Hi There!!

First, I just wanna say thank you for your SFS tutorials… they are amazing!!! Any way, I’m about to land my first commercial account… but I have no idea how to draft up a professional looking contract!  Do you guys have any service agreements or some sort of a professional looking contract I could build from?

Searching in Omaha

Dear Searching,

The whole specific “legal advice” issue is one that SFS has shied away from in the past and for obvious reasons given that none of us are lawyers!  As we get other areas covered I won’t say we will never offer a contract template- just that we haven’t yet.

However, Searching, remember that a contract or better said a “written agreement” doesn’t have to be real complicated.  In fact, a simple and easy contract is better for all concerned and especially for your customer.

Here are some guidelines taken straight from our SFS seminar workbook.  I hope these are of value and let me see what you come up with.

Steve

P.S. While we’re delighted to share these contract guidelines they do NOT mean you don’t need a lawyer to check out what you come up with.  I recommend you do the “heavy lifting” by writing a first draft of the agreement yourself and then have your attorney modify it.  This approach will save you lots of money while still protecting you legally.

Commercial Contract Carpet Cleaning

A Few Contract Guidelines

“The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.”
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

Written Contracts are essential if you’re going to be serious about diversifying into commercial carpet cleaning. But not at the expense of other customer service considerations. Lawyers love to include clauses such as protecting your interests in the event of a nuclear war and with damages to boot. For crying out loud! Force your attorney to keep it simple. Here’s how you do it …

1. Try hard to keep the contract to one page-
If you haul out a complex legal document stuffed with small legal print it will definitely intimidate your client. There is no reason why everything both parties need can’t be on one page, perhaps with a “blueprint” defining different areas and schedules attached.

2. Keep it simple-
Don’t waste a lot of your client’s time. After all, you’re way down the totem pole of his or her priorities. But on the other hand include in both your presentation and your contract “clearly defined expectations.” (Always use “assumptive closing.”)  How?

A. Include zoned “method/frequency maps” showing how and when you will be
cleaning the facility.

B. Always have a proposed 12 month forward written schedule of your specified
cleaning with exact dates.

C. Remember, it should always be “when”, never “if”.

Bonus hint: For your zoned maps to illustrate your different cleaning frequencies ask the client for copies of their fire escape maps. (By law every business must have these on file.)  Then highlight the different cleaning areas with varied highlighter colors.

3. Never, ever let it expire-
This is a common mistake. Why force your client to make a new decision every year on retaining your services? If you want to raise your prices down the road you can include a clause allowing you to do this with thirty days written notice and approval from the customer.

4. Make it transferable-
Don’t make a big deal out of it, just a small clause including the provision that all contracts (including the 30 day cancellation clause below) transfer automatically if either business sells. This protects both you and your commercial client.

5. Make the contract “easy to sign”-
Again we warn you, attorneys by nature are adversarial and normally want to “protect” you from every possible problem. You don’t need this “iron-clad job guarantee” as you will be protected in your relationship with your client by the great service you plan to provide. Go ahead, allow the client to cancel the contract at any time on thirty days notice. (You honestly have nothing to lose since if the company doesn’t want you cleaning the premises the best contract in the world will not help you keep the job anyway!!)  So point this “easy out option” to them at the time of requesting a signature.  Make it a selling point!  The lack of restrictive fine print will set their mind at ease and won’t hurt you a bit.

Of course to make tons of money in commercial work you must eventually make that wand and/or Cimex, etc. sing and yup- we have you covered on production here on SFS.JonDon.com …

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