Seitz to step down at NCA-I
After more than 30 years as executive dirctor of the Neighbohood Cleaners Association-International, Bill Seitz will step down at the end of this year He is pictured with his succssor, Nora Nealis.
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Seitz to step down at NCA-IAfter more than 30 years as executive dirctor of the Neighbohood Cleaners Association-International, Bill Seitz will step down at the end of this year He is pictured with his succssor, Nora Nealis. |
The end of an era is near. Bill Seitz will conclude his 30-year reign as executive director of the Neighborhood cleaners Association-International at the end of this year.
Seitz, who has been with the association for more than 50 years, said he will continue to help in a consulting capacity during the transition. Nora Nealis, who has been with NCA-I for three years and in the industry for 25 years, will be the executive director beginning in 2001.
The Seitz Era at NCA-I began when the organization had about 150 members in New York. At the time, Frank Pollatsek was the executive director, a position he held for the organization's first quarter century before Seitz became its second executive director in 1971. NCA-I today has about 4,000 members and both Seitz and NCA-I have grown far beyond their New York roots. In addition to six New York chapters, the association has chapters in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Florida, Indiana and Kentucky. Seitz himself is an international figure in the industry and is frequently called upon to address groups of cleaners around the world as well as throughout the United States.
Seitz said he is proud of his accomplishments with NCA-I, but facing his 70th birthday this month and following the birth of a grandson in July, he decided he wants time for other pursuits in his life. He said the current NCA-I staff has the experience, dedication and capability to carry on but he will remain available to offer guidance and insight based on his lifetime in the industry.
Nealis, he said, has a vast understanding of the critical regulatory environment that drycleaners must work in and she shares one key trait with him: that the member is of foremost importance.
Nealis joined NCA-I in 1997 after 22 years of working for Diversitron, a New York-based distributor of textile care equipment. She is a life-long New Yorker who landed in the drycleaning industry almost by accident when she was fresh out of school. She first served NCA-I in the capacity of director of environmental affairs. In late January, 1999, she was appointed associate director.
A special planning committee was formed several months ago to develop a plan for what the organization would do when Seitz decided to retire. The committee has familiarized itself with the association's system's and controls and worked with consultants in the computer and financial planning areas. Also, key NCA-I staff have been attending management course and computer seminars to become more involved in the administration of the organization.
Does a year make a difference?
When it comes to new clothes cleaning technology, the answer is yes.
A year ago, a panel discussion at the Neighborhood Cleaners Association Tex-Care show in Edison, NJ, discussed the current state of cleaning technologies. Last month, a similar panel took up the same discussion at the Pennsylvania and Delaware Cleaners Association Expo 2000 in Atlantic City, NJ.
The emerging technologies -- liquid carbon dioxide, Rynex and GreenEarth -- all have made advancements in the past year. Meanwhile, the traditional clothes cleaning technologies -- water, perc and hydrocarbon -- have not been standing still.
The first liquid carbon dioxide machine went into regular operation a year ago. Now more than a dozen machines are operating in U.S. drycleaning plants today, most of them using the system developed by Micell, but the Drywash system is also working in plants (see story on page 52).
GreenEarth, which was introduced to the industry at last year's Clean show, is wrapping up its "affirmation site" testing phase at about 30 locations and beginning its roll-out to the industry this fall.
Rynex first went into regular use in a drycleaning plant three years ago. Now with a tweaked formula and machines designed especially for its use, it may begin to see wider use.
Despite progress made by the "emergers," it remains to be seen whether any of the newcomers will gain a significant toehold in the drycleaning industry. A few dozen installations out of tens of thousands of drycleaning plants does not a groundswell make.
The industry standard, in the United States at least, remains perchloroethylene, although there is no doubt that hydrocarbon solvent and wetcleaning are sharing more of the everyday work load.
What would it take for another solvent to replace perc as the industry standard? Mary Scalco, assistant general manager of the International Fabricare Institute and moderator of the panel discussion, led off by reiterating the five criteria that should be met for a new solvent to become an industry standard. Originally set out by IFI CEO Bill Fisher last year, those five criteria are as follows:
Each of the panelists had several minutes to explain the system they represent, followed by some time for questions.
Perc
Speaking on perchloroethylene, Janet Hickman of Dow reminded cleaners that, in an age of discount franchises, e-commerce and home-drycleaning panaceas, they need to be able to effectively compete.
An advantage to perc, in addition to being a proven and well known and understood cleaning technology, is that perc drycleaning equipment costs one-third to one-half of that for other alternatives -- roughly $1,000 per pound of machine cleaning capacity. The difference in cost, she said, can be invested in more efficient equipment for other aspects of the plant operation, like finishing.
Perc cleaning technology has improved its efficiency dramatically in recent years, she noted. Where older, first-generation equipment needed about 82 pounds of perc to clean 1,000 pounds of clothes, newer fourth- and fifth-generation machine need only 10 pounds of perc for that amount of cleaning.
Likewise, exposure to perc is greatly reduced with newer equipment. Fourth- and fifth generation machines can get in-plant exposure levels down to 5 ppm; Older first-generation machines were seven times higher.
Using more efficient equipment means cleaners are using much less perc -- 63 million pounds last year compared to 220 million pounds in 1989.
Today drycleaners account for just 25 percent of the total perc consumption in the United States. Hickman assured the audience that falling demand will not lead to its being phased out of production.
Overall demand is increasing with 50 percent of the consumption now accounted as an intermediary used by chemical companies in producing other chemical products. The other 25 percent is used in other industries such as parts degreasing and film cleaning.
Hydrocarbon
Speaking on behalf of petroleum solvent was Mike Jones, a Louisville, KY, drycleaner and president of the National Coalition of Petroleum Dry Cleaners. Petroleum solvent -- or as it is called now, hydrocarbon -- shares with perc the advantage of being a known and proven technology
"It is through its testing period," Jones said. "If you use it, you won't be on the 'leading edge,' but you have no fear that it won't work out, either."
Using hydrocarbon is similar to cleaning in perc, he said, but since it is not as aggressive there can be more pre- and post-spotting and cycle times are longer.
On the plus side, it is safe to use on "fancy garments," is not on anyone's list of possible carcinogens and site contamination, and if it should occur, is easier and less costly to clean up.
Wetcleaning
Tom Janick of Craft Cleaners in Princeton, NJ, spoke for wetcleaning. Janick's plant is the site of the first installation of Miele wetcleaning equipment an he serves as a consultant for Miele in this country.
A larger portion of garments today are wetcleanable, Janick said, and sophisticate new washers and dryers make cleaning many more types of garments possible. Janick considers wetcleaning a "partner" with other solvent cleaning and his operation is about 50-50 between wetcleaning and drycleaning.
In his experience, the total labor time is not much different between wetcleaning and drycleaning. Wetcleaning may need a little more finishing time, but that time is saved on spotting, which wetcleaning makes easier, Janick said.
Rynex
Jeff Battiston, vice president of sales for Rynex, was the first user of that solvent, starting in his Connecticut plant, which he has since sold, three years ago. He said there are now 38 Rynex sites in the United States, ten of them using machines that were specially designed for the solvent.
He said Rynex cleans better than perc and is cheaper to use since there are no hazardous waste costs.
Battiston added that Arco recently restructured the formula to solve a problem with odors that could occur when Rynex-cleaned garments came in contact with water. Now, he said, the odor is "much more mild" and water separation is faster.
Liquid carbon dioxide
Liquid carbon dioxide cleaning was represented by Steve Bowman of Chart Applied Technologies. CO2, he said, is non-hazardous, non-flammable and non-polluting and readily available and there are now five companies making CO2 machines.
The cost of CO2 machines may be higher than for machines using other solvents, but Bowman said they will last a lot longer, too, as much as 30 years.
He also tried to allay fears of the 700 to 800 psi pressures used in CO2 by pointing out that there are hundreds of thousands of pressurized CO2 containers used in restaurants, fire extinguishers, food freezing, oil extraction, pharmaceuticals and welding.
"It wont blow up," Bowman said. Even if the tank is breached, it will "just hiss, but the product will stay in the tank."
Bowman also held hope for federal tax credits for those who purchase of CO2 machines. A bill introduced in Congress would provide a 20 percent tax credit. Bowman said he thinks it has a 50-50 chance of passing this year, but if not this year, it will be back in 2001.
GreenEarth
GreenEarth, the newest entry in the solvent sweepstakes, has made progress in the 15 months since it was introduced to the U.S. market at Clean '99.
Tim Maxwell, an Ontario, Canada, cleaner, represented GreenEarth on the panel. In that time, GreenEarth has been tested at 29 affirmation sites and has cleaned more than 1.5 million pound of clothes.
Two companies, Realstar and Union, make cleaning machines specifically for GreenEarth and other companies are developing their own machines. Detergents and additives are available from Sanitone and Adco; six other companies are working on their own versions.
"It has been tested seven ways from Sunday and it is environmentally friendly," Maxwell said.
The official roll-out began September and will take place in four regions over four months. This month's rollout will be at Rhode Island Cleaners in Washington, DC, on Oct. 14.
A framed historical document -- the 1912 charter from The Laundrymen's National Association of America -- was presented by Deborah Rechnitz of Methods for Management Inc. to Bill Fisher and Bob Shirley of the International Fabricare Institute during the California Cleaners Association trade show and convention in August.
The charter, which had been granted to the Denver Laundrymens' Club on August 1, 1912, was discovered by Rechnitz and her father, Max Rechnitz, while reviewing archives in their Denver office.
The Laundrymen's Association was founded in 1883 by 50 laundry owners. The organization eventually evolved into the American Institute of Laundering (AIL) which later merged with the National Institute of Drycleaning. The 1972 merger developed into today's International Fabricare Institute.
"This historical plaque is now returning home to IFI's wall of history and will be on display in their offices," Rechnitz said. That "wall of history" at IFI headquarters in Silver Spring includes many documents, mementos and photographs that record the history of IFI and its predecessor associations.
Herson Supply of Gaithersburg, MD, is another supplier that is helping to spread the good word about drycleaning with a "rolling billboard" message on its delivery trucks. The Herson message: "Look Sharp with Professional Drycleaning."
"This is innovative marketing," said Ron Herson. "I urge all manufacturers and distributors to participate in this program which will reinforce, to the consumer the benefits and the professionalism of our industry."
Pictured in the photo, from left, are Ron Herson, Nikki Day, John George and Art Byrne.
Can drycleaners make a difference in the upcoming presidential election? At least two industry members hope so.
Bill Bogus, owner of Textile Restoration Services in Laurel, MD, wants cleaners to demonstrate their ability to "get out the vote" by encouraging customers to "be a good citizen and vote." Bogus said this will show politicians that cleaners have clout with the voting public even though they aren't deep-pocket contributors to political campaigns.
Meanwhile, Steve Mitchell, an Oregon cleaner, wants cleaners themselves to be contributors. "It is said that there are 35,000 drycleaning plants in the United States. Multiply that by $200 and it would come to a great deal of money," Mitchell wrote in a letter explaining his idea. Big business and China can do it. Why not small business, too?"
At least one supplier, Richclean Supply Co. of Richmond, VA, has agreed to help Bogus help cleaners motivate customers. The company printed poly bags with the message, "Don't Forget Nov. 7 Be A Good citizen and Vote."
Richclean manager Barry Gilman said he is happy to support the program.
"As Americans, we are privileged with the right to vote," Gilman said.
"There is no room for an apathetic attitude to take away that right, he said.
Bogus sent news releases to the national headquarters of the Republican and Democrat parties telling them of the drycleaning industry's effort to get out the vote on Nov. 7.
"Drycleaners across the country will encourage citizens to vote. Drycleaning is a mom-and-pop business where customers are greeted by name," Bogus wrote.
About his campaign contribution plan, Mitchell said he thinks "it is item to change the strategy of who we finance to lobby the Barton bill."
"No doubt Congressman Barton has worked long and hard on this bill, but now we are in a Presidential election year and I think we would be much better off putting our money into George W. Bush's campaign funding and then ask him for help from his cabinet appointment to the EPA."
Mitchell said cleaners who want to contribute can do as he has done and send a check for $200 to the International Fabricare Institute, earmarked for the Bush campaign.
For those who don't want to contribute to Bush, Mitchell suggests sending a check to the Neighborhood Cleaners Association-International "to hold for their choice in the Presidential Campaign."
Mitchell said the election will be key to whether drycleaners can resolve the cleanup problems that have been hanging over their heads. The president can see that something gets done administratively, even if an act of Congress is not possible, he said.
Mitchell said that if IFI or NCA-I don't want to handle the campaign contributions, money can be sent to the Oregon Drycleaning Alliance Secretary Treasurer, 1501 Oak St. Lagrande, OR 97850.
"I assure you," he said, "The Oregon Drycleaning Alliance will get the job done."
Micell Technologies, Inc. was recently given $20 million in private equity financing from several investors, including the Invemed Catalyst Fund, the Soros Group, Five Points Capital and Rembrandt Ventures.
Known for engineering advancements with carbon dioxide, Micell has raised more than $50 million in equity so far.
"This investment is a strong statement of support by both past and new investors," said Kirk Kinsell, president and CEO of Micell.
"These proceeds will enable Micell to further expand the use of our liquid carbon dioxide process in the drycleaning industry through our Hangers Cleaners franchise and to develop environmentally friendly cleaning and manufacturing processes for other industries."
There are currently 29 Hangers retail locations and company executives anticipate that there will be a total of 60 retail stores by the end of this year.
The World Educational Congress for Laundering and Drycleaning recently announced that it has chosen Shepard Exposition Services as the general contractor for the July 19-22 Clean '01 trade show in New Orleans, LA, next year.
"This is not a reflection on GES," said John H. Riddle, president of Riddle & Associates, the company out of Atlanta, GA, that manages the show. "GES has always done a great job for us. But its current contract was up, and competitive bids were required. After reviewing proposals, we decided that Shepard was the company to go with this time." The transition should be seamless," Riddle said. "Shepard is a major player among exposition service contractors." Shepard Exposition Services, founded in 1905, is also headquartered in Atlanta, but has offices in Birmingham, AL, Charleston, SC, Charlotte, NC, Orlando, FL, and Washington D.C. Shepard is responsible for more than 400 shows annually.
Exhibit sales for Clean '01 are continuing to grow, already approaching 190,000 net square feet. Clean '99 had a record exhibit space of 281,050 net square feet.
The show has plans to offer more than 40 hours of educational seminars focusing on issues such as business management, technology and legislative issues that affect the industry.
For more information about Clean '01, contact Riddle & Associates at Suite 360-C, 1874 Piedmont Road, Atlanta GA 30324. The company can also be contacted by phone (404) 876-1988 or e-mail: info@cleanshow.com.
A web site located at www.cleanshow.com is currently in production. Information about Shepard Exposition Services can be found at www.shepardes.com.
"Can You Survive in Today's Competitive Market?" was the question that marketing expert John R. Graham asked his audience during his two-hour presentation at Expo 2000.
Sponsored by the Pennsylvania and Delaware Cleaners Association, the seminar took place on the morning of Saturday, Sept. 16 at the Atlantic City Convention Center in New Jersey.
Graham, who serves as president of Graham Communications -- a marketing service and sales consulting firm out of Quincy, MA -- is the author of the book Magnet Marketing and has also written articles in several major drycleaning publications.
"The number one task of any business is to create a customer," he told listeners. "I'm not here to tell you how to do your job. I'm not here to motivate you. I am here to stimulate your thinking. If we think, we can come up with solutions for issues that all of us face today."
Throughout the course of his discussion, Graham outlined several business "shockwaves" that are changing the lives of businesses and people in America.
According to Graham, these trends suggest that business owners need to realize their customers think differently now, and yet, people still base their decisions on how customers used to think.
"We are looking at the world through a rear view mirror," he noted. "We all base solutions on yesterday and that is our problem. We need imagination. We need to stand back and look at things through the customers' eyes. If the business doesn't make sense to the customer, then it doesn't make sense."
Today's customers want more convenience and are in control of the sale, he said. "Life is being lived on the Internet. It's the age of the individual consumer." Graham also indicated that, because of the Internet, customers now live in a "placeless world" where location is irrelevant.
"Customer service expectations have been redefined," he remarked. "Knowledge and expertise is what the customer wants."
In addition to solutions and service, Graham believes that today's customers are seeking enthusiasm, as well.
"Nobody likes dull," he said. "It's all about experience today and it's all about free," he said, noting that customer demands have expanded to include more guarantees, speedier service and added value to every purchase.
More information about Graham Communications can be obtained by visiting them at www.magnetmarketing.com.
Meetings were scheduled for late September and early October by two separate groups that are reviewing the progress of the various state drycleaning site cleanup funds.
The State Coalition for Remediation of Drycleaners (SCRD), which was formed under the sponsorship of EPA, was to hold its fall meeting in Tampa, FL on Sept. 27. The group consists primarily of environmental officials who are involved with the drycleaning site clean-up programs in various states that either have them in place or are contemplating them.
The other group, organized by the International Fabricare Institute and consisting primarily of drycleaners from clean-up fund states, was planning to hold its first meeting at IFI headquarters in Silver Spring, MD, on Oct. 7.
The purposes of the two groups are similar: to examine and evaluate the variety of state-level clean-up programs that have been initiated over the past six years, sorting out what works and what doesn't.
About a dozen states have adopted programs, each with its own approach to the problem of remediating drycleaning sites that have become contaminated by solvents over the years.
In general, some combination of solvent surcharges, gross receipts taxes, per site fees is used to raise money for a state-administered fund that goes to cleaning up contaminated sites.
In exchange for participating in the programs, drycleaners get some relief for liability for contamination and a financial safety net should they need to conduct a cleanup.
But that is a simplification of the situation that exists today. An SCRD document that summarizes the existing programs state by state shows that no two state programs are alike, either in the ways they raise money or the benefits they provide cleaners. Some have additional requirements concerning insurance, equipment and operator certification.
That document, among others that SCRD has available, is on the SCRD web site: www.clu-in.org/programs/dryclean.
The SCRD group, which has been meeting for about two years, had a September agenda that called for the presentation of case studies of drycleaner site clean-ups using various technologies. Reports from representatives from Florida, Kansas, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Wisconsin and the US EPA were scheduled.
In the Sept. 15 Wall Street Journal (Home Front section) an article by Elizabeth Bernstein featured a comparison of a local drycleaner to a variety of home drycleaning kits.
The final results managed to stain the images of all parties.
During the course of a hot summer day, six reporters performed the test by donning identical baby-blue, silk-cotton blend sweaters and spending the day around Manhattan, collecting smoke, dust and perspiration. Then, a spaghetti stain was given to each garment.
One shirt was sent to a local, but unidentified, drycleaner and the rest were tested with five different at-home products, including Clorox FreshCare, Customer Cleaner, Dry Cleaner's Secret, Dryel and an "Ionic Closet Dry Cleaner" device sold by Sharper Image.
According to the article, the outcome was rather unimpressive. "The kits left us about as disappointed as the drycleaner, but for a fraction of the cost," wrote Bernstein.
New stain created
In fact, none of the garments became completely stain-free. The drycleaner returned the shirt "nicely pressed" and with the stain mostly gone. Yet, the writer noted that it had an unpleasant "chemical smell" and an additional stain, which hardly seemed worth a $6 per garment average cleaning charge.
Of the home kits, the best results were reported from the use of Clorox FreshCare. The stain was almost completely gone, yet the shirt was slightly discolored. The smoke and sweat smells disappeared and the shirt was almost wrinkle-free.
Custom Cleaner lightened the spaghetti spot after much scrubbing, but the solution left a big ring on the garment, which had few wrinkles and smelled "pleasantly fresh."
Both Dryel and Dry Cleaner's Secret yielded similar results: the stain faded some, but spread. Dryel produced a pleasant scent in the garment, which was overall quite wrinkled. The shirt cleaned by Dry Cleaner's Secret required touch-up ironing and a "light, sweaty smell" lingered on the garment.
The last product tested -- Sharper Image's Ionic Closet Dry Cleaner (which makes no claims of stain removal) -- fared the worst. The device, which costs about $90 (plus another $12 for batteries), operates by hanging in a closet and circulating natural ozone to offset garment odors. According to the article, the stain was unaffected after 24 hours of use and the appliance "did absolutely nothing to remove sweat smells under the arms or around the collar." Even though the drycleaner had the best results with the stain, the story was, at best, illustrated why the market has been flooded with alternative options.
The article pointed out that consumer-product companies have been trying for a long time to break into the drycleaning market with limited success. With some estimates placing the average business person spending $500 to $1,500 per year in annual cleaning costs, consumer-product companies believe their customers are looking for ways to save money.
Bernstein did point out that the at-home products all suffer from performance problems, such as odor and stain removal limitations and an iron is still needed to smooth out wrinkles.
She also noted that "the limitations of the products aren't exactly front-and-center in their marketing."
Not professional quality
Apparently, Dry Cleaner's Secret is currently rewriting a misleading slogan that claims "professional-quality drycleaning at home." A spokesperson had told Bernstein, "We don't want to set false expectations. This is a new product category and we're still learning."
Overall, at-home products weren't given a glowing endorsement, but the drycleaning industry certainly wasn't represented in a favorable light either. The drycleaning customers represented in the article are tired of paying a lot of money for questionable results.
Complaints of missing buttons, chemical smells, lingering stains and high prices seemed to prevail throughout the article's testimonies. With the at-home products costing around $.60 per garment, consumers seem more than willing to take a gamble at home rather than with an inconsistent drycleaning plant.
The Ontario Fabricare Association will have its annual conference on Saturday, Nov. 4 at the Sheraton on the Falls Hotel in Niagara Falls, ON.
The program will feature Ernie Ferguson discussing the Internet; Tim Maxwell on GreenEarth solvent; Chris Allsbrooks from the International Fabricare Institute on problem garments and Jack Barth on marketing techniques. Marcia Todd, publisher of Fabricare Canada, will be the luncheon speaker.
OFA plans to launch its new web site during the conference which has been under development by OFA director Reg Quinton and Brian Chelsky. Attendees will get the first look at the site and its capabilities as a special presentation. OFA members will be able to link their web sites to the association site or receive help in developing a page on the OFA site
The conference will also feature a table-top showcase of vendors.
Everyone who registers for the conference on Friday, Nov. 3 will receive a $25 Casino Niagara voucher which can be redeemed for tokens or used in the Casino gift shop or restaurants.
More information on the conference is available by calling Loraine Longo, OFA executive director, (416) 255-2384 or toll-free outside of Toronto (877) OFA-4579.
Bill Vaughn of Atlanta, GA, who worked for Phenix Supply, died on Aug 23 after a short illness.
He worked in the Decatur, GA, division of Phenix, where he was one of the company's top producers. He joined the company in 1995 when it acquired the TIP division of Ashland Chemical Co. Before working for Ashland, he was employed by the F. H. Ross Co.
During his years of service with both Phenix and Ashland, he met and developed many business and personal friends, as was evident at the visitation and funeral service. He was known for his ability to make people laugh both at and with him while conducting business.
"Although he was not known as Mr. Organized, he was from that old school of salesmanship of truly caring for his customers," Phenix Supply commented.
Mr. Vaughn is survived by his mother, Elene Vaughn, his wife, Sarah Vaughn, a sister, Ann Hart, a son, "Spike," two daughters, Wanda and Paige and three grandchildren.
Advertising messages and services on distributing trucks is not a new-found idea. In Great Britain advertising on trucks and buses is a popular form that has been going on for many years. Pedestrians and motorists alike enjoy the ads because they are laced with humor.
British advertisers believe in selling a particular product or service in a friendly manner. They also believe that advertisements reflect the personality of the advertiser.
Friendly relations are very important since sales are made when buyer and seller reach an agreement.
Here in America the methodology of advertising is different from other countries, but the purpose is the same. A good ad is the one that makes sales.
There are many ways to advertise -- the truck message is a good beginning for the drycleaner. It can create penetration and awareness, but it takes response to consummate a sale. This is the responsibility of the drycleaner.
Going back to the early days of this country, Paul Revere (1775-1818) awakened the minds of the people in Massachusetts when he rode his horse rapidly throughout the countryside shouting, "British troops are coming." The villagers heard and responded. The American Revolution had begun.
Granted, the drycleaning message cannot be compared with Paul Revere's forceful message; nevertheless a point was made. A message from a man on horseback or a message from a distributors truck draws attention.
There are three fundamental principles in advertising: awareness, persuasion, and action. All three are needed.
Advertising not only builds sales, it fights competition. It is best to fight competition with quality service and not with accusatory words.
Recently in the Washington Post (July 11, 2000), radio listeners were asked what ads they love to hate. One reader wrote, "When she gets to the high note at the end (And you'll belie e -e-ve, too) I want to drive my car into a concrete abutment." Among responses to the "Ads They Love to Hate" program, Dryclean Depot was a big vote getter. Why did the listeners say that? There must be a reason.
Drycleaners have better instincts on what customers want because they are in direct contact with their customers.
When questions are asked, respond intelligently. By not knowing the right answer, you may be taking a chance on a flying guess that could tarnish your reputation.
It is not difficult to come up with faulty answers when knowledge of your craft is limited. By avoiding knowledge and relying totally on experience, mistakes will be made.
Customers relate more to counter personnel than to management when asking questions. By not providing counter personnel with intelligent, factual information, customers' confidence in your professionalism will be questioned. Your reputation is made or lost at the counter.
Hoping in anonymity
Too many drycleaners have settled down into a look-alike environment -- voiceless and buried in anonymity -- hoping with expectations that things will turn for the better and consumers will patronize them more with their drycleaning.
This will not happen. Drycleaners must take the initiative in persuading more people to have their outer clothing drycleaned -- and tell them why. This can only be done by telling people what you are doing and what you can do for them.
By not promoting drycleaning, we become fodder for the hungry investing sharks -- the small business eaters. They are now after the Mom and Pop drycleaners. Why? Because they have eaten all other small businesses and now they have turned their insatiable appetite on us.
The best method of fighting sharks and local competition is through your personalized services. The proof of that is that the drycleaning industry has always progressed on such services. Advertising and providing personalized services build a good reputation.
It's personal
Mom and Pop drycleaners have built an industry on personal services. They have taken drycleaning out of the ordinary into the exceptional. Those who provide such services will be less affected by low price or factory-type drycleaning.
Personal service begins when the counter sales person says, "I know that customer. She won't accept that. She's very particular." Or another: "There's a lady up front with a wedding gown that has been stored in the attic for 30 years. Her granddaughter wants to wear it for her wedding in two weeks."
Here is one message of praise and gratitude:
"Dear friends at (name withheld) Drycleaners:
Last August, Granddad picked out his burial outfit and gently tucked it at the back of the closet for "someday." Last Thursday we had the solemn task of making dreaded arrangements -- last minute, of course!
Thank you with all of our hearts for the most beautiful job that you did to make his shirt glisten, his tie look brand new and his jacket perfect. We are so lucky to have you take care of us, and we appreciate all of your hard work,
Sincerely, (name withheld).
This is what personalized care is all about.
Bill Bogus is president of Textile Restoration Services Inc. in Laurel, MD. He can be reached at (301) 776-4961.Recently, CCA featured a nice schedule of shows at its Fabricare 2000 event, including two seminars by Bill Bishop and Darcy Moen that focused on marketing tips for the industry. Weeks later, PDCA followed suit with Expo 2000, which, among other things, included a discussion by John R. Graham on "magnet marketing." All of these speakers had a lot of useful information to offer.
The Golomb Group's Bill Bishop asked cleaners "Are You Making the Money You Should Be?" Not only did Bishop explain why marketing is essential for drycleaners, but he also outlined how direct mail works and why it is so effective. He concluded with a humorous reminder, "Procrastination is the kamikaze pilot flying his 17th mission," playfully pointing out a serious truth: marketing is something that cleaners need to approach aggressively and consistently at all times.
Darcy Moen, who managed to retire from the industry after only sixteen years, pointed out the untapped resource that many cleaners already possess: their computer database. Literally, that source of customer information is a veritable gold mine for marketing that often goes untapped simply because cleaners fail to recognize its raw potential. Moen stressed that a database gives a cleaner the ability to turn marketing into a manageable "relationship with the customer," so plant owners can focus on specific markets that they wish to grow and cultivate.
At PDCA's show, author of Magnet Marketing John R. Graham illustrated to his audience that customer expectations have been redefined now. Not only has the Internet generated a "placeless world," but today's consumers are more in control of the sale. To combat this, Graham suggests that business owners stop solving the problems of yesterday and think like their customers so they can adjust their marketing techniques accordingly.
Obviously, marketing is a hot topic now because gaining new customers and retaining old ones is more difficult than ever. The customer satisfaction stakes continue to increase, making it more and more difficult for drycleaners to "go the extra mile" -- especially since customers already have come to expect that. Yet, despite this new dilemma, it is comforting to know that the industry can rely on excellent advice from some pretty inventive minds.
Is dressing up so hard to do? That's a question posed in a front page headline in the October bulletin of the Neighborhood Cleaners Association-International. Surveying the crowds at recent drycleaning trade shows and other gatherings of cleaners, it appears that the answer is: "Yes."
One place where one would expect to see a lot of people who look like they use the services of a professional drycleaner would be a drycleaner's convention. But many of the cleaners we see at these gatherings look like they are out for "dress-down Friday." Admittedly, these conventions often take place in resort-type areas, on weekends and involve travel -- all circumstances that lead many people to go for the casual look -- and that doesn't mean so-called "business casual," either. But when among our peers, shouldn't we try to exhibit the pride we have in our work and the importance we attach to attractive, well maintained garments? At the very least, shouldn't we look like we use the products we sell?
We're not prescribing tuxes and evening gowns for these occasions. But how about sprucing up a bit at the next convention of professional garment care specialists? Would it be possible for everybody to wear at least one "dryclean only" garment, or at least come dressed and from head to toe in clothes that look like they were just picked up from the cleaners? It would be a sign of respect not only for your peers but also for the industry from which we all derive our livelihoods. And besides, it would make for a really good looking bunch of people. Heads would turn and people would ask: "Who are all those well dressed folks who looks so sharp?"
And the answer would be: "They're drycleaners!"
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