Navigating your competitive business area, janitorial lead generation is a very important function for any bidding service provider. The inevitable function in the bidding phase is to determine the competitive pricing for your recurring service. As a business owner, you’ll reach a point where you wonder what more you can do to take essential steps.
This comprehensive guide is crucial for crafting a winning proposal, through transforming initial inquiries into successful contracts. From meticulous on-site evaluation to optimizing technology, these tips are essential to effective janitorial lead generation and a business’s growth.
What Are Janitorial Bids?
Janitor bidding is the action of evaluating and sending cleaning services proposals to potential clients. It’s an accumulation of the clearing requirements of a declared structure, an asset, or a property. Bidding involves estimating location, the time, and the resources required to determine the cost of providing the services.
Janitorial bidding is offered to a new cleaning customer before submitting written bids. This process begins to generate leads and research for your potential clients, and moves to determining the scope of works.
Types of Janitorial Bids
Janitorial bids can be categorized mainly into two types: residential and commercial bids based on clients. Each bid has separate characteristics and considerations.
Residential Janitorial Bids
Among the two types of janitorial bidding, residential bidding services provide cleaning services to homeowners or residential property holders. This residential bid process includes all sorts of household cleanings. This service includes Vacuum-cleaning, removing dust, floor & bathroom cleaning, and kitchen maintenance.
Residence janitorial bids customized to meet specific client preferences, for one-time deep cleaning or regular services. Therefore, cleaning agencies need to contract or fix custom pricing with the corresponding homeowners.
Commercial Cleaning Bids
Commercial cleaning contracts are commonly catered to businesses, office spaces, industrial facilities, and other non-residential establishments. These contacts are complete with a broader scope of services, including office cleaning, floor maintenance, window cleaning, and restroom sanitization. Also, commercial cleaning includes some specialized services like carpet cleaning or post-construction cleanup.
Commercial bid for cleaning services involves essential factors like the size and layout of the commercial space, and the type of industry. Besides, there may be frequent cleaning required for any specific needs under circumstantial regulations.
Top 10 Tips for Janitorial Bids
If your intent is to sell your janitorial services, there are plenty of opportunities to network with people looking for jobs. If you take advantage of a bidding website, you should meticulously expand your potential sources of revenue. The process is quite easy, too, once you identify what you’re going to perform.
1. Perform an On-Site Walkthrough
An on-site walkthrough is essential to accurate janitorial bids, including a thorough inspection to understand a facility’s unique cleaning needs. This comprehensive assessment through an on-site visit gives you a detailed idea of how exactly you’ll perform better.
Prepared Initial Assessment
Review the pre-bid document and research the client’s business to understand their operations and cleaning needs. Also, you can visit the business site to note down the building exterior, security systems, and overall condition to provide context for detailed cleaning evaluations.
Inspect in Detail For Accurate Estimation
Conduct throughout the inspection to understand details regarding square footage, flooring types, traffic areas, and special requirements. Accurately measure all areas, including the office, the restroom, the common areas, and the hallways. Also, note total areas with high foot traffic vs lower traffic or rarely used offices.
Maintaining Records of Your Findings
Prepare a checklist or a mobile app to record all of your observations, including specific cleaning tasks, areas,and challenges. Take pictures of each area for visual references to prepare your bid proposal.
Post-Walkthrough After Main Inspection
Demonstrate all your findings to the client to review areas independently and make additional notes. Express your gratitude for their time and opportunity to access the facility.
| Pro Tip: Meticulous on-site walkthrough documentation for every detail, from square footage to flooring to your client’s choices, is key to crafting a competitive and accurate tailored janitorial bid. |
2. Define a Clear Scope of Work
Before bidding, clearly outline the scope of your working proposal. Be specific about cleaning tasks, frequency, and any additional services you offer. Once you’ve a clear understanding of your client’s needs, proceed to the next steps to define the scope of your work.
This is required to outline what cleaning services you’re going to provide.
In-Depth Analysis
Define your areas where you need to clean, including offices, restrooms, hallways, and windows. Consider any specialized cleaning tasks, such as carpet cleaning or washing, though using a pressure machine.
Rate and Schedule
Meticulously analyze what services you’ll provide, besides additional cleaning needs. Include surplus costs determining the frequent volume of work needed during business hours or after hours.
Define Your Special Services:
Deliberately consider what other services are required, such as a First Aid room, medical room cleaning, or industrial cleaning, and factor those into your plan.
| Expert Tips: Provide specifications for accomplishing janitorial services in a professional and efficient manner. In strict compliance and subject to the terms and conditions of the contracts. |
3. Know Your Costs
Before moving anywhere else, be sure you have a clear understanding of your costs. Evaluate your cost, which includes labor costs, customized hourly wages, benefits, and taxes. Provide a clear and competitive pricing structure rationally based on the scope of your work.
You must think of essential steps to bid on clearing contracts, is considering other competitors’ pricing models. Therefore, consider the costs of labor, equipment, cleaning supplies, and overhead to ensure pricing is attractive to the client.
Estimate Ideal Labor Costs
Predefine bidding company sizes, and how many workers you need, including hours to work, and their hourly wage rate.
Cleaning Material & Equipment
Calculate meticulously the cost of cleaning supplies, machinery, and equipment you need. If you use eco-friendly products to be sure to estimate factors included with additional costs.
Evaluate Overhead costs
Don’t forget to include accounts for general business expenses, such as insurance, administrative costs, and transportation.
Negotiable Pricing Options
Offering different pricing under different tiers can be a beneficial factor to negotiate with your clients or businesses. Likewise, providing a primary rate for pre-negotiation for standard clearing services, with optional add-ons (like deep cleaning). Thus, your bid will be more appealing to the company’s key decision-makers.
| Expert Tips: Setting transparent pricing helps you be ahead of your competitors. This is focusing your understanding on true costing, and you’re prepared to deliver high-quality services at a reasonable price. |
4. Price Competitively
Pricing with janitorial bids, you need a strategic approach to balance your profitability with attractive rates for potential clients. This is included with a deep understanding of your operational costs, through competitor research, and a well-defined pricing strategy.
Understand Your Costs
Analyze your total service costs, including labor, cleaning supplies, equipment, and overhead costs, when bidding for janitorial services. Through, calculating these costs, typically between 8% and 30% adjusting with the size and complexity of the contract.
Research the Competition
Deeply research other competitors’ charges, and create options to make your proposal unique, positioning janitorial services effectively. Through investigating others’ strengths and weaknesses, you can differentiate your offerings and demonstrate your unique value of services.
Determine Your Pricing Strategy
Once you’ve understood cost and market, prepare an hourly or fixed rate of services, then apply a markup to your profitability. Offer negotiable pricing, based on your value and flexibility, triggering your bid.
Craft a Compelling Proposal
A compelling proposal clearly outlines your services with detailed information on transport costs to build trust. Focus on your unique selling points by offering competitive pricing that balances your profitability with clients.
| Pro Tips: Understanding your costs, researching your near competitors to differentiate your services, like hourly, fixed, and negotiable options. Craft a compelling proposal that transparently outlines your services, focusing on unique selling points to balance on profit with client appeal. |
5. Use a Professional Template
Introducing everything in detail about your company to the final offer through a clear and concise format effectively focuses on your professional service. Here are the steps on how to start composing a template for efficient bidding:
Start with Giving a Clear Introduction
Personalize business openings by giving your client’s name and briefly referencing the facility’s needs. Describe everything in a professional way, showcasing your priorities regarding your client’s requirements.
Clearly Detailing Your Services
Be specific to define areas of services like offices, washrooms, and common areas. Also, clearly state how often you’re going to provide cleaning services, such as daily/weekly/monthly, using easy language.
Specify your Price & Package Offer
Send offerings with negotiable packages and specific tasks. These include vacuuming, dusting, and trash removal, with restroom cleaning and floor care.
Showcasing Safe Needs & Equipment
Narrating on how you ensure safe needs and a healthy environment for your staff and company employees. Also, provide your equipment needs with safety directions and an aisle marking plan.
Describe How You Ensure Quality
Explaining how you mark up the quality and records with an acceptable rate, including inspection records and feedback mechanisms. Regarding the point, share your previous quality feedback from previous clients with certifications.
Share Your Previous Client Testimonial or References
Include your earlier client testimonial records from reputable sources by sharing ratings, feedback, or video statements to build trust & credibility. Ensure you’re providing similar client feedback within a similar role.
Clearly Outline Your Next Services
Mention what services you’ll provide after the client accepts bids, such as scheduling a walkthrough or finalizing your contract. Write in an easy tone for the client to accept the bid without any impediments. This will prepare your client to sign for the deal.
| Expert Tips: Use a professional bidding template starting with personalized information, service details with pricing, and affordable packages. Showcase safe protocols for your workers and clients’ staff. Also, provide past client testimonials with outlining next steps to guide clients who build confidence, and sign your proposal. |
6. Highlight Your Experience and Certifications
Incorporate your complete case studies, previous work histories that showcase your expertise during the time of janitorial lead generation process. Additionally, client testimonials, current customer references also help build client confidence for chances to win the bid.
Add Social Media Proofs
Social media contributes to building your authority, which increases your trust and credibility. Share your social media links with the present clients for your bidding convenience. This increases your chances of being selected and competing with other bidders.
Online Certification
When submitting a bid, include your necessary certification for your best services, like “Infection Control Certification Training Program,” “General Cleaning Certification Training Program.” etc., for showcasing your competency. Also, add ISSA CIMS company cleaning certification, which is a powerful tool to prove your services.
Client Ratings, or Feedback
Include previous client ratings, feedback, or service compliment references to prove to yourself which powerful tools for building your credibility.
| Pro-Tips: After providing services to your client, share some ratings from provider sites like Glassdoor reviews, Trustpilot, G2, Capterra, ConsumerAffairs, and Yelp. This rating is your currency while bidding on new projects. |
7. Offer Flexible Packages
Submit your janitorial cleaning price packages, offering negotiable packages with affordable pricing. A flexible package allows clients to choose a service provider who is the best fit with their needs and budgets. These will showcase your company’s ability and commitment to your clients’ flexible requirements.
Define Service Level & Cleaning Packages
Based on a negotiable janitorial services package, like dusting, trash removal, restroom & office room cleaning, ensure your efficiency. Offer a more comprehensive option with additional services like floor care, window washing, or specialized cleaning for high-touch areas. Also, include a premium package to feature the most expensive cleaning services to give better experiences with high-class clients.
Develop a Clear Pricing Structure
Clearly show your simple costing for each package. So that the client can compare and select the provider that is the best fit. Be aware of all expenses associated with each package, including labor, material, and any additional fees. This will allow your client to customize their packages by adding more services at a few cost.
Highlight Your Pricing Flexibility
Offer a flexible scheduled cleaning to accommodate multiple business hours and client preferences. Showcase your adaptability to adjust the cleaning schedule to meet your specific client’s needs during unexpected situations.
Avoid Hidden Changes
Include other costs clearly, like travel time, parking fees, and unexpected equipment maintenance, with your price model. Also, include annual pricing expected to increase due to inflation, wages increase, and supply costs.
| Pro-Tips: Offer different types, transparent, cleaning packages with customized and affordable costs. This clearly outlines all potential costs to build your trust and meet multiple client needs. |
8. Follow Bid Instructions Carefully
Before your final submission of a specific janitorial bid, read the instructions carefully and assess your client’s requirements. Here’s how you can use it:
Enter Facility Size & Services
Start your costing with the total square footage of the space for which you will offer janitorial services. Choose options from the bidding whether the circular includes general cleaning. Additionally, specify carefully to showcase your offer regarding specialized services like carpet cleaning, or a combination of both cleaning prices.
Specify Cleaning Frequency, Labor & Supply Costs
When filling the bid offer, check every requirement as if nothing is missing from your offerings. Likewise, set on how often you provide janitorial services (daily, weekly, or monthly). Add important factors regarding the rate of your team, insurance costs, and supply costs.
Fill in all the Check Box Necessary or Requirements
Double-check your checklist and see if anything is missed. Never submit a bid before justifying your services, filling the requirement, or providing additional information or services you provide.
Review Costs & Facility
Estimate the breakdown of labor, material, and your targeted profit margin. Input your facility cost for how many square feet and select the carpet cleaning cost per foot. In addition, fill up options for using green cleaning products and sustainable practices.
| Pro Tips: Attach necessary papers, including your certifications, client’s recognition, and national training certifications, for better consideration of the bid. |
9. Use Janitorial Bidding Software
Calculating bidding times and recommending specific prices to generate professional cleaning proposals, using necessary software to deliver better work. Several janitorial bidding software programs can be used for creating and managing janitorial bids effectively. These are CleanGuru, CleanSmarts, Jobber, Kickserv, and Janitorial Manager.
Automated Functions
Automation of routine tasks, like creating and sending quotes, follow-up emails, scheduling time, reducing time, and cutting down manual errors through software doing simple repetitive work for you.
Centralized Data
These systems store client records, pricing data, and more, which aids in the quick generation and management of bids.
Professional Proposals
Most of the tools provide you with templates or other features to design professional proposals that illustrate job details, price quotes, service descriptions, etc.
Enhanced Accuracy
Software helps in estimating accuracy by performing the calculations automatically and clearly breaking down cost components, which reduces the possibility of errors.
Improved Communication
Tools that connect team members with the client to enable fast response time and efficient project organization, from bidding to service.
| Pro Tips: Optimizing janitorial bidding software to automate estimates and quotes, centralize client data, and generate professional proposals, significantly boosting efficiency and accuracy for more successful bids. |
10. Always Follow Up
Once you submit your janitorial bidding, follow up with your client to confirm that they received your proposal. Always keep in touch with your bidding as you can answer when clients have significant queries. A quick follow-up call or emails shows that you’re proactive and eager to work with them.
Follow-up: Whether Your Bid Was Not Accepted
Always maintain your positive relationship with the client, even if you don’t win the bid. It’s a great chance for you to get in touch with them and express interest in working with them in the future.
Showcase Your Professionalism
You may not win the bid – it doesn’t mean you have no chance for the future. So, never give up your clients who, right now, get your services. But your continuous follow-up role, sharing current insights like ongoing projects, events, or creative roles, showcases your professionalism. This must add a positive impression and lead to repeat business and referrals for your janitorial service.
| Pro-Tips: Continuous follow-up role may result in retaining the missing bids. In addition, your expected client may refer your janitor bidding services to another company, which is also a great opportunity for you. |
Final Thoughts
A successful janitorial lead generation and securing profitable contracts depend on a complete approach to bidding strategy. Conducting and performing on-site walkthroughs, defining a clear scope of work, and understanding your competitive pricing of your service. In addition, embrace your flexible package option, meticulous bid instructions, and optimize janitorial bidding software that focuses on service efficiency.
If your first-time bid is not getting success, never stop, and go ahead to follow up in every step. Showcase your professionalism, connect with clients, and pave the way for success in the next step in the janitorial commercial market.
