Anyone have a good retention plan for property managers and commercial accounts?

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Lyon
Had some good accounts, once property manager get replaced, we Always lose the account, and rarely get it back, same with commercial accounts.

The new manager, thinks they are helping the company, by firing the good vendors and replacing them with Cheaper venders.
 

Tony Neville

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What are you currently doing to be protective of your accounts?

I would say it's a relationship. We love it when "our" maintenance, managers, and Bookkeepers move around to new properties. It gives us a new opportunity.

We try to build a relationship with everyone on staff at all the properties. We try to make it so even the guys who are working, just as temporary help during a busy stretch, will call us.
 

BIG WOOD

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Have you thought about offering the Management another Free Demo to any new managers that come in? Show that offer before they hire someone in the company, so they know to expect it whenever they hire someone new in the company that has the authority to drop you. They need to be aware that you do more than the average rug sucker who's in and out in 30min with their $50/2 bedroom offer. I hope you're not pricing apartments that low
 
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FB7777

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Other than Cu, the mighty drunken leprechaun, I've never heard someone boast of a successful business model built around property management accounts


Almost every clueless cleaner cuts their teeth on these low hanging fruit trees and complains when they discover the fruit is rotten

They is tons of commercial repeat work out there, why deal and cater to 20 something portfolio managers that are trying to save their boss 5% on every vendors back?

That job btw is equally transitional... all day long they deal with lousy tenants and complains... of course they're going push their frustration downwind

I know there are good ones out there, I had one for 15 years before the owner sold out to a larger company and expected me to take a 40% haircut on my pricing structure

But eventually most go cheaper
 

Jim Pemberton

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We had a guy in my area who was, for a while, the biggest dog on the block in that field.

This was his system...scam...:

He had an unbelievably low rate for cleaning, but very high charges for red stains and pet odors. So his system was pretty simple: Every job had pet odors and red stains. If a manager inspected first and made it clear that there were not pet odors or red stains, his operators would go in, spray the carpet with water and a little deodorizers, rake it in and leave.

He finally went out of business, but not until having created a belief that work could be done that cheap, and that they guys who did it were crooks anyway.
 
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Cleanworks

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Some of my best customers are property managers. We never discount our prices for them. One has been with me for 30 years. Why? I show up on time, pick up and drop off the keys, get the job done properly so that it is ready to rent out to the next person. Solve difficult (to them) problems. The property managers that I deal with are not concerned with saving a buck, they are more concerned with getting the job done right. We have a very tight rental market here with very low vacancy rates.
 
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BIG WOOD

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We had a guy in my area who was, for a while, the biggest dog on the block in that field.

This was his system...scam...:

He had an unbelievably low rate for cleaning, but very high charges for red stains and pet odors. So his system was pretty simple: Every job had pet odors and red stains. If a manager inspected first and made it clear that there were not pet odors or red stains, his operators would go in, spray the carpet with water and a little deodorizers, rake it in and leave.

He finally went out of business, but not until having created a belief that work could be done that cheap, and that they guys who did it were crooks anyway.
I’m currently waiting for one of the idiots at this complex to open the door. These people weren’t happy with my prices last year because I’m $45higher than their last guy who was ruining the carpet with overwetting

I think I’m gonna have to restructure my prices similar to your example, only I’ll be doing real hwe instead of sprayband leave.

Instead of my normal price including prevac, agitate, and red treatment...I’m gonna make those an added charge and start $50cheaper and hopefully come out $100more than my normal.
 

Jim Pemberton

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I hope that helps.

There is an old saying that goes like this:

"Who would you rather compete with? An idiot, or a crook?"

The answer should be: A crook.

The "crook" isn't stupid, he is just immoral. Somewhere in his system, he is making his money back. Crooks don't want to work for nothing, after all. If you find out what his game is, you can at least attempt to compete by playing it better, and honestly.

The problem is that there are "idiots" who see the "crook's" pricing without investigating it, and who copy it, or even charge less, and then attempt to do reasonably good work until they go out of business.
 

Acp

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in general all property manager/apartment jobs are going to be pretty bottom of the barrel... they prefer the cheap cold water porty hacks that dont pay taxes.

if thats your business model then chase those but there is much better work out there.

we keep a few apartment complexes around but they are starting at 2800/month for a 1 bedroom so paying a high price for a better cleaning isnt an issue for them
 

Cleanworks

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I just did a empty 2 bedroom suite, lightly soiled. $200.00. took an hour and a half. Yesterday, I did a 3 room house for $200.00. took less than an hour. Something wrong with that money?
 

Acp

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ya its canadian

jk nothing wrong with that, I would keep those accounts around but wouldnt cry if they went with someone cheaper
 

Cleanworks

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ya its canadian
That's ok as we're not buying American products. You're in Seattle. You have very similar demographics as I have here. Find More reputable property mgmt co and approach them. Don't bother with low rental apts. Look for the luxury highrises and more middle to upscale properties and find out who manages them. The same mgrs who book me for $200 suites also book me common area cleaning in the thousands of dollars. Some of my common area cleaning gets me up to $300 per hour.
 

Acp

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thats awsome, how do you typically approach them? do you have a hand out binder or tri fold that you present or do you just look up their phone number and call?
 

Cleanworks

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thats awsome, how do you typically approach them? do you have a hand out binder or tri fold that you present or do you just look up their phone number and call?
I started with some of the cheaper guys years ago before I knew any better and made a reputation for myself by being able to out clean my competition. As these mgrs moved forward in their careers, they brought me with them. Others I met by doing condos and writing down the mgmt info and sending them quotes for cleaning the building common areas. One $1500 job I do every year I got by cleaning a crazy lady with a dog suite and being pleasant and non judgemental as I'm holding my nose because of the urine stench. Turns out that despite being crazy, she's on the strata council. I never really targeted that type of work, kind of just fell into it. There are many high end residential and commercial buildings that will pay for premium carpet cleaning. You have to know when to walk away also. I have turned down many jobs where I feel I can't meet their expectations or they don't to pay me what I feel the job is worth. Just before Christmas, I cleaned 5 highrises for aprox $8500. With an orbot Sprayborg.
 
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Greg Stiel

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With so much great work out their why do you guys chase the low end?
Their are great jobs out there for the pickings. If your gonna work that hard you should get paid for it. The funny part is the best jobs are the easiest to get. Service and dependability is the key to commercial work. Apartments and residential is where you learn the craft. After you learn it, Move on to bigger and better jobs.
 

Nomad74

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I have my tricks and I learned them directly from the great Howard Partridge himself. Always greatful for his time and guidance.

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Bob Pruitt

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There are different kinds of Property Managers. I work for a couple that only manage single family homes. These homes are Owner Occupied some months of the year generally and the other months the Property Managers rent the house out. These Marco Island Properties rent starting at 5k a week and some for much, much more.
When they call it is usually to do the carpet, tile and upholstery and rugs. I charge full price. They pay within 10 days or less.
I deal with their problems no matter how small. ... Mike's Pork chop story comes to mind. Recent example was a stain on a mattress. I went over and worked on it for awhile and it was 90 percent better. They were calling me Houdini for making it disappear. They had a Tenant coming in 2 days and thought they were going to have to replace it. Some high end brand...had to be ordered. Everyone was so relieved. Sometimes it pays to expand your cleaning area to reach the higher end properties.
 

steve_64

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I have about ten complexes I've had some for over ten years. They all called me first.

A couple are just a few grand a year but a few are about $10000 a year.

I've been through new owners and managers and still have the accounts. One place fired everyone including office maintenance and all vendors but me. And I do very well with them.

I've lost a few here and there too but I don't sweat it. I don't do anything but be consistent in price quality and reliability.

Some managers want to be hero's and bring in people they know. Others it's about the dollars. You really never know and even when told it may not be the full story.
 
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