Is your janitorial estimate complete? It might not be if it doesn’t include these things.
Your janitorial estimate is an essential representation of your commercial cleaning company. When you hand that estimate to a prospective customer, you’re giving them a written example of how you operate. Is the estimate detailed? Is it complete? Is it neat and legible, or is it hard to read?
If you’re giving someone an estimate for a job or contract, you want them to look at that form and note how professional and transparent you are. You want them to believe you will do a good job because your estimate is so well done.
In that line of thinking, what does your janitorial estimate include, and what’s missing?
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Don’t give out a janitorial estimate unless it includes these 12 things
Your janitorial estimate might be your last chance to impress or connect with someone before they make a decision. That’s why it’s important to ensure that what you give them is the best you can make it. Some of the items on this list might seem obvious, but it’s also easy to overlook these “obvious” things, and unfortunately, missing them can hurt your chances of landing the job. That’s why the very first thing on the list is:
1. Your contact information. Your contact information, including your company name, phone number, address, and website, should be on every page of your janitorial estimate. If you only have this information on the first page, what happens if that page gets lost or someone spills coffee on it?
2. Legal business information. Including your business license number, professional memberships, and insurance information isn’t always necessary, but it does give you a more professional appearance.
3. Your prospective customer’s name and contact information. This is as much for you as it is for them. Whether they lose the original estimate, have a question about it, or you need it for your records, it will save you a lot of frustration if you have their information on the estimate.
4. Introduction. Your prospects want to know about you, your team, and your business. Use an introduction to turn your janitorial estimate into a story that connects with people. You don’t need to share your entire life’s story here, but a short history of your business, your mission statement, and a list of certifications or special training your team has are all good to include.
5. Detailed job description. While it might be tempting to keep this minimal, it’s helpful for the customer to see what they can expect from working with you. Additionally, a more detailed description of the tasks and job requirements will seem like a more thorough bid.
6. Frequency of the work. Whether it’s daily, three times a week, or once a week, this is easy to include, and, like a thorough job description, it acts as a subtle reminder to your prospective customer how detail-oriented you are.
7. Responsibilities. This is where you can record things like who is responsible for ensuring your team has access to the building or who will supply goods such as toilet paper or trash bags. You’ll also want to detail things like whether or not your team is responsible for locking doors or setting alarms.
8. Payment terms. You don’t want to leave this up in the air. What are your payment expectations? If you send a monthly invoice to be paid within 15 days, be sure that it’s clearly stated in your janitorial estimate. If it’s a quarterly payment, have that written down. Furthermore, relay how that payment should be made. Check? Credit card? Is there a service charge for credit card payments? Do you charge a fee for late payments, and if so, what is that fee? It’s better to share these details upfront than to wait and try to work through any confusion.
9. Janitorial inspection policy. An inspection policy assures customers that you will check in on your team and with them to guarantee the job will be done right.
10. Cancellation policy. There are numerous approaches to a cancellation policy. Whatever yours is, make sure it’s part of your estimate. It’s also important to include no-fault cancellation factors (weather emergencies, for example) and what happens if you cancel on the client.
11. Satisfaction guarantee. If your commercial cleaning business has a guarantee for the quality of the work you do, include that in your janitorial estimate. A guarantee can help boost a prospect’s confidence in hiring you.
12. References. It’s always nice to have a few references that people can call to ask about your work. If you have a few clients you feel are especially good advocates for your work, ask if you can offer them as references.
As you put your janitorial estimate together, including these twelve items can result in a big difference in the impression you make on your prospect, and help you land the job.
If you’re ready to increase the professionalism of your cleaning operation through better organization, easy access to important data, unparalleled tracking, and more, schedule a call with JM today!