I lost a job because I was the lowest bid

So I go do this quote for 6 rooms. It came to a little over 300.00. Apparently I was the lowest of 4 bids that he received. I guesstimated it would take me 3 hours to complete. He said that one cleaner told him it would take 8 hours to complete WTF. One cleaners came in at almost double my quote. The guy was rent the home in a very expensive part of town I suspect why the bids came in on the high side.


I had a few more reviews online that on other cleaner. He had me send him screen shots of my most recent Angies list reviews and I offered to do a demo in the worst room and I still didn't get the job. The only thing that I can think off is that because I came in low he lost confidence that I could get the job done.  I have to raise my prices before I start losing more work 

I don't think it was price,     one of the other cleaners gave him a hard sales pitch  and filled the guys mind with BS,    

the guy probably ended up believing the other cleaner was the only guy on the planet that could do a good job, with his "proprietary"   cleaning chemicals, and his  "patented TM steam rinse system"   and his   "triple certified techs"

And lets no forget the other cleaner was "BBB"  approved, and "ethical service provider"    "CRI   approved"    and he has a golden wand that disinfects as he cleans and makes "patented dry strokes"  with

Next time insult the man,  tell him ,  listen dumb ass ,  this is not rocket science.  Quality will vary from one company to the next,   however you know I will give you my best effort,  because my entire life is on the line here,  (Owner, Operater)    I can afford to do this quality job for you for less then what most other companies can,   because I have a lower over head then most, and I don't spend $50,000  per year on public brain washing marketing .

MY WORK IS MY ADVERTIZING.

" this is not rocket science"

So true I have won more bids this way yes my prices may have been lower.

On some jobs like that OK three hours max 300 sounds good.

Then they ask how long do you think it's going take you.

Ain't that the truth Andy.  Here's an example of where setting expectations bit me in the ass 

It's not a bad approach. When I bid jobs like that or well really jobs on general I don't want to be the highest nessasarly, but up at the top. The price point is not always the resin for the bid. Sometimes it's part of the equation that is used to determine quality. 

I remember bidding a large 23k sq ft job. There were three different companies in the mix. One of which I knew by the description of his presentation. I knew that bid would be the lowest. After being selected for the work, I asked why we were chosen. His response was that it wasn't cause you were the cheapest, you were the highest. We felt like the way the relationship was handled from the first call through looking over the job, your company would provide is with the best service. 

We were selected to clean a church this upcoming week. In this location we were bidding against Stamley. I will be asking why we were chosen after completion. 

Oh one more, we recently did an estimate for a local community non profit. In a conversation with them about supporting their efforts in our comunity. They explained why the clientele that they attract is why they choose our services. They responded that the way your company handled our needs over the phone and during pre inspection, we knew you were the right decision. They said well we put off cleaning because of, well you know, most of the companies on town are not so good, and their professionalism is Nonexistent. 

Sometimes money just doesn't seal the deal. Not that was what you were after Mo. Just making a point that could help others.

When ever I bumped my price to be more in line with the higher end cleaners, I lost the bid. When ever I price it at a point I know most other cleaners can't touch I won the bid. I works both ways.

I think the Main thing is price enough to not hate the job, yet if your hungry don't let pride get in the way of you working for less then you think your worth. Lost 3 nice potential commercial jobs in the last couple months cause I felt I was worth more.

Don't you guys think that if you come in at the lowest that it plants a seed in the potential customers mind the quality may not be there?  I need to work on my sales presentation.

PS.  I start off at $46.00 per room so it's not very often that I come in at the low end of the scale

I agree Mo. Presentation plays a good part on the while experience.

After my first three rooms I charge .30 cents per square feet but I do have some flexibility after my first three rooms.

 The majority of the rooms were lightly soiled and it was going to be vacant  I estimated the time it would take and went with 30.00 per room for the remaining rooms.

If I would have stuck to my square foot pricing for the remaining rooms I would have been more in line with the rest of the bids except that 600.00 dollar bid 

The empties tend to be easier to bid but the rich upscales homes with furniture can be more difficult

we have some companies here that will want to move every single piece of furniture and charge 1000.00,

some want to just go once over and charge super low.

It comes down to your market. I was told once that the rich expect you to gouge them, if you come in low, they feel like they are being cheated somehow. They like bragging about how much they had to pay...sort of a status symbol.

For the rest of the world, bidding in the middle with a personal touch normally gets you the nod. If the dog likes you, fluffy the cat rubs your leg, the infant laughs as you trip over the stairs, or any other personal charms...you will get the job regardless of bid.

By the way, it was my rich brother who offerred the first bit of advice and he has been correct most of the time when I bid on them.

Mo wrote:So I go do this quote for 6 rooms. It came to a little over 300.00. Apparently I was the lowest of 4 bids that he received. I guesstimated it would take me 3 hours to complete. He said that one cleaner told him it would take 8 hours to complete WTF. One cleaners came in at almost double my quote. The guy was rent the home in a very expensive part of town I suspect why the bids came in on the high side.


I had a few more reviews online that on other cleaner. He had me send him screen shots of my most recent Angies list reviews and I offered to do a demo in the worst room and I still didn't get the job. The only thing that I can think off is that because I came in low he lost confidence that I could get the job done.  I have to raise my prices before I start losing more work 

The way I see it is the loss is theirs, not yours Mo :-)

Milspec said, "It comes down to your market.  I was told once that the rich expect you to gouge them, if you come in low, they feel like they are being cheated somehow.  They like bragging about how much they had to pay...sort of a status symbol."

I do, a well to do friends house 2x/yr. 8 areas for $500. Takes 4 hours. When I give them the bill, they always ask; is that all? So I have started using a response of, "that doesn't include a tip'?.  So they add something and they feel good about what I get.

WEll, that's an easy fix, quote higher prices, that's the way I prefer to loose them!   

 That's true Dave

I just got a job because I was the lowest bid

not bad just told the guy the truth you want it clean or just looking good

3000 sq commercial glue down pretty new in good shape

250 bucks a Rotary and some of Joe's juice thank you very much

no one offered the guy encap took me under two hours I turned the bill in latter after lunch to make it look like it took me longer LOL

Mo wrote:So I go do this quote for 6 rooms. It came to a little over 300.00. Apparently I was the lowest of 4 bids that he received. I guesstimated it would take me 3 hours to complete. He said that one cleaner told him it would take 8 hours to complete WTF. One cleaners came in at almost double my quote. The guy was rent the home in a very expensive part of town I suspect why the bids came in on the high side.


I had a few more reviews online that on other cleaner. He had me send him screen shots of my most recent Angies list reviews and I offered to do a demo in the worst room and I still didn't get the job. The only thing that I can think off is that because I came in low he lost confidence that I could get the job done.  I have to raise my prices before I start losing more work 

Don't over think it. There's too much you don't know about his reasoning. Renter getting reimbursed? May be a kickback involved? Who knows?

ODIN wrote:I just got a job because I was the lowest bid

not bad just told the guy the truth you want it clean or just looking good

3000 sq commercial glue down pretty new in good shape

250 bucks a Rotary and some of Joe's juice thank you very much

no one offered the guy encap took me under two hours I turned the bill in latter after lunch to make it look like it took me longer LOL

You may have been the lowest bid, but that wasn't why you got the job. Never sell yourself short, you got that job because of the way you presented yourself, the price was just the frosting.