Title: Why We Don't Discount in Commercial Contracts
Discounts Set a Precedent
If you discount once, they’ll expect it every time. Commercial clients tend to treat discounted pricing as the "real" price, which undercuts future negotiations.
It Undermines Perceived Value
Discounts suggest your service wasn’t worth the full price. This weakens trust and shifts focus from quality to cost.
It Hurts the Industry
Frequent discounting erodes market standards. It forces professionals to compete on price instead of reliability, safety, and expertise.
It Weakens Your Leverage
Once you show flexibility on price, you give up your seat at the table as a premium provider. You become a replaceable vendor instead of a trusted partner.
Add Value Without Discounting
Here’s how to offer more without giving away your margin:
Quick response for corporate inspections
Priority scheduling during peak times
Flexible service windows
Add-on services tailored to the site
Detailed post-service reporting
Bonus Strategy: Offer a Free Service Instead of a Discount
Giving away a free initial cleaning is part of your customer acquisition cost—not a loss.
When a client sees the quality of your work, they often feel:
- Impressed with the results
- More confident in your pricing
- Obligated to pay your full rate
- Ready to move into weekly or monthly service
This builds long-term relationships without ever undermining your price.
Final Note:
Discounts kill your pricing power. Free service builds it.
Blog Post Version
Why We Don’t Discount Commercial Services — and What We Do Instead
In the world of commercial maintenance—whether it's pressure washing, janitorial, landscaping, or HVAC—the temptation to discount services to win business is real.
But we’ve learned something crucial:
When you discount your price once, the client will expect it every time.
If you’re trying to build a recurring service model, discounting isn’t just a bad habit—it’s a dangerous one. It conditions the customer to see your service as flexible, negotiable, and perhaps even overpriced to begin with.
Discounts Destroy Value
Let’s be clear:
Discounts don’t just reduce your rate—they reduce your credibility.
They suggest that the service wasn’t worth what you originally quoted. And worse, they signal that pricing is always open to negotiation.
For large commercial clients, this means you lose control of the conversation. You’re no longer a valued partner; you’re a vendor competing with the next cheapest bid.
What We Do Instead: Add Value
We don’t lower our prices. We increase the value.
Some of the ways we do that include:
- Offering quick response times for surprise corporate inspections
- Providing priority scheduling during busy seasons
- Giving clients flexible service windows that work with their operations
- Including site-specific add-ons
- Delivering detailed reports after each visit to show accountability
These things matter more to commercial clients than saving a few bucks.
The Power of Offering a Free Service
Here’s where we flip the script:
Rather than discount a contract, we’ll often offer a one-time free service as part of our acquisition cost.
Why?
Because a free service doesn’t set a price precedent. It shows confidence in our work. If we knock it out of the park, that client often becomes a loyal monthly or weekly customer—paying full price every time. And instead of expecting a discount, they feel like they owe you something.
They respect the quality.
They respect the value.
And they pay your price.
The Takeaway
If you're in commercial maintenance and you're tempted to win a deal with a lower price—stop.
Lead with performance, not pricing.
Give them a reason to choose you based on value, response, and results.
Discounts damage your business.
Free service, done right, builds it.