When it come to pricing an office cleaning job for a prospective client it is important to hit the mark accurately with a reasonable price. In this article we offer some advice on pricing in this industry and offer guidance on how to quote office cleaning jobs so that you make the most of the opportunities available to you and maximize profits.
The Mistake of Pricing too Low
\"Office Cleaning\"
Calling a price that is too low may mean that you get a lot of jobs but if you are not making enough profit from each client then you won't be in business for long. You'll also be hurting the local cleaning industry overall and will have a hard time raising your prices in the future as customers may always perceive your services to be cheap. You may even lose jobs due to prospects thinking that your cheap price could reflect a poor level of service.
Pricing Office Cleaning Services too High
Charging too high can result in losing jobs to your competitors. You may get lucky and get away with pricing high but for most office managers it is all too easy to just get another quote from one of your competitors.
Having a cleaning franchise, a well known brand or a premium service can often allow you to get away with pricing slightly higher than the average independent operator. You may also have other ways of proving to a client that your service justifies a higher price than market rates. You can also sometimes get away with slightly higher than average prices if you have an excellent sales strategy.
It is always better to price a little on the high side than it is to price too low. If customers seem to think that your quote is a little high or they want to negotiate then you have some room to drop the price a little.
Other Tips for Quoting Prices
Always be aware of what your competitors are charging to get an idea of how close your prices are to market rates. Model your prices on successful businesses that have been around for a while as there is a good chance that they have come up with rates that maximize their opportunities and profitability.
Resist the temptation to quote before you visit a property for an inspection. The information that you got over the phone could be misleading and you may be in for a nasty surprise.
If an office is particularly dirty you may have to consider charging more for your first time clean. It will take you much longer to complete the job if, for example the bathrooms are really filthy and will require a lot of scrubbing down. Once you have done your first clean your subsequent visits will go much smoother as you will have the place in reasonable condition already.
Even if you are calculating your rate by the hour you should think twice before letting the customer know this. The best approach is to quote on the overall job and then you can work hard and get out of there as quickly as possible. If you tell clients that you are quoting them for two hours a day then they may get upset if they catch you or your employees leaving after only one and a half hours.
There is nothing to say that you have to charge the same rate for each customer. Weigh each customer up and decide if a slight premium or discount would be appropriate. You might quote lower for an older office building in a suburban area than you would for a swanky brokerage firm in the city. It is easier to do this if you don't publish fixed prices.
Estimating or pricing a cleaning job is a skill that improves over time with experience. Getting it right is to walk a fine line between unnecessarily leaving money on the table or losing a customer.
Office Cleaning Pricing Tips
For more on pricing a cleaning job and to read reviews of some of the top cleaning business guides visit -