Selling Restaurants, Pressure washing Sidewalks

Ron Musgraves said:
Selling Restaurants,
Never discount price, it’s a mistake because they will always want the discount. I will do these free the first time for a lifetime agreement of cleaning. I will ad some more tips and tricks here.
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Ron, you have peaked my curiosity.

1. When you say you them free for a lifetime agreement, do you do the whole cleaning for free on the first service, or just demo?

2. What do you throw in for an add-on? That seems to be the same as discounting.

Thanks,

Kevin
 
rjwarren said:
I may be wrong but coming from a person that was a general manager of many different restaurants ( fast food and full service ) I would not even speak to a vendor during peek times. We never excepted deliveries much less speak to vendors during certain times and if someone came in they were definately remebered. A "GOOD" manager is more hands off with their staff during those times but are still hands on watching service and customers, a "BAD" manager is hands on with their crew during those times. I have not hired people becuase of them not understanding my business needs is customers during my peek times. The best time to reach a good manager is 9-11 and 2-5 or speak to them quickly and set up a time for a demo.... But that is my two cents.
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I feel the same way.
 
Lou hoods&more said:
I feel the same way.
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Oh, it's aaaahn now......Now you're going to gang up on me with the property manager......

I'm just kidding Lou, You guys have a lot more experience than I have dealing with restaurants. I've just seen the results of procrastinating and I'd rather lose a few who think I'm too agressive than lose a lot because I'm too timid.

Lou, it's just a short drive to Las Vegas, can you make it next weekend?
 
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Tony Shelton said:
Oh, it's aaaahn now......Now you're going to gang up on me with the property manager......

I'm just kidding Lou, You guys have a lot more experience than I have dealing with restaurants. I've just seen the results of procrastinating and I'd rather lose a few who think I'm too agressive than lose a lot because I'm too timid.

Lou, it's just a short drive to Las Vegas, can you make it next weekend?
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When it comes to "bid timing", we're really talking to different creatures here right?
I mean "flat work bid" VS "KEC Bid".

I've bid some small flat work in the past at restaurants (wasn't necessary to disrupt the cook line) ..Can't say that about a KEC bid.
 
Tony Shelton said:
Oh, it's aaaahn now......Now you're going to gang up on me with the property manager......
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I also view it from the perspective of a restaurateur. I had a small choke & puke in the Christown Mall :D . Best thing that came from that was meeting Meleani :p

Tony Shelton said:
Lou, it's just a short drive to Las Vegas, can you make it next weekend?
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I know 5.5hrs from my door to you. I'm 80% certain I'll be there I should be able to firm this up by 2pm errr about 11hrs from now. Some family stuff come up so????
 
precisionpower said:
Ron, you have peaked my curiosity.

1. When you say you them free for a lifetime agreement, do you do the whole cleaning for free on the first service, or just demo?

2. What do you throw in for an add-on? That seems to be the same as discounting.

Thanks,

Kevin
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Customers always remember you were the guy who went the extra mile and did something free for them. At the same time it doesn't devalue your service. It just makes you seem like a nice guy.

Plus, Cleaning a dumpster pad for free doesnt cost you near as much as discounting the regular cleaning by $50 / week.
 
Ron Musgraves said:
If I piss them off they will remember me. When they cant find there guy they will call me. When they see me at show or another establishment I will say hello.
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Big City mentality vs. small town like myself. I'm not timid by any means when it comes to selling, however, in my town if you piss somebody off like that when they are trying to work, they won't let you in the door next time you try.

In a bigger city like Phoenix, I can see your method working great. They're always busy. A lot of my customers (managers and owners) have an apron on during their busy times and it's flat out disrespectful to go climbing around on their kitchen equipment while they're in the middle of lunch rush.

I think Lou hit the nail on the head though saying that KEC sales and Flatwork sales are different animals. We can't turn off their exhaust fans in the middle of lunch rush, but you can go throw a stencil on the ground and surface clean over it out by the dumpster....
 
Ron, how do you pay your sales people?

Ron. how do you pay your sales people?


Ron Musgraves said:
HotShot_Anthony said:
Why not direct your marketing so that they come looking for you? ;)

We do, I get more calls per day requesting service I'll bet than most here.

We have to visit customers, you know how many people appreciate we atually have people to help them. That we answer the phone when people call and have emergency dispatch 24 hours a day.

You cant direct market all that in a postcard or on the web.

We run specials by mail, fax and other advertising means.

I will repeat this one time, the reason I have Five salespeople is that direct personal selling is what truly works the best.

Our market is much larger than a KEC guy. I just chose eating places because most here think you cannot solicit these.

There is no better direct market than walking thru the front Door. If I piss them off they will remember me. When they cant find there guy they will call me. When they see me at show or another establishment I will say hello.

Post cards work, e-mail works, all other forms work. Nothing works better than walking in. I would say its 80% more effective to my company with the technics we use.

Group meetings are working just as nice.
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Arrie said:
Ron. how do you pay your sales people?


Ron Musgraves said:
HotShot_Anthony said:
Why not direct your marketing so that they come looking for you? ;)
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This happened today, we always ask for permission to blow stencil demos.

Susan call a person she has been working with. He is way busy so she asks, can we video demo your locations and can i have a list. BINGO, without even thinking about it e-mails her a list quickly.

How do I pay them? Well...

Two have been with me for a total 24 years and the new ones are not going to leave. They are selling on a regular basis. Its amazing to me how the economy has got me back in the game and it feels good.
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HotShot_Anthony said:
Big City mentality vs. small town like myself. I'm not timid by any means when it comes to selling, however, in my town if you piss somebody off like that when they are trying to work, they won't let you in the door next time you try.

In a bigger city like Phoenix, I can see your method working great. They're always busy. A lot of my customers (managers and owners) have an apron on during their busy times and it's flat out disrespectful to go climbing around on their kitchen equipment while they're in the middle of lunch rush.

I think Lou hit the nail on the head though saying that KEC sales and Flatwork sales are different animals. We can't turn off their exhaust fans in the middle of lunch rush, but you can go throw a stencil on the ground and surface clean over it out by the dumpster....
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We did two of these dumpster demo stencils today near lunch time. They were busy and we'll follow up tomorrow.
 
When it comes down to it I dont beleive their is a precise cookie cutter way of making a sale. Everyone has there trade tricks, slogans etc. and can be decent at selling their products that way. However, all business that really really hit it big have one thing in common. They have a kick ass product or service that cannot be easily replicated or duplicated. Over time that differentiation is going to make you more bloody money than sitting around giving yourself a head ache trying to put every little tip you hear into action trying to sell a mediocre product or service that anyone can duplicate!
 
RHLpressurewashing said:
When it comes down to it I dont beleive their is a precise cookie cutter way of making a sale. Everyone has there trade tricks, slogans etc. and can be decent at selling their products that way. However, all business that really really hit it big have one thing in common. They have a kick ass product or service that cannot be easily replicated or duplicated. Over time that differentiation is going to make you more bloody money than sitting around giving yourself a head ache trying to put every little tip you hear into action trying to sell a mediocre product or service that anyone can duplicate!
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I agree, its many different things, maybe you could have told us what separates you from everyone else?
 
precisionpower said:
Ron, you have peaked my curiosity.

1. When you say you them free for a lifetime agreement, do you do the whole cleaning for free on the first service, or just demo?

2. What do you throw in for an add-on? That seems to be the same as discounting.

Thanks,

Kevin
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If you eat a good meal for free. will you go back again?
 
I just returned earlier from selling one. This guy told me that I had to beat the price because he has been with the company for 4 years. We had already talked about price and he was not sold. We met, I explained to him what we would do and what we would not (his property, although cleaned every two weeks, was covered in gum, had swirl marks everywhere and no edging was done.) After leaving he told me to call him back next Wednesday if I have not gotten a call from him, he had to call his current pw. Within about 15 minutes, he called and said "this is a lot faster than I thought. I will let him finish out the month, you start first week of September." Followed by: "send me a contract if you have one". So although I "had to" lower my price, not only did I not lower it, I raised it 12.5 per cleaning.
 
Jonathan Ellis said:
I just returned earlier from selling one. This guy told me that I had to beat the price because he has been with the company for 4 years. We had already talked about price and he was not sold. We met, I explained to him what we would do and what we would not (his property, although cleaned every two weeks, was covered in gum, had swirl marks everywhere and no edging was done.) After leaving he told me to call him back next Wednesday if I have not gotten a call from him, he had to call his current pw. Within about 15 minutes, he called and said "this is a lot faster than I thought. I will let him finish out the month, you start first week of September." Followed by: "send me a contract if you have one". So although I "had to" lower my price, not only did I not lower it, I raised it 12.5 per cleaning.
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Sweet, Never lower the price.....Now if you had given it away months ago you would not have lost all that money. Get IT????????:wave3:
 
I like Ron's idea of letting them "sample" a service for free.

I've never tried it with pw, but in window cleaning we have had great success when canvassing and cleaning 2 of their favorite windows free of charge.

It lets people see your service, and the rule of reciprocity is quite simple. Give someone a gift, and they try to return it with a bigger one.
It's built into our way of living to give back.
 
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