National Clothesline

Question of the month: This month’s e-mailed question comes from a drycleaning company that has been in business about 10 years. “For the first seven or eight years my business kept growing. Over the last two or three years sales have flattened and now are in a decline. What can I do to turn things around?”

It took a telephone call and some real probing to find out what was going on with this man’s company. When this person opened his business, it was in a new shopping center in an area where homes were being built. There were no competitors in the area.

He never used his computer system for marketing to his new or existing clientele. Thank You cards or Miss You cards were never mailed. Packaging was minimal. Tissue paper or garment covers were never used to dress the garments.

There was no branding on anything. Plain plastic and generic materials cost less, and what the heck, they saved money. His plant was the only game in town. The customers did not know any better and, if they did, the convenience of his location won the day. Free pick-up and delivery and a web site were unheard of.

This story is very familiar. It is about a businessperson who is so used to success that he does not have to do anything. The dollars just roll in, and the company keeps growing.

What changed was another shopping center was built two years ago. A new competitor opened. House building in the area stopped three years ago. In addition, in case you have not heard, the economy is slowing.

The problem with this owner is he is spoiled. He did nothing to improve his product or change the way he did business. His new competitor was taking customers away.

My advice to this businessperson was as follows. In the ten years he owned the plant, he has never painted the call office. I suggested that he not only paint the call office, he should change the counters and décor. It was time to give the place a fresh, new look. I further suggested he redesign the company logo. His old one was dated and tired.

Next, his marketing tactics needed changing. Since they were non-existent, anything I told him would be an improvement over zero.

Next to his brick and mortar location, his computer database is the most valuable asset he owns. He is now going to send Thank You cards every week, and Miss You cards the first of every month. A couple of website designers have been contacted to provide quotes for design and search engine optimization. I could not believe I got this man thinking about CRM (customer relationship management). Thank goodness, he is computer literate.

His new logo and company name will be printed on everything. Branding is going to become his new middle name. A dress code will be instituted. No more T-shirts, blue jeans, short shorts, or nose rings at the counter. A coffee pot and a cookie plate will be put into the counter sales area.

A secret shopper program will be started, and the first visit will be to the new competitor to find out what he is doing to capture customers. I told him that once he finds out, he has to play one up, and be certain to do everything better.

He has to expand his hours of operation to match his new competition and consider longer hours to do more than the new competitor down the block.

Last but not least, a van will be purchased or leased. Since the lease on his car was about to end, this was easy. Free pick-up and delivery are going to be offered.

I gave this man a timeline and told him he had six months to complete his mission. Tune in six months from now and I will let you know what is happening to this company.

Do you have questions regarding the operation of your business? If you do, you can email them to me.

My email address is consultme@msn.com . In the event the question is of general interest, I will put it into my next column and respond with an answer.

Many businesspersons attend seminars but are not prepared to gather the information that is provided. The company that provides the seminar spends a great deal of time and money. Their goal is to educate those who elect to attend. What disturbs me when I attend seminars are the people who sit there and do nothing but listen and shake their head on occasion when a point of interest is presented.

Let us maximize your time when you attend a seminar. Let us prepare for the event that you have laid out your hard-earned money for, so you can improve yourself and or your business.

First, you need to make a list of specific things you want to learn. Read all the handouts and information you can about the subject matter that is to be provided. If you have employees that need some information and they are not attending, write their questions and take them with you.

Take notes on the topics of interest that you and your employees are concerned about the most. Take two pens with you just in case one stops working. Take a writing pad, large yellow, legal size is best. Make sure your notes are concise and to the point. Do not attempt to write everything said verbatim. Unless you can take shorthand, you will miss a great deal of information.

Ask questions. If you do not understand the information that is provided, do not hesitate to ask questions. You paid a lot of money to attend the seminar and you should get every bit of information you can. You can ask questions either during the question and answer period or during scheduled breaks. Do not be afraid to open your mouth. You are there to learn and the best way to benefit from the seminar is to go back to your business with your questions answered.

During breaks, make friends with other attendees, assuming you are not asking the facilitator questions. You might find that you have mutual interests and mutual problems.

Finally, when you return to your business, meet with your employees, and share the knowledge that you have gained. Consider creating a written report and distributing it when you meet. By doing a written report, you will give yourself the opportunity to review the information you gathered and think how you are going to apply it to your company. When you meet with your employees, get their feedback. Nothing beats brainstorming when it comes to working as a team.

This month I have two presidential quotes for you. Both are important because of next month’s election.

The first comes from Dwight D. Eisenhower: “There is nothing wrong with America that the faith, love of freedom, intelligence and energy of her citizens cannot cure.”

The second comes from John F. Kennedy: “And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

Do not forget to vote, no matter who you vote for!