Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

Start-up: Dry Cleaning Pick-up & Delivery Services - Methods To Acquire Customers

Posted by Anonymous on 8/4/2004 at 4:30 PM ET 250 Points
I've started a dry cleaning pick-up & delivery service for the Atlanta metro area, and hope to later expand my services.. My main target in starting is to acquire residential customers (home owners / apartment dwellers)...

As with any new business, whats the best way to promote this service locally to get new customers. Everyone says I should put fliers on peoples mailboxes, but I feel that cheapens my company. I want to project a first class appearance but desperately need customers.

How can I get the word out about my company and services to get new customers. The vast majority of the people in my immediate area are middle class, income ranging from $27,000 - $69,000.

Now, there are a few affluent neihborhoods in my delivery area that I'd like to promote my service to, most are in gated communities and the homes in this particular area start at $650,000 & up....

My company name is Georgia Laundry, LLC, and the web site will be used for customers to request a pick-up: https://www.georgialaundry.com

Any advice and suggestions are appreciated.
To continue reading this question and the solution, sign up ... it's free!
SUBSCRIBE
Or, SIGN IN

RESPONSES

  • Posted by Deremiah *CPE on 8/4/2004 at 6:29 PM Accepted
    cartess3,

    We have a KHE expert on board who I do not know personally but I believe she might have a lot to contribute to your question and hopefully she sees it because she is in the dry cleaning business. Her website is below and her community name is darcy.moen She even has some dry cleaner demo sites on the left side of her website. Let me know if this works.

    https://www.customerloyaltyhosting.com/

    This would be my first suggestion. I will give your question more thought and reply a little later. I know this will help you a lot. Thanks. Is there anything else I can do for you?

    Your Servant, Deremiah, *CPE (Customer Passion Evangelist)
  • Posted by Peter (henna gaijin) on 8/4/2004 at 6:48 PM Member
    When I read your subject line, my first thought was local advertising (hang fliers on doors/mail boxes, coupon packs that are mailed to people, etc.). You said that you think they cheapen your service, but I am not sure that I agree with this. I think they are valid ways to advertise your service.

    I know you said you are targetting consumers - have you also considered targetting companies? When I worked in an environment where I needed to wear suits, I often used a service that picked the clothing up from our office. Added advantage is that most companies have receptionists, so you will get a lot less problems of people not being home when you go to pick up or deliver.
  • Posted by Deremiah *CPE on 8/4/2004 at 7:09 PM Member
    Sorry Vevolution,

    I use to have a girl friend named Darcy. I pray Darcy will forgive me. Sometimes people do not know if my name is masculine or feminine until I show them my muscles :-) Tell Darcy when I get his address I'll send him a complimentary CD. Thanks for the correction Gary.

    Your Servant, Deremiah, *CPE, (Customer Passion Evangelist)
  • Posted by darcy.moen on 8/4/2004 at 8:03 PM Accepted
    Hey guys, don't worry about the name or the gender. I've been called worse, much worse. I answer to Daryl (which could be female or male), Doug and Hey you, @#$&*! while driving the freeways.

    But, for the record, I am an outtie, not an innie (I'm a guy, dude)

    I'm not THE world's answer to marketing dry cleaning, but I am one of them (how's that for humble?) There are a few guys I could recommend in addition to myself. Contact me at darcy.moen@customerloyaltynetwork.com and I'll be happy to e-mail you more contacts I know, and I'll also give you the e-mail address to the fabricare forum so you can hook up with 1,000 more of the brightest dry cleaners from around the world. I bet you didn't know there was such a thing? There is, I was one of the founders with Stan Golomb, Hal Horning, Dave Spensley, et al.

    Well, there is. In addition to the National Clothes line, Fabricare Canada, American Cleaner and Launderer Korean Cleaners Monthly, Dry Cleaning News, Australian Cleaner and Launderer magazines, there is the world wide fabricare Forum. All these magazines and the online forum are packed with resources you should have.

    Plus, you should be a member of the International Fabricare Institute (www.ifi.org) and The Neighborhood Cleaners Association International (www.nca-i.com) as well as your state and local association.

    So, you are looking for upscale marketing. I know you can't get the marketing pieces from Sanitone (www.sanitone.com) because the thet already have a certified master cleaner in the market. But not to worry, I have just what you are looking for.

    Postcards are one way, but not the only way. Posters work, van wraps, e-mail marketing, web sites, etc, etc, etc. I'll give you links to resources designed just for dry cleaners, some are products I create, and some are from other folks. I'll leave it up to you to decide who you wish as a supplier.

    I can understand the immediate need for customers. Your target market household income is low. You need households of 50 to 100,000. Finding such neighborhoods is fairly easy. I have ways of acquiring such lists for you.

    Calling on office towers is one way, as is door to door. But, you need a specialist to train you in the ways of building a route. The best guy I know of for teaching you and your drivers how to be the best route sales force in the world is Rex Carrigan. He's from Louisianna, and he is Gooooood! I heard his sales pitch at Sid Tuchman's meeting, and I was sold! You gotta get this man. He'll show you how to build a route. I'll even give you references to clients of mine that I've passed to Rex, they swear by his techniques.

    And, you also need to learn how to get all the clothes you can from all the customers you have. I can show you a fast way to pop your sales using your point of sale system.

    Say, saw your web page. Not too bad. Here's one I built for one of my clients ... www.feigenbaumcleaners.com

    Hear from you soon. Happy surfing, and don't go into information overload.

    Darcy (customer loyalty Network)
    If you care about your clothing as much as I care about dry cleaning, we should talk!

    Thanks to the rest of you experts on KHE for the plugs and kind words. I appreciate it
  • Posted by SRyan ;] on 8/5/2004 at 9:17 AM Member
    Hey, Cartess --

    Are you doing the CLEANING or just the DELIVERING? Seems like you could just focus on the pick-up and drop-off service, and make your customers the dry cleaning shops themselves!

    ¤ Shelley ¤
  • Posted by darcy.moen on 8/6/2004 at 3:24 AM Member
    Ahh, the good ol Pressed4time guys. Its 1-800-dryclean recycled and rebranded. Well, its more than that. There is a lot of politics and baggage in the ol dry cleaning industry. Lot of BS too. An old timer like me, well, I've seen a lot. Lets call a it what it is...its a lot of hard work and there is no shortcut to fast money in the dry cleaning business. If you want fast easy money, try putting it all on the roulette wheel in Vegas. Don't look for fast and easy money in dry cleaning.

    Darcy (Customer Loyalty Network)
BACK TO TOP

Post a Comment

Related Discussions

Community Info

Top 25 Experts
(Advertising/PR)