How Many Different Kinds of Units Should You Offer?

As a business owner in the portable restroom rental industry, you might have asked yourself one time or another if diversifying your fleet is a mechanism to drive more sales or cater to more sporting events, special events or even construction contracts. Offering various units for various events or activities can make a huge difference in the number of clients that your business comes into contact with.

The benefits of diversifying and adding features

Certainly, diversifying units in a fleet is a good idea, but at its core, the “standard” unit should be the portable toilet that is the most prevalent in your fleet, by far. A standard unit can easily be used for both construction contracts as well as special events with add-ons or as is. These standard portable restrooms include the toilet tank and a urinal, while typical add-ons for standard units include features such as a mirror, hand sanitizer or solar lights. Using a combination of slightly enhanced units alongside standard units is an effective strategy.

Professionals in the industry should have some degree of segregation of units included in their fleet. Each unit grouping should be designated for either special events or construction. This separation allows newer units to stay nice and blemish-free for as long as possible. Events generally keep the units in nicer condition than muddy construction sites. It is important to have ample inventory of each type of unit. Therefore, you can respond to surges in either market (long-term rentals or special events). It’s recommended to stock additional event units because they can always be used for construction jobs or parks; but, generally, beat-up or “construction units” aren’t received well at a backyard party or county fair.

As your business grows, so should your fleet

As your business grows and expands, it is smart to add a third product line to your fleet used for parks, schools and other recreational sites. Why? These units are used for lengths of time that are longer than most special events, but probably not quite as long as construction contracts. Also, some contracts or areas may prefer a color that doesn’t match your brand colors (green for example). There is just as much foot traffic, though, so at the end of a rental period a fleet will need to be inspected for damage, scratched and eventually cleaned and sanitized.

If your business isn’t quite at the high growth state yet, typically, units will be passed down from special events to construction as they receive more wear and tear. The condition of a fleet is to be discerned before delivering to any contract, but more often than not, special events require top-of-the-line units, clean and free of major wear and tear before sending off to an event like a wedding.

Additions and upgrades can pay off, quickly

Additions to standard or base models can include a $40 upgrade for a sink inside the unit or an additional $80 for a recirculating flush and a sink. The price reflects what the operator can charge for these extra features. Other additions and upgrades may include a cup holder, fragrance, more space, higher quality toilet paper or a different aesthetic look when compared to other units. In this way, you are allowing your business room to cater to another market that is ready to pay more for more desirable units based on what their event or opportunity calls for. Within one or two rental periods for an upgraded unit, the revenue often pays itself off.