Mastering the art of the estimate in your cleaning services business is critical to making sure you are winning jobs while at the same time maintaining
Quick Response will engage your prospect. When a prospect is requesting information about your cleaning services, providing a response in a timely manner puts valuable information at their fingertips that not only makes a positive professional impression, but will engage the prospect more immediately before they have time to continue to click away, make calls or research alternative providers. In our electronic age of immediate gratification, research shows that potential customers are less and less willing to wait for delayed response or service before clicking off a page or hanging up the phone. You will want to capture your prospects attention by providing quick turn around with your estimate while your company is still top of mind for your potential client. Utilizing a quality estimating tool on your cleaning service or maid service company website can provide the immediate integration and engagement that wins business.
Communicate Professionally. The manner in which you present the estimate is important as well. It is almost always best practice to present your estimate in writing, including any notes about additional services, special circumstances, frequency schedule, etc. Not only does this create a professional impression, but it provides less room for misunderstanding or ambiguity. Offering a verbal quote without any documentation to back it up leaves room for assumptions, misunderstandings and wiggle room, and often results in leaving money on the table. Communicate your estimate quickly, clearly, thoroughly, and professionally. Email provides a quick manner to respond while documenting and archiving the quote for both parties for later reference. Again, a quality software tool can automatically generate an email estimate that is detailed, customized, branded, and professional.
Collect Meaningful Information. Accurate estimates take into consideration many variables about the potential clients cleaning needs, including more than just square footage or number of rooms. In order to create the most accurate estimate for each new potential cleaning client, you will want to collect as much detailed information as you can. If using a software tool, make sure the tool will allow you to customize the fields of data you collect. This helps with a more detailed customized estimate and also helps you plan and schedule and staff the job according to the client’s unique needs.
Accuracy Equals Profit. Finally, in any business, it can be said that mistakes can be costly, some mistakes more costly than others. A low estimate proposal in your cleaning business may mean money left on the table not just once but on a recurring basis for the life at that repeat client. It’s difficult to raise your price once a proposal has been agreed or services have begun. Taking the time to set up a system for creating accurate estimates will not only impress your customers and help you win business, but it will help you be profitable. After all, isn’t that one of the reasons you are in the cleaning services business in the first place?
