Recent content by Robert Kravitz

Re: Bidding There is not one “right†way to bid for janitorial work. Bidding is not an exact science. No person, book, consultant or organization has ever come up with a perfect bidding formula. In the end, the right bid is the one that gets you the account and enough money to make having...

Re: Bidding There is not one “right†way to bid for janitorial work. Bidding is not an exact science. No person, book, consultant or organization has ever come up with a perfect bidding formula. In the end, the right bid is the one that gets you the account and enough money to make having...

Re: Floor Strip & Wax Charges There appears to be a range of charges from 17 cents to 20 cents per square foot for floor strip & wax. Charge the customer for all supplies, the stripper, the pads, the wax, etc. If you do not want to charge separately for supplies then add 2-3 cents per square...

Free Janitorial Information for the commercial and residential cleaning companies. Please go to www.alturasolutions.com and Click on Freebies. Changes weekly!

A monthly newsletter is a terrific way to keep in touch with your clients. It makes you and your service look special. You can now provide them with valuable information to help them and maintain the customer- vendor bond which is so important. Look at it as very low cost customer insurance...

Regarding Independent Contractors This is an area where you must be very careful if you pay people directly as independent contractors. In the mid 80’s, so many cleaning companies were being audited because of abusing the independent contractor status, they actually sent out a notice (in...

RE: Getting Accounts and Building Your Business One of the great things about the janitorial business is we can go find our customers, we do not have to wait for them to come to us. There are several ways to do this, it all is up to you and how much marketing and how formal you want to go...

Lots of questions there! I’ll address one. A follow-up especially after a one-time job is a very good idea. It lets the customer know you care about the job performed, it builds a bond between you and the customer and they remember you the next time they need the service performed again...

Flyers and Brochures Flyers and brochures are excellent ways to promote your business. Often when you first meet with a client, it’s important to be able to leave something with them other than just your card. A flyer or a brochure does the job. Recently I interviewed former clients in...

When I had my first business in California, I subcontracted my carpet and window cleaning out. My sub's told me that coupon books were one of the best ways of drumming up business. Of course it worked better at different times of the year. Just as Dan mentioned, you have to try various ways...

Property managers are difficult. They get lots of calls every day from all types of vendors. Often you will just be forwarded to their voice mail each and every time you call. Property managers prefer, if possible, to work with the same vendor. That way they have one call to make if there is...

Here's a bright idea for adding a personal and impressive touch to your janitorial proposals. Include a very informal letter describing how you came up with your bid estimate and include it with your proposal. Don’t make this your cover letter. It should be additional information included...