What is the best way to promote my w/d/f business

[Joe_Nemat]

I am averaging 3500 lbs per month from 150 orders. I want to double this amount in 2002. What is the most effective way to promote and market this service. Thanks for your valuable time !

[LEEHUSTON]

Sounds like you are already kicking some butt! I would like to know what you have done to get it going that good!

[Howard]

Damn good question, I would like to know the answer as well. I have tried many things and none seem to work. I have the largest ad in the local yellow pages of any mat, and that draws the most business - but unfortunately it does not warrant what I spend on it {:

I have tried ads in the local coupon type and feature type magazines with very limited responses.

I have put flyers on car winshields and even gone to local apartment complexes and shoved them under people's doors - very little if any response. These have offered a discount too.

I have put flyers in customer's laundry when they pick it up offering them a bounty to find me additional customers from their friends ...etc, no response.

I am sort of at a loss as to how to proactively increase the business. It seems I just have to wait for them to fall into my store.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.


I have put

[SecretarytoBraveDave]

We too, do about 3500lbs, which sounds like alot, but when you consider the cost of the soap and supplies, less the cost that actually goes into the machines and a comission to intice the attendant, the profit is not as good as we would like to see.

We have tried a coupon with the welcome wagon for newcomers to the area, local coupons in the paper, direct flyers. No advertising we have done thus far has ever paid for itself. Currently we are doing local radio. The first week we did get a customer who had heard the radio ad; she brought about 60lbs of laundry. But I haven't seen a tremendous increase, otherwise.
WD&F is a luxury item, we have found this service hard to market. Let me know, if you find a good way to promote it, my ideas have all been duds.

[LEEHUSTON]

I would say that probably a third of our W&F customers are transients who are working in the area but don't live there. Probably the most successful thing I have done is to periodically go around to all the local hotels and talk to the front desk people and be sure they have my business card and know where we are located. I should take this a step further and hand out some free coupons to these clerks so they can use our place and see what we are about. All the other advertising I have tried (newspaper, coupons, radio and flyers) has done nothing that I can see. Waste of money I think.

[Marianne]

What do you charge for w-d-f? I charge $1.50 per pound in one location where two hour turnaround is promised. $1.00 per pound in another location for same day service. I don't seek out customers in either location, seems to be mostly word of mouth and some folks who come to do their own laundry and are pleased to find that we'll do it for them. None of my competitors charges as much as I do.

[lisalaundrylady]

During the past 3 months, between my pick up

[lisalaundrylady]

During the past 3 months, between my pick up and drop off service, we have average 6651 pounds per month. I too have tried many flyers and some advertising. Its expensive with little return. I run a display ad in the Yellow Pages for $171 per month (increasing in 3/02 to $254!) and I get at 2-3 calls per month regarding pick up or drop off service.
In Feb I am doing a direct mailing to my drop off customers offering a free laundry bag for 50 pounds or more, promoting quilts & comforters for $10 each and offering prizes, cash, movie tickets & a gift certificate to a local massage person. I find it very time consuming to maintain my database, and continually do new promotions. The are expensive, even with my grahic designer being one of my tennants & giving me a great price. I do postcard mailings to my drop off customers and have them bring the card in so I can track responses.

We charge 75 cents per pound for drop off & $1.35 for pick up serivce. I will discount for 100 pds or more

Has anyone used/purchased direct mail lists?
Any luck with bulk mailings?

[TKLaundry]

I have not tried bulk mail yet but my local paper has a service where they will put what they call a slip sheet in the newspaper. The slip sheet is a one page ad for your business, they also put it into a small package along with things like grocery store flyers and drop them off at every residence in whatever truck route you buy. Sounds like a great idea, but of 10,000 that I did, and I offered coupons for discounts, I got one back and he was already a customer. I'd love to hear ideas that work!

Dave

[ndennis]

Hi Guys

I started in the "Dump and Run" business 18 years ago. I found it very hard to make the domestic work a goer. We made some enquires at local Drs and social clubs and whatever.

It took about 2 years to get anywhere, but now our coin-op is the cream and our commercial work is the main source of income.

Ok we had to make some changes in our thinking and in to our premises. We do pick-up and delivery with a minimum charge. We have looked more to the light commercial and industrial work as it is my opinion that there are a lot of smaller commercial contracts out there. These are the jobs that the big laundries are not interested in. An example here in Melbourne. Most of the larger laundries here are charging between $50 and $75 per pick-up. We do a lot of this work with in a 10 mile radius. Our price varies from $35 up. The main problem with this work is that you have to need some more sophisticated equipment. All work is on a monthly account basis. No cash involved. Less temptation for the staff. When I put my prices up there are very few if any complaints. Put your wash or dry prices up in the self serve and you get a barrage of complaints.

It is not the answer for everyone but think about it. I know that there are problems with any type of business

If you do decide to go down this path BEWARE of how long you allow your customers to pay. You can end up with some 90 days overdue. I have a 10% ccounting charge if the customer
goes beyong 30 days. An explanation may be required here. You have current accounts, that is work done last month (December). You have 30 days that is work done in (November).
and you have work that belongs to this month (January).If you go down this track you may have to carry some customers for up to 59
days before payment. Having said all that I have found it to be very profitable. We generally the equivalent to about 8 weeks work outstanding at any given time. When you get though the first 6 months you should find that your cash flow will be ok.

The basics of business antwhere in the world are the same, to have a black figure at the bottom of the page each week. There will be times when you wont.

If you have any queries please contact me by email.

My "Bob's" worth.

[SecretarytoBraveDave]

I'm sorry ndennis, I didn't catch anything you were typing. I am sorry to say. I read, but did not comprehend your meaning, you state laundries pick up WD&F commercial contracts for $35-50? is this a poundage minimum?

You have a very good idea to solicite commercial accounts, We have several commercial accounts, we don't pick them up. We charge only 80cents a pound, 10lb minimum. You are right with the billing aspects.

We never solicited the accounts we do have. I wonder what type of business could benefit from our service? Let me know your thoughts. Thanks

[ndennis]

Before I go any further. We are on the outskirts of Melbourne and there are lots of small commercial businesses, that the larger laundries do not want to serve because of the small volumes involved.

Yes we do pick-up & delivery. Our minimum pickup charge varies from $35.00 up. This fee relates to the distance traveled. The $35.00 fee has a 6-9 mile radius from our premises. Anything outside this area attracts a higher fee. This fee generally includes the first $17.00 of work. We charge $3.50 a kilo for domestic by the piece for commercial work. I find that the customers that use our serice are comfortable with the fees we charge. If we are able to fit several pick-ups on the same route the $35.00 is standard. We have one route that has between 14 & 20 pick-ups. The rate of $35.00 is a standard charge and includes the first $17.00 worth of work. Most of this work is light commercial. If I have an "same day on demand" request the charge is based on kilometres travelled plus cost of driver. Generally 50c a km and $20 an hour or part thereof for the driver.

The most common compliment that we get is "You are reliable and always on time"

Any queries please ask and I shall try to answer.

[SecretarytoBraveDave]

So, you charge 3.50 a kilo, per peice for commercial? What type of laundry are you doing? What type of businesses are you catering too? This would be very helpful, I may be able to contact similiar business in our area. Your response is greatly appreciated!