Many vended laundries successfully offer commercial laundry pickup and delivery service to a variety of businesses — from small hotels to medical clinics and dry cleaners — for big gains in store revenue and profit. Moving into this sector makes good sense because it uses attendants and equipment already in place. If you’re interested in expanding your business by pursuing commercial accounts, you’ll want to ensure you current wash-dry-fold (WDF) setup is ready for the new line of work, have a clear idea on your target markets and service area, and be ready to promote you and your services both online and in person.
Set the Foundation
To get started, ensure you have a foundation on which to build this new line of business. First, be sure your laundry performs drop-off WDF service efficiently and consistently. Next, if you don’t already have a WDF management and tracking system powering from your website with an online ordering and pickup and delivery feature, get one. This is essential for managing customer orders effectively. It will also capture client contact information, which allows you to market to targeted emails or socials. Lastly, evaluate whether your vended washer programming can switch to more sophisticated commercial programming that includes automatic chemical injection, a five-bath exchange cycle and higher water temperatures. You’ll need this to remove oils and stains and get colors and whites brighter. Continental ExpressWash Washers, for example, have the capability to switch to commercial programming when used with specific card payment systems, while Continental GS Series Washers with the Genius Control can switch to commercial programming no matter the payment system. If you don’t have washers that offer commercial programming, it might be time to get a few.
Define Your Target Markets
Next, determine the geographic radius for your pickup and delivery service, define your target audience and describe how your services solve your target audience’s laundry challenges.
For example, a laundry in Huntington Beach, Calif., with a 40-mile delivery radius, partners with dry cleaners by processing the dry cleaners’ WDF work because they lack the equipment to keep up with production demands. Another laundry in Manhattan Beach, Calif., processes a gym’s towels, saving them money over outsourcing to a large commercial laundry that previously charged $6,000 per month. A third laundry, this one in the Midwest, cleans packing blankets for moving companies as a cost savings over using a commercial laundry. Another route favored by many vended laundries is to work with hotels and resorts during peak season to handle laundry overflow.
Consider the markets in your area – such as dry cleaning, hospitality, food and beverage, salon/spa, gyms, vacation rentals and medical – and determine if they fit into your service model. Then go after them with gusto!
Knock on Doors
After preparing in-house to tackle commercial laundry accounts, identify a few possible customers within your delivery area to visit. Drop in, introduce yourself and find out how they’re processing laundry and whether they need additional help. If they outsource, ask if they are happy with the service and cost. If they do it themselves, are they experiencing problems with staff, equipment or production? In short, find out how your service might benefit them in terms of cost, productivity, quality control and time saved.
Get Social
While nothing is better than meeting customers face-to-face, communicating your service in other ways is also important. Get social and improve your laundry’s visibility on social platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and X (formerly known as Twitter). This will help you build confidence and trust with your clients, create more sales and develop your brand’s personality.
Network
Connect with key business leaders through local groups and organizations, such as your local chamber of commerce, Kiwanis or Lions Club. Gain trust, friendships and build your commercial laundry service at the same time.
Communicate Promotional Offers and Updates
Reach out to current and potential customers with promotions, news and services updates. Your website and social accounts will capture contact information. Use it to communicate and follow-up on services performed. Consider offering a business referral program; nothing is more powerful than word-of-mouth.
Use Free Online Directories
Make certain to list your business and services on key online directories, including Google Business, Yelp, Foursquare and Bing Places for Business. Complete online profiles fully to improve your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) performance. Respond to reviews! Use your response as a chance to tout your strengths.
Advertise
Finally, consider advertising with local radio stations or placing an ad on the exterior or interior of buses that travel fixed routes through your defined delivery area. These ads offer high frequency at a relatively low cost.
Tod Sorensen is a regional business manager at Girbau North America and vice president of Continental Girbau West, a full-service distributorship serving the Southern California, Arizona and New Mexico markets. He holds more than 20 years of experience in vended laundry development and market analysis. Please contact him with any questions at [email protected] or call 866-950-2449.
