Talk to Your Customers

What brings customers to you?  Why should a customer, who has plenty of choices for garment care, pick you over your competitors?  There has to be a reason.  Actually, multiple reasons.  Quality drycleaning, dependable service, the best location in town, superior stain removal by a DLI certified spotter, beautiful newly decorated call office, friendly staff in smartly pressed uniforms, smiling faces, a clean and tidy customer area.  Oh yeah, and low prices, right?

So many drycleaners decide that it is price that will be the focal point of their marketing.  This is peculiar, but somewhat understandable.  It’s a management thing, I guess.  You see, if you promise a low price; say “Shirts: Washed and pressed, $2.00”, it’s pretty hard to screw that up.  No matter what happens – the boiler breaks, a tornado hits the building, employees don’t show up for work – doesn’t matter.  You will still keep your promise to your customers, “Shirt, $2.00”.  But if all of your marketing efforts were hinged on “guaranteed stain removal”, or “your shirts cleaned and pressed in 24 hours or its free”, those promises can go out the window if the boiler breaks, a tornado hits the building or employees don’t show up for work.  Drycleaners market with price because that is the easiest promise to keep.  But it is a fact that this is unlikely to be the reason that customers come to you.  Let’s hope it’s not.  If the only thing that keeps your customers coming back is a two-buck shirt, something is seriously wrong with your business.  There must be a better, more compelling reason.

So, as we begin 2026, vow to find out what customers find attractive about you.  And find out what they want.  Then use that to spearhead your marketing program.  I’m going to guess that no one will say that the only reason that they patronize you is because you’re the cheapest cleaner in town.  You really do need to talk to your customers.  I’m my opinion, you will get much more information from a customer in a short, leading-question conversation than you’d ever get from comment on a website or a postcard.

Those of you that I’ve met – even more so – driven to your plant, know that I’m a Porsche guy.  Like many of us that have been brand-loyal for decades, I have a particular mechanic who is “the only one allowed to touch my car.”  I’ve been going to this place that is 80 miles away for years.  I abruptly quit going there 6 months ago.  I’m going to tell you why, but first, I am stunned still, that the owner, a 14-year friend of mine, hasn’t called me to find out where I’ve been.  Or even, God forbid, send me a “We’ve missed your postcard!”  It’s easy to think that he thought “Good riddance!”, but, objectively, not a chance.  I was always treated like gold whenever I went there.  However, we will circle back to this.

Because I’ve known the owner since I bought the first vehicle from him in 2012, I thought that it was worth a conversation with him as a courtesy.  I felt qualified as a management consultant and a professional customer to advise him on how to run his business.  He could always ignore me.  But it could be, that one of his employees was interacting with a customer (Me) in a manner that violated his code of ethics.  There is no way realistic way to learn that this is happening in a huge majority of circumstances unless the customer tells the person in charge.  And that might be the supreme Queen Mother. 

So why did I quit going?  The answer is really important.  We can’t say quality.  I assume that YOU are a great drycleaner.  I really do.  You are nearly 700 words into this article and that honestly tells me that you care enough about your company and this industry that you work at your business and are good at it.  Quid Pro Quo; you agree that I deal with a top-tier Porsche dealer.  So, we are on a level playing field when it comes to quality, so you are this dealer are in the service business. 

I am looking at the list of eight reasons why I quit going to my longtime drycleaner, I mean, Porsche mechanic.  Is there an issue of price?  Yes, but to a very limited extent.  At least 4 or 5 of the 8 issues had to do with TRUST.  And that’s really bad.  If there was any issue with the car such as a warning light, they would research, learn and study at my expense, then fix the problem.  Another dealer would have known the problem with less research.  They offered a price for new tires upon noticing that the time was due.  The price was almost identical to what my tire shop offered.  But then he said “plus tax and installation.”  I thought to myself “Thanks for telling me exactly what the price is not.”  I had no idea what they would charge me but I knew it would be more than the number quoted.  The 80-mile drive was an issue.  They don’t have loaner vehicles like the dealer.  I could throw money at this right?  Rent a car myself, near the dealership.  So…., it IS about money.  No.  I am a professional customer and this establishment charges Porsche-Dealer hourly rates.  I expect to be treated like a customer. 

All 8 reasons didn’t drop out of the sky one day. And not any 2 or 3 amount to anything.  They’re explained away or dismissed as an honest mistake, an oversight or clerical issue. 

But if you’ve been communicating with your customers, you never got anywhere near 8 reasons why your customers are disappointed with you.  Drop me an email (tailwind.don@me.com) and I’ll tell you about the 8 reasons that this long-standing vendor had to go.

 Don’t sell yourself short.  There is a reason that you have bothered to offer quality drycleaning, dependable service, the best location in town, superior stain removal by a DLI certified spotter, a beautiful newly decorated call office, friendly staff in smartly pressed uniforms, smiling faces, a clean and tidy customer area.  Oh yeah, and FAIR prices.