|
The
Mobile Dry Cleaner
Quarterly Newsletter |
Do you have what it takes?
Starting your Mobile Dry Cleaning Business.
Four letters that spell success.
Do You Have What It Takes?
Starting any business can be a daunting experience
and statistics show that 98% of business start-ups fail within the first two
years. So, the question is " With all these obstacles, why do I want to
start my own business?"
The answer is as varied as there are
personalities. Perhaps you've recently lost your job, maybe you were
recently overlooked for an expected promotion, or could it be you just don't
like having to rely on outside influences to determine your future. Whatever
your reason, ask yourself - Where, when, why, and do I have what it takes.
Where will you start your business? Is there a
ready market for you? Are you prepared to deal with competition and can you
offer a better service or fulfill a particular need.
When are you prepared to start? When will you be
free to operate? Is this a part-time venture or are you going to start
full-time and devote all your energies?
Why do you want to start your own business?
Are you motives sincere? Are you prepared to sacrifice your time, money and
emotions to attain what you desire?
Do you have what it takes? Are you aware of the
difficulties and the setbacks you may have to face to achieve your goal?
Will you use persistence, dedication and a strong
mental determination to see your goals through? Can you face adversities
and look obstacles in the eye and see them as hurdles of experience
to be vaulted taking you to the finish line?
Be honest with yourself, ask yourself
these questions and if you sincerely feel you want to pursue the life of
an entrepreneurial
arm yourself with all the knowledge you can about
the business you want to start. If you are still comfortable with your
decision give it all the gusto you've got and pursue your dream. Success
turns all dreams into reality and the rewards are very exciting.
Starting Your Own Mobile Dry Cleaning
Business
Low start-up costs, is one of the features that
makes the Mobile Dry Cleaning Business very attractive. You need only
two ingredients to start:
1. A drycleaner to do your work
2. A customer.
It costs you nothing to make arrangements with a
drycleaner. There is nothing to purchase, there are no deposits
required, or investment to be made for materials or supplies. The only
money you may have to spend is to pay the drycleaner his charges for the
completed order before you deliver it to the customer. After the drycleaning
order has been delivered and you collect payment from the customer, you have
made a profit.
Most people will call this oversimplification, but
the fact remains, you need nothing more. But, like any other
business, it costs money to find customers. To increase your customer base,
you will need a vehicle, customer receipts, business cards, advertising
literature, and other supplies that can make servicing your customer easier.
If you can start with friends and family, and start regular weekly service and
not use the profits you are earning, your business can maintain itself and
create its own financing.
An attractive truck, bags with logos, personalized
sales materials, all contribute to creating a business like image and appeal
to the prospective customers. But for those of you who are financially
strapped yet desiring the American dream the Mobile Dry Cleaning Business can be
the vehicle that launches you to things you have always desired.
Try it! find a local drycleaner to work with
you. It is not really that difficult. First learn the
drycleaners retail prices, then, armed with that information, visit the
drycleaning establishment, ask for the owner or manager, explain you want to
start a home delivery service and you need a drycleaner to do the
drycleaning. If the drycleaner is
interested, he will discuss terms and conditions, when discussing prices, use
40 to 60 % of retail prices as a wholesale pricing guide. Seek complete
service - marking in, cleaning, pressing, sorting and bagging. You will
pay more, up to 60% of retail, because you are receiving more services, but
this way you can devote more time to learning your trade and prospecting for
new business.
As your business grows and you become more
familiar with the drycleaning business, you will be in a position to negotiate
for better pricing or seek fewer services and lower your costs, but that is
another discussion for another time.
Once you have your first customer, work to get
your second customer and so on. Gain one customer at a time and
before long, your business will begin to grow and more cash will become
available to purchase those items and services to help you grow even
larger. The 3P's -patience, persistence, perseverance - will help
to make your Mobile Dry Cleaning Business the pipe line to your
dreams.
Four letters that spell success.
WIFM - What's In It For Me - Four letters that mean successful
marketing. If you remember nothing else, remember this: Always,always,
always the reason a sale is made is because it somehow had some
benefit to the purchaser. Even if the service or product was
purchased because the buyer felt "sorry" for you, the purchase made
them "feel good" because they were in someway helping you.
When preparing your presentation for direct sales never
overlook this primary concept.- WIFM.
Your presentation should be simple,direct yet flexible enough to adapt to any
situation. Some prospects want brevity, others need a long
explanation and description of your services to arrive at a decision so
prepare for either scenario.
Today, I will list the various ingredients you should include in your
presentation, and in subsequent newsletters we will spend more time on each
article:
- Prepare yourself mentally
- Be Presentable
- Be comfortable
- Be assured and positive of yourself and your service.
- Be prepared for rejection - remember, the law of probability requires
at least seven approaches before a prospect is converted to a customer.
- Be persistent - don't accept the first "no" but know when to
exit gracefully. Leave the door open for further attempts.
- Equip yourself with the tools of your trade.
- Business cards - always present a card to your prospect.
- Flyer or brochure - Can be used as a visual aid by pointing out key
points when speaking to the prospect, or it can be the last piece of
literature you present them as you depart either with a sale or without.
- Coupons or special offers to create an immediate "call to
action"
- Customer referrals or positive comments - This can be very effective
particularly if it is from someone in the immediate area.
- A completed dry cleaning order to use as a visual aid - Be certain the
garment has been carefully examined as you don't want unexpected
surprises.
- State your purpose and how your service can benefit the prospect - WIFM
- WIFM - Stress customer benefit. Stress how your service can
benefit the customer.(Yes I said it twice)
- Use your visual aids
- Ask Questions - Make attempts to include the prospect in your
conversation.
- "Have you heard of xxx mobile dry cleaner, We are in your
area xxx every week. We serve your neighbors (if possible
present a local customers comments)
- Would you like to eliminate another chore without added expense
and receive above par service at the same time?"
- "What do you look for in a drycleaner? You receive my
individual attention and as a result I can personalize your requests
and make sure all items are processed to your particular
tastes."
- Call for action - Ask the prospect for a garment now just to compare
your quality and service. Be prepared to offer an incentive to
send an article today. Once you receive a garment you must return
it and this increases the exposure of you and your service to the
prospect
- Exit gracefully - Whether or not you received a sale, even if the
prospect was rude, always try to leave in an upbeat manner. You
may want to visit that person again and pleasant experiences return
pleasant results. If all else fails, leave your literature, thank the
prospect for their time, and ask that they consider you in the future.
If the conversation and encounter was well received, keep a record and
return again within a few weeks. Remember, most sales are not made
until the seventh presentation. Wishing you good fortune and nothing
but success.