National Clothesline

By Bill Bogus

Drycleaners need help in order to do better for survival, profitability and growth.

Today the drycleaning industry is in a regressive mode. It is stricken with disappointments caused by thinking backwards. We are cannibalizing competition with low prices that is diminishing the value of our services.

Years ago, between the ’60s and the ’80s, every major chemical company making products for the drycleaner had field representatives known as factory reps who taught drycleaners to get the best use from the products they were selling. They were the mentors. They were the educators who made drycleaners do better which made drycleaning more necessary. Drycleaners did better in those days than they are today.

Everyone has a right to an opinion. If the opinion comes from a qualified source — the ones who know the business — you can find the wisdom you need to guide your business to a profitable future. Those who can help are the management consultants.

Management consultants are much more then mentors. Mentors may be parents, relatives, teachers or your best friends. But all may not be qualified to be business mentors. Those who understand your business and your problems are qualified to be your mentors. They are known as management consultants.

Management consultants must be capable of making the right decisions but also making decisions in building growth so that the business will become a profitable enterprise.

The management consultant must have an understanding relationship with his clientele and the business and the objectivity of the client before starting on solutions. The true consultants don’t think of clients as customers because they are not. They are the people who seek knowledge and wisdom that management consultants can provide.

It takes more than six months to become a consultant, and much longer to be the best.

Al Robson has been a management consultant for drycleaners for more than 20 years. Aside from his work as a consultant, he writes articles for the National Clothesline under the heading of “Business Builders.”

Here is one of his more recent articles that is worthy of pinning up on the wall as a reminder: “A prescription for ailing profits: Behind every business problem there is hidden opportunity. Most owners get so distracted by the issue at hand — lower sales, poor cash flow, rising costs, etc., that they miss opportunities.”

And here is his favorite quote: “In the game of business, the more you know the better you play.” Amen.

He knows that failure is not just a one-time thing. It is always there waiting, hiding in the tall grass. He reminds me a lot of Mark Twain, who learned to be an expert river boat captain on the Mississippi river. His expertise was proven during a torrential stormy night. Captain Twain was preoccupied in steering his riverboat when a terror-stricken voice cried out, “Captain, do you know where all the rocks are?”

Without turning to identify the voice, Captain Twain calmly replied, “Nope.”

Again the voice cried out in despair, yelling, “My god. We are all going to drown!”

Captain Twain again replied, “We are not going to drown. I know where the deep water is.”

Captain Twain was right. No one drowned.

Harry Houdini, the world famous magician, knew how to get out of a locked box or container before he got into one. Unfortunately, one-low-price drycleaners are not magicians. They can’t get away from low pricing and cannot convince the public that less value in their service is better.

From “When Business Plans Go Bust,” by Steven Pearlstein, Washington Post staff writer, Sunday, January 5, 2003:

“Business plans go bust for auto dealers and fast-food joints. All across the economy, companies are concluding that the strategies which they have organized their business on and which generated a gusher of profits during the ’90s, are no longer working.”

The slow-down in the economy has also affected the drycleaning industry. Drycleaners who cut prices to stimulate volume suffered disappointment. Volume was not increased, and profits decreased.

Drycleaners who cannot afford to cut prices are cutting prices with a vengeance. They are like swarming grasshoppers driving the industry into mediocrity, making the service less desirable and more disappointing.

Drycleaners who feature one-price cleaning have painted themselves into a corner. They can’t be flexible with the economy and take advantage when the buying climate is good. That is when people spend money on buying quality products and expensive homes.

Drycleaners must restructure their way of thinking.