[shelton]

Here we go - it's another "medals on the table" moment.

I had hoped that this sort of thing would be a distant memory when CMS scooted off, but I was obviously wrong.

Personally, I don't find it a difficult concept to understand that a contract can be big to someone and small to someone else.  What I do find difficult to understand is this ridiculous posturing that seems to take place every other post.

I suggest that this particular thread has run it's course.

 :

[Karl Wheeler]

Hi BSF
Whats your web address would be good to see a learn from other companies. Regards Karl

[BSF]

Karl

I choose not to advertise my company on this forum for many reasons.

Dont listen to Shelton, no bravado meant,  my post wasnt meaning to put you down in any way Karl or boast about how big my company is, I'm just telling you how it is, big contracts get the service cheaper, 20hrs isnt a big contract.

Regards

BSF

[Karl Wheeler]

Hi BSF
This is what these forums are for. I agree with Sheldon in the respect that to some companies 20hrs is a big contract. We are a relatively young company who is always looking to listen and learn from others. So all points of view are taken on board so if you have any words of wisdom then we will take them onboard and learn.
Regards Karl.
p.s if you want to send your website address to our email (FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE) it would be good to view it.
Regards
Karl

[BSF]

Hi BSF
This is what these forums are for. I agree with Sheldon in the respect that to some companies 20hrs is a big contract. We are a relatively young company who is always looking to listen and learn from others. So all points of view are taken on board so if you have any words of wisdom then we will take them onboard and learn.
Regards Karl.
p.s if you want to send your website address to our email (FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE) it would be good to view it.
Regards
Karl

Karl, take what I have said on board then, if you want your company to grow, get the idea of charging £15 per hour for big contracts out of your head, because you cant, they are my words of wisdom for you, take it on board instead of trying to disagree with me.

 Why would it be good to see my website? 

Regards

BSF

[D woods]

Hi BSF
I would like to see your website, as I imagine it will be very good.

[Karl Wheeler]

Hi BSF
It would be good to see your website to see how a large cleaning company professionally portrays it self. Words of wisdom taken onboard.
Regards
Karl

[shelton]

I agree - we can only learn from those who have mde it to the top of the tree.

And isn't this what this board is all about - helping, etc?

[Prestige1]

Yes I to would like to see your website. I am sure we could all learn somthing from you.

[Prestige1]

I disagree with the statement of forgetting the £15 per hour; if you can portrait a reputable company with quality and reliability at its core you can secure contracts large and small. After all why pay £40,000 for a Porsche why not pay £10,000 for a fiat? After all their both cars. In my opinion large companies want a quality service all the time just like the small companies, there will always be those who want it on the cheap but these companies just chop and change cleaning companies all the time, waste of time in my opinion. I don't want spend all my time and effort chasing jobs with loads of hassle for little return. But then my biggest job is only 60hrs a week Mon -Fri kind regards Phil

[Karl Wheeler]

Hi Phil
I agee to a certain extent, if you provide the right services, quality and reliability, then most customers will be prepared to pay.I realise this can be dependant on the area of the country you work within. I can only speak from my experience , being a relative young company i have not had to many problems securing the £15 P/H contract and i get about 80% of the work quoted for. But then my biggest contract is only 30hrs a week.So maybe, I will find if i get to quote for the bigger contracts in time my opion will differ.
Karl

[shelton]

The other thing I'm surprised about is, at that sort of level, it's possible to work it out on the number of hours a job is going to take.

100+ hours a week - what sort of formula can you use to estimate that?

Very interested to know how to take my company to the next level.

[D woods]

Hi Shelton
Most big cleaning jobs (100 hours or more) will usually let you know
how many cleaners they have on the job, for example if they have 12
cleaners a day each working 2 hours a shift you can work the hours out.

In my experience you would be very hard pushed to get £8.50 per hour
for this sort of work, £15 per hour is just fantasy.

[Prestige1]

I have a clear business plan, and it does not include low prices, its true you can make money on 100 hrs at £8.50 but to manage that contract takes to much for so little return. Not all business is good business. I found that out the hard way. my advise would be to build your business on jobs that provide you with the maximum return, slowly but surely it will grow and the foudation will be sound, at the moment I am only working 1 day aweek and the odd day made up of carpet cleaning jobs. this suits me just fine, and the business is growing. i would be unable to do this if I had to run arround chasing cleaners on large contracts making peanuts.  the prices I charge allow me to pay an area manager and secretary.

[BSF]

Yes I to would like to see your website. I am sure we could all learn somthing from you.

Its their on Google for the whole world to see,  you’ve probably seen it before.

I have a clear business plan, and it does not include low prices, its true you can make money on 100 hrs at £8.50 but to manage that contract takes to much for so little return. Not all business is good business. I found that out the hard way. my advise would be to build your business on jobs that provide you with the maximum return, slowly but surely it will grow and the foudation will be sound, at the moment I am only working 1 day aweek and the odd day made up of carpet cleaning jobs. this suits me just fine, and the business is growing. i would be unable to do this if I had to run arround chasing cleaners on large contracts making peanuts.  the prices I charge allow me to pay an area manager and secretary.

As Mr Woods has said earlier, big contracts are usually taken over by other cleaning company’s, they know how many hours they need, how do you think they would go from paying £7.50 per hour to your £15.00 per hour, they wouldn’t Phil…

You say you have a job of 60hrs per week, that is a good contract, I would do this for £8.00 per hour (£24,960 pa) (only if the existing cleaners were on £5.50ph) and make a good profit.

The job would be correctly managed, the client would be happy.

Hi BSF
It would be good to see your website to see how a large cleaning company professionally portrays it self. Words of wisdom taken onboard.
Regards
Karl

Hi Karl,

Sorry but I never said I had a large company, a large company to me would be employing at least 400 part time staff,  I’m a fair few off that yet  , but it’s large enough to know what large contracts are prepared to pay for cleaning services. 

Regards

BSF

[kazzie]

I have been following this thread with interest.. I hope I am not too late to contribute.

I am hoping to start trading in August (Office Cleaning) and I am putting some finishing touches to my business/marketing plan... Quite a few of you talk of adding your profit after direct/indirect costs.

How much profit is a realistic profit in the world of commercial cleaning? 20%...25%...30%...MORE??

Always grateful for any advice!

Kazzie

[BSF]

That will depend on the size of the job.

Regards

BSF

[Tim Downer]

Hi all

I am having trouble in finding out what the arguement is on this thread?? If you can make a profit on charging £7.50 per hour (assuming this is per cleaner??) and still make a tidy profit......then good for you. Just trying to find out how you make a profit on that.....but that's not my business.
If you can get work charging £15 or more per hour....then thats fantastic too!! From personal experience, when you have added up the insurance, equipment, cleaning products, paye charges, uniforms (if indeed you supply them??), training, sickpay, holidays, (i will go on to include the chance of one of your cleaning girls getting pregnant and claiming maternity pay.....), your wages for keeping an eye on the contract, your vehicle.....and your profits too.......etc etc etc (list could sometimes go on).....then only you can decide how much you will charge per hour!!

The best price is the highest price you can get away with........as long as you do work to the high standard that the higher price can dictate.....other wise you will soon loose it.

There have been articles about this on this forum and in the cleaning journals....and that is that we as the cleaning contractor should raise the prices for cleaning contracts, so that we the cleaning contractor can use the money to provide a better service for the clients. For many years now, customers out there have been used to dealing with cowboy outfits, and the larger cleaning corperations.......and their cheap contract prices (and the work that goes with it???).....thus the bulk of the cleaning contracxtors.....us.....have to lower our prices to get a fighting chance of getting work......but taking the contract at a lower price......we can give the quality standard of work with it!!!

So i am up for charging more per hour (personally do not work to the per hour!! I work out a contract price......as have said on another thread) so that we can provide a better service for our clients......and as a bonus, earn more money.


Sorry, but have not been on for a few days......so think i have gotten carried away on my rambleings.........

But just take the above words in the spirit that they have been written and that they are just my thoughts on the matter

Kind regards

Tim

[Prestige1]

Could'nt agree more Tim, With the over heads I have I must charge a minimum £13ph, I try an average £15ph plus vat. I really don't see the point in setting up a contract where its hard work for a small margin. we all know the maths charge out at £7.50 pay the staff £6.50 100 hrs a week £100 profit but it never works out that way, you either cut the hours and loose the quality to make it work!
regards Phil

[BSF]

Tim,  all smp is claimed back as well as compensation, if you quote for a big contract they will reguire you to specify how many hours they will be supplied in the contract, Phil if you had to charge £13 per hour minimum, you would never win a big contract,

no argument..

Regards

BSF