If you've knocked on doors or left voicemails, you know this: getting a business to trust a third party with their linens takes more than shiny flyers. Businesses are pitched constantly. Many have gatekeepers who protect decision makers with more vigilance than a bank vault. The good news is this: with the right strategy you can get in the door and land long-term, high-value accounts that pay reliably and refer others.

At Wash Bar, we've built a steady roster of commercial clients including spas, medical offices, salons, gyms, short-term rentals, motels, and service-based local businesses. What those customers share is obvious, they need clean linens and they do not want to handle laundry themselves. That gap is your opportunity.

1. Identify the Ideal Commercial Customer

Not every business is worth your time. Start by targeting enterprises that check these boxes:

• High linen turnover, think spas, clinics, salons, and gyms.
• Customer-facing presentation, places that care about appearance and cleanliness.
• No in-house laundry, smaller operations often outsource to save time and payroll.
• Local ownership, locally owned spots usually make decisions faster and want to support neighbors.

Plot a short list of prospects in your neighborhood. Local relationships are low friction, and referrals come faster when people see you in the wild.

2. Get to the Decision Maker

The receptionist is not the buyer. The person who feels the laundry pain is usually the owner, office manager, or operations director. Here are practical tactics to reach them:

• Walk in with purpose, carry a tidy one-pager that explains who you help and how you save them time and money.
• Lead with results, try a line like, "We help local clinics and salons save hours every week by handling their laundry with pickup and delivery."
• Use the soft ask, "Would you be open to a quick call to see if we could take laundry off your plate?" It invites collaboration instead of selling.

If you cannot get in person, send a concise, personal email. Name-drop local customers with permission, or include a quick case study to build credibility immediately.

3. Win Over Gatekeepers

Gatekeepers are there for good reason. Your job is not to trick them, it is to win them over. Try these approaches:

• Be confident and respectful, nervous energy undermines trust.
• Use the "maybe you can help" line, it puts the gatekeeper in a helpful role and lowers resistance. Example: "Maybe you can help me out, who handles your laundry or linens? We help a few local clinics free up staff time and I wondered if we could do the same."
• Leave something of value, a small branded sample, a testimonial sheet, or a tidy case study card. Even if they do not connect now, you planted a seed.

4. Follow Up Like a Pro

Most commercial accounts are not closed on contact one. Persistence, and quality persistence, pays. Keep follow-ups short, helpful, and timed. Examples:

• "Quick note: a local chiropractor told us we save their team 6 hours per week. Would you like to test our pickup for 2 weeks?"
• "We have a pilot program this month for small businesses to try pickup and delivery at no risk. Interested?"

Use a mix of in-person, email, and a short phone call. Track touch points so you can be purposeful, not pushy. Persistence plus professionalism builds trust and predictable conversions.

5. Be Professional and Human

At the end of the day this is a relationships business. When a business signs you on they are making a promise to their customers to maintain standards. They want someone who will show up, communicate, and deliver on every commitment. Be punctual, under-promise and over-deliver, and treat their business like you would your own. That reliability will grow accounts faster than discounts ever will.

How Wash Bar Built Recurring Commercial Revenue

Target the right prospects, reach the decision maker, and lead with value. Do those three things and you will build a book of commercial accounts that becomes the backbone of steady revenue. These clients tend to pay on time, stick around for years, and refer other businesses once you prove reliability.