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Post by logan5127 on Jan 11, 2006 22:16:44 GMT -5
The 10 cinema theater I just did , took three bids to have carpet cleaned. The low bid was $600.00 ; the middle bid was $1400.00 and the high bid was $1500.00. I was the high bid. Its not always about price. In area where I live it seems that clients are starting to look for more quality for their dollar then at how to save a buck. I have been told that usually out of three bids it usually goes to middle bid. But in last year I got several even though I was high bid. Maybe this is a good sign for the future of our professions if we do our best to be the best and present our companies images to show that we are indeed Professionals in our field.
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Post by russo on Jan 12, 2006 3:49:37 GMT -5
i so agree w/ you dan. i am such a perfectionist when it come to janitorial work. the kind of people i deal with only want top quality work done. this is everything from regular cleaning to floor care. well, at least 90% of my business i higher end customers. the other 10% want a cheap deal and i hook them up for a good price. the best thing in the world to me is a vct floor that looks great. a lot of people can refinish a floor but it takes a real pro to get the job done perfect. i want to be able to look into a glass like reflection EVERY TIME! that means getting your doodle bug on every part of every wall. that means actually having clean water and changing the water FREQUENTLY! that means going through the PROCESS enough times to get all the wax up and putting enough coats of finish on to make the floor STAND OUT!
CHEERS TO ALL THE PROS IN HERE!!
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Post by Kevin on Jan 12, 2006 8:38:40 GMT -5
I agree 100% I think seasoned pro`s doing enough estimates will also ananlyze the area they are going to be working in, and the service they provide on the bid, Along with the bid also, analyzing the company or person they are working for. We all know when we enter a building if the company uses the cheapest of fixtures and surroundings. Or if there office for example is just cheap looking compared to an office that is state of the art. Something I personally like to look for is landscaping and surroundings of the exterior of the building or. Do they use the most out of the surroundings and property they have. I believe when your giving bids, you need to get over that nervousness of actually giving the bid and talk to the person on an equal fair level. Expressing to them what services and professionalism are expected with your company. To get this back on subject though, What about your company offering three bids? example You offer a basic, silver and gold package. You can write them three bids that explain different level of services. Of course the basic is the bare bones cheapest of price, while the gold has all the ammenities. I have never done this but have been thinking about it for a while. Then when it comes down to negotiation for example they are deliberating between your companies basic plan and another companies plan, you can add some services from the silver package to clinch the deal. Hmmm... what do you think?
Now with this in mind, you are never the low bid or the high bid. A building manager looking through proposals example company A the low bidder, and your company. Sees you offer a rate similiar to the low baller, but you also offer a more thourogh service example carpet cleaning, paper supplies window washing included. (things included that were not named in the walk-thru)
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Post by logan5127 on Jan 12, 2006 8:48:07 GMT -5
I think that is a great idea. I know sometimes when you get a spec sheet to bid by, it is not always in concrete. Last month I bid on a medical building. They said I had to furnish everything, cleaner,hand towels, tissue, soap,
trash bags, disinfectant cleaners, so on. I bid it that way. Another company came in and said they could do it a lot cheaper with out furnishing supplies and they went with his bid. They never even offered to let me bid it that way. It was not broke down on my bid either. Looking back I should have gave them two bids. He also told them instead of buffing every week he would buff every two weeks. I know all this because I went and had a friendly lunch with the guy who got the bid and just had some conversation with him.
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Post by Grizzly on Jan 12, 2006 21:21:31 GMT -5
We haven't ever presented bids that way either, a novel idea. We have and usually do bid according to their specifications and then include in the proposal recommendations for additonal service that we think is required and/or areas where we think the client could save some money. This practice has closed a couple of deals as the client appreciated we were thinking of his well being as well as our own.
Bill
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Post by Suzanne @ Cleaning Diva on Jan 15, 2006 10:28:42 GMT -5
Last week I bid on a one time project by breaking it in three categories. A Massive Clean, Regular Clean and a Mini Clean. The home was quite large, in excellent condition and the owner appeared to be concerned about the costs. I knew it would take 2 people a minimum of two; six hour days and quoted $650.00 + tax for the Massive and $140.00 for the Regular on a bi-weekly basis. Guess what? We got the job and a new happy customer. You don't have to be the cheapest..........but you have to do an awesome job to satisfy the discerned customer. (For example, on Day 2 they pointed out one cobweb in a room. Go figure!)
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Post by Kevin on Jan 15, 2006 10:34:35 GMT -5
Spiders can weave webs faster in Canada I hear,  Welcome to the board. I think also that if your service is great and your presentation and proposal are top notch. You really can command a higher price. As long as it is not a ridiculous number, but 10-20% more than the other company. I really like the idea of multiple proposals per bid. Gives the customer options almost like the (Super Size). |
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Post by jdinstl on Jan 16, 2006 4:19:48 GMT -5
Hmmm....I'm glad to see this mentioned...I'm finding myself "chunking" some proposals in deference to pricing concerns -- like base-service X amount of dollars, then if the customer desires, extra "a la carte" items can be added to regular service -- or done on a one-time basis as needed, for a few dollars more than if they had included it in the service. I did several holiday party prep cleans, and have had a few call backs for "would you mind doing <service> after all?" (Usually cleaning the mini-blinds and ceiling fans -- or the stove!)
Cheers!
John
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Welcome to the board. I think also that if your service is great and your presentation and proposal are top notch. You really can command a higher price. As long as it is not a ridiculous number, but 10-20% more than the other company. I really like the idea of multiple proposals per bid. Gives the customer options almost like the (Super Size).