percent profit after all expenses), a dollar amount for profit (usually for smaller accounts — don’t go below your minimum) and cost per labor hour (e.g., $12 per hour, which covers all expenses and profit). Present To Close Now you are ready for a compelling proposal. Here are some quick tips to help you close the sale: ■ Make sure you have gathered all information and answered all questions prior to the presentation. ■ Reframe previous conversations and what your prospect’s goals are (e.g., clean facility to attract customers). ■ Transition in terms of benefit. Focus on the benefit that you’re offering to them. ■ Talk about how you will deliver them the benefit, for example, through trained employees and quality control software. ■ Show them the scope of work. ■ Establish mutual expectations, what you will do and what you expect of them. ■ Give them pricing options depending on levels of service. ■ Overcome any objections. ■ Close the sale. ■ Always schedule a follow up appointment. Here is an example of how to close the sale, a possile conversa-tion between you and the prospect: ■ “Before we move forward, what questions do you have about the proposal?” ■ Summarize the benefits. “Bob, last time we spoke you men-tioned that you wanted a clean facility in order to attract more customers. Bob, that is exactly what we do.” ■ “Based upon that, my recommendation is…” Let them know which pricing option you recommend as they move forward. ■ “All we need to get started is…” Let them know what needs to happen for them to move forward. ■ “What time would be best for you to…” Give them some time options for them to do the things necessary to move forward. When looking at software for bidding, consider the following fea-tures: ■ Web-based ■ Flexible ■ Accurate ■ Specific to your industry ■ Affordable. There are many software packages out there, so be sure to do your research first. Using bidding software will increase your productivity, set you apart from the competition and increase your revenue. All of this while providing pain relief both during the bidding pro-cess and after you win the account. Following these principles, you may agree with Shawn Jones of Dale Rogers Training Center Inc., who notes that this approach makes it “much easier to maintain clear expectations and goals.” Imagine the results you’ll achieve, and then go realize them. CM Michael Jenkins has over 30 years experience in the cleaning industry and has operated a successful cleaning company across multiple states. Michael has helped over 100 people start and succeed with their own cleaning business. He also continually works to develop a software program called CleanTelligent that helps BSCs and CRPs increase revenue, retention and productivity. CleanTelligent helps companies with communication, inspections, scheduling, workloading, esti-mating, proposals, trend tracking and much more. Should You Use Bidding Software? Gathering metrics and information, and calculating expenses and profit, can be done many different ways: ■ Paper and calculator ■ Excel/spreadsheet ■ Software. All these methods work, but the closer you get to software, the easier it is to gather information faster, use stored procedures/ methods of calculation, and ensure fewer mistakes, making sure you have a competitive price that makes you money. Speaking about software, John Garrett of Facilities Manage-ment Advisors LLC, reports that it “allows more efficient and pro-ductive performance at all levels of management.” Software is not only more accurate in its calculations, but it can also go much farther in presenting your business as one that is progressive in its techniques. Potential clients will be far more impressed by a specialized program than by a paper and pencil approach. FREE INFO: Reader Service 205 or CMMOnline.com/freeinfo www.cmmonline.com 37
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