National
Clothesline
Inconveniently located to serve you
‘Today, convenience is the success
factor of just about every type of product and service that is
showing steady growth.” — Charles Mortimer.
Americans now spend more money on fast
food than on higher education, personal computers, software or
new cars. In fact, we spend more on fast food than we do on
movies, books, magazines, newspapers, videos and recorded music
combined!
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For example, the “oil life”
display in my car recently registered “zero”
telling me it was time for an oil change. The dealer charges
$50, which I think is a bit too high, plus it takes a couple of
days to get on the roster. Inconvenient.
My brake shop will do the job for $14.95,
but even though I have a good relationship with them, they
require an appointment, too.
Again, it’s inconvenient. A week
later, however, my dash display still registered the words,
“change oil.”
Having seen the display in my car for
more than a week, my wife took charge.
After returning from a trip to the
grocery store, she informed me that the car had been serviced
and it only took 15 minutes. There was no waiting at the
10-minute oil change shop so while she was there, she had them
replace the wiper blades, top off the windshield solvent and
inflate the tires to the right pressure.
They even changed a burned out parking
brake light I had recently been warned about. I guess some
businesses really do attract market share simply by being more
convenient.
Location
Perhaps the greatest issue of convenience
in drycleaning has to do with plant location, since even
marginal operators have been known to thrive in a prime
setting. But that doesn’t mean that an inconvenient
location is destined to fail or even fair poorly.
A friend of mine owns a cleaning plant
with the worst location in town. It’s off the beaten
path… harder to find than Osama Bin Laden in a sand
storm. But a combination of good communications, effective
marketing and top service have garnered him a lion’s
share of his market.
In addition to location, there are many
ways to maximize the convenience of your service.
Business hours
It’s 6:40 a.m. and I happen to be
writing this article in a coffee shop. Right across the street
from me is a customer with an armload of clothes standing in
front of a cleaning plant that won’t open for at least
another 20 minutes. That’s pretty inconvenient for the
customer but even worse for the cleaner since he just lost a
good prospect. Over the years I’m amazed at the number of
cleaners who don’t open until 7 a.m. and promptly lock
their doors at 6 p.m. In order to increase sales, one must
maximize convenience. Try opening at 6 am and closing at 7 p.m.
VIP express service
We’re living our lives at an
increasingly hectic pace now and any way to save time is bound
to pay big dividends.
Offering VIP and Express service to your
customers does two things. First, it gets them in and out of
the store fast and, second, it makes them feel special and a
bit more appreciated. If you’ve never started a VIP
program in your store, do so as soon as possible.
Pick up and delivery service
What could be more convenient than home
service? Offering free pick up and delivery is an effective way
to expand your market and get more business even when
it’s not coming to you.
Plus, the average route customer spends
about seven times as much as a normal retail customer.
Here’s something else you can do.
How about offering drop-off service to some of your more
deserving customers on a now and then basis… as a special
favor?
Not many cleaners will ever think to do
this but it’s a nice way to show your appreciation.
24-hour depository
How many of your prospects leave for work
before your store is open or return after closing time? How
many of your competitors’ customers share the very same
dilemma? Sometimes, the only visit these folks can make is on
Saturday, and that may not be very convenient.
Why not make it as simple as possible to
do business with you by installing a 24-hour deposit box.
Who knows, you may get some of your
competitors’ best customers just by being a bit more
convenient.
Drive-thru and car hop service
If you are unable to put a drive-thru
window in your plant, why not make life more convenient for
your customers by offering carhop service? Just hustle their
finished orders out to the car in exchange for an incoming
order.
This is a great service to extend to
mothers with small children and will make their lives much
easier.
Well, that’s a start. If you think
about it, you’ll come up with a dozen ways to make your
business more convenient, including credit card billing, live
phone answering and e-mail contact.
And don’t overlook efficiency.
After all, nothing is as inconvenient as slow service. But most
of all, strive to deliver consistent quality because if
customers bring orders back due to poor workmanship, it’s
not just an inconvenience to them, it’s a deal-killer for
you!
The inconvenient location
Forty years ago, a guy named Irv started
selling men's clothing from the trunk of his car. He eventually
moved to a tiny storefront on Laramie Avenue in Chicago, which
was the beginning of Irv’s Menswear. It was a poor
location with limited parking, but Irv decided to use the
situation to his advantage by adopting the slogan
“Inconveniently Located.”
He acknowledged the fact that his store
was not easy to get to, but promised his clothing racks would
always be bulging with the latest merchandise at competitive
prices and that any visit would be well worth the
inconvenience. Even today, customers and prospects alike are
encouraged to stop by one of Irv’s “inconveniently
located” stores… and business is booming!
As you unlock the front door tomorrow,
take a tip from the fast food industry. Do everything you can
to make your business as convenient as possible because a lack
of convenience could trump all other positives your service
might have to offer.
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