National Clothesline
Sell your value, not just your service
As the American economy remains mired in a state of lethargy, consumers are
spending more and more time searching for ways to spend less and less. Once
upon a time, customers chiefly valued factors such as convenience and location
because time was considered a more precious luxury than money. These days, that
doesn’t seem to be the case. As consumers prepare for the coming holiday season, they
will decrease their holiday budget by 3.2 percent from last year, according to
a survey recently conducted by the National Retail Federation.
In order to stretch that limited budget as far as it can go, many shoppers will
be willing to shop for sales more often (55 percent), use more coupons (41.7
percent), and buy more practical gifts (34 percent). In other words, American
consumers have evolved their spending habits to be as economical as possible.
If holiday shoppers are willing to go out of their way to save money, what does
that mean for drycleaning customers? Quite simply, drycleaning consumers are
less willing to spend money on clothing care just so they can save time and
effort. In fact, numerous articles have popped up recently (including one by
Martha Stewart) advocating the extols of do-it-yourself home drycleaning in a
down economy. Suddenly products like Dryel and Dry Cleaner’s Secret are being mentioned again as ways to trim the expensive monthly
drycleaning budget. This is not necessarily a bad thing, though, especially if
you are willing to adjust your marketing strategies accordingly. The industry
knows how badly such products pale in comparison to professional cleaning, and
it’s time to remind consumers of that fact. After all, in an effort to save money,
they could end up ruining a very expensive clothing investment and that’s something nobody wants to risk right now.
For some excellent ideas on “Marketing in These Austere Times,” turn to Dennis McCrory’s column. He believes the new model of a thrift-conscious consumer can be a great boon
for the industry. Perhaps the point is best illustrated in his own words: “To prompt today’s reluctant customers into action, drycleaners have to spell out the value of
having clothes professionally cared for. We have to remind customers that they
not only look better, but their clothes actually last longer when they are
drycleaned.” That is precisely the value that American consumers are searching for at this
time and only drycleaners are in a position to give it to them.
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Remember the “giving” in Thanksgiving
This is the month when our nation pauses to give thanks for the bounty that we
enjoy. We give thanks for family and friends, for a plentiful supply of food,
for our nice homes and neighborhoods, for the freedom we enjoy in this country
and for all the good things that this life has brought to us.
But for those of us who derive at least part of our bounty from the drycleaning
industry, things are looking a little less bountiful this year. Consumers have
reacted to the recession by cutting their spending, and one of the first areas
they cut is drycleaning. Thus business is down by double-digit percentages
according to many reports. Some cleaners have been forced to close. Others are
just hanging on. It has been a bad year for many and the temptation is there to
say, “What do I have to be thankful for this year?”
Stop for a minute and consider the word “thanksgiving.” The important thing is giving thanks, not the quantity of things you are
thankful for. In their columns this month, James Peuster and Bill Bishop help us along the way in giving thanks.
Peuster thanks the individuals and institutions in the industry who have helped
him to the success he has enjoyed in the industry. While it is his personal
list, we all could make a similar one. Think about the people you have learned
from, who helped you in the beginning or maybe in a tight spot, and give
thanks. Bishop writes about a discipline of giving thanks. He suggests taking
15 minutes at the beginning and end of each day to hand-write thank-you notes
to customers and other people who are important to your business. Tough as
these times may be, they’d be a lot worse without those people.
If you make giving thanks an action and not just a thought, you will find much
more to be thankful for.
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