National Clothesline

I’m sure almost all of you remember The Franklin Mint, the now defunct luxury marketer of collectibles.

In its heyday, The Franklin Mint discovered an interesting fact about the products it was selling: mixed media products — products that combined different types of materials, such as porcelain with feathers or crystal or fabrics — got a significantly greater customer response.

The simple fact was that by adding $5 worth of additional cost to an item, they could charge $25 more and sell more of that item as a result. Enhancing the luxury value of an item made it more attractive to a greater number of consumers and gave them a justification to pay more for that item than for the standard issue.

This is a simple, but important concept, that drycleaners can embrace: you have to work to add luxury value to the work that you produce and the way you sell it.

It’s the “bling-bling” factor. Anything that makes something more unique, more special, or more distinctive. It is the unexpected, the nontraditional, what breaks the mold and makes you take notice — the features that take you off the beaten path onto a track all your own.

Just look at the couture fashion industry. It’s all about the details, finer quality fabrics, more distinctive patterns and designs, deeper shades of color, or unusual combinations of all of these.

Another example is the patterned insoles used to enhance designer shoes for women. It’s unexpected, imaginative, enjoyable, and makes the consumer smile as she shells out $450 for that very special pair of shoes.

The value-added luxury is what lets the consumer know that he or she is receiving that extra level of specialness.

Drycleaners simply need to take it up a notch to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. We need to go against the discounting tide and, rather than trying to find creative ways to cut costs in what we sell — in other words, give the consumer less value for less money — we need to find innovative, creative ways to add value to our products and services to justify higher prices.

You can add a great deal of luxury value to your product by enhancing your packaging. Using customized hangers with your name embossed on each one makes customers feel special and helps them justify paying you higher prices. It also lets them know that you take pride in the quality of work your business produces. We recommend you contact John Le Piane at Mainetti Hanger Co., (514) 376-1876, and ask to see samples of their custom imprinted plastic hangers.

Using logoed tissue and ribbons to package folded items shows the time and care given to packaging garments, tablecloths, bed linens, etc. While some Golomb Group members are using Commonwealth Packagin-g Co. (contact Alyson LaForest at (800) 881-2779), we recommend comparing their prices with Bags & Bows (contact anyone at (800) 225-8155).

When is added luxury value enough and how much of a premium can you charge? That will depend on your customers and where their value systems lie and the basic competitive standards that operate in your particular market space.

Right now you might be saying: “Ah ha! That’s the problem! All of my competitors are low-priced and my customers will scatter like mice when the light comes on if I try to go any higher.”

Take a look around. Is there a Starbucks in your neighborhood? Did they worry that the McDonald’s down the street is selling coffee for 60 cents? And they charge $4! No.

Is the Target in your area worried that Wal-Mart charges 20 cents less for the same item? Never.

Starbucks and Target both know that they are selling more than products. They’re selling an experience. A much better experience than their competitors.

Restaurants learned long ago that the food is only a small part of what it takes to make a luxury dining experience. It’s not much of a luxury if the restaurant is unkempt and dirty or if the matre’d doesn’t guide you to your table or if your order is served ten minutes before your wife’s meal comes out of the kitchen.

Crystal Cruises has discovered that a key luxury value for customers is more space and it uses this to set itself apart as a more luxurious cruise line. Guests don’t feel crowded and, because of the higher staff-to-guest ratio, they never have to wait in line for service. These are important luxury components of the cruise experience. And the service staff pays attention to developing more than a passing acquaintance with guests and their personal preferences. Saying “Good Morning, Mrs. Jones,” goes much further than just “Good Morning” in the luxury service business.

If you ensure that your customers’ experiences are superior to your competitors, price will become much less of a factor in customers’ decisions to do business with you. Only fear and a lack of confidence in the quality of work and service you provide can hold you back from being the most prosperous drycleaner in your community.