National Clothesline

There is no single formula for success in the drycleaning industry, but there is an upcoming conference that will offer several strategies to help cleaners stay profitable.

“Brainstorming with the Best” will be presented by the National Cleaners Association from Jan. 14 to 17 at the Ritz Carlton Montego Bay in Jamaica.

NCA has planned three educational sessions that will focus on many problems that befall even the best of cleaners.

First up on Friday is a program dealing with “WAYMISH,” which stands for the unhappy customer refrain: “Why Are You Making It So Hard... for me to give you my money?” The session will begin at 9 a.m. and run for approximately three hours.

Presenters Chris Considine and Lee Tomlinson will examine how employees can display apathy toward customers that ultimately leads them to believe their patronage is no longer appreciated.

Even the smallest mistake can trigger the business-killing phrase: “I’m never coming back here again!” However, those who learn how to eliminate the insensitive mistakes that drive customers away can create lifelong satisfied customers

Topics to be discussed include: the importance of resolving customer complaints quickly, putting common sense ahead of plant policies and listening closely to precisely what the customer is telling you.

Keeping customers happy is crucial, but figuring out how to get them to come in the door to begin with is the first step.

One relatively new way of accomplishing that is to harness the marketing power of social media. On Saturday morning, John Jantsch will explore “Social Media for Small Business: The Duct Tape Way” in a program that will run from 9 a.m. to noon.

Jantsch is the author of the best-seller “Duct Tape Marketing — The World’s Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide.”

After working with small business owners for over 15 years, Jantsch decided to create “the perfect small business marketing system,” which included online and social media.

His blog has been chosen as a Forbes favorite and was also selected as the “Best Small Business Marketing Blog” by Marketing Sherpa in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

He will help attendees discover how to create a low-cost, high-return lead generation plan that involves the use of social media and referral marketing.

While the first two programs at NCA’s Brainstorming conference focus on getting customers and keeping them, the third program tackles legal issues that stem from disgruntled employees.

Labor and human rights attorney Steve Morelli is slated to speak Sunday morning during a seminar titled “An Ounce of Prevention: Avoiding Employee Lawsuits.” The two-hour sessions begins at 9 a.m.

Employers are well aware of how dangerous and expensive employee lawsuits can be, but many are unaware that they might be inadvertently planting the seeds for their own destruction.

As a professional with intimate knowledge of the legal process, Morelli will reveal some of the things expert attorneys look for when they try to build a discrimination lawsuit against a company.

By following a few simple steps, employers can protect themselves from complaints sent to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or lawsuits filed by employees.

Attendees will undoubtedly want to blow off some steam each afternoon following the day’s educational programs. NCA has planned a few social events to do so.

A welcome reception with free food and drinks will take place on Thursday evening. Also, a round of beach volleyball is planned for Friday afternoon and NCA will host dinner and music on Saturday night.

Admission to all social functions are included in the registration and room fees. The cost for the Brainstorming conference is $595 for association members and $245 for members spouses or significant others.

Non-members must pay $695 each and an additional $295 for spouses or significant others.

NCA has secured a discounted hotel rate of $471 per night for double occupancy in a garden view room. The single occupancy rate is $419.

For those seeking a room with an ocean view, the nightly rate increases to $532 for double occupancy and $480 for single.

As an added bonus, the discounted rates are good for up to three days prior to the conference (Jan. 11) and three days after (Jan. 20).

For more information on the event, call NCA at (800) 888-1622 or visit the association’s web site at www.nca-i.com.