commercial

[newbie123]

Hi there...

Can you share some information regarding commercial account.
how can we develope commercial accounts, such as hospital, hotel/motel,beauty salon,etc.....
I think it could be a good income source if we go the commercial customer's site and pick up their laundry and wash in our store, maybe at night, then fold and deliver.
What do you think about this?
It's not worthy to try to get commercial clients?
Or they don't do their laundry with us(coin laundry)?
how to market this?
how about price? a little cheaper than normal customer's drop-off?
any comments and advise would be appreciated.
Thank you

[galaga]

Hospital has their own laundry room or has big company do it.I had a small hospital account once.
Motal has their own laundry room too ,do laundry keep emplyee busy during the slow time.I used to install and service a few motals laundry room.A lot motals do 80-90% business in the weekend,so they have their emplyee do laundry during the weekday.
I had a few beauty salon account but when business slow,they decide to do it by themselve.
I do some laundry for the school,animal control,city and township,YMCA most are ok,only police depot won't pay their bill,homeless shilter took 6,7 months to pay.I don't do their laundry anymore.
Most cities want you to bill their controler,do like to pay each time they pick it up,some are slow or don't want to pay.I have been in this business for 16 years,police depot in my area is only one didn't pay.
I don't do a lot commercial account and not really looking for them.

[vernonmaytag]

I'd be curious to see ideas on this as well. We have a few commercial accounts. A few restaurants, ski patrol, a couple janitor services, and the biggy is the Schubert Centre who brings in table cloths. Generally our take is charge a little less per load as a regular drop off ($6 as compared to $6.50).

My gut feel for restraunts, you will want to hit all the medium-small ones. If they are pretty big, the will use something like Cintas or other big laundry, too small, and the will just do it themselves at home.

One thought we had was introduce a service similar to the big guys, rag/apron swap. You pick up x number of those items, and drop off x number of clean ones. We figure some of the medium restraunts would appreciate that.

Someone suggested pet groomers, and horse stables. I'd probably pass at the horse stuff myself, the blankets are terrible to do.

[Laundry_Mike]

We do laundry for beauty salons, tanning salons, grocery store, pizza shops, restaurants, auto detail shops, janitorial and cleaning companies, and clubs. Used to do a nursing home - stay away from them, or any other accout that would have bloodbore pathogens. I don't give any discount - they all pay the regular drop off rate.

[newbie123]

How did you acquire those commercial accounts? Thank you,

[Laundry_Mike]

All word of mouth. I have not solicited any commercial accounts. We also do two medical supply companies that bring in medical bags - for carrying portable oxegen tanks, and whatever other equipment. We charge $1.50 a pound for those.