I am trying to transition my business away from the mostly residential customer-base we currently have to one made up more of large commercial contracts like banks, apartment complexes, etc, with reoccurring work. The hourly rate on homes is good, but I’ll sacrifice some hourly rate to not have to chase down so many individual jobs.
Is there a best-practice for approaching these sorts of potential customers? There is a bank in town that has some really dirty brick around the outside of the building, and I was considering stopping by and giving them an estimate. Is that how I should do it, or should I instead ask for contact info for whoever is in charge of maintenance for the branches?
I’m just a part timer, and I live in a rural area, so everything is time and a drive. It’s raining and foggy and I have nothing better to do right now, so let me tell you a short story.
There is a very small chain of grocery stores in my area, 3 of them to be exact, about 30 miles apart (each). I went to the site, talked to the manager, was referred to the next owner/manager, they had me drive back out and do a walk around with them. Then they wanted an estimate for each store separately. I sent it in, did a follow up call, and never heard back from them. My prices were reasonable, It was just concrete cleaning their sidewalks and entryways. I just wanted my rig parked at those locations for advertising to the locals. Nothing better than seeing a before and after where you shop at once a week.
I walked into the owner’s main business for a gas station chain (oil company). Their concrete at all their gas stations was filthy. Gave my rundown and cost for concrete work, gave card, said they would get back to me. 6 months later I drive by and they have their own PW rig cleaning the concrete.
Local bank chain with about 8 locations, contacted them several times (in person and in writing). Never heard back.
Contacted national chains several times, no response. Local fast food places are paying their employees to use a homeowner PW to clean their sidewalks. Talked to manager and regional managers because most of them are franchises.
I gave up on commercial. I still get them from time to time but I no longer waste time and effort attempting to acquire work from them. I decided I rather do chores at my house than waste time, mileage, and gas. Most of my commercial work comes from referrals, or I did their homes.
Sucks that it worked out for you that way, but my mileage has varied already and I am also in a rural area. Pulled 9 apartment complex washes out of a free garage sale page FB ad actually, and a former-competitor now friend of mine at the time he was doing business here landed a large contract with a local bank. (Trying to get him to help me with this stuff, but he’s pretty busy with another venture at this time.)
I live in an area that is notoriously cheap, unless it involves the three vices they are willing to pay for:
Hunting
off road vehicles and pickup trucks
beer drinking
Most of the people in my area, although the younger ones are lazier, are big DIY types. Most of my clients are either elderly, or upper income for the area. I don’t hit middle of the road clients too often. The businesses in the area are based off the coal mine era mindset.
Seriously, @dcbrock is about the only other person on here who seems to sound like he runs into the same issues I do. As an example, I got a referral to look at a doublewide. Easy job, no concrete, small porch. Told him $175. He thought I was too pricey, went out and bought a homeowner PW and did it. In the drive was a 70k diesel truck and probably a 30k side by side. I don’t get upset, it is what it is.
Actually some company around here managed to get a local grocery chain to have them hot-water pressure wash all their shopping carts during COVID. Absolutely silly. Lol
In the same boat as you, looking to break into the commercial side. So far, everything commercial I’ve done, I lucked into. At least in my area, all my commercial work has come from craigslist ads and Google searches. That generated interest from other boat condos and businesses in the area that saw me working. I’m hoping that pays off this upcoming spring.
I would have done a quote with the world’s smallest Costco up here but they couldn’t even follow simple directions or have the common decency to meet me at a time that they scheduled so I channeled my inner @Innocentbystander and put them on the black list and haven’t bothered wasting any more time with them.
