The Bidding Process from the Homeowner and the Service Company's Perspective
As
a homeowner looking for any type of pool service whether it be monthly service,
a one time clean up or an install or repair, there are certain things to looks
for. Of course, in my opinion, the most important thing you need to check for is
to see if the service provider is licensed and insured. Insured in the respect
that they carry a General Liability policy of at least 2 million dollars or
more. Not that anything will likely happen, but something might happen none the
less. Without insurance, there is little recourse in my opinion.
The
best way to find a good pool service company is the old-fashioned way. Ask a
friend or family member whom they use for service. The number one way to gain
business is still through referrals from current customers. In some cases, over
25% of new clients may come from referrals from current clients. So, you always
want to, of course, keep your clients 100% satisfied with your service. This
means showing up every week and addressing any issues or problems right away.
You
want to make the bid concise with everything disclosed. For example: “For a
pool your size it will be $90 per month. This includes the Acid and Liquid
Chlorine but does not including any Conditioner, 3” Tablets or other chemicals.
Those would be charged to you each month separately when needed. There is also,
an $85 filter cleaning charge and I clean all the filters twice a year in March
and then again in September. If your filter needs additional cleaning, there
will be an additional $85 charge at the time of that cleaning.”
Another
common mistake is underbidding the service account. Look carefully at all the
factors around the service account. Large trees surrounding the pool will mean
more time each week cleaning the pool. Pool running on poor or old equipment
will mean more chemical usage. No automatic cleaner means you will be vacuuming
the pool more often. A very large pool takes more time and chemicals. All of
this should be quickly assessed and factored into the bid. If you bid too low,
it is hard to come back the next month and tell the customer it will be $20
more per month. That doesn’t go over very well.
You
are also assessing the potential client during the bidding process. Is the
customer someone, you can work with long term or are there some red flags? Here
are some red flags to look for:
A potential customer is rude and short with you.
They
seem very demanding or overly picky.
The
equipment is old and needs to be replaced but customer doesn’t want to invest
in new equipment.
They
complain endlessly about the previous service company.
They
try to cut your service rate down when you give them your bid amount.
One
even asked me one time, “Is it legal for my previous pool service to put a lien
on my house for non-payment?” Not kidding.
And
finally, don’t touch anything. Don’t open pump lids, don’t open the filter tank
or filter air relief. Don’t touch the Automated System. Don’t pull the cleaner
to the side to inspect it. It probably won’t happen, but chances are something that could break at that very moment. Or you might have trouble putting the pump lid
back on. Or the cleaner hose will snap as you pull it to the side. It is not
your service account yet, so hands-off. After you land the account then if
something breaks you can fix it. I had this happen to me, so you are better off
just standing by the pool with your hands in your pockets.
Visit my Website: http://www.swimmingpoollearning.com/
YouTube Video Index: http://poolmandave.blogspot.com/2014/03/swimming-pool-tips-reviews-how-to-video.html – A
list of all of my videos.
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