How to Raise Your Laundry Business Above and Beyond the CompetitionYou might assume – understandably so – that most customers select a specific laundry based essentially upon location, vend prices and hours of operation. But that just isn’t so.Let me explain further…What do ketchup and mustard really have in common?
The technical answer is that they are both “commodities.” In other words, by all generally accepted standards, they are perceived by consumers as being exactly the same – mustard is mustard, and ketchup is ketchup. The only real difference in the price. However, is that really true?In reality, the price of each brand of ketchup or mustard doesn’t differ significantly from the others, so I’m suggesting that the major difference between the brands lies with the packaging, marketing, image and positioning.For example, let’s look at the market shares in the United States for both products, as sold by the two major brands – Heinz ketchup and French’s mustard.Within the U.S., Heinz owns about 61.5 percent of the ketchup market, selling $513.8 million worth of its product annually, while French’s controls approximately 37.6 percent of the mustard market, selling $168.7 million worth of this condiment in 2016. There are four or five less-popular brands for item, but Heinz and French’s are the clear market leaders.Aspirin is another good example. It’s a common product used by millions of Americans and certainly falls into the category of being a commodity. After all, aspirin is aspirin; chemically, it’s acetylsalicylic acid – nothing more or less.Or is it?
There are many sellers of aspirin, but Bayer is the definitive market leader and actually charges much more for the same product than the other brands.Upon analysis, it’s obvious that, although products are essentially the same from a composition or function standpoint with no real discernable differences, some brands – including self-service laundries – do more business than others.The lesson here is that you don’t have to sell strictly on price. Other variables clearly play a deciding role in your customers’ minds. These include being easier and more convenient with which to do business, being unique in your marketplace, having great advertising and promotion, and boasting effective sales techniques.Yes, all laundries essentially perform the same service – they wash and dry clothes. However, the difference between laundries that enjoy large market shares and those that are mediocre in that regard is that the leading laundries are – in some way(s) – remarkable.In today’s business world, you are either remarkable or invisible. And remarkable marketing is the art of building features into your services and products that are worth noticing.In his book, “Crossing the Chasm,” author Geoff Moore points out that new ideas and products move through the population by following a specific path. This path begins with innovators and early adopters, then gains acceptance by the majority, and eventually reaches the laggards. Basically, this curve can be applied to every product and service, including self-service laundries.Astute store owners can benefit handsomely from this knowledge in many ways. The idea is to create a remarkable laundry that people will seek out. One way is to stop using “old think” marketing methods, such as traditional print advertising, and switch to a more visual mode such as television commercials.Print ads are expensive and must be repetitive, because repetition is far more important than reach. Did you know that a full page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal costs more than some houses in Detroit? It’s true… seriously.In reality, a good number of today’s laundries are just plain – in appearance, upkeep, amenities, service and marketing. In other words, they are commodities in the eyes of their customers. And that is your golden opportunity to one-up them and capture a greater share of the market.This is accomplished by employing innovative operating ideas and taking a few marketing chances. Essentially, you need to go out on a limb, because that’s where the fruit is. Decide to make your laundry business remarkable. If you avoid being remarkable, you will never become a market leader. It’s just that simple.Here’s an interesting paradox: as the business world gets more complex, more business owners look for safety by eliminating as much risk as they possibly can. However, you can play it too safe.To avoid this, develop what business strategist Jay Abraham calls the “strategy of preeminence,” which simply means that you focus completely on putting your customers’ needs ahead of your own.This may sound obvious, but it’s not. Most self-service laundry owners enjoy the fact that customers do their own work, by washing and drying their clothes without the assistance or intervention of an attendant.However, why not go off-script and – rather than viewing these patrons as “customers” – consider them to be “clients” and assume responsibility for their well-being while in your laundry? For example, how about training your staff to greet each client – welcoming them to the store and indicating that, if they need assistance of any kind (such as stain removal advice or an estimate of drying time), all they need to do is ask.It also means following up after the sale and asking clients on their way out if they were satisfied with their visit. Practicing the strategy of preeminence is really nothing more than showing understanding and respect for human nature.When an individual enters your store, think of it as a “client visit,” not a “customer visit.” By doing so, you will automatically attach more importance and status to the individual (which he or she will certainly notice) because clients are people for whom you feel responsible, while customers are regarded simply as those who occasionally buy things from you.Here’s another suggestion for how to elevate your laundry above and beyond your competition and past being perceived as just a commodity:In every state, there are laundries that stand out. Search for them online, focusing on stores that are out of state. Review their websites to spot any unique features or services. Perhaps even call to speak with the owner, who likely will talk with you, due to the distance between your two businesses. Discover the keys that make these laundries so successful.In addition, study the advertising of successful, market-leading companies, such as UPS, FedEx, Amazon or Starbucks. Look for the unique selling features they display that just might be modified to your laundry business. After all, some of what works for them may work for you. For example, how about rewarding clients who bring in new clients with a few free washes?Take some action steps. Make a list of every obstacle that might prevent clients from using your laundry or choosing you over your competition.Consider such factors as financial reasons, the condition of your equipment, the appropriateness of your machines with regard to marketplace demographics, your staff and your loyalty programs.Research clearly indicates companies that capture market share – regardless of the industry they serve – do so because of unique selling features that spread through the population due to creative marketing. As mentioned earlier, it begins with early adopters and proceeds through the various stages of development in a logical sequence. The critical factors are the unique features.I recently spent four days in beautiful Seattle, which is the home and birthplace of Starbucks. While there, I visited the Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room, which is quite an amazing place from a marketing standpoint. In this facility, they show exactly how their coffees are roasted, processed and packaged – using beautifully engineered, highly visible machinery. They refer to it as viewing “The Journey of the Bean” (referring to the coffee bean, not yours truly). There is even an extensive coffee library.Of course, the real purpose of this facility is marketing – pure and simple – by displaying their brand dominance of the sit down/take out coffee market. Every employee is trained to approach you with a smile, and music is played continuously to energize the visitors. Their motto: “Every cup we’ve ever served has led us here.” As you most likely know, Starbucks not only controls the major share of market but also has very high prices. These two conditions can be achieved in juxtaposition by virtue of unique selling features – top-notch quality and extreme concern for the customer. They go out of their way to make the customer feel over-the-top special and greatly appreciated.The aforementioned can apply to your laundry as well. In other words, it’s all in your marketing and operating philosophy, and by showing all of your magic in one extraordinary laundry space. To do this you will need unreasonable passion and obsession over each and every aspect of your laundry business.As Starbucks says about its facility, “This is a place we absolutely had to create,” which is meant to generalize the company’s appreciation of its clients to the market here and abroad. And you, as a laundry owner, can do the very same thing on a limited scale.Incidentally, while at the Starbucks facility, I ordered a small (“tall” ) cup of coffee and one cookie. My bill came to the whopping $11, which I paid without too much discomfort. I guess their client-focused marketing worked. Yours can, too.Do you want to be the leading vended laundry in your marketplace? There is always a siren calling out to every business. You just have to listen and respond to it – like Starbucks did
