Junk Doctors has used ghost truck routes to build its business into a 15-truck, $3.5 million dollars per year junk removal business.Now that we are in the second quarter of the year, with the third quarter well on its way, the junk removal industry is at its busiest. It’s a crucial time of year when demand will be high. Because of this, you should act now. Don’t miss these opportunities. Book more jobs, make more revenue, and expand your business! 

Sam Schick, a business advisor with Junk Removal Authority, has some advice for you regarding scheduling more appointments. Sam is the former owner of one of the largest junk removal operations in the United States. At its peak, his franchise had 100 employees, 25 trucks, and raked in more than $10 million per year. Now, at JRA, he works with junk removal entrepreneurs across the country to help them maximize their business’s success.

“When somebody wants to book a job,” Sam said, “the last thing I want them to see is that the time slot they wanted was already booked by somebody else.” 

The Importance of Ghost Routes

So what’s the solution? The answer: ghosting routes, also called mirror routes. If you have multiple trucks, you can have both of them take the same route, meaning that customers along that route aren’t locked out of their preferred time slot just because someone else snatched it up. With this strategy, you can book two people at the same time.

The importance of mirror routes boils down to the fact you don’t want to lose business to your competition. If a potential customer checks your schedule and finds that their preferred appointment time is already taken, then they’re going to call the next junk removal business on their list. However, by providing ghost routes, this is far less likely to happen. Routes won’t be tied down by a single appointment, and you’ll be able to service far more clients. Ultimately, you’ll receive a higher percentage of the market. That’s exactly what your junk removal business needs to thrive!

Guard Against Cancellations with Mirror Routes

Mirror routes also help you mitigate cancellations. Imagine the frustration you’d have if an appointment was the only occupant of a timeslot, preventing others from claiming it, and was canceled at the last second. With mirror routes, you can work more people into your schedule. That way, a single cancellation doesn’t ruin your chances of a lucrative workday. 

“Everybody hates cancellations,” Sam told us. “This allows you to build your business to where you won’t be negatively impacted if someone does cancel.”

Setting Up Mirror Routes in Workiz

We recommend that you use Workiz to manage your appointment schedule and allow customers to easily book appointments online. To enable mirror routes on Workiz, all you need to do is to navigate to Settings, go to Online Booking, then go to Availability. Finally, go to Numbers of Jobs per Slot. You want this number to be double the number of routes you have—one for each route, and one for the respective mirror route.

Learn from Sam + Others at JUNKCON™ ’22

Sam Schick, Workiz —and many other helpful junk removal masterminds—want to provide entrepreneurs like you with more industry insights. You can hear from them at this year’s JUNKCON™, presented by Workiz, in Raleigh, NC on Oct. 12-14. We hope to see you there!