific procedures and using energy saving equipment are all value adds.
5. Respond to Specifications, Offer Additional Options
Don’t just give clients what they ask for.
Go a step further by offering additional options help save time or money and make your bid more attractive.
Not only does this make your bid more competitive, it also puts you in a better negotiating position.
Options to consider include:
Reducing or increasing the scope of works
Changing the frequency of certain tasks
Recommending new products, equipment and procedures
Introducing a regular deep cleaning program
Implementing an automated stock ordering schedule
Bidding for cleaning contracts is an important aspect of growing your commercial cleaning business.
To submit a bid that you are happy with, you need to know what you are bidding, price it correctly and be flexible.
The best way to succeed is by learning and being prepared.
Content to check out
In this week’s episode of The Growth Lab podcast, I have a chat with Ilze Whiteman about the importance of customer service for your cleaning business. Listen here.
Prefer watching over listening? Check out The Growth Lab podcast on YouTube.
Thanks for reading!
Matt @ The Growth Lab
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