Converting Clients From Retail to Route

In my experience, there are four primary ways to grow your route business:

1. In-person, face-to-face selling in your dream neighborhoods, when someone is likely to be home
2.  Emails, texts, direct mail, and your website promoting your route service
3.  Leaving a bag, gift or some other mechanism offering an irresistible trial run of your route service
4.  Converting your good retail clients to your route service

The last option is probably the quickest way to add new people to your route. But it can be more challenging than you would think to actually complete the conversion.
 
Our retail team members are wonderful, dedicated people who truly care for their retail clients. They have a strong attention to detail, and are uplifting, engaging, and create a delightful client experience (most of the time).
 
Although we are working to develop their selling skills, these retail team members are not always the best salespeople.
 
They feel awkward and hesitant when trying to push a new service, like route service.
 
They do not approach the conversation with much confidence, and they are a little reluctant to potentially lose one of their good retail clients.
 
We recently added a “Door Display” in each lobby (see picture) advertising the FREE pickup and delivery service we offer. You can’t miss it!
 
These doors have done wonders for having our clients ask about the route service after seeing the display.
 
Our retail team finds it a lot easier to answer questions about the service rather than trying to initiate the conversation.
 
We include a flyer with a QR code that takes customers directly to the page on our website telling them all about the service, including an informative video and easy sign-up sheet.
 
Why convert these clients from retail to route? I have found route clients are much more loyal clients. You are also taking a more active role in the relationship, going to them twice per week. It is also much more convenient for them. All this results in higher revenue from those clients.
 
For our best route clients, we even give them a 24” rolling rack to put in their garage so we do not try to put all of their clothes on a door knob or wreath hook.
 
If you have been struggling to convert your good retail clients to route, give “The Door Display” a shot. The set-up is less than $100 per store!
 
We have seen conversions skyrocket.
 
Have a great week!
 
Dave
 
P.S. If you are going to the Clean Show in Orlando next month, shoot me an email at dave@maverickdrycleaners.com and let me know. I have a FREE gift to give you at the Clean Show to help make you a ton of money!