You've bought all of your cleaning items and tools, told everyone you know which you have began a cleaning business and now you are prepared to begin bidding on jobs and getting right down to work. Therefore your next thing is to meet with clients and come up with a bid because of their cleaning solutions. But how do you know very well what to charge for washing your potential client's building?
Start off by remembering you are in business to create a profit and make a living. Occasionally the tendency is to price our services lower in order to get our feet in the entranceway. Pricing your services as well low may mean you will finish up working for hardly any per hour. And more importantly, will have little left over to reinvest in the growth of your organization. There are cleaning companies that charge more than others and have all the work they are able to deal with and there are businesses that have lower costs yet are desperate for work! Don't offer yourself short or you won't be able to earn a living off your washing business.
The rates for commercial cleaning vary widely depending upon the area you live. Hourly rates are anywhere from $15 to $40 per hour depending on the commercial cleaning services near me type of providers that you offer, whether you're doing the work yourself, and your company's overhead and expenditures. Monthly square footage rates could run from $.05 to $.20 per square foot depending on the type of building you are cleaning and the frequency of cleaning. You can bid an increased square footage price for medical services versus office buildings due to more specialized cleaning needs. You'll likely bid a lesser square footage cost for large structures versus small buildings. For example, you may bid $.08 per square foot for a 50,000 square foot building versus $.12 per square foot for an 8,000 square feet building.
You will most likely be charging your visitors a month to month price and you may need to figure that price by estimating how long it will require to execute the services that your client has requested. The even more productive you or your employees are, the higher the hourly production rate. When you can clean 3,500 square feet each hour, your income will be greater than if you're just able to clean 2,500 square feet each hour, so adjust your price accordingly.
It's also an excellent idea to find out what the "going rates" are in your area. A few calls to competitors may be necessary to get an idea of the essential charges in your town. Use a script when you call so you can evaluate apples to apples. Just what exactly do you say when you call? Try something similar to, "Hi, floor waxing near me I possess a little business office that I would like cleaned once a week. It really is 3000 square ft and has two small restrooms. Can you give me a tough estimate of what you what you charge monthly?" The person may or may not give you an estimate. Most contractors will insist upon walking through the building, nonetheless it is worth a few phone calls so you have a ballpark physique on what cleaning companies in the area are charging.
To estimate what you should charge for cleaning a building, start by doing a walk-through with the building owner or manager. Keep an eye on the following:
* Frequency of cleaning (once weekly, three times a week, five times weekly). If frequency is one or two times per week, you need to estimate your time and multiply by your hourly price. If cleaning 3 or even more times weekly you can estimate your time by the square feet.
* Overall square feet
* Types of flooring surfaces and square footage of every (floor covering, vinyl flooring, ceramic tile)
* Types of rooms - general office, break space, restrooms. Also be aware the amount of toilets/stalls and fixtures in each restroom, along with the types of restroom items used.
* Any special considerations - large traffic areas, elevators, uncommon requests, etc.
* Make be aware of the precise services your client is seeking such as emptying trash, vacuuming, dusting, restroom cleaning and mopping.
The next services are specialized services and you ought to bid them separately, and list a per-support charge on your bid:
* Stripping and Waxing (.25¢ - .50¢ per square foot)
* Buffing/Burnishing (.03¢ - .07¢ per square foot)
* Machine Washing of Ceramic Tile flooring (.12¢ - .21¢ per square foot)
* RUG CLEANING (.12¢ - .25¢ per square foot)
* Carpet Spotting ($20 - $40 each hour)
* Cleaning devices (microwave, refrigerator) - $10 - $35 per appliance
* Window Washing ($1.00 - $5.00 per pane)
Make sure you consider enough notes so you can put jointly a realistic price that is fair to the client and one in which you can make a benefit. After your first meeting with the client, get back to your office look over your notes and decide what it will cost you to clean the building. You may have to consult a production cleaning rate chart to determine how long it will require you and your staff to clean the building. When you have an idea of how very long it will take to clean the building you can put your cost estimate together:
* Estimate the period it will take by using a production cleaning price chart or calculator.
* Determine your labor price for cleaning the building one time.
* Determine your regular monthly labor cost to completely clean the building.
* Estimate a monthly cost for supplies. This will be a fairly low figure, maybe 1 or 2% of monthly sales.
* Be sure to add a profit margin!
Add up the figures and you will develop your monthly cost. For those who have access to a bidding calculator you will be able to put in a number of numbers and think of a price. A bidding calculator will also show what income you can expect to make. Additionally it is advisable to add a first time washing charge. This is generally an hourly rate of perhaps $20 - $25 an hour. The first time you proceed through a building it will require longer and you may find the previous cleaning service may have gone dirt in cracks and crevices that you will have to clean the very first time through.
When you have your cost established, place your bid packet jointly. Your bid packet should specify what you are responsible for and what the client is accountable for (buying their own trash can liners, restrooms supplies, etc.). It should also include the regular charge for washing services, how long the agreement is normally for, and the task to cancel the agreement if either party is usually unhappy.
It is important to discover ways to cost your cleaning services so your customers find out you are providing a professional service at an affordable price and to ensure that you make a profit. After all, if you do not make a income you won't stay in business lengthy!