Write A Better Tile And Grout Cleaning Proposal

Tile and grout cleaning is a necessary service to maintain pristine floors in commercial or residential spaces.

Tile is a popular choice of flooring material because it is durable and easy to maintain.

However, as a porous surface, tile and grout can get extremely dirty from foot traffic. This requires the help of professionals like you to restore the tile to like-new condition.

There are many steps in landing a tile and grout cleaning bid, one of which is writing a standout proposal.

This article will explain the things you need to do to create a winning professional proposal package that will help you sell your services.

We’ll cover several topics including how to introduce yourself and your work, what type of language to include in your proposal, how to be transparent in your service offerings, and how to streamline your contract.

Let’s get started by crafting a strong introduction.

Creating A Cover Letter

What is a cover letter and why is it important?

A cover letter is a letter of intent that introduces a job seeker to a potential employer. It explains the job-seeker’s suitability or qualifications for the desired position and is often accompanied by a resume or other materials that further detail the work.

In the tile and grout cleaning industry, a cover letter can help you establish your name and reputation in the business.

Start your cover letter by addressing the client, then tell them something about yourself or your business. One or two sentences is sufficient.

This could sound something like,

“At Tile Master Tile and Grout Services, we have over 35 years of experience in hard surface restoration. Our professional staff can handle jobs of any size and difficulty with our specialty being in ceramic tile deep cleaning and maintenance.”

Since we mentioned that our specialty is ceramic tile cleaning, the next paragraph would be a good place to explain what kind of cleaning services we offer and how we perform the job.

A good way to look at your cover letter is to use it to tell your client anything you want them to know about your company before seeing the actual bid.

Generally this means relaying your experience, briefly explaining your services, and giving them a quality guarantee on the work you will be providing.

A cover letter should not go past one page in length and it should contain information that is truly relevant to the client—for instance, you don’t need to talk about why you’re better than the competition because this isn’t an advertisement. You just want to explain that you’re great at your job.

You can finish your letter by thanking the reader for their time and consideration and stating that the estimate is included at the end of the proposal package.

To see more examples of cover letter techniques, check out our articles on painting proposals and HVAC proposals.

Sign your name at the bottom and you’re ready to move on to the next step.

Customer Reviews And Examples Of Work

When working in an industry that has dramatic before-and-after results, it can be a nice touch to include some examples of your work in your proposal.

People love seeing real-world examples. Showing off your best work will give your client something memorable to think about as they read your contract.

As you complete more jobs, take photos and store them on your computer or in your Route account. When you’re ready to use them again, pull them up and paste them onto a new document to show the differences in a dirty tile floor and a clean one.

Remember to always get your client’s consent before using their name in a photograph. If you aren’t using specific names next to your images, you can publish them anywhere you like, but it would still be polite to contact the client and ask them anyway.

Making a habit of engaging in ethical business practices outside the actual job itself will add to your good reputation in the tile and grout industry.

You can also do this process for reviews. Always encourage people to leave you a review whether it’s through Route, Facebook, Yelp, Google, or somewhere else.

Customer feedback is incredibly important in you landing more bids because much like before and after photos, people are interested in real-life examples. If you’re doing awesome work, let your clients tell people about it.

When you’re ready to write your proposal, copy your best reviews to a blank document and arrange them on the page. If you have a specific review that goes with a before and after photo, call this out by putting the review and the photo together.

Keep this customer feedback part of your proposal updated regularly. The more current your examples and reviews, the better off you will be.

Job Specifications

The next step in your proposal package is to outline what exactly you’ll be doing for your client.

Get out your notes from your walkthrough and do a brief write up of each room that you are going to clean.

You should include the square footage of the room (this should be saved in the Walkthrough Builder™, what service you will be doing, if there are any special concerns, and if you like, you can also state what kind of chemicals and supplies you will be using.

Do this for every room you will be servicing. If you are using Route to grow your service business you can do all of this within the Proposal Generator, which we explain in the next section, or you can do this separately in a word processing program like Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

Showing your client what you’ll be doing will help them understand what they are paying for, which will make them more likely to sign the bid.

Writing The Contract

The last step in the proposal is to write the actual contract.

There are many ways to do this, but we like to use a proposal generator and estimate calculator such as the tools included with a Route subscription.

The estimator will help you break down your costs and labor. The proposal generator will create a legally binding contract that’s ready to be signed.

Start by creating a tile and grout cleaning estimate of the work. In the estimator, select the services you will be performing first, in this case, tile and grout cleaning.

Next, select your charge method. Tile and grout jobs are usually charged by the square foot, with a $100-$200 base rate.

Then you can add in your labor costs, and below that box, there is a place for your supplies and equipment. This is where you will add in the cleaning supplies you will be billing to your client, like machine rental, for example.

Route (or any good tool) will calculate the total for each entry you make and itemize them in your estimate so it’s easy to understand.

To create the contract, open the proposal generator or your preferred tool and give your contract a name. Uploading your logo or your prospect’s logo always leaves the good impression that you are detail oriented and that their business matters to you.

From here, make a list of the service charges from your estimate. Include the services you’ll be performing, then add in your base rate and your supply costs.

Next up are service frequency and scope of work. Fill these out as you discussed with your prospect. Ideally you’d like this to be a recurring job you do multiple times a year.

Fill out any additional outstanding charges or “other charges” and include any pertinent notes about the job.

Finish the contract up by adding standard legal verbiage necessary for the service agreement. Route and other document editing software allow you to import the standard legal verbiage necessary to create this contract. In Route, simply click “import legal” and you’ll have a completed contract that is ready to be signed.

Conclusion

Writing a good tile and grout proposal is a detail-oriented process that takes time and effort to master.

Jumping straight into the contract is not ideal and won’t set you up for success. Start by introducing your company and what you do.

Remember to only include relevant information but still sell yourself as a professional. There is a good deal of nuance involved in doing this, so practice this step frequently and get feedback from peers about your cover letter techniques.

Another good way to show off your business skills is to include before and after photos and reviews after your cover letter.

People can listen to you talk all day, but when they actually see examples of your work, then you’ll become instantly memorable and interesting.

Take photos at your job sites and store them in Route to use later. Remember when using a client's name or business, always ask their permission first. This will keep you in the good graces of your clients and the law.

Ask your clients to review you on the Internet and use your best reviews in your proposal. People love hearing what real customers have to say and it’s great free advertising for your business.

Create a job specification page that outlines each task you’re going to do and how you’re going to do it. You can streamline this part by including this information in your contract by using the proposal generator, or you can make a separate page if you prefer.

Include the square footage of the room, the service to be performed, and the materials and equipment you’ll be using. This helps your client understand what they’re paying for.

When writing the contract, use Route’s estimate builder to account for all the charges, supplies, and labor fees associated with the job.

Then use the proposal generator to create a legally binding contract that’s ready to be signed.

Finally, always remember that practice makes perfect with jobs and proposals alike. Keep working hard at bettering your business skillset and you’ll be landing more tile and grout bids than ever before.