Why are you making it so hard for me to give you my money? This question comes from a book by Ray Considine, called WAYMISH. (I've known Ray for a number of years.)
Good customer relations start with how the CEO treats his employees. This is the biggest factor in how employees will treat customers. If you treat your subordinates with genuine care and concern, they will treat your customers likewise.
Yet even the most customer-oriented drycleaner must remind employees that WAYMISHes can occur.
WAYMISH #1: Making customers wait
Having to wait for service is by far the biggest complaint in drycleaners, banks and supermarkets. It sends a message to customers that their time doesn't count... and neither do they.
Follow the example of the post office supervisor, who steps out and asks, "Who is just picking up mail?" This not only accelerates the process but it puts smiles on otherwise grim customer faces.
It might be a good idea to start a separate line for those with quick transactions or special requirements.
Keep employees who aren't serving customers out of public view. In a bank, it's aggravating to see only two tellers on duty when there are five teller stations. It's even more aggravating to see two additional tellers at closed stations doing something else.
WAYMISH #2: Failing to put customers first
An employee is marking in an order, racking clothes, counting cash, or handling a personal matter and treats a customer at the counter as a distraction from their REAL job.
Teach all employees the basics of good customer service. Encourage them to smile, listen to, and acknowledge customers. Give employees specific instructions, trust them and let them do their jobs.
When employees have the necessary knowledge, resources, and authority to satisfy customers, 85 percent of all WAYMISHes can be prevented or fixed on the spot.
WAYMISH #3: Overlooking the value of a customer
Generalized preaching, demanding or begging employees to be sensitive to customers rarely works. But even the least customer-friendly employees change their outlook once they learn the importance of the lifetime value of a customer.
For years, a woman spent an average of $50 a week at a family-run drycleaners. One week she returned with a blouse that had an unremovable stain, which she claimed was not there when she brought it in. When she complained. The owner stubbornly refused to compensate her. She stomped out and never returned.
Say the blouse cost $75. For stubbornly refusing to lose $75, the cleaner loses $2,600 of sales in a year ($50 x 52) or $26,000 in sales over 10 years.
For example, a customer comes in waving a pair of pants in his hand, shouting, "You've ruined my pants!" The manager replies equally loudly, saying, "Sir! Please don't shout. You're upsetting the other customers." Then in a normal speaking voice, "If there's a problem with these pants, I will give you a new pair... fix the pair you have... give you the name of another tailor... or give you your money back" Then very softly says, "Just tell me what you want."
"Just tell me what you want" works wonders when uttered by a concerned employee. But too many business owners balk at saying such a thing to customers. They're afraid they might have to give away the store to make the customer happy.
Not so. The majority of customers just want simple satisfaction.
Nordstrom department stores, whose fabled customer service never quits, allowed a customer to return an automobile tire (even though Nordstrom doesn't sell tires). The store credited his account, creating one more Nordstrom service legend.
Ask yourself, "Should all of your advertising budget be spent to attract new customers? Or is it better to have happy customers "advertising" for you by talking about your unparalleled service?" The answer is obvious.
Dennis McCrory works with The Golomb Group which provides direct mail and marketing services for drycleaners. They also produce the following book and video packages:Denim is undergoing a complete fashion changeover. The denim fabric, invented by Levi Strauss 150 years ago and sold to miners, is now a sports wear multi-billion dollar business.
In some business environments, denim is acceptable casual business clothing, a component of many couturier lines, including evening wear. The designers who are showing jeans are numerous. They include Guess, Mavi, Calvin Klein, DKNY, Polo, Marc Tacobs, Dolce and Gabbana. These fashion designers run from the mid-$100 to $200 range.
The fashion trend may be dark colored jeans made to resemble vintage garments by a sand or stonewashing process.
Jeans can be incorporated with spandex to obtain stretch for proper fit and trimmed with leather, suede, plastic or fringe. Denim can be any color and printed with a variety of designs.
Denim is the single highest cotton consuming fabric in the world according to officials at Cotton Inc.
Denim is derived from the French "de nimes", meaning cloth that originated in the French City of Nimes. Jeans derives its name from "de genes," which comes from the Italian city Genoa, where a sturdy solid cotton twill was once made.
Denim is a cotton twill yarn colored with a blue indigo dye, woven lengthwise with natural white yarn. That is why denim tends to be blue on top and white underneath. Some manufacturers create a denim look by piece dyeing and surface dyeing with colors other than the traditional blue.
Although denims are usually cotton, they can be blended with in polyester for wrinkle resistance.
Fabric problems
The dye stability and fabric strength of denim varies widely.
Crocking may result because the traditional blue indigo dye, although it is a vat dye, has poor affinity for cotton yarns.
In dyeing denim, a chemical process is used which both reduces and oxidizes dye. A careful balance and proper application of chemicals will insure satisfactory dyeing. When the dye is poorly applied, friction and mechanical action in normal wear or in routine drycleaning and spotting will result in crocking.
Color change may result if the dye used is solvent soluble or water soluble. The fabric undergoes a complete change of color.
Many denims are dyed with colors other than the traditional blue and some shades are obtained by combining different colors.
Shrinkage may be a problem because many denims are not preshrunk. Shrinkage of 2 percent or less will usually not adversely affect the fit of a garment. Excessive shrinkage of more than 2 percent may be acceptable for work or rough wear, but it is unacceptable for dress wear.
Mysterious holes
Holes in denim fabric may occur that can not be explained by the customer or drycleaner.
1. The spinning process used to produce yarn requires control and a selection of fibers with the proper strength and length. Yarns with low tensile strength and poor resistance to abrasion are subject to holes from friction and mechanical action in normal wear.
2. Stone washing. This process is used to give denim fabrics a washed out look by tumbling them with pumice stone chips or powder. This process weakens the fabric and yarn which becomes apparent after the mechanical action of cleaning.
3. Acid washed. The denim may be given a further washed out look by using a bleaching agent. The process is often combined with stone washing. If the bleaching agents are not thoroughly rinsed or neutralized, they will chemically weaken the fabric. The bleach is accelerated by moisture in the atmosphere and the heat used in cleaning.
4. Acid damage will affect cotton, which is the most widely used fiber in denim. The strong acid in batteries will weaken the fabric which is usually not noticeable before drycleaning. The heat and mechanical action will then reveal the damage caused by the acid.
Inspection
When accepting denim sportswear or dress wear, examine the garment for dye crocking, especially in areas subjected to friction and abrasion such as cuffs, hems, collar, sleeves and pockets.
If the garment will require mechanical action for stain removal, inform the customer of possible dye loss due to crocking.
Also, inspect the garment for weakened areas caused by chemical damage, which will become more noticeable after drycleaning.
Drycleaning
Deep-colored denim sportswear and dress wear should be given a short cycle and run with limited moisture in the system to limit color loss. If denim garments are trimmed with suede, plastic, lace or beads, the trimming will determine the load classification.
Spotting
Limit mechanical action when brushing or tamping to avoid dye crocking.
Tamping is safer than brushing. Apply lubricants and allow time for penetration, which will soften the stain and reduce the amount of mechanical action needed.
Use a spatula or bone scraper carefully. The garment should be spotted from the reverse side.
A customer's release should be obtained when lubrication and excessive mechanical action is required for stain removal as for stains such as paints, inks, glue and other similar stains.
Wetcleaning
To limit color loss in dark colored denims, they should be wetcleaned inside out on a delicate or permanent press cycle.
Denims should be dried at 140° F and removed from the dryer while slightly damp to reduce shrinkage and to make finishing easier.
Consider the limitation of the trimming. Fringe trimmed garment should be wetcleaned in a net bag. Professional wetcleaning equipment is better designed to clean high fashion denim then home washing machines.
Finishing
After wetcleaning, straighten out twisted seams and smooth wrinkles while damp to make finishing easier.
When steaming denim, pull the fabric to lessen any shrinkage.
Use routine finishing procedures except on leather, suede or plastic.
Do not steam leather or suede trim. Use heat from press only.
On plastic trim use limited steaming and low heat.
Dan Eisen recently retired as chief garment analyst for the Neighborhood Cleaners Association after 33 years with that organization. He is available for seminars, consultations and independent garment analysis. He also has published a book, "The Art of Spotting," which is an indexed compilation of articles he wrote for National Clothesline and NCA over the past three decades. He can be reached at (908) 359-7141.I am sure many will be going to that quaint city this month and not for the sights, jazz or the good food, but to get a better plan on how to survive in this tough business of ours.
I'm also sure if you look at your bottom line, you will discover that nearly 30 percent of your overhead is spent on the labor cost of pressing and finishing, investment, supplies and a staggering utility cost.
There are few things we can do about our many forms of overhead, but this convention will give a lot of attention to the finishing department and some of the dramatic changes we can institute.
There has always been the problem in our industry of how to secure our volume and business.
It is also equally rare where a style change or a turn of events can suddenly become an advantage.
Who would ever suspect that the government would continue to make more stringent controls on the type of solvent we can use, and enact compulsory laws dictating our livelihood? Or that landlords would restrict the use of a drycleaning solvent on the premises.
Then seemingly a host of new fabrics, appear that encourage "casual dress" while manufacturers of equipment and detergents develop and improve the art of successfully and inexpensively advocating "wetcleaning"
A win-win solution
I love it when for once in our growing industry we are given a "win-win" decision. Here "water" is now completely safe -- with the use of simple detergents, temperature controls and scientific drying. Fabrics can be cleaned in harmony with a method endorsed by government and landlords alike.
All fabrics and all garments? Of course not!
But 50 percent are pants (which is half your volume) and at least 70 percent of all garments that have been traditionally scheduled for drycleaning can be beautifully improved and cleaned by wetcleaning.
And that number continually grows in variety, all without any risk or distortions.
Since I grew up on perc (starting with carbon tet) I find it difficult to change to some of the newer, more sophisticated solvents. I guess it is simply being familiar with the solvent and knowing its limitations.
Perhaps that's the only valid reason most cleaners are also uncomfortable with the use of water and with wetcleaning. I also have a strong inclination that the future drycleaner will be a strong advocate of the full use of wetcleaning.
The only drawback seems to be the tedious job of finishing something after it has been improperly wetcleaned. The problem comes from uncontrolled drying time and temperature, but fortunately, the offenders are learning and rapidly.
An amazin' method
There is a major breakthrough that has been long in the making. Some call it the European method... I call it amazin' !
Most pants finishers have several additional aids in finishing. For example, the Hoffman T-811 model features pressurized pleat paddles that eliminate the pressing of trousers tops. The unit also eliminates any chance of shrinkage and undue wrinkling, due to its mild stretching ability.
Trousers are placed on the unit and expanded from a range of waist sizes of 20 inches to a 60 inches. A stop for an elastic ladies' waist slacks is even provided.
The unit minimizes steam and energy use, and the only necessity is to complete the operation while putting a crease on the legs. This is done as the next pants are being topped, thereby offering high quality and excellent production (50 pants per hour!).
As many as 40 programs to adjust for skirts, shorts even ladies' stretch pants are available.
And, most amazing, all can be accomplished with unskilled workers who can be instructed with a day's production.
Now we have the ability of one operator pivoting and working on two machines. Since inexperienced labor can be easily trained, there is no more panic when a presser fails to report to work. No more lost motion or "bottlenecks" in the finishing department.
Equally effective is a form finisher that can do jackets, collars and all ladies' sizes. It uses a minimum of steam and adequately dries the garment so no moisture remains.
A "cure" for a common problem
I find the most common fault in finishing occurs when a presser hangs up a garment without properly drying or removing the excessive moisture.
All former methods relied on the presser's ability to correct over-steaming, whereby this new method is set with timers that can be controlled by a photo cell which automatically adjusts the garments height and tension.
This permits finishing a variety of fabrics such as blouses, sweaters, outer wear and eliminates the element of human error.
The unit releases the garment and the cycle is completed, ready for the garments final inspection.
The common fault of inadequate vacuuming is easily detected by examining a garment a day or two after it has been in the rack. You will notice a puckering or waviness in the lapel or the pocket flaps, mostly where the material has been doubled, and the plastic bag retains excessive moisture.
Now that fault can be automatically corrected and the human error of excessive steaming is finally eliminated.
Management at last has the control of setting steam and drying timers to the policy of the highest quality and still achieve production. Most important is reducing the present ridiculous high cost of energy.
So long, prima donnas
Perhaps our greatest relief comes with the possibility of addressing the problem of those "prima donnas" who know they can threaten to walk out, for any minor infraction with production or some quirk from a fellow employee.
Now management has a recourse by cross-training and moving labor around as needs require and the seasons demand. Reduce the number of specialists and give benefits and rewards to those positions and individuals who rightfully deserve them.
These new finishing systems will be displayed in New Orleans with infinite choices and price ranges to fit every pocket book.
That's the great thing about a national convention! You get the chance to evaluate, judge every method and system and, most important, all in one afternoon.
Good luck 'n c'mon on down, y'all hear!
Ray Colucci, a consultant to the fabric care industry, has revised and made available three timely pamphlets: "Up Front Is Where It Counts" for counter training; "Pressed for Perfection" for finishing techniques; and the popular "Route to Success" for complete route training. The pamphlets are $20 each or all three for $50. Immediate delivery with all postage paid is promised for requests sent to R. Colucci, 410 Warren Ave., Mamaroneck, NY 10543.This series continues with the very important consideration of proper installation. Buying the equipment is only half the job. To realize full capability and economical operating costs of equipment proper installation is critical.
Proper installation must begin at the power sources: boiler, air compressor, vacuum and electricity. Water and sewage, although not power sources, must be considered with equal importance since adequate flow rate, volume and pressure are needed to get the most performance from your equipment.
Boiler and horsepower (bhp) requirements
The boiler is certainly the heart of your plant. Before discussing the proper installation and engineering aspects, I must emphasize the importance of proper boiler size which is usually expressed in terms of boiler horsepower (BHP).
A boiler that is too small to deliver the required amount of steam will be pushed beyond its maximum capacity. As a result, it will be inefficient and will burn considerably more fuel per pound of steam generated than would a boiler of proper size operating at its most efficient rating.
In addition, there will be higher boiler maintenance costs and reduced steam pressure at the processing equipment.
Conversely, an oversized boiler delivering steam in a quantity far in excess of demand would be too great an investment unless a plant expansion is planned for the future.
The owner's manual and brochure on each piece of equipment should state the amount of BHP consumed. However, if that source of data is not available, the following BHP requirements should be used when sizing a boiler for equipment:
DRYCLEANING DEPARTMENT
Pressing machine (utility) -- 1.2
Steam-air form finisher -- 1.5
Pants topper (steam-air) -- 1.5
Mushroom topper/mushroom -- .85
Single puff iron -- 0.3
3-way puff set -- 0.7
All steam hand iron -- 0.2
Steam finishing board -- 1.2
Spotting board -- 1.5
Dry-to-dry cleaning machine (solvent recovery) -- 2.8*
Still (medium size) -- 5.8*
* After initial warm-up and recovery,
the BHP consumption is reduced.
A still works much the same way as the recovery cycle of the dry-to-dry cleaning machine. In the beginning of the distillation process, the solvent is cool, and steam in the heating coil, or chamber, quickly condenses. The longer the distillation runs, the less steam is consumed; and the consumption levels off to a steady rate of BHP.
Since the condenser is water-cooled the temperature of water leaving should be no lower than 80° F and no higher than 105° F. If the temperature of water leaving is below 70° F, distillation time will be extended considerably.
The water temperature leaving is controlled by throttling the globe valve on the EXIT water line only. Plants using a water chiller should adjust the refrigeration unit's thermostat to cool the water no lower than 63°F.
Dry-to-dry drycleaning machines with no heat pump refrigerated closed systems should have the condenser temperature controlled to equalize the air leaving the condenser coil at no lower than 65°F during normal dry/recovery cycle, and the cold air should by-pass the heating coil during the final cool down cycle since EPA requires a maximum of 45° F for air leaving the condenser at the end of the cool down cycle (perchloroethylene).
For hydrocarbon/petroleum systems, the same temperature requirement is most viable for solvent economy.
In dry-to-dry cleaning machines using a heat pump refrigerated system, the hot exhaust air and compressed freon will preheat the cold air coming off the condenser to about 115° to 120° F, and the steam heated booster coil will further heat the air to the higher set inlet temperature much more quickly.
WETCLEANING DEPARTMENT
Dryer (30 pound) -- 2.5*
Dryer (50 pound) -- 3.2*
Wind whip -- 1.6
Heat water (steam mixing valve) -- more as water temperature is increased
*BHP consumption decreases as fabrics are dried after warm-up.LAUNDRY DEPARTMENT
Cabinet body-bosom-yoke press -- 2
Collar/cuff press -- 0.75
Cabinet sleever press -- 1
51"-54" utility press -- 1
Double sleeve form -- 0.65
Mushroom/topper -- 0.6
Double pants topper -- 0.7
Double pants legger -- 1
Dryer (50 pound, 4 coil) -- 4*
Steam header -- 2.5 (average)
Heat water (steam mixing valve) -- more as water temperature is increased
*BHP consumption decreases as fabrics are dried after warm-up.
Air requirements
Many times, the air compressor size will be randomly selected with no consideration given to air consumption requirements of the total equipment.
After computing the proper size air compressor, you should add a little more capacity to compensate for line and friction loss as well as addition of new equipment.
Most air installations I have seen have been improperly installed by using pipe too small in diameter. Since air is a gas, and it is compressed warm, you should avoid as much friction as possible in its travel to the air-operated equipment.
This can be accomplished by expanding the header pipe size three sizes after the air leaves the compressor tank, water separator, after-cooler and pressure regulator.
Usually, the air outlet is 3/4 inch; so you would expand the header pipe to 1 1/2 inches. Try to avoid 90° elbows; use two 45° elbows instead. Also, since air is a gas, the larger pipe will serve as an additional storage facility; and you will get the same result as having a larger air compressor.
Furthermore, the larger header will ensure that all the equipment will receive its proper air pressure and volume and not just the first few pieces closest to the air compressor.
A water separator is needed to remove the excess water after the air is compressed. An automatic drain should be provided, and it should be cleaned every month to ensure continuous performance.
Two types of water separators are available: cord element and gravity bowl type. The cord element type is very good, but the element must be changed periodically. The gravity bowl type is more prone to get clogged and malfunction, but it will give satisfactory performance if it is kept clean.
An after-cooler is essential to reduce the temperature of the compressed air so it will not pick up, or expand, its moisture content. One of the main causes of air cylinder failure is moisture in the compressed air.
In this regard, I also recommend individual water separators at each piece of equipment (automatic drain type).
Caution: If the water separators do not drain their accumulated water, the air cylinders will be damaged by water carry-over. Also, you will get reduced air pressure due to the water volume restriction.
A pressure regulating valve is necessary to produce a steady flow of uniform air pressure. This will result in better machine performance. The compressor should run between 115 back to 105 psig, and the pressure regulating valve should be set at 90 psig for a fairly long run or at 85 psig for a short run. This should give about 80 psig at the machine.
Too much air pressure (above 100 psig) will result in air cylinder damage, and too little air pressure (below 75 psig) will result in poor equipment performance.
Use ball valves or gate valves instead of globe valves since the globe valves will restrict the volume of air and also reduce pressure.
The higher the air pressure, the more cubic feet of free air received:
Using the above calculations, you would purchase an air compressor rated at cubic feet of compressed air (not free air) and then correlate the output to free air for each piece of equipment.
Each manufacturer rates his equipment a little differently for air consumption, but the table below will give you a very close approximation for compressor rating (numbers show cubic feet of free air per minute):
DRYCLEANING EQUIPMENT (MOST)
Utility/legger press -- 1
Mushroom/topper -- 0.6
Automatic steam-air topper -- 0.25
Washer-extractor (petroleum/hydrocarbon) -- 0.6
Dry to dry cleaning machine -- 1.2
Spotting board -- 2
LAUNDRY EQUIPMENT
Cabinet body-bosom-yoke press (with blower) -- 3
Cabinet body-bosom-yoke press (no blower) -- 7
Collar and cuff press -- 1
Cabinet sleever press (with blower) -- 1
Cabinet sleever press (no blower) -- 3.25
51"- 54" utility press -- 1
Mushroom/topper -- 0.6
Double pants topper -- 1
Double pants legger -- 1
Laundry washer-extractor (small) -- 0.7 Laundry washer-extractor (medium) -- 1+
Air header -- 2 (average)
Always buy an air compressor rated a little higher than your actual requirement, and do not forget to consider the air header consumption. For compressor motors over two horsepower, you should run a "continuous running, constant speed unloader" type instead of "off-on."
Vacuum requirements
Here, again, the most serious installation offenses are small pipe sizes and underrated vacuum units.
Never reduce the pipe sizes on the inlet or outlet lines of the vacuum unit. In fact, you would get better performance by increasing the inlet pipe header one size since you are working with pump suction rather than discharge. Never reduce the size of pipe entering the pressing machine's, or spotting board's, vacuum valve. The rule about a 90° elbow to be substituted by two 45° elbows applies here.
Next, you should rate your vacuum unit 50 percent more than your requirements to get maximum suction, super fast drying and quality finishing. More than one finisher could be applying vacuum at the same time, and a spotter can hold the vacuum pedal down for quite a long time for steam with vacuum and then dry with air and vacuum.
It makes good sense to install a small drain valve on the vacuum line as it enters the pressing machine's, or spotting board's, vacuum valve since steam drawn away from the pressing machine sometimes condenses in the upper part of the takeoff line or in the vacuum header. NOTE: Always drain the vacuum line with the vacuum unit turned off.
A reversed check valve should be fitted to the vacuum unit's base tank drain in order to remove accumulated water when the unit is shut off.
The vacuum unit should be installed as close to the finishing and spotting areas as possible for best results.
Pipe sizes and installation of pipe and fittings will be discussed at length in a subsequent article within this series.
Note: My video, "The Caplan Method of Stain Removal," which includes my comprehensive text (edited by Hal Horning) and the handy spotting board reference, is available in English, Korean (video only) and Spanish (video only) from the Golomb Group, c/o Dennis McCrory, 7664 Plaza Court, Willowbrook, IL 60521; phone (630) 887-7339. This video is actually a "Trainer in a Box" and is a complete training course for both experienced and novice spotters. My comprehensive text reinforces all of the background technical material required to produce a professional spotter. Each method of spot removal is thoroughly discussed and demonstrated. Bleaching and use of digesters are explained in addition to basic textile chemistry. Also available, is my video on step-by-step shirt finishing, which includes my comprehensive text in loose-leaf form outlining each procedure for a single-operator cabinet shirt unit and two-operator cabinet shirt unit. Both units are demonstrated using a cabinet sleever and a single, or triple, heated collar former. This procedure was developed by me for top quality with no touch up (regular sizes) together with maximum production without overexertion by the operators. Avoiding shrinkage, wilting and dipping of the collar, together with its proper "breaking and forming" on the heated collar former, are all demonstrated. Both the collar and front buttonhole placket, the two thickest parts of the shirt, are totally dried under the press head with no loss of production time. Attractive detailing and packaging of the hangered shirt, padding, steam pressure and timing are all discussed. A unique wash formula to give whiter whites, brighter colors and complete removal of grease and body oils is included in the loose-leaf text book.Stan Caplan has more than 35 years experience in his own high volume drycleaning, laundry and tailoring plant and two package plants with adjoining coin-operated laundry and coin drycleaning. He is a former chief instructor at the International Fabricare Institute, the Southwest Drycleaners Association School, the Florida Institute of Launderers and Cleaners School, the Illinois State Fabricare Association School, the Michigan Institute of Laundering and Drycleaning School, the Johannesburg Cleaners Association School (South Africa) and the Hyatt Regency Southeast Asia School (Singapore and Hong Kong). He offers consulting, training and engineering services in all areas of the fabric care industry from the customer service area to the boiler room. His unique total system encompasses maximum efficiency, economy, labor savings and product quality. Stan Can be reached at 3601 Clarks Lane, Suite 307, Baltimore, MD 21215; phone/fax (410) 358-0870; e-mail: stancap100@aol.com.
This is part three of a series on wholesale shirts. This month's chapter is for drycleaners who are using a shirt wholesaler, but perhaps are wishing that they were not.
If you have been following this column, you will remember that I first discussed the plight of the drycleaner who relies upon a shirt wholesaler to get his or her shirts done.
Last month we talked about what it's like to be a shirt wholesaler. If you missed the previous two columns, perhaps you should dig up the old issues and read them now.
The equipment manufacturers and dealers that follow my column are surely aching to see if I recommend that the small drycleaner who isn't doing his own shirts go to the Clean Show with a big purchase, a new venture and a positive attitude in mind. I'm not going to make it that simple. I never do. The individual drycleaner will make up his or her own mind despite my influence and my input.
I'll get right to the heart of this column: Should you terminate your shirt wholesaler and start doing your own shirts?
Sure, but only if you are doing it for the right reasons. Don't even consider it if it is for one of these reasons:
You want to save money
You want to do a better job.
You want to give your customers better service.
Before I am misunderstood, let me make this clear: You may be able to do one or more of these things if and when you start doing your own shirts, but they will not come automatically. It will require healthy dose of effort, tons of dedication and lots of trial and error.
If you are doing your own shirts, you may have control over your costs, or they may be out of control. Just because, labor cost, for instance, is a controllable expense, it does not mean that you can and/or will control it.
Right now, you pay a dollar per shirt (or whatever) to the wholesaler and that's that. (More on cost in a minute). If you are doing your own shirts, you will have control over the quality of your product, but it will not come without work. The shirt department will require an enormous amount of attention -- about two times as much as you're figuring it will.
Many people decide that the time is ripe to get into the shirt business because they stumble upon the "perfect" employee. It doesn't matter that your niece Katie has volunteered to press shirts for you for $6 per hour because she loves doing it and has been working elsewhere where she won "Shirt Presser of the Year" five years in a row. There is more to doing a good job than simply having a good presser.
If you are doing your own shirts, you will have control over service and you will be able to accommodate the poor soul who comes to your counter and needs shirts back in three hours. As nice as it is to do this kind of thing, you will find that doing so may not be directly supportive of the bottom line and you will come to realize why people who have shirt equipment on the premises still have a 10 a.m. cut-off time.
Consider your costs
Let's talk about cost again. There is a big problem when it comes time to debate cost savings. Last month I told the wholesaler to keep track of his cost per shirt. Remember? Two months ago, I didn't ask you to figure out your cost per shirt, because it appears to be rather obvious: you pay the wholesaler. That is your cost per shirt, right? No!
You do 2,000 shirts per week, so you were paying your wholesaler about $7,500 per month. Now, you are in the shirt business:
The equipment costs you $1,000 per month; two employees each making $300 per week, collectively cost you $2,500 per month. That's a total of $3,500 per month, so far. You remember that your supplies bill is more than it used to be. A little math tells you that it all comes to an additional $1, 200 per month.
That's not too bad. $1, 000 + $2, 500 + $1, 200. That comes to a bag full of money less than $7, 500 -- about 55 cents per shirt.
Ah, shucks, I probably forgot something. My cost per shirt is 60 cents, nah, 65 cents. Done! Did it! So that's how that guy down the street does shirts for 80 cents wholesale! He's making a killing. Maybe I should get into wholesale.
The first problem is that your cost is higher than that. There are many line items that you've missed, but you will only believe that when you start doing your own shirts.
The second problem is that your cost per shirt was higher than you thought when you were using a wholesaler.
Without getting into a long narrative on cost per shirt, let me just say this: If you do 2,000 shirts per week, you probably also do 2,000 pieces of drycleaning, too.
If you didn't do shirts, that is, only 2,000 pieces of drycleaning, don't you think that you'd only need half as much customer service labor? Of course.
Therefore it is congruent to charge half of your customer service labor to the shirt department. Sixty hours of customer service labor multiplied by $8 per hour equals $480. Divide that by 2,000 shirts and you'll see that you should be charging an additional 24 cents to the cost per shirt.
This is true now, and it will continue to be true if and when you get into the shirt business.
Don't deceive yourself
Why am I telling you this now? I don't want you to make the same mistakes that everyone else makes: Lying to yourself about the true cost to produce a shirt.
If I don't go out of my way to tell you about the costs that you aren't even thinking about, you will be convinced that you'll be doing shirts at a cost of about 65 cents. Then you'll daydream about being able to offer your customers shirts for 80 cents if they bring in $10 worth of drycleaning. You'll reason that your costs are covered and that you're "getting the drycleaning."
You will remain in denial and believe this with all your heart and soul until the day you go broke. Right now, you pay your wholesaler a dollar per shirt and don't dare put shirts "on sale" for less than that. The wholesaler actually insulates you from lowering your price too far down.
Truth be told, you are probably charging less than your cost now, even if you think that you're making 75 cents per shirt.
A familiar story
But there's more: Here is what happens so often. It happens to almost everybody who gets into the shirt business:
1. You're unhappy with your shirt wholesaler. (No big surprise, there.)
3. You miscalculate your cost. (Trust me, its more than a dollar.)
4. You do a good job on your shirts. (The new-ness of the shirt department.)
5. When the slow season hits, you notice that your labor costs do not go down proportionately. (You worked how many hours?)
6. Your competitor/friend across town wants you to do his shirts because he isn't happy with the wholesaler either and hears that you're doing a good job. (Glad that people are noticing.)
7. You turn him down. ("I'm not a wholesaler!")
8. It starts getting busy again and now, because you've been doing a good job, business has picked up. (That's what my Dad said would happen.)
9. Certain days of the week are exceptionally hectic. Shirts get rushed through. Quality sometimes suffers now that it's busy. (Gotta get 'em out).
10. You need extra help on the busy days, but can't get someone to work eight hours, one day a week. (I guess that I'll fill in).
11. You deal with the hectic days even though it affects your lifestyle. (I gotta fill in again?).
12. You get aggravated because you sometimes don't do as good a job as you'd like in spite of your lofty desires. (Hey, shirts aren't easy!).
13. You hire extra help, essentially raising your labor cost 50 percent by going from two people to three. (Labor cost is through the roof!).
14. Your friend across town talks to you about doing his shirts again. Hmm...
15. You think it's funny this time because you are plenty busy on your own.
You turn him down again. (When would I do them?).
17. It occurs to you that you don't have barrels full of money from this shirt volume. Retailing 2,000 shirts per week at $1.70 should net you, at least $100,000 in clear profit if your cost per shirt is 65 cents. So where is the money? (If I could only find the time, I would sit down and figure out my cost per shirt.)
18. Suddenly, the prospects of doing your friend's 500 shirts per week sounds pretty good. "I probably just need more volume." (Hmmm... I'm not really a wholesaler, I just do someone else's shirts. I'll just take this one account.)
19. You become an unofficial shirt wholesaler.
It is incomprehensible how this happens over and over again. This must be the only business in the world that breeds vendors from customers. Why does this happen?
So what is the lesson? What is the moral of the story?
Doing shirts ain't as easy as it looks. Maybe your wholesaler is a clown, but maybe you're critical of him or her because you can be. You may fear chewing out your presser for doing poor work because he may quit and then you'll have to press.
As much as you'd love to vent some hostilities on a customer, you refrain because you need the business. But you'll think nothing of taking out your frustrations on your shirt wholesaler, knowing that he needs you as much as you need him.
The irony is that when you start doing your own shirts, you won't do as good a job as you think. It does not matter that the girls at the Clean Show press flawlessly, shirt after shirt, hour after hour on the same equipment that you bought. When the real world shirts come to your plant, things will be different.
Do you think that new-fangled foreign unit can't do a lousy shirt? See me at the Clean Show and I'll prove to you that it can. Jump onto any shirt unit and act like an employee who is furious with you for not giving them tomorrow off. Press a few shirts with that in mind.
Why should you buy?
So why should you buy shirt equipment? There are some good reasons, actually. The best reason may make you laugh, but it's a great idea to get into the shirt business if you are looking for a new challenge. This really is a good reason to do it. It just may be a very important addition to your business to have a professional shirt launderer on the premises: you.
This next good reason is tough for me to swallow and it can be misunderstood easily. Please don't misquote me on this. Go ahead and get into the shirt business if you want more volume. Really. I hate to admit that this is true, but in many cases, it is. Ten years ago, I had a wholesale customer in a city 20 miles from here. He sold his uniform rental business to a major player and, in the resulting new-found space, he installed shirt equipment.
He is now a client and has been for years and will always be a good friend (Hi, TD!), but at the time, I was most displeased that he was dismissing me in favor of doing shirts on the premises.
When I asked him why, he said, "In one year, I want to be able to tell you that I'm doing 2,000 shirts per week."
He was doing 1,000 at the time.
You know what? That is exactly what happened. I felt personally insulted because I think that the shirts that I was producing for him were above average. I thought that he should have been able to grow with that product, but evidently, the fact that all of his customers could now see brand new shirt equipment in plain view was enough to double his shirt volume. (By the way, he is another example of someone who swore he'd never do wholesale work, but eventually did.)
I don't want you to misunderstand this because many times, more volume does not mean more profit. So, don't misquote me on this: get into the shirt business if you want more volume. If you want more profit, well, there are other ways of doing that. Getting into the shirt business shouldn't be the thought that comes to mind if you want to give your bottom-line a boost.
I would honestly advise you to get a good wholesaler, pay him well and treat him well and, in turn be treated like a respected customer by getting top-notch quality and unbeatable service.
Sadly, that advice is hard to give. It could easily be that there is no one around you who is up to the challenge. That puts you in a tough position. It may mean that the only way to do a better job or give better service (notice that I left out references to cutting costs) is to do your own shirts.
No-brainer or headache?
I think that what goes wrong with the thought of getting into the shirt business is that the prospective shirt launderer looks at it as a "no brainer."
He will reason: "Where is the down side of this venture? I will finally be doing a good shirt, I will be able to give three-hour service if I have to and I'm going to save $1,000 per month in the process!"
The reality is hardly a "no brainer." In truth, it will give you just about two times as many headaches.
If you expect to save money, you will find expenses that you haven't thought of and you will find that theoretical production rates and the theoretical cost per shirt truly is theoretical.
If you expect to improve the quality of your shirts, be sure that the quality that you have right now is horrendous. Otherwise, you may do a job that is not decidedly better than what you have now. It may be worse. The shirt department will require a lot of attention; long after the novelty wears off for you.
If you wish to improve service, you will find that getting through the busy days is more of a challenge than you expected and, in fact, it will be impossible to do "rush orders" because you are finding it very difficult to just complete the shirts due for today that were brought in to you two days ago.
You, perhaps, are smart enough to predict this and plan to "over-buy" on equipment. That is, you will buy equipment that is capable of two or three times your current volume. That actually will help you to avoid the possible service issues, but there will be a price; an actual dollars and cents price. You will spend too much on equipment and your labor costs, on the busiest days, may be highest instead of the lowest!
The friend that I referred to earlier, the one who doubled his shirt business, later told me that (I believe that this is a direct quote) "I can't believe how much attention the shirt department needs when you consider that it only represents a small portion of sales!"
Get into the shirt business today as long as you remember this and do not forget it. If you are one who thinks you should be financially rewarded proportionately to the work and responsibility that you have, be prepared to be coveting a 50 percent raise in salary. Do you think that you'll get it? Maybe the company won't be able to afford it!
Do I lean towards advising you not to get into shirts? Not really. I, personally, love the challenge. I have been in shirts since 1978 and they are still my livelihood today.
Make the right decision for the right reason. No matter which road you choose, I wish you good luck.
Donald Desrosiers has been in the shirt laundering business since 1978 and is a work-flow systems engineer who provides services to shirt launderers through Tailwind Shirt Systems, 867 Spencer St., Fall River, MA. He can be reached by phone at (508) 965-3163 or by e-mail at tailwind1@mediaone.netand he has a web sites located at: www.tailwindshirts.com and www.dondesrosiers.comFirst, let's look at the cause of the energy crisis in California which is soon to spread throughout the United States.
The environmentalists made enough noise to get the attention of the politicians, particularly in California. Also, the previous administration was aware of the problem but preferred to ignore the situation.
Another cause was the growth in technology and computers and population.
More and more citizens are using more power due to the growth in the population during the past 10 years, particularly in California.
The effect of all this is that we have a severe energy crisis facing us in California which will soon spread to the rest of the country.
Our dependence on foreign oil has increased to the point that our economy is at the mercy of the major foreign oil sources.
All this is known to some degree by all of you, but my aim is to show you how cause and effect relates to supply and demand.
At this point, we have two possible solutions.
1. Conserve the use of energy, which has to be voluntary and, if we do, there will still be a major shortage.
People would have to give up their luxury SUVs and other gas burners. They would also have to lower their thermostats and suffer after being able to live in comfort 12 months of the year.
All this requires major sacrifices and it is unlikely that those who are accustomed to the comforts will be willing to give them up easily.
2. Another solution would be to increase the U.S. source of energy and that means drilling for oil off shore and in Alaska and mining more coal.
There are other sources of energy and they have proven to be of some value, but fall short of producing anywhere near the amount of energy needed. Some of these are solar energy and windmills, which produce some energy but cannot meet the demand of California, let alone the rest of the country.
The cause, then, for the lack of energy is that we have had no energy policy and the demand has grown while the supply has diminished, except for foreign oil. But oil at any price is still a problem and even if we could import more oil, we don't have enough refineries to accomplish the job.
"Nobody wants a nuclear power plant or a refinery in their back yard."
In other words, we are in a bind and there is no short-term solution.
Now let's take a look at supply and demand as it applies to the dry cleaning industry.
20/80 Rule Prevails
The supply is based upon the number of families in the higher income brackets. These people represent the 20 percent of all customers who provide 80 percent of all sales.
But many of these folks lost a ton of money in the stock market in the past year. The market experts state there was a $5 trillion loss with an average of $50,000 per U.S. household.
In order for the average to be so high, it means the people at the top of the economic ladder are the ones who lost the most.
The cause of their loss is irrelevant but the effect is what is of concern to the supply of drycleaning items.
The supply of garments needing drycleaning is down but the supply to process the items is still the same.
This type of situation will always reach a balance in time, so if the demand remains down, the over-supply of cleaners to meet the demand will also falter.
We know that people who lose their jobs will certainly cut back on their drycleaning and related services, like shirt laundering.
We also know that eventually, people will reduce their spending as they see their neighbors losing their jobs. Most of those have already lost their savings, having invested in the dot.coms and mutual funds.
So here we are with a declining demand for drycleaning services and still too many plants to support this decline in demand.
What does this mean to you? What can you do about it?
You can tighten your belt and pick up the remnants of those plants that close their doors.
I just got a call from a member in Iowa who told me the only big competitor in his small town was losing money and asked if he would be interested in buying his business.
Since this was a losing proposition, there was no reason for our member to be interested in the business but he would be interested in taking over their customers. I advised him to make an offer to transfer the finished garments to his plant and he would pay the seller a percentage of the funds he collected.
He also could buy some of his usable supplies.
The seller asked him if he could help him find someone to buy the $250,000 worth of equipment he bought new only six years ago.
Our member contacted machinery people in his area and couldn't find anyone who would be willing to pick up the equipment, even at no cost.
Does this mean that the cleaners in Iowa and Nebraska place no value on used equipment?
Now we go back to supply and demand.
Drycleaning sales are down in these areas. The survivors are struggling with the drycleaning economy.
There were periods in the late 1960s when there were too many shirt units and not enough shirts coming into the plants. This held true until the mid 1970s when the shirt business picked up rapidly.
The average laundered shirt price was around 79 cents and didn't get to $1 until 1980. Inflation also played a role in the price of a laundered shirt, so now we are at about $1.50 on average.
If the economy continues to slump, the demand for a laundered shirt will decline. Once again, this is a cause and effect situation.
Supply and demand is ruthless since normally the last plant in with debt service will be the first to go.
I know this appears to be a doom and gloom letter but it is also facing reality and doing what you can to be a survivor.
Those who run low on funds will discontinue marketing their services, making it all the easier for those who do. They will pick up the remaining volume.
I've been in this industry well over 55 years and I've seen good times and bad times in the industry. The industry will survive.
The smart and dedicated cleaners will eventually see better times when the dust settles -- and settle it will.
The trick will be to stay alive during the coming dust storm.
For help in ways to survive, contact The Golomb Group.
Stan Golomb is president of The Golomb Group Inc., a firm that designs marketing programs for drycleaners. Contact him at The Golomb Group Inc., 7664 Plaza Ct., Willowbrook, IL 60521; phone (630) 887-7339. His e-mail address is: stangolomb@golombgroup.comLike no other place on earth, this country treats employers in safety matters as criminals, even where the violation has been the result of employee misconduct.
In fact, OSHA takes the position that when an employee violates an employer's safety rule that is designed to implement a government requirement, the employer is guilty of violating the law.
If the employer can prove that he has taken steps to enforce the safety rule in the past, he might be able to raise an employee misconduct defense at a formal hearing.
In typical OSHA fashion, however, the government will argue that while the employer may have taken steps in the past to enforce the rule, this instance shows that enforcement efforts have been ineffective.
Incredibly, the employee will suffer no fine or repercussion from the government, except perhaps a subpoena to testify against his company. Free will is not something OSHA cares to acknowledge.
As any employer knows, there is no disciplinary program in the world that will prevent employees from violating rules. Otherwise, there would be no need for employment lawyers or personnel directors. No matter how much an employer tries, there will always be at least one employee who thinks he can skirt the rules.
There is, however, some hope for employers in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina as a result of a federal case decided in 1998 and recently adopted by an appeals court in Maryland.
The federal appeals court for these states has rejected OSHA's position that an employer must prove employee misconduct as an affirmative defense to a safety violation. Rather, it is OSHA's burden to prove that the employee's misconduct was not unforeseeable or unpreventable.
The Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, stated:
Although some sister circuits have held that unpreventable employee misconduct "is an affirmative defense that an employer must plead and prove," this circuit and others clearly agree that such must be disproved by the Secretary in his case-in-chief. That the Secretary bears this burden is clearly the law of this circuit per Ocean Electric [Corp. v. Secretary of Labor, 594 F.2d 396 (4th Cir. 1979)], and we see no reason to change that here.
L.R. Willson and Sons, Inc. vs. Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Therefore, if an employee's misconduct has resulted in an OSHA citation, it may now be less difficult to defeat a citation. Because most citations are the result of employee misconduct, including misconduct by supervisory employees, this case should present an opportunity to employers to stop OSHA in its crusade to absolve employees of all responsibility under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
Nevertheless, each employee must have a safety program, enforced through discipline, to avoid OSHA citations. Do not wait until an accident or inspection occurs to think about safety issues.
Frank Kollman is a partner in the law firm of Kollman & Sheehan, PA, in Baltimore, MD. He can be reached at (410) 727-4391. His firm's web site at www.kollman-sheehan.com has more articles and other information on employee/employer relations. The firm also has a web site for human resource professionals at www.hrlawforum.com.Lighting is an important consideration when mixing colors. The type of light used can cause the color being matched to appear to be different from its true hue.
For instance, the light from ordinary incandescent light bulbs makes colors look yellowish. Daylight or equivalent lighting should be used where possible when matching and mixing colors.
Materials used to color suedes and leathers come in the form of dyes and finishes. Dye colors are transparant like stains used to stain wood. They penetrate into the skins of suedes and naked leathers to give them their color.
Finish colors are opaque like paint used to paint cars. They cover the surface of smooth leathers to give them their color.
Dyes get their color from dye stuffs that are p into the liquid that carries them.
Finishes get their color from ground up pigments that are dispersed into the liquid that carries them.
Mixing colors is accomplished by working with small amounts of colors to determine the proper mix ratio for the color to be matched. The proper proportions of the colors to be mixed are determined by a period of trial and error.
Start by adding only a few drops of one color to another. Then stir the mixture thoroughly and apply a small amount of the mix to an unexposed seam or the inside of a pocket. Allow the test mixture to air dry or speed up drying with an air gun and observe the result.
Note: Pigment finishes will darken slightly when completely dry while dyes will lighten slightly when completely dry and brushed.
If the color when dry isn't the desired hue, shade or tint, then adjust the mixture until it matches.
Mixing rule is to always add dark colors to light colors. A small amount of a dark color will have a marked effect on a lighter color, but it would require an excessive amount of the light color to have much of an effect on a darker color.
Usually, many times the needed amount of material will be mixed if a light color is added to a dark color instead of vice-versa.
This, of course, will result in unnecessary waste of expensive material as many times the required amount of material will be mixed before obtaining the desired color.
Matching colors is especially important with smooth painted leathers. If the color mixed does not match the original finish of the garment, every square inch of the surface including all seams will have to be covered with the new mixture.
This is necessary to make absolutely certain that the difference in color is not noticeable. It takes much less time and effort to closely match the original color than to recoiler down to every seam.
However, with suedes it is not as critical to match the original color exactly. If the color mixed is off by a shade or two from the original color, no harm is done because suede dyes will blend with the original color of the garment.
Changing colors of smooth painted leathers can be accomplished readily by simply applying the appropriate color of pigmented finish.
However, because the new color is different, every square inch of the garment surface including all seams, hems, pockets, etc., must be covered with the new color to be absolutely sure that there are no signs left of the old color.
Changing the color of suedes and naked leathers is another matter. The dye applied will blend with the original color and the resulting color will be a blend of the two.
The color that can be achieved will be limited to a blend of the original color and the applied color.
With dyes, color changes should be made from a lighter color to a darker color. The simplest change in color is to a darker shade of the same color.
Shading is usually accomplished by adding black to the color to be darkened. Blue, red, green, brown, tan and white are frequently darkened by shading with black.
Tint is done by adding white to the color to be lightened. Black, blue, red, yellow, green, tan and beige are frequently lightened by tinting with white. Very light tints are obtained by adding a small amount of the darker color to white.
In the case of dyes, there is no such thing as a white dye. In order to tint dyes, they must be diluted with the Suede Nu Neutral to obtain a lighter color. This is known as reducing (or lightening) the dye.
Beige is made by adding a small amount of tan to white. The more tan added, the darker the beige. Yellow added to beige will give it brightness. Black added will dull it. There are approximately 14 commonly used tints of beige.
Tan is produced by a combination of yellow, red, white and a small amount of black. The addition of yellow will give a golden tan. The addition of red will give a rust color and the addition of black and red will give a brown color.
Brown is a mixture of black, yellow and red. Brown can be lightened by adding yellow, orange or red. Black and white added to brown give a dullness called cocoa.
Gray is a mixture of black added to white. The more black, the darker the gray. Charcoal is black with a small amount of white added. Gray may be on the blue or yellow side by the additions of small amounts of these colors.
Summary
The facts and techniques presented herein provide the foundations for mastering the art of color mixing.
The description of colors are scientific facts. The techniques for color mixing are the result of experience. The products needed are the result of research and development.
The remaining element for success is practice. That can only be provided by the operator.
Frank Lucenta invented the Royaltone process and created the products for his method of cleaning and finishing leather and suede. He also wrote related instruction books that document the process, "Handling Leather and Suede" and "Cleaning and Finishing Leather and Suede." He teaches plant owners and managers how to identify, accept, spot, wet clean, dry clean, press and recolor suedes, leathers, and furs to make more profit per garment than on cloth garments by using his procedures and products. For more information on training sessions or on the Royaltone instruction book or spotting charts in either English or Korean languages, call (800) 331-5506 or e-mail frank@royaltone.com. Information is also available on the Royaltone web site at www.royaltone.com.Last month I wrote about getting your company better organized in order to take it to the next level. This month I want to address the subject of leadership and staffing -- how to hire the best and avoid high-risk applicants. First, an update on the economy.
The Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that pretax profit margins for nonfinancial corporations were down to 10 percent in the first quarter of this year, from 12.2 percent in the second quarter of last year. Analysts believe that this decline in profits is due to the slower economy.
The Labor Department reported in June of this year that American workers' productivity for the first quarter of this year dropped 1.2 percent, the worst showing since 1993.
Productivity is defined as "the amount of goods and services produced (measured in dollars) for each hour worked."
Furthermore, increases in productivity raise the living standards of Americans because they allow wages to increase without increasing prices, thus preventing inflation.
When productivity declines, higher wages drive up inflation. Analysts believe that the drop in productivity is a direct result of the slower economy.
In a related story in USA Today, entitled "Companies hire even as they lay off," it was reported that while many companies lay off current staff they are hiring new staff. Some companies are doing this to "upgrade their talent" and weed out the lower performers. Other companies are doing it to save money. These are the companies that have increased employees' wages for longevity (you get a raise because you've been here a year), not on merit.
Many employers are finding that they can lay off highly paid hourly employees who are poor performers and replace them with lower priced, more productive employees. This may sound cold and heartless but believe me, it is only good business.
Now, I can hear the excuses: "I couldn't do that. He/she has been with me for years and hasn't missed a day."
Why should they miss a day? After all, they haven't done a days work since they've been there!
The next excuse -- the lamest of all -- is "My unemployment insurance rate will go up if I lay someone off" or "I'm not going to pay someone unemployment to sit at home and do nothing!"
Stop the excuses and start managing your business. Your unemployment insurance rate increase is minuscule and you are not paying them (these ex--employees). The insurance fund that you have been paying into all these years pays them.
Upgrading your "employee pool" is a necessity for all owners who want to move their business forward in this lackluster economy. Those who don't will be (at best) treading water for years to come.
In the book, More Than A Motorcycle -- the leadership journey at Harley Davidson by Rich Teerlink and Lee Ozley, the authors state that "What Harley needed was to get the right people together, at the right time, to do the right work right." They wanted "teamwork without teams."
The then-CEO, Rich Teerlink, knew that this would require employees (throughout the organization) with excellent leadership skills.
Teerlink describes leadership this way, "As others have observed before us, leadership is a shared role; management is an individual role. Leadership is thinking about the right things; management is doing things right."
Quality leadership requires the ability to communicate clearly. Before you can communicate clearly, you must first have a clear vision of how your company would be structured and how it would operate under ideal conditions.
Lee Ozley calls it "Vision of ideal future." No one can create this vision in a vacuum. It requires an open meeting with the key people in your organization. This meeting is to discuss what the "ideal future" means to all involved parties.
As Ozley explains: "This vision-setting exercise rarely turns out to be the kind of free - for-all that managers might anticipate. Instead, when employees have the opportunity to freely express themselves and describe their ideal organization, the vision they come up with is often quite similar to that described by the organizations' leaders. In other words, despite all the complicating factors of organizational life -- including levels in the organization; functional specialization, educational background, and so on -- people within an organization want more or less the same things from and for the organization."
The key here is the statement that "people... want the same things from and for the organization."
When your key people understand that their well-being is dependent on the companies well-being and that they all must be on the same page, you can get them to work together as a team. Quality leadership requires the ability to communicate clearly. To get to this point in your company's business cycle, you need quality employees.
Hiring right
This starts with the hiring process. The best way to upgrade your staff is to hire the best applicants. Five years ago, I wrote an article for this newspaper about how to interview applicants (June 1996 Get the Right Person for the Job). Since that time, I have been searching and reviewing a variety of pre-employment tests to assist you in this task.
One of my management group members introduced me to the most powerful pre-employment survey available today.
This survey identifies people who have a poor attitude toward work, those who will be frequently absent and late. It also identifies applicants with a casual attitude toward workplace theft and substance abuse.
Furthermore, this survey screens applicants for good work ethics and customer service skills. Even more exciting is the fact that this hiring tool provides you with specific questions to ask the applicant during the interviewing process.
These interview questions are tailored to the applicant's responses to the survey. My clients have found this pre-employment survey to be the quickest, easiest and most cost-effective hiring tool available. I am so impressed with this product that my firm is now a distributor, making it available to the industry.
If you would like to find out more about these surveys, you can access the information on my website (www.bizbuilderonline.com) or by calling my office.
After hiring
Once you have hired, the best applicants it is your job to ensure that the new hires are welcomed by your staff. The best way to do this is to assign someone (choose an employee who is personable and has a positive attitude) to be the new employees "host."
Make sure the host understands that, for one week, they are responsible for:
Every new employee you hire should be assigned a host. This becomes a win-win situation: it improves employee retention and quickly assimilates the new hire into your organization.
Note: Hope to meet you at Clean'01 in New Orleans. If you spot me wandering around please introduce yourself!
Remember in the game of business the more you know the better you can play the game.
Alan Robson is a private consultant dealing with the specialized needs of the drycleaning industry. For more information, contact him by telephone at (508) 753-6619 or send e-mail to him at: alan@bizbuilderonline.comor visit the Biz Builder web site: www.bizbuilderonline.com.
Copyright © 2001, National Clothesline Maintained by: Hal Horning