"There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship."Saint Thomas Aquinas
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When meeting face-to-face with a prospect for your cleaning business, you need to prepare yourself ahead of time. Make a list of probing questions that will get your prospect talking about their concerns so you can show them your expert problem-solving skills.
You want to do more listening than talking during this meeting. In order to help your prospect solve their problems you need to get as much information from them as possible. When crafting your list of questions, think of questions that get the prospect thinking. You want them to say, "That's a good question - I've never been asked that before." Here is a list of questions to get you started:
What prompted your company to look into making a change with your cleaning service? (ask this question if they contacted you)
Why are you putting the contract out for bid? Perhaps they're required to put the cleaning out to bid once per year. Or maybe they're not happy with the current contractor. Or it could be that they need to cut costs and are looking for someone that will offer a lower price. If the latter is the case, then this should be a big red flag for you. Prospective clients that are just looking for the lowest bidder don't usually make for the best customers for your cleaning business.
What kind of challenges are you facing right now?
What other concerns do you have? Having this information will help you to let them know how you'll be able to solve their problems. When talking about the current contractor, don't talk badly about them. If the prospective client you're talking with hired the current contractor, then they'll feel as if you're criticizing their poor judgment!
What would you like to see improved?
What are your expectations for your cleaning service?
What is your current cleaning company doing to ensure the quality of work your company requires?
When I say "value" in terms of your cleaning service, what comes to mind?
What are your thoughts on this topic?
If the prospect voices a concern about price, here's a question you might want to ask: If your concern is price, what do you do when your current cleaning service doesn't show up or complete the job to your satisfaction? Do you feel as if you're getting value for your money?
You do not want to get yourself into trouble by asking the wrong questions. The following is a list of questions you DO NOT want to ask:
Tell me a little about your business (You should have done your research ahead of time)
What cleaning service are you currently using?
Are you satisfied with them?
How much are you paying for their service? (However, you CAN ask what their budget is for the cleaning contract)
What will it take to get your business?
Once the prospect has indicated that he'd like you to bid on the cleaning service, you can start asking more specific questions that will help you to gather the information you need to put your bid together.
What is your budget? Many cleaning contractors don't feel comfortable asking this question but it is a valid one that many people are willing to share, and it will be helpful to you when deciding on a price.
Do you have a list of cleaning specifications? If they do, ask for a copy. If they don't, find out exactly what they're looking for and provide a list with your bid proposal.
What is your timeline for implementing a new cleaning service?
Who else is involved in this decision?
What is the frequency of cleaning (once a week, five times a week)?
Do you have the amount of cleanable square feet?
Do you have the amount of carpeted square feet and hard floor surface square feet? (You will need this information if bidding on floor care. We recommend doing your own measuring)
Do you have recycling paper that the cleaning contractor needs to take care of?
Do you have an alarm system?
Are there specific hours that the cleaning company is allowed to be in the building
At this point in the meeting you should have most of the information you need to put your cleaning bid together. The next step is to ask the prospect if you can get a tour of the building you'll be bidding on. If that's not possible, then you'll need to set up another appointment so you can get the tour.
Before starting the tour, set up your next appointment. You need to have an appointment set up so you can come back to present the bid to the customer and close the sale.
We recommend measuring the building and different floor surfaces (carpet, tile, etc.). Ask the prospect if you can go back after the tour in order to do your measuring so that you're not taking up any more of his time. After you're done, check back in with the prospect to let him know you're finished. Remind him of your next appointment and thank him for his time.
About the author:
Steve Hanson is co-founding member of The Janitorial Store (TM), an online community for owners and managers of cleaning companies who want to build a more profitable and successful cleaning business. Sign up for Trash Talk: Tip of the Week at http://www.TheJanitorialStore.com and receive a Free Gift! Read cleaning success stories from owners of cleaning companies at http://www.cleaning-success.com/.
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