1. What technical knowledge should be pursued,
2. Who should pursue it, and
3. How can it be permanently incorporated into the business operation?

There is a great deal of time and effort spent on accumulating this information with very few positive results unless answers are provided to these questions.

What technical knowledge should be pursued? This question can not be answered without answering much broader questions first. Keep in mind, the objective is not to know everything there is to know, unless, perhaps you are a university academic. The objective is to pursue your business and personal goals that frequently include making a profit. The broader questions, therefore, in today’s competitive environment, are how will you retain your market share, build your market share or move your market share as demographics change? I’m sure these questions seem far to broad to have any relationship with learning technical information, but they establish a critical foundation that directs your limited time and money for the greatest possible return.

Today the competitive pressures are enormous. You have competitors moving into your market that are priced lower than you and possibly some that are priced higher than you. Others may just be more convenient as traffic flows change or new strip centers are developed. They may have newer, more modern looking facilities. They may be offering services you don’t offer. There will always be customers who will try the competitors. Some will stay. Some will return to you. It is critical that you know what unique benefits you offer to your customers and to retain your focus under these circumstances.

Technical and quality standards are part of who you are. If you want to provide only the best technical results, with the ability to remove any spot that comes into your plant, then the best technical training is mandatory to your company. It must be ongoing. It must be from outsiders, from internal trial and error and from your peers. If, however, you are pursuing a low cost product with lower customer expectations, this level of training is not necessary. It will be knowledge gained, for a brief period of time, but rarely if ever used and ultimately knowledge lost. These two examples reflect the extreme quality niches in the market place today

The third option, of course, it that you’re somewhere in between. You are not the most technically adept operator charging three times the going price in the market and you are not the operator who eliminates the pre-spot function altogether. You are somewhere in between. This, of course, is a very dangerous position. You have some technical skills, not the best, not the worse. In the customer’s mind, they may see no differentiation to others in a similar situation. You are at the mercy of the most convenient competitor that opens up across the street. In addition, it is not clear how much training you want or need on technical issues. What is the right amount? Without a clear definition of your business niche, you can not establish your training needs.

Who should pursue the training? Business owners frequently attend spotting classes. Why? It’s obvious. You do most of the work. Why? It’s obvious. No one else has attended the classes. Transferring this knowledge is the first step to moving off the spotting board. Today, you must move off this board to spend time answering the first question, how do you retain, grow, or move your market share.

How can knowledge be permanently incorporated into the business operation? What does anyone do upon returning from a training class? Generally you are thrown back into the lions den, inundated with backed up work. You’ve allocated just enough time to be away from the business to attend the class. You’ve not allocated time to take that information and incorporate it into the day to day activities. Each trip needs at least an extra day to apply the information.

Identify the areas you want to integrate into the business. Establish standardized procedures for your boiler. Post them on the boiler room door. Set up your bleaching buckets or purchase additional spotting chemicals. Continue to test your skills on samples before experimenting with the customer’s garment. Become prepared to perform your miracles.

Finally, the biggest financial reward for this time and effort must be pursued. Communicate your new skills to your customers. Can you guarantee success or no charge? Can you communicate your level of expertise in your marketing pieces? Can you create a unique niche in the minds of the consumers? Only then will you see a financial return for all of your hard work.

Published in the American Drycleaner, September 2000