You may feel your business will grow per job and client basis - which is likely possible; you must secure cleaning contracts to build a solid reputation in the industry.
Securing a contract gives you peace of mind and allows you to portray yourself as a reliable cleaning company.
Initially, it may seem daunting, but it doesn't have to be. You only need to put a few important things to introduce yourself and promote your cleaning business in the market.
Here's a quick guide to pique customer interest and build your brand.
What You'll
Learn..
Below you’ll find Writing & Pricing Cleaning Contracts.
Things to Include In a Cleaning Contract
Before discussing the things, you must include in your contract, knowing why you need one is crucial.
You may feel a verbal agreement is enough when communicating with your client. However, that doesn't work if you want to provide regular services, especially for commercial properties.
That's primarily because you may need to assess the property outside working hours or require a different entrance for regular staff.
Therefore, commercial clients typically prefer streamlining your services at least once a year. Hence, written commercial cleaning contracts come in handy for both parties.
A few clients may ask you to do otherwise - provide services without a written contract. In that case, you must discuss project details to avoid misunderstandings down the line.
We've curated a list of things you must include in a cleaning contract. You do not need to refer a solicitor or lawyer to draft one. You can do it yourself and share it with a lawyer later to ensure you get all the crucial details.
Title
The title includes a header in bold at the top of the contract. For instance, you may write "Cleaning Services Contract" or "Terms of Service."
Here are a few other things to include:
Services
This section is dedicated to your services. Specify what you offer and show clear intent of what you'll do for your client.
Make sure you highlight what services cost extra besides your standard services. This helps clients understand additional expenses that may incur upon asking for services outside the norm.
Also, include what you will complete, when, and how often. A few tasks, for instance, require more time than others. Ensure to highlight them in the contract.
Termination
Mentioning the rules of termination is crucial to running the business seamlessly. This highlights ways the client can terminate the contract in the event of unexpected circumstances.
Further, it also covers your business in case the client tries to end the contract incorrectly. As such, you get compensation for the cleaning job.
Supplies
This is one of the most critical sections, highlighting the supplies needed to complete the job. Generally, cleaning companies provide all the equipment, from solvents to cleaners.
However, you may want the client to provide you with additional supplies - such as electricity or water.
Besides, a few clients may want you to use specific disinfectants and cleaners. This is especially true for homeowners who prefer environmentally friendly products.
The clients may decide to provide such products, or you may purchase them for specific clients. Ensure to mention the costs of additional supplies.
Compensation
This section specifies everything about payment. For instance, if you prefer getting paid after each job, mention it here—a few cleaning companies like getting paid weekly or monthly. So, make sure you say your payment preferences when filling out this section.
You must also mention how you would like to get paid. Do you want to receive your payment via cash, cheque, or direct deposit?
You can also set consequences for not getting paid timely and mention them under the compensation section.
Procedures
It is common for mishaps to happen during cleaning work. Make sure you state that you will cover the costs for damage you may cost to the client. For instance, if you break anything on their property, you must mention the steps you'll take to resolve the issue.
Signatures
This section includes the signatures of all the parties involved. Generally, it consists of 2 signatures. One for you and another for the client. However, this may vary depending on the number of people involved in the contract.
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How to Price Your Cleaning Services
Winning cleaning contracts is one thing; you must determine accurate pricing to keep yourself from running into debt.
Ensure you consider cleaning equipment costs, additional materials and solvents you may purchase per client needs, and employees.
Here are a few tips to consider when pricing your cleaning services.
Research Competitors
Conducting market research helps determine the optimal pricing for your cleaning services. Make sure you set competitive pricing and avoid offering services for cheap.
Though it feels tempting to set a low price than competitors, charging less means compromising supply quality and hiring less-skilled workers.
Therefore, it's better to pick an optimal range and provide quality services to build a reputation. Once you have a solid reputation, you can get more clients through word of mouth.
Contract Costs
As a whip-smart business owner, you'll be willing to take steps to reward your clients who choose you over your competitors. Not only does it helps retain clients, but it also builds a reputation.
For instance, you can offer monthly or annual discounts. So, make sure you consider them when pricing your services. This will help you set a better price to compensate for the discount you may offer your client down the road.
Set an Hourly Rate
Whether you want to charge hourly or not, you must know what you want to achieve within an hour to determine the price for the entire job.
You'll be able to offer an accurate quote by determining what you can do within a specified timeframe. This will keep you from undercharging your clients and overworking a specific job.
Also, we recommend visiting the property to know the workload. For example, a commercial building may have lots of toilets; in that case, you'll need more time to complete the job than a business property with only a few bathrooms.
Tips for Winning a Long-Term Cleaning Contract
While writing a contract is one thing, you must know the drill of winning one. How to encourage customers to choose your cleaning company?
Here are a few tips to help you write winning proposals and win more long-term contracts that add to your revenue.
Talk About What You Do But Do So Strategically
Every cleaning company can talk about what they do, but a few talk about "how" they do it. Of course, someone seeking a cleaning service expects the cleaning company to highlight their services - there's nothing special about it.
However, mentioning the "how" and "why" can help you stand out from the crowd. Here's a quick example.
Some companies talk about how they do it
Few talk about why they want to do it.
If your statement resolves a customer pain point, you're more likely to win a contract than someone who blandly mentions what they offer.
Demonstrate Your Uniqueness
Companies need help to figure out what makes them unique. However, there's always something that sets you apart from your competitors - you only need to pay attention.
Your employee turnover rate may be low because of how well you treat your workers, or you may use a unique strategy to meet quality standards.
Highlight that in your proposal to let your clients know what sets you apart and how it can contribute to their well-being.
Provide a Social Proof
You've served numerous customers till now. Remember to sprinkle testimonials on your proposal.
Reviews, endorsements, and ratings significantly affect the purchase decision of people.
So, if you have a few that vouch for your service quality, do not hesitate to include them in your proposal.
However, it is worth noting that the cleaning industry is highly competitive. So, a random testimonial will unlikely grab the client's attention.
For instance, if you want to clean a doctor's office, a testimonial from a residential cleaning area won't attract your client. Instead, consider including a review from another doctor's office that you cleaned.
Tell How Your Services Will Upgrade Their Lives
Cleaning has become a lifestyle since the break of the pandemic. The demand has surged, and more people seek efficient services to meet their hygiene needs and avoid contamination.
So humanise your proposal and share how your services can level up a client's life.
For instance, any organisation would want a clean space to offer a safe environment, boost employee productivity, and reduce sick days. Eventually, this will help them gain recognition and build brand authority.
So, businesses concerned about their reputation will naturally be willing to hire an efficient cleaning company for a thorough cleaning.
Ensure you highlight their problems and tell them how you can enhance their business.
Show Your Dedication and Commitment
Do you take customer problems like your own? If not, you may be seen to lack dedication to your work.
Offering services isn't enough. You must also state what you can do if your services fail to meet client requirements. Did you ever notice why brands offer customers the "30-day money-back guarantee" policy?
Their goal is to make customers feel valued. Swept, a former cleaning company now running as a cleaning software, boldly said, "We'll pay you to fire us."
They offered to pay for the last month's services if the client picked another company over them. Making such a statement sounds intimidating, but guess what? No client utilised their offer since the company met customer expectations.
Make sure you commit to your services wholeheartedly and provide value to retain clients.
Follow Up
Since your client receives proposals from multiple cleaning companies, they'll take time to consider their best option.
So whether they're busy reaching out to your competitors or have yet to get a chance to go through your proposal, a gentle reminder helps.
Make sure you reach out to them. However, do so professionally. Ideally, remind them through an email.
Talk About the Next Steps
Once they accept your proposal, you can meet them in person to discuss the task's details. Make sure you're transparent about your policies and rates to set a real relationship with your client and get your business off the ground.
the Complete Cleaning Business Starter Kit
Get our FREE Comprehensive Start-Up guide, complete with a checklist, business card template, pricing calculator and Invoice template.
Conclusion
Winning a cleaning contract has become more challenging due to rising competition in the industry. You must identify your prospective client's needs and challenges to fill the gap and resolve their problems.
Make sure you let your creative juices flow when crafting a proposal. Also, remember to include nitty-gritty details in the contract to avoid confusion.
