What inventory…The measurability factor…
What inventory…Really can tell us
If we’re prospecting an on-premise laundry the one thing we need to get our eyeballs on are those linens stacked on storage shelves. That stock pretty much tells the whole story and it can guide our best approach to making the sale.
If that peek discloses linens and terry that range from grey to yellow to bright and white, as well as everything in between, we know that we’re looking at an inconsistently run operation.
That scattering of yellow linen reflects unremoved soil that’s either the result of overloading the wheel or that perhaps one or more machines are being underfeed with supplies. If we see scattered greying, we might be on the alert for a softener that’s not being regenerated frequently enough. That can result in some wash formulas being run with water that’s hard beyond the sequestering ability of the detergent.
And then there’s that account with inventory that’s absolutely perfect. Some would turn and bail at that sight. But to a well informed soaper it just tells of another possible opportunity.
That pro knows that an operation that’s really operating on the money will have 2%-3% production that isn’t bright, white and fresh smelling. If there’s 100% perfection, the wash formulas are very likely overly lengthy or over “chemicaled”. Either way he can approach them with a savings story.
Next up: And then there’s iron.
The measurability factor…and polishing it a bit
When it comes to setting goals, we can nail the believable, achievable and even satisfactory aspect, but unless it’s measurable it’s not a goal. It’s a just a vague wish or at best a simple aspiration. Measurability can be tricky.
Let’s say the goal is to open four new accounts this year with purchases of at least $400 a month. So far so good. But what if it’s September and we’ve opened just one. Hmmm. We could delude ourselves into thinking that in the remaining four months we’d accomplish about five times what we averaged per month thus far.
Maybe the better and more measurable goal would have been to target opening one of those new accounts every three months. Had we done so, by March 31st we’d have realized that we were falling short.
Then we would have had two choices. First, we could have stepped harder on the gas and maybe caught up. Or second, we might have reassessed that goal and tailored it to be a bit more achievable. Either way we would’ve had a better idea of where we were heading and moreover where we weren’t!