When It Comes to Managing Your Laundry Business, Success Is In the Details
If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard a laundry owner say, “Heck, that’s good enough,” when referring to some specific aspect of his or her laundry business – rather than working just a little bit harder to make that particular quality of the operation better than “good enough” – I would have enough cash to be living on an exclusive Caribbean island in feudal splendor today.
Of course, it’s also important to distinguish between better than “good enough” and perfectionism because this article is not about being perfect, which is an unobtainable goal. It’s about just being as good you can be and eliminating the compromises that are the basis for accepting “good enough” as your laundry operating philosophy.
Let me give you some everyday practical examples:
If your laundry advertising and marketing program isn’t reviewed and revised on a regular basis because you think that it’s “good enough,” eventually it won’t be. The retail world is perpetually changing and, therefore, so should your store’s promotional campaigns and strategies. When you watch television, notice how advertisers are constantly reworking and redesigning their commercials; if they remained the same, viewers will lose interest.
When advertising your self-service laundry, you should vary your approach, content and delivery method on a regular basis so that your target audience will see, read or hear fresh marketing content, which will keep them interested, as well as sending the message that you operate a unique and dynamic business. Clearly, this will require constant effort on your part, which again is part of the difference between being “good enough” and really great.
Dealing with non-operating equipment is another example. Over the years, I’ve heard several laundry owners say, “So what if a few of my machines are out of order? I have 80 washers and dryers in this store. What’s the big deal if seven of them aren’t working right now? Seventy-three machines are good enough. I’ll fix the others when I have time.”
Yes, 73 machines are working, but in my opinion, having seven pieces of equipment out of service is not good enough.
It may take some effort and/or money to fix those seven machines, but not doing so sends the wrong message to your customers. Basically, it tells them that you’re the type of laundry owner who simply doesn’t care enough about them or their community to do the best you can to provide the very best service possible, down to the last detail.
How about your attendant training and education program? Do you take the time to regularly meet with your staff members to update them on your advertising and any other important issues having to with the daily operation of your store? Your attendants are your laundry’s equivalent to first responders, so they need to be kept in the loop regarding your laundry equipment, your services, your latest promotions and your customer service expectations – to name just a few key components. If you don’t do this, your staff training simply isn’t good enough.
What about the overall cleanliness of your self-service laundry? A dirty laundry is a contradiction of terms and is clearly unacceptable. A number of laundry owners consider a semi-clean floor to be “good enough,” because they rationalize that the customers will come in anyway. But don’t be fooled – eventually, those customers will stop patronizing your business in favor of your competitor whose floor is always spotless. Once again, when it comes to cleanliness, “good enough” isn’t.
And last but certainly not least, how is the temperature in your store? Is it cool in the summer months and appropriately warm the rest of the year? Many self-service laundry owners consider an open door to be “air conditioning” and the temperature set on low during the cold months to be “warm enough.” They do this to save money. When visiting laundries in both seasons, I have asked owners about the lack of air conditioning and/or heating, to which the response is often, “The temperature in here is good enough.” Of course, my response is, “No, it certainly is not.”
I believe the prolific American poet Edgar Guest best summed up the points I’ve tried to make here, with his famous piece aptly entitled, “Good Enough.” Although written specifically for his son, this poem – which I have excerpted below – no doubt applies to all of us, especially laundry owners:
My son beware of “good enough”
It isn’t made of sterling stuff;
It’s something any man can do,
It marks the many from the few,
It has not merit to the eye,
It’s something any man can buy,
Its name is but a sham and bluff,
For it is never “good enough.”
With “good enough” the shirkers stop,
In every factory and shop;
With “good enough” the failures rest,
And lose to men who give their best;
With “good enough” the car breaks down
And men fall short of high renown.
My son, remember and be wise
In “good enough” disaster lies.
There is no “good enough” that’s short
Of what you can do and ought.
The flaw which may escape the eye
And temporarily get by,
Shall weaken under the strain
And wreck the ship or car or train.
For this is true of men and stuff –
Only the best is “good enough.”
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