Runaway usage… Causes and corrections You get the complaint call that they shot through a week’s supply of detergent in a day. So you head over to figure out what might be the cause. Suspecting a dispenser malfunction you titrate the wash tank but it’s exactly where you set it. Next you drain the tank […]
Some games and … getting the answer As kids, we sometimes played the guessing game Mineral, Vegetable or Animal. It involved asking questions that were only answered by a yes or no allowing a player to (hopefully) guess who or what the other player was. Discovering the source (and cure) of that persistent haze we’ve […]
Losing with … grace and class There’s nothing quite as upsetting as losing a good customer. That’s especially the case when they’ve been with us for a long time. And it’s even worse if we believe the change was unfair and undeserved. But when it happens, we have two choices. First, we can be petty, resentful […]
Retaliation and Making the peace The temptation to retaliate against that competitor who trashed your equipment when he took that customer for you last week is tempting when the tables turn. He “removed” your dispenser in so roughshod a way to render it pretty unless. And to boot he vindictively cut up all your wires […]
Banana peels and…Slippery situations We got the all-clear from that prospect, so we thought it was a done deal. But when we show up for the install, we get the really infuriating (and disappointing) news that they’ve decided to give the old supplier “one more chance”! It’s a scenario that we could and should have […]
Winging it versus …Planning for it When we’re preparing for the upcoming week, how many of us include an updated list of targeted prospect calls we’re going to make? And by targeted we’re talking about named potential accounts, not a vague reference to making a few calls on “some” prospects. Nope we’re talking about very […]
I’ll do it … when I get time How often do we say those words or hear them in our head? Probably too often. What lies behind them is that the demands of service, selling and administration are often bigger than the time available. So does that mean that we’ll always be a day late […]
Testing /troubleshooting…Those electrical circuits Testing a 120 Volt circuit is pretty straight forward. There we only need to touch one lead of our voltmeter to the black wire and the other to the white one. If we don’t see 120 Volts, the circuit’s dead. But that 240 volt circuit is a bit more complicated. There […]
The complex… made simpler(er) With rare exception most of us entered the business with fair mechanical skills, but electricity was another matter. For most it was uncharted territory. If we were totally honest, it was frightening. Unlike a leaking fitting or a clogged wash arm, electricity is potentially dangerous. But knowledge is power. First there […]
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 […]