National Clothesline

B. C. Forbes said, “If you don’t drive your business, you will be driven out of business.”

Apply this quote to your company and think about how you are driving your business. One of the biggest drivers of business is differentiation between you and your competition.

This month’s question came from

somebody who wants to go into the drycleaning industry.

His question was, “When I open my business what can I do to make it stand out from the competition?”

What do you do as a current business owner to make your business different from the competition? Is the answer any different for a start-up, or a cleaner who has an established business?

When you selected your current location or bought your business, did you look for differentiation? Did you end up with a store in the strip mall and a sign that said “Drycleaners”?

How can locations be different? Consider drycleaners who have rented, built, or bought freestanding locations. A freestanding building will always allow you to have differentiation. A freestanding building will give your customers better parking. You will be able to provide in-car service. Your sign will state more than the generic “Drycleaners.”

That is only one form of differentiation. Drycleaners fail to take advantage of branding and packaging differentiation. The key to successful marketing and competing is differentiation. What are you doing to make your company stand out from the crowd?

Are you open seven days per week? Are you open evenings? Do your employees wear a uniform or t-shirts at the counter? Do your routes operate six days or five days per week?

Do you have coffee and donuts for your customers when they arrive early in the morning on the way to work? Even donut holes work when someone wants that quick snack. Candy on the counter is a nice touch.

Some companies use a floral bouquet to beautify their sales area. Milt Chortkoff has a popcorn machine cart in his sales area. The afternoon nibblers always appreciate popcorn.

What are you going to do to make your company stand out from your competitors?

Almost every company now offers free pick-up and delivery. How does your pick-up and delivery service differ from the drycleaner down the street? Have you thought about early evening service?

Let us talk about packaging differentiation. Do you use tissue paper? Do you use shoulder guards on men’s suits or lady’s dresses? Are your laundered shirt collars supported so they are not crushed? Do you use a paper garment cover? How many garments are packed in a bag? I limited my bags to three pants. All other items were packaged in individual bags.

Do you finish a sweater and then put it over a pants hanger? If you package that way, what do the customers have to do with that sweater when they get home?

First, they have to take the plastic bag off the garment. Next, they take the sweater off the hanger. Finally, the customer has to put the sweater in a sweater bag and place it on a shelf or in a drawer.

How nice would it be if you put the sweater in a sweater bag so the customer could take that garment home and simply slip it into a drawer or on a shelf? Taking the sweater off a hanger is a pain in the derriere.

Is the name of your company and your logo on everything related to your business? Not just stationary, but every sign in the counter area should have your company name and logo on it.

If you do not have a logo, don’t you think it is time to have one designed for you? Every piece of packaging should identify your company as the cleaner or launderer of that item.

How many cleaners use the ready, right, or free guarantee? Sid Tuchman, you are a genius. I congratulate you for coming up with that expression. After all these years, it surprises me that nobody has come up with a better guarantee than Sid’s guarantee.

If you have developed a guarantee and want to share it, let me know. Maybe we should have a contest, Beat the Tuchman Guarantee? The first prize might be “Your birthday suit cleaned free.”

Differentiation for drycleaning services usually includes speed, performance, and quality.

Do you offer same-day service? So does your competition, so how can you differentiate? In by noon, out by five might make you better than the cleaner down the block.

Do you advertise that you are a Five Star Cleaner? Does your customer really know what it means? Do you tell your customer what it means?

Are you a Certified Master Drycleaner? Does your customer know what that means? Do the customers understand how the use of Sanitone products differentiates your company from the non-user of Sanitone?

The same goes for GreenEarth. Are you educating your customers as to the benefits of being an environmentally friendly company?

Do you reward your best customers for being big spenders? Have you considered the Thanks Again program? Big spenders love air miles.

Do not be like the cleaner who has a tip jar on his counter. You are the one who should be tipping your customers. After all is said and done, they are the ones who deserve the reward.

Consider changing your company to a high-end niche. Consider changing your company to a low price niche. In both scenarios, you have to make big changes to your company’s philosophy and operating methodology. Either direction will create differentiation.

Brian Tracy said, “Differentiation refers to your ability to separate yourself and your product or service from that of your competitors. It is the key to building and maintaining a competitive advantage. This is the advantage that you and your company have over your competitors in the same marketplace — the unique and special benefits that no one else can give your customer.”

Read those words repeatedly. If you believe Mr. Tracy is correct, then follow that advice. Mr. Tracy is noted for his book titled 21 Success Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires.

I bet Mr. Tracy is one of those millionaires.