How to Write and Quote a Cleaning Job: Tips and Tricks for Accurate Estimates

Most cleaners keep the hourly rate in mind. Say, for instance, $30 per hour. They'll take this hourly rate and subtract the employee's rate of $25, concluding their overall profit ($5) per hour.

There's nothing wrong with that calculation. But surprisingly, that's what makes cleaners bankrupt.

The calculation sums up the gross profit and overlooks the net profit. Therefore, before concluding your profit, consider the following factors.

Excluding these factors when making a cleaning quotation can result in a massive loss. Make sure you ask your accountant to consider the abovementioned factors when calculating your business's costs.

The final quote should include the hourly rate you pay your employees and your business operational costs to set realistic profit estimates.

Knowing the market condition helps understand customers and their needs and learn about competitor activity. As a result, cleaning companies can boost their marketing game and make informed decisions.

What's more, it helps you price your services accurately. For instance, you may need more window cleaning services in your location.

In that case, you can offer your services at a premium rate and benefit your business.

Quoting right doesn't mean setting extravagant prices. You must assess the price points of your competitors in the industry and pick a pricing strategy accordingly.

Also, a few companies believe that reducing operational costs will increase profit. However, it can do the exact opposite. Here's why.

Say you lowered your staff and chemical costs. This will make it challenging to retain your employees - after all, hiring a skilled cleaner is no walk in the park. Even worse, client complaints will follow up due to low-quality services.

So, minimising operational costs will do more harm than good. Make sure you set optimal prices while taking a reasonable profit home.

Another way to set a professional quotation is to visit janitorial supply stores and gather relevant information.

Cleaning supply stores have adequate knowledge to enlighten you about cleaning services and pricing strategies, saving you time down the road.

Since they'll look forward to adding you to their loyal customer base, they'll be more likely to assist you with any information you need regarding the cleaning business.

Though charging clients a fixed rate helps determine the profit you make monthly and lets customers budget accordingly, it has a downside.

For instance, you may do an extensive task at a low price. Likewise, your clients may feel they were charged more for a particular job requiring less time.

Cleaners make around $29.64 per hour in Australia. That rate only considers a little experience. After all, rarely do cleaners have over 20 years of experience.

Also, besides the per-hour pay, consider the payout in taxes for superannuation and workers.

Superannuation refers to the contribution paid to eligible employees for a future pension. The fixed income of employees determines the superannuation amount.

Generally, the Australian Government has set a 10% Super Guarantee Rate for workers' income. Employers must make these payments quarterly. If your cleaning business has over 20 employees, you'll make the payments online via a clearing house.

You must consider two things before calculating the supply costs:

This is one of the most overlooked expenses when making quotes. Although most job sites offer cheap parking, others may charge more.

So, knowing how much you have to pay for parking is critical, especially when a few job locations have high rates. For instance, parking on specific Melbourne streets will cost you around $16 per hour.

So, if a cleaning job takes around 3 hours, it will significantly affect your profit since you'll pay $48 for parking the company vehicle.

While parking costs do not make a difference for your client, they impact your overall revenue. So, consider them in the quote to avoid taking a massive chunk off your profit.

Cleaning tasks vary per client. So you cannot set a specific quote for each job.

We can divide cleaning into two types of work.

Extensive Cleaning

This cleaning requires more work, so you must consider it when making a quotation. For instance, cleaning at a Restaurant can be daunting, especially if you have to do it in the morning.

Likewise, cleaning at a construction site also requires extensive work. You must consider the safety precautions like White Cards that may add to the costs.

Technical Cleaning

These cleaning services typically include floor scrubbing, sweeping, and washing and require the cleaner to be skilled.

However, because of the job's time-consuming nature, it deserves better pay than typical cleaning rates.

Consider the following questions to determine the effort needed to nail the job.

When quoting your cleaning services, the job size is yet another thing to consider. This may include considering the following factors.

Although most of these questions can be answered over a phone call, nothing beats the efficacy of visiting the site and checking everything in-person.

It will help you curate an accurate checklist when making job estimate meetings. Go through each aspect of the job to learn about the time and money you'll need to complete the work.

Make sure you include everything in the checklist:

Enlisting all the duties will help you set an accurate cleaning quote and maximise profit.

Considering the appropriate medium to take orders is another thing to consider.

As a rule of thumb, avoid taking orders over a phone call. That's partly because your potential client may fail to convey the precise details about the job, how much work is required, and how long it will take.

Committing to a cleaning quote without knowing the exact job details can lead to a massive loss. So, make sure you plan an in-person meeting or visit the site to get an estimate.

The time of the day also significantly affects the amount you'll make by the end of the day. For instance, labour done in PM generally costs more than services required at night.

So, ensure to check the timing before bidding. Also, feel free to inform the client that your cleaning quote will modify due to changes in the timing.

Although this is understandable, mentioning it beforehand mitigates confusion and allows for a seamless job process.