The promotion of a new women-only restroom-hygiene product crossed my desk the other day. Stand Up is a disposable funnel that allows women to urinate standing in front of the bowl or into a urinal like a man. I wrote about a similar product, called the P-Mate, when it was introduced several years ago.
While I can imagine a market for these products – long lines for overused music festival restrooms comes to mind – I’ve yet to see any woman I know carry one of the folded cardboard funnels at an event. When I first wrote about the P-Mate, one PRO told me he thought the product might go over in liberated Europe, but it would be a long time before Americans would use it.
I’m not sure about the viability of these products, but they got me thinking about accessories and services associated with restroom usage that PROs could offer to clients to make for a classier or more convenient portable sanitation experience. Most PROs already offer an array of restroom choices, from basic to higher-quality single units, all the way to restroom trailers that give that at-home experience in the field.
But aside from a variety of units, what do you offer to stand out from a crowd? It might not be a P-Mate, but maybe there are little touches you can add to A) stand out from the competition and B) generate more revenue from each job performed for your valued customers.
As the year comes to a close, take some time to consider if any of these offerings might give a boost to your business in 2015. Think about how much each would cost to provide and how much the market would pay for them. If the anticipated return is significantly more than the investment, it might be time to think outside the box with your marketing plan.
Toiletry Kits
Prepare a basket of personal hygiene products to set on the integrated shelf in your portable restroom units or on a table outside banks of restrooms at special events. These baskets could contain items including individual scented hand sanitizer packs, cleaning towelettes, sample colognes, lotions and maybe even samples of the aforementioned women-only urine funnels. You can find out more about these products at www.pmateusa.com. The basket could be similar to the one you may include with your upscale restroom trailers, but would come at an extra charge for the standard units.
Attendant
One of your uniformed crewmembers could monitor the cleanliness and paper products in a bank of restrooms at a high-end special event. An outdoor symphony concert or wedding party might be good target events to promote this service. These events can draw more discerning end users who will have little patience for overused restrooms. Your customers may not think to ask for such a service because they aren’t used to seeing restroom attendants, or they might assume such a service would be too expensive for them.
You may want to look at offering attendants as a way to ensure top-quality service and price it within reach of many clients rather than look for the highest profit margin. An attendant can protect your reputation for cleanliness among end users who might just be your next customers. If you offer attendants as a convenience for your best customers, ask if you can hand out cards for your business or display advertising for your company in the units. This could become an effective marketing tool.
Staging And Screening
No matter how proud you are of your portable restrooms, more and more the goal of high-end special event organizers is to hide or obscure your units. Check out a PGA golf tournament and see the lengths organizers go to keep restrooms out of the view of spectators. Units are placed strategically away from view and often screened or placed in tents.
It’s logical other event planners will follow the PGA’s lead. They’ll want to avoid seeing users coming and going and hearing the constant slamming of spring-loaded restroom doors. They’ll also want to offer greater privacy to restroom users. That’s where you can sell customers on tasteful screening so your products aren’t so obvious. You can also offer options for staging restrooms, using plants, carpeting and signage to make a more attractive presentation.
Gender-Specific Units
Plenty of PROs are offering gender-specific units, but many more should consider doing so. You need to win more women over to feeling comfortable using portable restrooms, and this is one way to do it. Order some units without urinals and reserve these units for special events. In addition to gender-specific signage, consider ordering the restrooms in white or a pleasing, contrasting color to the rest of your inventory to offer further cues to users. You could also add solar lighting and purse hooks to these units. Promote the units for weddings and high-end, low-traffic events first.
Advertising
The inside and outside walls of your portable restrooms can make a great space for peel-and-stick temporary signage, and some of your customers may be interested in utilizing that space for advertising. Imagine a charity party or an outdoor music venue. Event planners might want to use this space to promote future events or for donor or sponsor recognition. Meet with a printer to develop several options for the signs and start offering the service.
The Survey Says...
If you’re unsure whether customers would buy into additional products and services, now is a good time to ask them. Put together a list of add-ons and prepare a survey for some of your most loyal customers. Call every company on your list this winter to A) check if they were happy with your service in 2014, and B) ask them the survey questions. Compile the results and sit down with your company’s leadership team and discuss the options.
You may decide to add one or two offerings in the coming year as a test. After one year, you can keep the ones that work, discard the ones that don’t and try a few new products or services the following year. There’s no harm in trying new initiatives, even if they don’t work out. Customers will appreciate that you’re trying to find ways to improve their experience – and in turn please the end user of your restrooms.
