Top Tips for Growing the Commercial Side of Your Laundromat Business
Are you looking to buy a laundromat or scale up the one you already own? The commercial side of laundromat operations—servicing local businesses with pickup, delivery, and drop-off laundry—is one of the most promising and underserved niches in the industry. Thanks to episode 230 of the Laundromat Resource Podcast, where Juan Lopez, Emilio Lopez, and Jordan Berry broke down proven strategies, you can now learn practical tips for landing and keeping valuable commercial laundry clients.
Below, you’ll find actionable advice to transform your business. Let’s dive in!
1. Treat Commercial Clients as Business Partners—Be Curious About Their Needs
Tip: When reaching out to local businesses, focus on building relationships by understanding their unique laundry needs. Don’t jump straight into the pounds-per-week or pricing; ask about their business operations.
Practical Application:
If approaching a spa, ask questions like:
“When does your busiest season start?”
“What are the common challenges you face with laundry turnaround times?”
“How do towel quality and presentation impact your client experience?”
This consultative approach helps you tailor your pitch based on what matters most to them—whether it’s reliability, cleanliness, or flexibility. The stronger your relationship, the higher your conversion rate. According to Juan Lopez, owners who take this approach often see up to a 50% close rate on new leads.
2. Offer Free Trials and Value-Added Audits
Tip: Make it easy for businesses to test your service—offer free trial pickups or a complimentary audit of their current laundry methods.
Practical Application:
Instead of simply quoting a price, suggest, “Let us handle your towels this week at no cost. If you love the results, let’s talk about a regular plan.” Alternatively, audit their current laundry process (sheet counting, charges per pound vs. piece, turnaround times) and show how you can save them money or improve quality.
Businesses rarely say no to a risk-free trial, and an audit displays your problem-solving expertise. According to Emilio Lopez, these tactics kickstart the conversation and move the relationship beyond price wars into genuine partnership.
3. Segment and Prioritize Business Outreach: Start with High-Value Niches
Tip: Target industries where clean laundry makes a direct impact on customer satisfaction and revenue—think high-end spas and Airbnb hosts.
Practical Application:
High-end Spas: They demand flawless towels and sheets, making them less price-sensitive and more interested in service quality.
Airbnbs: Hosts require frequent, reliable turnaround but may be harder to reach. Try contacting property management companies that serve multiple hosts.
Use tools like Google Maps and LinkedIn to build lists of local leads. Start with spas—where service beats price—and expand to Airbnbs and gyms as you refine your outreach.
4. Master the Art and Science of Outreach—Don’t Just Spam, Personalize and Validate
Tip: Don’t blast generic emails. Personalize each message and validate your contact lists to maximize deliverability and response rates.
Practical Application:
Build custom lists using tools like Google Maps for local businesses, then find decision-makers (owners/managers) using LinkedIn or company websites.
Validate email addresses using platforms like ZeroBounce or Hunter to ensure you aren’t marked as spam.
Send personalized emails: Reference how you found their business, proximity, and why working together makes sense (“I noticed your spa is two miles away from our laundromat…”).
If sending many emails, use separate domains to protect your main business account from being flagged. Monitor bounce rates and replies to maintain a healthy sender reputation.
5. Automate, But Stay Human—Leverage AI and Tools to Scale Outreach
Tip: Scale up with the help of automation and AI, but keep your messages customized and authentic.
Practical Application:
Tools like Clay.com help you automate personalized outreach at scale, crafting tailored messages while preserving that human touch. Use AI to generate customized lines about each business’s needs or neighborhood—but always review for accuracy and relevance before hitting “send.”
6. Track Your Effort—Monitor Deliverability and Response, Then Adjust
Tip: Keep tabs on how your campaigns are performing to adjust course quickly.
Practical Application:
Track reply rates and bounce rates for all outreach. A healthy reply rate is about 2–3%. If you see bounces or low engagement, swap out domains or tweak your messaging. Success in commercial laundry sales requires ongoing refinement.
7. Use Free and Low-Cost Tools to Track Your Online Presence
Tip: Your Google ranking and reviews directly affect new business inquiries. Use free tools to monitor and improve your online visibility.
Practical Application:
Try the free tool recommended by Emilio Lopez and Juan Lopez at laundryrank.com, which checks how your laundromat ranks locally for Google Maps searches. Also, invest time in collecting reviews and responding to them to consistently boost your ranking.
8. Stay Consistent and Persistent—Follow Up to Win Repeat Business
Tip: Many businesses require multiple touches before they sign on. Don’t give up after the first attempt.
Practical Application:
After a promising call or trial run, keep following up. It may take weeks or months before a business is ready to commit, but when they do, the contract is usually worth the wait.
Final Thoughts
Breaking into the commercial side of laundromat ownership can be challenging, but the rewards are substantial. Whether you’re buying your first store or looking to expand, these tips will put you on the path to sustainable growth. If you need help sourcing qualified commercial clients, consider working with agencies like Let Growth to accelerate your results—so you can focus on delivering top-notch laundry service and building lasting business relationships.
Ready to take your laundromat to the next level? Start applying these tips today, and check out tools like laundryrank.com for a competitive edge!
