National Clothesline

y 16-year-old nephew, Michael, has two strong passions, music and computers. Because of his obvious love for digital technology, I shipped him a birthday gift consisting of all the necessary components to build a super fast computer, one that would allow him to mix his guitar compositions, edit his photography and play any game he ever dreamed of.

Inside the box, I slipped a note that said, “Half the fun of owning a fabulous, state-of-the-art screamer is knowing you built the thing yourself!”

The experience of learning how to assemble and configure that computer system quickly gleaned him not just a wealth of knowledge but a measure of power as well. Only a few weeks

ago, my brother called to say that Michael had accepted a job with Best Buy in their computer department.

On his first day at work he was told to tag along with a seasoned associate just to learn the ropes. But things got busy almost immediately and Michael was forced to handle a customer on his own. The customer had many technical questions, all of which Michael found simple to answer.

Before the day was finished, he had sold three complete computer systems along with various peripherals.

As it turned out, he knew a lot more than anyone in his department and his fellow associates began asking him for advice on how to deal with some of the questions they were getting from customers. All of this on his very first day.

Jay Abraham, the marketing guru, constantly stresses the importance of gaining extensive knowledge about your product or service. As a matter of fact, he ranks an ongoing education as one of the top tools one can use in marketing a business. However, very often this valuable advice is not taken as seriously as it should be.

With regard to the pursuit of knowledge, I see four groups or categories of drycleaners.

The Satisfied

I call the first group the Satisfied. Many drycleaners, especially veterans, assume that their extensive experience will carry them as far as they want to go.

I’ve personally called on such “know-it-alls.” Their minds are like steel traps — tightly locked to any hint of innovation or change. New ideas and better ways of accomplishing a daily task are simply a waste of money and exist only to benefit a salesman in search of a buck or two.

“I’ve done it this way for 30 years and I’m not about to change” is the familiar mantra of the closed-minded. Year after year, they hide within their four walls and rarely emerge to interact with others from the industry. When it comes to an inventory of knowledge they are perfectly happy with their present level and see no need to add to it.

The Seeker

Next comes the Seeker. This individual at least realizes a need to gain knowledge and is even willing to learn but ultimately lacks a genuine desire to excel.

He is afraid to invest the time, the effort and the money that becoming an industry expert requires and, as a result, never achieves his full potential.

Actually, most of the cleaners in the country fall into this bracket. Very few, if any, will find the time to read this publication or any other industry resource, therefore, as a reader of this column, you may exclude yourself from the “Seeker” bracket and continue moving higher… to the next level, at least.

The Student

A third category of dry-cleaner is the Student. He takes the acquisition of knowledge very seriously and is not afraid to invest time and money to achieve it.

He quickly becomes a member of the IFI or NCA, joins his state and local associations and even travels to far-away places for trade shows and seminars.

But, in spite of a genuine desire to excel, he will often fail to effectively implement what he learns. Desk drawers are crammed with seminar manuals, books and fantastic money-making ideas, which, sadly to say, simply collect dust and never get put into practical use.

In the end, this cleaner is good at gathering information but poor at making practical application. He means well but, for some reason, never finds the time to fully achieve his goal.

The Scholar

The fourth category is the Scholar, represented by a small but very elite group of individuals dedicated to delivering the highest level of professionalism in the industry. The dictionary defines a scholar as a learned person, a specialist and one who studies with a teacher.

Unlike the satisfied know-it-all, this cleaner's attitude is “please tell me more.” He seeks to gain knowledge from any and all sources he can find, soaking up information like a sponge.

Moreover, what sets this unique individual apart is a generous willingness to share information. In fact, he actively seeks others who have a similar thirst for knowledge and together they share information, ideas, experiences, sales figures, profit and loss statements — everything!

Gaining knowledge is one thing. Knowing how to apply it is something else altogether, and not until knowledge is actually applied can it bring power.

For this reason, scholars will often form relationships such as cost groups or even arrange small-scale marketing conferences in order to share and implement information, ideas and concepts.

They apply what they learn then keep each other accountable by meeting regularly to record their results and measure their progress. They analyze their efforts to determine why some ideas succeed while others fail. The group offers the advantage of free exchange of ideas and the benefit of peer critique for the purpose of learning and growth.

The enlightened and empowered scholar now realizes that his main focus, if he is to experience real growth, is to become a catalyst for learning and change in his own organization, beginning with a thorough education for each and every employee company wide.

Unfortunately, this is a task regularly overlooked in most cleaners and it all too often shows, from the front of the plant to the back, from the sales associate to the delivery guy.

I began this article with a reference to my nephew, Michael, highlighting the first day at his new job. He’s now been on the job for three months and his accomplishments are quite incredible.

If you’ve ever bought a laptop or desktop computer at Best Buy, the sales associate will generally recommend a service plan — silver, gold or platinum, depending on the level of coverage you want. During the month of December, Michael sold more platinum programs (average value $600) than anyone, ever, in the history of the company worldwide — atotal of 28

Before he arrived, the previous record had been eight in one month.

A number of factors have contributed to Michael’s fantastic success, not the least of which is a thorough understanding and knowledge of the products he sells as well as the service the company provides.

How would you like to more effectively advertise your business and bring greater strength to your position in the market? You can do it very simply.

Why not research every way possible to help your employees increase their level of knowledge and grow their confidence? Your customers will appreciate dealing with conversant, well-informed employees. It makes your business much more professional.

Make it a goal to empower your entire staff. The payoff will be huge with each new educational step they take.

Start by sending your cleaners and spotters to school. Let them learn the science of spot removal.

Enroll your counter staff in a Dale Carnegie course and send your route driver to a Tom Peters seminar. Setting him on course to become a sales “champion” will pay dividends for both of you.

These are just a few starters. You’ll come up with a lot more if you just take the time to think.