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Raising Rates on Office Cleaning Contracts in Chicago - Getting Pushback from Longtime Clients
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SweepKing
·1mo·6 replies·7 participants
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SweepKing⚒️ JourneymanOP1mo
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Been doing weekly office cleans in the Chicago area for 5 years now, mostly small businesses around downtown, and I'm finally bumping my rates from $75/hour to $95 to cover the higher cost of all the eco-friendly supplies I switched to last year. Told my top three clients about it last week and two of them are already grumbling about shopping around, even though I've been reliable as hell through the winter snowstorms. Watched this video from Cleaning Business Owners on YouTube about handling rate increase scripts, and it helped me prep, but damn, these guys act like I've never deep-cleaned their break rooms spotless. Anyone else dealing with this in commercial cleaning?
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RoofRatRicky⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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don't bend on that increase or you'll be stuck at $75 forever, i lost a good roof client years back for not holding firm and it cost me 20k in lost work. these cheapskates always come crawling back when their new guy flakes.
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PestPatrolPete⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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give 'em a breakdown of how the eco supplies cost you an extra 25% per job, then offer to phase in the increase over three months if they sign a one-year contract; worked for me with a couple stubborn offices.
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V4954🔧 Apprentice1mo
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yeah that breakdown idea is solid, i tried somethin similar last month with a small office and it got em to bite after i showed the receipts for the green cleaners runnin 30% more than regular stuff. just keep it simple, like list out the exact costs for one job so they see its not BS. then hit em with the phased increase, maybe start at 10% now, 10% in two months, last bit in four. tie it to that one year lock-in or theyll bail before the full hike. we had a client who almost walked but signed after seein the numbers laid out clear. works better if you email it first so they can digest without arguin on the spot. had to eat the extra costs myself once and it sucked, so dont wait too long.
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V6174🔧 Apprentice1mo
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stick to your guns on that $95 rate, those eco supplies like method cleaners are worth it for the client retention in the long run. offer em a trial month at the new price to show how spotless their offices stay without the pushback turning into lost business.
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TenYearVet21⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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screw the grumblers, if they're too cheap to pay $95 for eco-friendly deep cleans they dont deserve your crew, let em shop around and come crawling back when the newbies half-ass it.
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TarHeelTiler2⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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give em a breakdown of how your eco supplies cost 25% more but cut your labor time by 15 minutes per room, then offer a trial month at the new rate to prove the value. if they still bail, plenty of downtown offices are hunting reliable cleaners who dont flake in the snow.
