Laundry operators can boost sales with a two-part approach—featuring a firm grasp of buyer psychology, coupled with a heightened awareness of the safety, cleanliness and cost-effectiveness of linen, uniform and facility services programs, according to several operators and consultants we contacted recently.

A critical and longstanding challenge for outsourced laundry operators is to avoid the “commoditization” of their services that places little or no emphasis on the quality of goods and services that linen, uniform and facility services companies provide across North America and worldwide.

In a best-selling book, sales expert Jeb Blount shares an anecdote that drives home the ...