{"id":5257,"date":"2019-01-28T18:23:50","date_gmt":"2019-01-29T00:23:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coinlaundryassociation.com\/planetlaundry\/?p=5257"},"modified":"2019-04-10T17:18:24","modified_gmt":"2019-04-10T22:18:24","slug":"head-em-off-at-the-pass-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetlaundry.com\/head-em-off-at-the-pass-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Head ‘Em off at the Pass"},"content":{"rendered":"

Use Preemptive Marketing to Outshine Even Your Toughest Competition<\/h2>\n

Are you are sitting down? I hope so, because what I am about to relay to you may be the single most amazingly powerful marketing technique anyone could ever use. Yet\u2026 I have never seen it done in the vended laundry industry.<\/p>\n

If you use this method it \u2013 and use it properly \u2013 you will have a significant advantage over your competitors. And it\u2019s so simple that it will shock you. It\u2019s called \u201cpreemptive marketing,” and it\u2019s sort of a \u201chead \u2019em off at the pass” technique for besting your competition.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how it works: you simply take the time to explain in detail to your customer or potential client the processes that are inherent to your laundry business. I know this may seem overly simplistic (perhaps even ridiculous), but it is based firmly on the sound principles of consumer psychology.<\/p>\n

Stay with me here, and I\u2019ll give you a great example:<\/p>\n

I was recently researching the marketing strategies used by the major beer companies to see what impact the myriad of new craft flavors have had on the sales and marketing of traditional brews. Clearly, my research had nothing to do with self-service laundries, but I\u2019m endlessly fascinated by the impact of new products on the sales and marketing of older, established brands.<\/p>\n

So, in doing this research, I serendipitously discovered what the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company (yes, it\u2019s still around) did in the 1920s \u2013 at time when there essentially were 10 significant brewing companies aggressively competing for the same major market share.<\/p>\n

Schlitz had not been doing so well, consistently stuck in eighth place in beer sales.<\/p>\n

At the time, it seemed that all of the breweries used the same basic advertising message, generally focusing on saying, \u201cOur beer is pure,” in some form. However, they all failed to explain to the beer drinkers what exactly \u201cpure” really meant.<\/p>\n

To help boost its sales, Schlitz hired a marketing consultant named Claude Hopkins. And the first thing Hopkins asked was to be taken on a tour of the brewery and shown \u2013 step by step \u2013 exactly how Schlitz brewed its beer.<\/p>\n

When the tour was complete, he was extremely impressed with what he learned, and then the lightbulb went on in his head.<\/p>\n

The Schlitz brewing facilities were located on Lake Michigan, and back then the lake water was very clean. However, despite the fact it was situated on a pristine lake, the company had drilled two 5,000-foot artesian wells because it wanted to go deep enough to locate the exact combination of water and minerals to create the best beer possible.<\/p>\n

The Schlitz brewers explained to Hopkins exactly how they went through 1,623 separate experiments over a five-year period to identify and develop the finest \u201cmother yeast” cell, which would produce the richest taste and flavor.<\/p>\n

They also showed him how they conducted a process of distillation of the water before they used it to brew their beer. It was heated to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit and then cooled down and condensed. And they did that not once, but three times to make certain the product was absolutely purified.<\/p>\n

Next, they described the bottling process to Hopkins, wherein they steamed each bottle at a temperature of 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit in order to completely kill any and all bacteria and germs, which could contaminate the taste of their beer.<\/p>\n

They further explained that they had every batch of beer tested to make sure it was pure and rich before they would consider bottling it and sending it out the door to the consumers. <\/p>\n

The consultant was so overwhelmed by this brewing process that he advised the company\u2019s executives to inform consumers about the extraordinary measures they took to brew their beer.<\/p>\n

At first, Schlitz management was a bit confused. \u201cWhy should we do that?” they reacted. \u201cAll brewers do the same thing we do.” <\/p>\n

\u201cBut no one in your industry explains it,” Hopkins replied, adding that the first company to tell the story and to explain how and why they brew beer the way that they do will gain distinction and preeminence in the brewing industry from that point on.<\/p>\n

No doubt, Mr. Hopkins clearly understood \u2013 and perhaps even invented \u2013 the concept of preemptive marketing.<\/p>\n

Schlitz then began to tell the story in its marketing messages and became the first and only company to explain exactly how its beer was made. This became the company\u2019s \u201cunique selling proposition.” And, within six months, Schlitz beer had catapulted from No. 8 in market share all the way up to No. 1.<\/p>\n

Here is the take-away lesson for all business owners: tell your customers the facts. If you sell shoes, let them know that each stitch is reinforced 25 times and then inspected closely for any loose ends. If your products are painted, let consumers know that they\u2019re painted three times, using a rare, specially formulated paint imported from Europe. I think you get my point.<\/p>\n

Most people typically don\u2019t appreciate what you do for them unless you spell it out in detail. Even if what you\u2019re doing is the exact same thing your competitor is doing, if the public doesn\u2019t know anything about it, when you finally explain it in detail it will be interpreted by consumers as a stunning revelation.<\/p>\n

And, yes, vended laundry owners can do the same thing in this industry by developing a similar unique selling proposition for their businesses. For example, you can explain in detail some or all of the following 12 aspects of your laundry operation:<\/p>\n