Need help with a response... (How would you respond)

[Able 1]

I first quoted .15 per square on this one, but since the work will all be done in January I would go down to .12... The guy that quoted them .07 must be some kind of hack or he's running porty's...


Keith –

Rich and I were talking today, we think your “steam clean” method would help bring some “life” back in to the corridor carpeting in front of the guest rooms.

We bought a new steam cleaner for small areas and it really puts life back into that carpet.

We estimate that there is about 17,640 square feet of carpet to be steamed. You could do the work throughout January one floor at a time.

What would your best price be to do this? The other carpet cleaning quotes are running about $.07 @ foot, but we would prefer working with you if at all possible. I’d even throw in a nice suite so you could show your work off to the family.

Let me know – thanks

 

[Derek]

Re: Need help with a responce... (How would you respond)

depends how much you need the $$ in winter. be firm or give a little, is up to you.

 

[Bob Foster]

Re: Need help with a responce... (How would you respond)

The other price might be a bluff just to knock you off your price.

Lots of mutt operations hit on hotels. Hotels tend to go through a bunch of them until they realize they need to pay more so they don't have live with really bad results. Are these guys new managers?

Do they carry liability insurance? Good chance the low ball guy doesn't and that should be a concern to the managers. A hotel is a high risk area.
Quicker job - more convenience to their guests so you can put the rooms in that area into service sooner
Safer because it dries quicker
A more thorough clean because of a hotter extraction and better flush and less likelihood of wicking and reduced re-soil rate compared to a portable

 

[Able 1]

Re: Need help with a responce... (How would you respond)

I know there is ALOT of differences between me and the guy charging .07 just not sure how to express that through email. I will use your points Bob. This is a high end hotel, and I kind of want to throw in something about "well I could go to the "motel 8" also since they are cheaper actually half your price and they say they have the same sq. ft. bed, I'm just sleeping after all"!

 

[Bob Foster]

Your work will be a lot less disruptive to the operation of the property.

 

[Jtuseo]

.07 is what they want to pay. I would tell them $1700 and call it a day. How long will it take you to do this job? If it is more than 5 days then dont waste your time.

 

[Able 1]

I have done three estimates for them in the past with no bite... I clean the president of the hotels house... :roll: If I could do it in one day I might do it for $1,700 but coming back 3-4 times, not happening with the time of set up and tare down on hose runs as long as this.

 

[renegade_cowboy]

Re: Need help with a responce... (How would you respond)

I know there is ALOT of differences between me and the guy charging .07 just not sure how to express that through email. I will use your points Bob. This is a high end hotel, and I kind of want to throw in something about "well I could go to the "motel 8" also since they are cheaper actually half your price and they say they have the same sq. ft. bed, I'm just sleeping after all"!

I would mention that not all carpet cleaning companies are the same and chances are the .07 cleaning they would like to pay may not be realistic in terms of value and quality. And that the hotels President (insert name) feel that your quality and value is good enough for your company to clean his personal home. That if he does have any concerns when choosing a company to go with the cleaning that he should contact the President for a referral, so he can make the best decision possible for his company. I also tell customers who are on the fence that I understand they are calling other companies and educate them in important questions to ask other companies, that builds trust and will always get anyone on the fence to use me.

 

[Jimmy L]

Simply tell them they will get what they pay for.

7 cents would be below my profit level.

Might as well sit home than LOSE money.

 

[Mike Draper]

Tell him you can't go any lower, and don't worry about the free hotel room because you always stay at the very cheapest place possible because there is absolutely no difference. All hotels are exactly the same quality.

 

[tmdry]

Re: Need help with a responce... (How would you respond)

The other price might be a bluff just to knock you off your price.

:idea:

 

[Lee Stockwell]

At seven cents are they saving money or wasting money?

That being said, I'm making out well at slightly under nine cents on some State Park projects. Two man crew grossing 140 per hour.

 

[Royal Man]

Re: Need help with a responce... (How would you respond)

The other price might be a bluff just to knock you off your price.

:idea:

Actually Hotels love encapping. Fast production, fast drying, no hose, no noise to disrupt guests, Fast turn around time. So, rooms don't have to sit empty.......

 

[Lee Stockwell]

Yes, and the dirt is still there.

I have a couple of nice demos for the bids that get away. :-)

 

[Royal Man]

I have commercial places the won't go back to HWE after they see the results of encapping.

Most have had HWE for years and say they hate the wicking from HWE after paying all that money and it still looks like crap.

Different strokes.

 

[Able 1]

Hello Kirk,


Looking at this project I would need at least .12 per square (first quoted .15 but I'll give a break for January) to clean it to the best of my ability.. At 7 cents a sq. ft. it would be below my profit level. Might as well sit home than LOSE money(Thanks Jimmy). In this business you get what you pay for!!

It is kind of like: "I can stay at the "Super 8" for half the price of what your charging"! You see what I mean? Apples and oranges...

I will put my work against anyone in the area... Absolutely anyone, and I guarantee all work preformed!!

Maybe something to consider down the road is to deep clean one floor at a time, 1 floor a year instead of waiting 10 years and not have the budget to clean it right all at once.

Let me know,

If not no hard feelings...

Keith

 

[Hoody]

Keith,

I would charge what is going to make you a profit. I would explain to them that you would love to work with them too, and want to keep their establishment suitable and great looking for their guests. You do not know whats been done to the carpet, and though it may not look like it, it may need a restorative type cleaning to get it up to your standards. They've been cleaning it themselves its probably loaded with soap, and who knows what other companies have done to it.

THEN work up a cleaning maintenance package where you can give them the price break there, where you can encap and have a better production rate, and then flush it really good. Be professional about it, and ask to do a walk thru a few days before their appointment to assess their needs for the cleaning, and then bring what you need to, or just come prepared to the appointment to not waste a trip, and ask to walk through to get a game plan going before the appointment that way you can decide on what methods to use where. After that its easy, you take care of it, and keep your promise to making sure the place stays great looking.

Don't get caught up on explaining method, they really don't care. Either they want what you have to offer for a long term business relationship, or their going to price shop every single cleaning to the lowest bidder, and their just using your current relationship with the president to catch a break. You'll find out which one they really want quickly, and based on that will tell you what you need to charge.

If they do want a maintenance plan you can then discuss on how to bill, which can be done a few different ways. Either due on receipt, 15, 30 days. Or many hotels have monthly budgets, and you could break down their total yearly cost for cleaning, and break it down MONTHLY(12 payments). It does a few things for you, you get residual monthly income that helps fill in the gaps during the winter months, you can depend on that money being there every month, and can further invest it. It also keeps you from going to an appointment and then waiting forever to get paid, a bit of leverage, while not being hostile. They've already paid for it, you're just fulfilling the promised duty.

 

[Royal Man]

Remember when it is all said and done. Motel. and hotels are notoriously cheep bastards for carpet cleaning and the bottom line regardless of results is all that really matters to them.

Many will go without cleaning at all and just replace the carpet every ten years or so.

Monthly cleaning? Yea right?

 

[Able 1]

Great post Steve! Just a little late, since I emailed back already. Steve have you ever been to Wisconsin? Real beautiful state and lot's of opportunities up here... Well, I'm just saying... shiteatinggrin

 

[Hoody]

Don't forget to actually measure what you're cleaning. I've estimated a lot of commercial jobs where the sq ft was way off, and they gave a much lower sq ft amount than what was actually there. The hope is to get you to say a price, and you have to follow it, giving a rate is a much safer approach which gives you the ability to charge that rate for the amount of sq ft cleaned.

No not monthly cleaning Dave... read it again. Say they're cleaning twice a year, and each cleaning costs 1200, that's 2400 a year. Monthly that's 200 a month for 12 months. Which a lot of time can play a psychology trick, people are not dumb of course they can add it all together. But I would rather have a monthly payment that I could budget out each month, rather than coming up with lump sums. A lot of hotels and other commercial establishments have month budgets for up keep and maintenance and work this way.