Parking lot sweeping businesses in the United States are known to charge anywhere around $0.03 to $0.15 per square foot. A 200-space lot costs $45 per hour for small parking lots (25-space parking lot). Bigger lots cost an average of $75 per hour.
In the United States, you will find that a good number of parking sweeping services charge an hourly rate, whereas others charge by the number of times per week they sweep the parking space. There are also costs per session and costs per square footage.
Starting a parking lot sweeping business can prove to be very lucrative. If you are looking for the freedom and flexibility that comes from being your own boss, that is more or less where parking lot sweeping comes in.
In the United States, the parking lot contract sweeping industry has been able to satisfy those dreams with minimal startup costs.
Howbeit, prior to starting, it is important you put certain items in place to guarantee your success in the parking lot cleaning niche.
Remember, the intention is to make enough on each parking lot cleaning to guarantee that you can provide a top-class service to every customer.
Also, note that the smaller lot doesn’t always warrant a lower cost. It is possible that the price can level out since the minimum parking lot cleaning expenses remain the same.
What is the Average Industry Cost?
Truth be told, there isn’t a general average industry cost that applies uniformly in the United States. Most often, the cost of parking lot sweeping per square foot tends to vary depending on things such as the location of the business, the size, and condition of the parking lot, the frequency of service, as well as the precise services being offered by the sweeping company.
However, you will also want to know these parking lot sweeping jobs are still priced per hour but account for the differences in your costs as a business owner.
For instance, large parking lots might take hours of sweeping. Ideally, it is possible for 1,000 parking spots to be cleaned in 1 hour, and business owners might as well want it 5 to 7 times per week. This translates to $75 per hour spent.
Fast-food parking lots are known to be quite small, with less than 50 spots. Howbeit, you will still have to get there, unpack equipment, sweep, and pack up again. These parking lot cleaning jobs could cost the restaurant around $45 to $60 per hour.
Proper Way to Price Parking Lot Sweeping in the United States
Most often, parking lot sweeping tends to be priced by the hour, and pricing correctly is very important to guarantee business success. Nevertheless, to ensure you charge the appropriate price for a specific job, you will want to obtain the following information:
- The precise area the client wants swept
- The typical debris and litter pattern
- The layout of the parking lot, and this will include things such as islands, planters, and other hard-to-get areas
- Will you be expected to pick up leaves and litter from the islands or other areas?
- Does the client have other expectations?
- Trash can emptying
- Who is tasked with the liners?
- If you’re not tasked with trash cans, who should you call with the problem?
- How often is sweeping expected?
- Are you also tasked with sidewalk cleaning?
- What are the expectations around planter boxes?
In this line of business, possessing this information makes it quite easy to appropriately dissect your costs for each service aspect.
By making available an accurate estimate for each element of the job, your clients can as well inculcate or cut services to align with their budget.
Don’t forget to keep the exact service for each client in your contract on file. You will understand over time that keeping records ensures that you can maintain consistent pricing and fantastic customer service.
Sales Tips for Parking Lot Sweeping Businesses
One of the most common mistakes companies in this line of business make is rendering themselves hard to reach. You can avoid this costly mistake by making sure everything you provide to a customer features your company’s phone number and email.
Aside from that, you can also seek ways to buttress your expertise to clients when you meet them. You will need to be confident when replying to questions all through your meetings.
Once you understand everything there is to know about contract sweeping; your clients will feel more relaxed and willing to work with you.
You should also not underestimate the importance of branding in this line of business. Make sure your logo and tagline appear on everything from invoice headers to trucks to work crew uniform t-shirts.
According to experts, doing so makes it possible for your business to become recognizable in your community. Possessing a professional-looking invoice is also a sales tactic.