Shelf stock and… Round tuit…

Shelf stock and…a whole lot more

So as you were doing that on-premise laundry prospect walk through you began with the shelf stock. Looking there you got a few hits that provided some real ammunition. So you’re done and now it’s time to make your pitch, right?

Definitely not! Now we need to see the whole operation in motion. Is the staining or yellowing issue you saw related to overstuffing the wheels? Are the dryer temps way too high? Or maybe we’re seeing a complete absence of sorting. Perhaps that explains the rainbow of results we saw there on those shelves. So now we’re done, right? Sorry but again we’re not.

Now take a look for any formula charts on the wall. If there are, how do they look? Let’s say the overnight sheets look a bit yellow and the wash formula on the wall looks to be completely adequate – especially in the rinse department. That’s a headscratcher, because based on that display, they shouldn’t be yellowing. You tested for iron and got a negative, so that’s not the cause. Hmmm…

Maybe the next step is to look at the overnight sheet formula that’s actually programmed. Just maybe that chart was meant for you to see and walk away emptyhanded. Or perhaps it’s a remnant of an earlier set up that has long since been abandoned.

Combine those and more observations we’ve seen and yes, now it’s time to see that manager and deliver your assessment of the issues you saw … and exactly how you’re prepared to fix them.

Round tuit… And success

Back in our dad’s day when men wore ties to work (and yes even soapers on service calls) once in a while you’d see someone wearing a circular tie clasp engraved with an inscription around its perimeter reading ROUND TUIT. It was a humorous, but also cryptic comment on doing it now versus “when I get around to it”.

While we stopped wearing ties the idea that inscription promoted is every bit as valid today as it was in the day. Ask pretty much any manager what they most value in their team members and the vast majority will automatically mention taking action versus delaying it.

That’s true whether we’re talking about making that cold call on a new prospect, collecting that past due account, or maybe most critically keeping promises made to our customers.

In the end that simple trait of “doing it now” can spell the difference between exceeding your goals and falling short. Oh, and there’s another one that maybe we need to bear in mind too: YCGRSOYA (you can’t get rich sitting on your azz)