Business by definition is a win/win. Two people or organizations have something the other wants… and they trade. It must work for both parties.
When a potential customer wants your service and you have an open slot in your schedule, finding a win/win is in everyone’s best interest.
If the potential customer has serious budget constraints, you’ll need to be a bit more creative to make it work.
Knowing your bottom line, and understanding their highest priorities, is key.
Honest Strategy
When I moved to Asheville several years ago, I set out to rebuild my house cleaning income quickly. I planned to charge the same rate I had been working for in Cincinnati. Since I’ve been in the house cleaning business for years and have an excellent reputation, that rate is on the high end. Most of my customers in Cincinnati were financially comfortable.
Moving to Asheville where my daughter’s family lives, I found myself bidding jobs for a different clientele…. young families on tighter budgets.
I developed a better way to bid a job that allowed more room to work together to see if we could find a win/win.
The Old Way of Bidding
In times past, after visiting the potential customer and getting a tour of the house, I’d go home and put my thinking cap on to figure out how many hours I’d expect the job to take. Based on that, I’d come up with the price.
Because the amount required a thumbs-up or thumbs-down from the prospective customer, it was a take-it-or-leave-it proposition. Too high they’d turn me down; too low I’d wind up working for not-enough… and upping the price once it’s been agreed upon is no fun for anyone.
The New Way of Bidding
Because I had so many slots to fill when I arrived in Asheville, I didn’t want potential customers walking away from the table without doing my best to see if we could work something out. Most were young families who had never had house cleaning service; the challenge was offering a service that fit their budget while keeping my hourly rate on the higher end. (Note: I earn my higher rate by providing excellent service, not just because I’ve been at it a while…)
I realized that instead of guessing what they had in mind to pay, it made sense for me to know exactly what my customer’s budget range was and work to customize the plan to fit it. So, I did something astonishing… I asked! And you know what? They told me!
I say ‘budget range‘ because everyone has the amount they’d like to pay for something; that’s the low end. And people generally know the top amount they’re willing to pay for something; that’s the high end.
Once I knew what their budget allowed, I could map out the most-bang-for-the-buck options starting with the low end. I’d design a basic package for less time and a more comprehensive package for more time. With both packages I’d earn the same rate per hour.
The comprehensive package was often the better value for them, since it’s simple and efficient to add helpful tasks into an already active cleaning routine.
Some other options to fit your service into their budget include:
Once-Every-4-Weeks Service
For most customers bi-weekly cleaning service is ideal, but for someone watching their dollars closely bi-weekly can be too big of a hit to the monthly budget. Better to come less often for a more comprehensive clean. (Actually, things tend to stay cleaner longer when cleaned thoroughly.)
Your customer won’t get service as often as they’d wish, but you will work extra-hard to get things ship-shape when it’s been 4 weeks since the last cleaning, and it’s a great way to get people started.
It’s been ideal for the young families on my schedule, and most have increased service since we started. (They get addicted to coming home to a clean house and they want more. :)
A few things to keep in mind:
As you are filling your calendar with regular customers, schedule once-every-4-weeks customers in pairs, so two customers fill one bi-weekly slot. Otherwise, you’ll wind up with unwanted days off every month.
Always give your once-every-4-weeks customers a heads-up when they are on your schedule the coming week… it’s easy for them to lose track. I send an email or text several days before I’m due.
When setting up the schedule, your customers should realize that once-every-4-weeks is different that once-a-month, because the time of the month will shift over the course of a year. They might start out on the first week of the month, but that will change as the year progresses.
Usually, once a year they will be scheduled for a 2-visit month because of the extra days in a month. Give them a big heads-up about that so they can budget for the double expense, or, if they need to skip one visit, you’ll have plenty of time to schedule something else.
Eliminate Low-Priority Tasks
There are house cleaning tasks that can be time-intensive but not very important to your customer. I have a couple of customers for whom I do not dust. Kitchen, bathrooms, and floors are the priority.
Maintain a home in less time by rotating low-priority tasks on different visits. Does the guest room really need to be dusted and swept every visit? Are there areas of the hard floor that could be only swept and seldom mopped? Do the walls of the kids’ tub need scrubbed every time?
Your customer should understand that you are trying to avoid time-wasters by concentrating your efforts on their priorities. To help make it a successful strategy, they can bring things to your attention if they notice details getting overdue. You’ll need to be extra-observant as you go through your cleaning routine, constantly assessing how well things are being maintained.
Know Your Bottom Line
It’s essential to know the hourly amount you need to charge to make Cleaning for a Living worth your while. Keep in mind that there are many self-employment expenses that need to be included in that rate; which is why it needs to be significantly higher than an employees wage. Striving to earn a professional, consistent amount per hour across all your jobs is best.
Whether you bid ‘by the hour’ or ‘by the job’, you need to have a clear sense of the hourly rate you’re basing it on. Knowing the amount of time you expect a job will take is essential, and that comes with experience.
Usually I bid by ‘the job’, meaning I explain exactly what I’ll accomplish for a certain amount. That said, I always tell the customer how much time they will be guaranteed. (Some people have been burned by disreputable housecleaners who wave a feather duster, pick up the check, and leave.)
I also tell them that, once I have things at their house caught up, I will be working hard to accomplish everything in exactly that amount of time. They have a clear idea of what my hourly rate is, and I don’t wind up working overtime for free.
(If you are desperate for work, you can agree to a lower amount on an ‘introductory’ basis, with the understanding that you’ll renegotiate down the road. See the article on getting started.)
Beware of committing slots in your regular schedule to family and friends at a ‘friendly’ rate. Housecleaning is your livelihood. Helping someone out at a discount for a special occasion is a nice thing to do, but putting them on your monthly calendar for less-than-your-professional-rate will keep your earnings low.
Finding a win/win arrangement to work with great customers is the goal, and it will pay off for as long as you choose to Clean for a Living.
