Editor’s Note: In the memory of Nora Nealis, we present her 2003 New Year’s Message. It still rings true even more today than it did then. She was the true champion of the industry
As many cleaners complain about being ‘down 10-20%’ and many consumers complain about ‘crushed buttons’ and ‘no stain removal’, one is forced to wonder how much of the cleaner’s crisis is due to bad economic times, less discretionary income, increased competition and casual wear, and how much is due to us, the drycleaner who many not have his eye on the quality, service and business ball. My guess is it’s a lethal combination of all of the above.
A recent ‘secret shopper’ expedition by ABC’s Good Morning America morning news show demonstrated that only 50% of the cleaners could remove 100% of the five stains presented for cleaning. The show’s weatherman ad libbed a nasty comment about how angry his cleaner made him by ‘crushing buttons’, and the consumers interviewed had complaints ranging from color loss to lost garments. Clearly, there are problems out there, but before we can solve those problems, we must identify what they are.
FIRST
Let’s first identify and solve the problems that are absolutely, positively under our control. Get your own house in order.
- Clean the front windows, sweep the floor, fix the chips and cracks, and apply a fresh coat of paint. Make sure your customer service people are well groomed, friendly, helpful and trained.
- Use a secret shopper (a friend, neighbor, relative) to check out what your competition is up to and how your quality and service compares.
- Pull five or more orders off your conveyor and carefully re-inspect them. Make sure you are producing a quality product.
- If your spotter thinks he can remove all stains with two or three ‘magic’ pre-mixes, send him for training. Those two ‘magic’ bottles put you into the 50% stain removal category, which is not good enough to survive.
- If your finishers are putting in double creases or leaving bad impressions (pocket, button, etc) – get them additional training too.
- If your inspectors are permitting ‘crushed buttons, missing snaps or broken zippers’ to slip through, get them straightened out fast.
SECOND
Over-saturation; too many cleaners in too little a space. Ten years ago there might have been two or three cleaners within two miles of your store, or if you were in Manhattan within two or three blocks of your store. Today a count of your closest competitors might turn out to be nine or ten drycleaning facilities or drop stores within that same radius. Tragically, most of those competitors are selling discounted prices. How do you compete? Well, you don’t want to take your $300,000 base business and convert it into a $225,000 by discounting prices, so what can you do?
First, you must provide a level of quality superior to your discounting competitor. (If you don’t know what a quality product is or how to produce it, attend a seminar or take a course).
Next, enhance your services. Extend your hours to be more convenient. Offer pick up and delivery, at their homes, at their offices. Provide curbside service. Make it as easy and hassle free for the customer to do business with you as possible. Find ways to distinguish yourself from your competition, without dropping your prices.
THIRD
Promote professional care for casual wear. A man might be able to ‘get away’ with not cleaning a black wool suit every time he wears it, but it’s hard to wear a pair of khakis more than once, without them looking like a mess. Promote professional care for these clothes. They can be frequent and profitable sources of income. Don’t guess at what customers want or who they are. Contact the FCF and purchase the most recent consumer survey on drycleaning trends. Use the information to tap into markets you may not have thought about pursuing before.
FOURTH
Undoubtedly, people are watching their pennies these days. One way to get around that is to accept credit cards. Generally speaking, consumers are less aware of the purchases they make with credit cards than they are with the ones with cash. The other is to encourage larger tickets, with a ‘gift offer’, such as a gift certificate good for the free cleaning of one sweater with any order over $35. If your average order is worth $20, this kind of offer brings in more business, without giving away your profits. It’s like a quantity discount.
FIFTH
Pay attention to government regulations and laws. Comply with all the rules. Remember, you have to clean an awful lot of pairs of pants to earn $250 to pay a fine or penalty. Protect yourself, know the rules and follow them.
SIXTH
Give something back. Take notice of that long tem loyal customer who recently lost his or her job. Offer to clean their ‘interview’ outfit for free, or at a serious discount. This kind of good deed is not only good for your soul, in the long run it’s good for your business. Participate in a community based program like NCA’s Coats for Kids. In today’s world, consumer wants to do business with people whose values are similar to their own. These programs not only help others, they’ll help you too.
SIXTH
Support your trade association. Associations like NCA can help you satisfy customer complaints, improve the quality of your work, promote your services, train your people AND advocate for your rights with government agencies, so that you can have a long and profitable life as a drycleaner. Don’t be a free rider, support your association with your time, your energy and your dues money.
SEVENTH
Take the time to pay attention to your family, your friends and yourself. Don’t neglect the most important people in your life.
That’s the NCA’s message for the New Year. We wish you all the best and brightest new year possible, and invite you to work with us to help make that wish a reality for us all.
Sincerely,
Nora Nealis
Executive Director of NCA
2003.1.1
