Waste management is a key field in the sanitation of cities. To get contracts, you need a proven track record in waste management. You can also ask for reference letters from your clients as this will make it easy to get new clients.
1. Why Did You Venture Into Waste Management?
The client is interested in knowing why you chose this particular field and offering these services. Share your motivation for starting this business and use it as an opportunity to advertise your services.
“I have been interested in sanitation since I was young. For my high school diploma, I wrote a project on waste management. After high school, I decided to explore options and started making plans on actualizing the plan. That is how I started the business. I have since been able to collect waste in various apartments in the state and also industries.”
2. What Services Do You Offer In Waste Management?
Potential clients are interested in the specific services that you have to offer. Answer this while keeping the client’s needs first. Be sure to give enough information to enable them to make an informed decision.
“We collect all types of waste. In addition, we offer waste disposal bags to our clients. We ensure to refill that every week. In addition, we install waste bins in the apartments we service. We issue different bins for different types of waste. In particular, we collect plastic waste separately as we are also involved in recycling. Our company has a commitment to preserving the environment which we take seriously. We aim to ensure that the environment is well taken care of.”
3. What Qualitieshave Made You Successful In Waste Management?
Potential clients will be interested in your track record. They will use this information to decide on whether to give you the control or not. You can use your clients’ testimonials to answer this question.
“We have been successful based on our track record of excellent customer service. We aim to go beyond our contract to satisfy the clients. The business has been expanding and we have been able to retain all clients we have ever serviced. It’s our commitment to service that has made the company continue expanding.”
4. What Major Challenges Did You Face With Your Clients? How Did You Manage Them?
Give a challenge that you have encountered with your clients and how you have been able to manage them.
“Client needs are ever-changing. We give different services and allow the client to choose a package that suits them. However, we have had instances where clients take a certain package and expect that the company will offer a full package. In these instances, we normally refer to the terms of the contract and ask them to switch packages if they are interested in the other services too. We ensure that we explain in detail what the package offers to avoid such issues cropping up in the course of the contract. Clients can also upgrade and downgrade as they wish.”
5. Describe Your Daily Routine In Waste Management?
The client is interested in how your teams are organized and what time the various services are conducted.
“The morning hours are dedicated to garbage collection. We have scheduled the specific departments with their specific days of the week The teams leave o their assigned apartments to offer the service. They also replenish the garbage disposal bags at this point. The public dustbins are cleared and cleaned.”
6. Describe Briefly About Your Experience
Explain to potential clients the number of years that you have managed this business. Share your experience and emphasize the services offered.
“We have over five years of experience in waste management especially servicing residential apartments. I have experience in collecting and disposing of different kinds of waste. We also run a recycling plant for plastics to ensure that we are kinder to the environment. If selected for this contract, we will be able to accord you with excellent services based on the package that you choose. We aim to preserve the environment for future generations and therefore we have invested in machinery to treat the waste before disposal.”
7. What Kind Of Strategies And Mindset Is Required For This Business?
Being a business person, you will need to have a particular mindset and strategies to ensure the business is a going concern for the foreseeable future. Explain to potential clients your mindset and the strategies you implement in running your business,
“This business requires a growth mindset. You also need to be customer-centric as that will enable you to grow your business by getting new business. You need to deliver on the promises made and be able to respond to client needs.”
8. What Is The Biggest Challenge That You Foresee If Given This Contract?
Be sincere with potential clients by mentioning the challenges you expect to encounter once you take on this business.
“I do not foresee any challenges with this business. This is because the apartment block is close to the ones we have handling waste management for. We can utilize the same teams that we have to manage this job.”
9. How Do You Stay Motivated In Your Business?
Explain to the client why you are motivated by this business and what you do to make sure that you stay motivated
“I realize the impact I make on the environment by the services that we offer. This motivates me to find strategies that will grow the business. I especially am motivated by the recycling services we offer. We manage to handle non-biodegradable waste well by recycling rather than just releasing the same to the environment. Our company is constantly evolving and devising ways to”
10. Describe The Contracts And The Policies You Use In Your Work.
The potential clients are interested in knowing the type of contracts that you operate and the policies that are in place. Share the service offerings that you have.
“We operate one-year contracts where either party can terminate by a one month’s notice. We have different packages based on the services you need to be offered. We may require that the management collects the cash from all its tenants and then hand it over to us. We also have an option of collecting the money by going door to door in the apartments by ourselves. The fees are due by the 5th of every month and we offer a grace period if we receive communication of a delay in due time. We assign a particular date of garbage collection to each of our clients and we stick to the schedule. We are also flexible and clients can request for garbage collection outside of the assigned days.”
11. Why Do You Feel You Arethe Most Suited For This Contract?
Share aspects of your business that stand out from your competition. Share a way that you assess yourself to give the client more insights into how you operate.
“We have the experience and a proven track record to manage this contract. We also have the required machinery and resources to be able to collect garbage on a daily basis. Our company prides itself on exemplary customer service. We place an emphasis on customer needs and therefore we will be able to respond fast when required outside of our normal garbage collection days. We have invested heavily in waste management services and can handle different types of waste effectively. We believe that if you offer us this contract, it will be the start of a mutually beneficial relationship as we aim to satisfy all our client’s needs.”
12. If I Have Worn Out Tyres, How Do I Dispose Them?
The potential client is interested in the system you use to dispose of tires. Share a process that you will follow.
“There are solid waste management services across the state. You can deliver the worn-out tires to them. They are then transported to the disposal facilities or the recycling plants. We have also teamed up with a group of creatives who can be able to create amazing pieces of furniture from the tires. We can collect and deliver to them for recycling.”
12. Share With Us Your Greatest Achievement.
Share with potential clients the greatest achievement you have had in this role.
“I am proud of me and my team for always emerging top when it comes to the cleaning services awards. We have been voted the best in customer service three years in a row. This is a good indication that customers recognize our efforts to deliver excellent services. This has been the driving force for our business as we aim for sustainable practices in waste management.”
13. Do You Practice Sustainable Waste Disposal?
The customers are interested in knowing whether you are committed to saving the environment. Share the sustainable waste disposal measures that you have in place.
“We are committed to saving the environment and that is the reason we started a plastics recycling plant. Plastic does not decompose and therefore will pollute the environment. As for the wet waste, we decompose that and supply it to organizations practicing organic farming. It forms a great source of fertilizer for the farms. We attempt to ensure that all the waste we have collected is converted into something useful for the environment.”
14. What Other Services Do You Offer Apart From Waste Management?
The potential client may be interested in the other services too. Share all that the company does as it may lead to more business.
“Apart from waste management, we sell organic fertilizer and jewelry made from recycled plastic. We also create plastic planters for flowers and kitchen gardens from recycled plastic. We are attempting to ensure our footprint on the earth is minimal and we don’t contribute to the environmental crisis.”
15. Has Your Company Ever Dealt With Stuff Mistakenly Placed In The Trash? How Did You Handle The Situation?
The above scenario may happen and it is good to explain to potential clients how this will be addressed. Share away you will address such issues.
“Yes, we have. One time in an apartment there was a client who was moving and mistakenly put his stuff close to the trash cans when packing. Our team collected the packages thinking they were part of the trash because at times we encounter trash packed that way. When we discovered it was valuable stuff we contacted the client and returned his belongings. One of our core values is integrity. Our staff is committed to ensuring this value is maintained in our dealings with clients and as such you should not expect to lose stuff to us.”
16. As A Business Owner, How Do You Handle Your Anger?
When dealing with people you are likely to get frustrated. Share how you handle your anger and be able to guide your team effectively.
“I have trained myself not to react harshly when faced with frustrations. I tend to sit the person down and explain my expectations from them again. This has enabled me to create a good rapport with my team members. It has also enabled everyone to do their part as they know exactly what role they are supposed to play in the team. This strategy has worked at ensuring team cohesiveness. Workflows well too.”
17. Explain Your Business Strategy For The Next Three To Five Years.
Potential clients are interested in the direction you expect to steer the organization in the coming years. Share the key things you hope to achieve in this period.
“We have a lot of strategies we plan to implement in the coming years but will give a highlight of the key things we expect to handle in the next 5 years. We plan to expand business operations by 40%. We have an aggressive marketing strategy in place to handle this. We have started implementing the same by looking for new business. As a result of the expansion in business, we also hope to scale up the recycling and the jewelry businesses as this depends entirely on the amount of waste we collect. With the expansion, we also plan to hire around 300 extra staff members to add to our team.”
18. How Do You Judge The Motivation Of Your Staff Members?
As a business owner, you should be experienced in handling staff members. Give your strategies for judging their motivation and what you will do when you see their motivation is low.
“I have many staff members and therefore I get to interact with management mostly. We have structured the business such that we operate a mentorship program for all staff members. I work closely with my mentees. Through the various interactions indifferent levels, I am able to realize if there is a problem weighing them down and we discuss it. I understand that if staff is well taken care of they will take good care of the business.”
19. What Environmental Issues Do You Project Will Require Great Attention In 10 Years’ Time?
As a company involved in waste management, you need to be adept at current trends in the environmental management space. Share what you think will need the most attention.
“I think pollution is a key issue that may bring challenges addressing in the next 10 years. This will arise because of plastics and the release of industrial wastes in the oceans. This will destroy our environment. We need to work at ensuring that it does not get critical. As a company, we are committed to ensuring we do not play a part in the pollution of our environment. This has informed our recycling strategies as we do not want to play a part in continued pollution. We also emphasize to our clients how to separate the waste to enable us to recycle everything.”
20. How Will Your Current Clients Describe Your Services?
Share what the existing clients think of your services. Ensure to use this point to seal the contract by the positive testimonials you receive.
“Our clients will describe us as flexible and committed to great customer service. They will also say we are passionate about environmental conservation and that we are worth every dollar we charge for the exemplary service we offer. We believe that if you select us for your waste management services you will have made a great choice. We are looking forward to serving you.”
Conclusion
This is a great chance to sell your business proposal to prospective clients. Ensure you maximize the opportunity. Highlight the strengths that make you stand out from the competition. Give the client a proposal that will justify value for their money. If you handle this correctly, you will be awarded the contract.