Carrots, peas …And Matinees Last week’s reference to “comfort customers” evokes images of a different, less benign form of work avoidance – the matinee. Those movie parking lots that seem to be oddly busy on weekday afternoons are (regrettably) and occasionally occupied by some of us sales types taking a time out. Likewise, […]
Timing is everything…And we have time Yep we’re officially entering the downhill part of 2018. We’ve been through the winter snows, enjoyed spring and now see that fall is lot closer than we’d like. You’re likely having a great year, but in all likelihood, have a lot more than half of what you’d […]
Saving what …customers want Since labor constitutes the majority of the cost of sanitation – whether in the dish room, the laundry, guest or patient rooms, focusing on it – and in particular maximizing its’ efficient use is valuable. But all too often we ignore it and only address the cost of our […]
What to sell or…Which to sell? Labor savings is an arrow in our sales quiver that we all too often overlook. Harkening back to the really early days of our indoctrination into the business most of us were exposed to the sanitation pie chart. That circular image visually depicted the cost of sanitation broken […]
Suspect vs. Prospect…And the difference While it’s certainly fine to drop in in on a new prospect with zero preparation, a little intelligence gathering before that step sure can’t hurt. Indeed, it can tell us if that suspect is actually a valid prospect, or perhaps even an opportunity best avoided. Taking a few […]
Pitching energy…Where it matters Selling energy savings is a great sales idea, but it can also be tough to do. Moreover, there’re areas where it’s a strong idea (like laundries) and where it’s practically nonexistent (housekeeping). But there’s a kind of irony there: Where an energy pitch is weak, promoting labor savings is strong […]
Clean beyond…China and flatware Seeing is believing…Perception is reality. Both sayings are accurate and valuable to us as purveyors of clean. In the case of a restaurant’s first impressions, they’re critical. If the first thing a guest sees (or smells) when entering that dining room disappoints, they’ll likely head back out the door […]
To sort…Or not to When it comes to linen sorting, there are lots of opinions. Aside from healthcare where it’s pretty much a given, some laundry managers (and Soapers) will tell you it’s a waste of precious washroom labor. Other’s will swear by its’ value. The anti-sorting folks will argue that the small […]
Solving problems…Creatively For some Soapers the laundry business is intimidating while for others it’s a welcome opportunity to exercise their ability to solve problems innovatively. On the warewashing front we’re pretty much limited to a choice of detergents and or drying agent and maybe some minor temperature tweaking – along with the possibility of […]
Time is everything…Delay is permanent For those of us living anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon line the old saying, “There are two seasons: Six months of cold followed by six more of road repairs” sure applies! And with that year-round mixture, we end up with endless “orange-barrel” delays on both the city streets […]