When bidding an account, your final number can take into account the proximity to your other accounts. It’s also useful to know of any potential prospects in the area. This is important since there can be economies of scale (think one or two people of a route in the area) that can help you to be competitive and protect your margins.

One simple approach to bidding, which I have promoted before, is to simply suggest to the prospect that “we will assume the current contract same terms, price and conditions for 30, 60, 90 days and then discuss how we can give you the most value for the dollars being spent.” If they accept your proposal then you can provide great service with the goal of establishing trust and know truly what your costs for this contract will be. Beware of providing any initial clean up or project work during this time unless they are willing to pay for it.

We will continue these thoughts in a future article. Your comments and questions are important. I hope to hear from you soon. Until then, keep it clean...

Mickey Crowe has been involved in the industry for over 35 years. He is a trainer, speaker and consultant. You can reach Mickey at 678-314-2171 or CTCG50@comcast.net