Several Rooms?

[steamron]

How would you folks quote this;

It is a boarding school that has 4 hallways 1st and 2nd floors. with 15 rooms on each hall.
They only want about 12 to 15 rooms done, they measure 12 x 17 with a bed and dresser.

The thing is that they only want so many done and they are not sure yet which ones, it could be 3 here, one at the end of the hall, 2 upstairs and 4 over at the other hall. (All not in the same area).

What is your opinion?

 

[Josh]

One time deal?

 

[Cleanworks]

are you cleaning the hallways as well?

 

[steamron]

Just one time deal and no hallways all tile.

 

[Old Coastie]

Price it normally. Encap them and only extract the ones that do not pop.

Leave the manager a quart spray bottle of strong encap for spotting. Show him/her how. Offer to replenish it whenever they want some!

This is going to be a long-term relationship if you do it right.

Now go do a demo room.

 

[Bruce Humphrey]

You can't give them an accurate quote until they give you an accurate count on where and how many rooms they will need cleaned.

 

[realclean]

That would be like call the car dealership and say how much for a CAR.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Charge a reasonable setup free, and a per room price.

This way no matter how many or how few you should be covered.

 

[Bob Pruitt]

Maybe you could say we have a minimum charge (your minimum) to cover our time out and would also cover 3 or 4 rooms if they are close together and don't require preparation beyond what is already required for your average room. If you would like us to do more in the same area, where we are already set up, then it would only be this much (your price) per additional room.
If we have to move the van to reach room on a different floor ... again it would be a small set up fee plus the room cost. Something like that.

 

[WillS]

For us, less rooms would mean higher price per sq. More rooms, less $sq. ft. price. .22-.24c per sq. ft. for 3 rooms, and if we were doing the whole 3,000 sq. ft. I'd go down to .18c if it wasn't heavy soil.

Gotta be worth the time or at least meeting the minimum. Usually we don't have an issue with a commercial property understanding why we need to price like that.

 

[ruff]

It depends on what you want/need to make and how hungry you are.
If you don't set limits and the right minimum price to make it profitable for you, they will always call you for one or two rooms.

Explain to them honestly and in a friendly manner, why it is more expensive for you to do just a few rooms. Create a price that makes it worth your time and effort. And create an incentive (show them the savings) in doing more rooms at the same time.

And I would not offer to replenish the spotter "whenever they want some" (unless they're right by your office) and or if you're like Old Coastie and you're just desperate to leave the office. Replace it when you do the next cleaning. Otherwise they'll always want you to come and replenish whenever they feel like it, which is not likely to be when it is convenient for you. And boy will they be pissed if it does not arrive- pronto. Unless you're like......

A good business relationship involves mutual respect and understanding on both sides. If it works just for one of you, it ain't a good business relationship.

Coming to think of it, that's also true in any relationship. Unless you're like.....

 

[Old Coastie]

Well... As desperate as I am to leave the office, I have yet to make a special trip to replenish spotter.

Weird. My op-area is about 150 miles in diameter and all the spotter does is get people to call me back when it is time to clean. But in the nursing homes, it is a blessing to them and I imagine it would be so in a boarding school!

It also gives me reason to call and ask if they need some, (ahem) only to learn they would like "C Hall" and four rooms done.

 

[jcooper]

and if we were doing the whole 3,000 sq. ft. I'd go down to .18c if it wasn't heavy soil.

Screw that... Charge more for making you work so hard!

 

[ruff]

So.....how desperate are you?

 

[jcooper]

Charge a reasonable setup free, and a per room price.
This way no matter how many or how few you should be covered.

Seems like this would work pretty easy.

 

[WillS]

Screw that... Charge more for making you work so hard!

Nah, can't do that here. Many of these commercial properties the secretary is calling and price shopping for the boss. We have to be competitive which that pricing is here, and also explain why we can beat the idiots that offer .08c. sq. ft.

 

[Old Coastie]

So.....how desperate are you?

Come get me and drive me to Nashville, Ofer; I guarantee we'll piss ourselves laughing all the way there, all the time there and all the way back.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I don't believe Ofer is into that...Nate however is a different story!

 

[Cleanworks]

I think you need to listen to Ofer on this one. They have to understand that you need to make so much per hour, whether that is in set up time or cleaning rooms. Like he says, ofer them some type of incentive (discount for many rooms close together) and explain your set up time and costs to do a single room. Let them figure out what is best for them. You have to make the same amount for the time spent on the job, however much you clean.

 

[Nate The Great]

TM friendly or portable only? If it's separate or further distances, I'd charge on the higher side to make it worth your time....... Or like @Ofer Kolton said "how desperate are you?!?"

No shame in taking it on to get Mr. Bill Collector paid, but don't price it where you make nothing.....

 

[ruff]

Come get me and drive me to Nashville, Ofer; I guarantee we'll piss ourselves laughing all the way there, all the time there and all the way back.

Much obliged Stephen.
How about when you come to S.F. I'll buy you dinner.
And since there's a ton of great coffee places here and you're a serious coffee enthusiast, I can take you there too.
Hell, you can even teach me how to splork

 

[steamron]

I quoted it this way,
So much $$ to set up, then so much per room, 1st floor one price, 2nd. floor a little higher.
If I have to breakdown to move the van to another area that is part of a set up.

 

[Cleanworks]

Exactly!