When was the last time you shared ideas with industry peers on how to make your business more efficient, expand your customer base or boost your bottom line?
For the largest co-convention so far, DLI and NCA hosted 139 drycleaning professionals at The Drycleaning & Laundry Institute and National Cleaners Association’s Five-Star Brainstorming Conference, January 16th – 19th at the NOW Jade Riveria Resort in Cancun.
While the venue was “exceptional,” said Brian Johnson, DLI Director of Education and Analysis, attendees learned each other’s business secrets at daily, three-hour seminars. A good example is Patrick Renvoise who discussed ideas from his book, “Neuromarketing: Understanding the Buy Buttons in Your Customer’s Brain.”
Renvoise discussed how to get inside the minds of your customers to locate and “push the buy button.” He shared some of the latest neurolological research and applied it to cutting edge marketing tactics.
Rory Vaden spoke on the topic of his book, “Take the Stairs: 7 Steps to Achieving True Success.” Vaden offered insights on how business owners can get to the next level one step at a time, rather than take shortcuts that promise success buy deliver failure. Copies of his book were distributed to all attendees at no extra cost.
DLI CEO Mary Scalco said the best parts of the conference were the speakers. “I thought they were both very engaging and enteratining,” she said. “They gave practical, usable information. In both cases the audience was engaged—no one was looking at their laptops, phones, or reading the paper. At the end, the audience wanted more and commented that they wished the sessions were longer.”
The mix of seminar and leisure time was ideal, according to Nora Nealis, NCA’s Executive Director. “Some great information came from the sharing done among the cleaners when they were poolside, dining together or just sitting around.” She said the best part of any conference is the opportunity to meet and greet. “Renewing old friendships and forging new ones in such great surroundings is always a high spot for everyone attending.”
“Rory Vaden was ‘grand slam’ from start to end,” said Ken Kinzer from Bridgestone Cleaners in Brooklyn, New York. “He immediately engaged me by saying he enjoyed studying our business. He’s an excellnet motivational speaker and was the high point of my conference.”
Mark Scott, CEO of Bakker’s Fine Drycleaning in Kirkland, Washington, said the conference was “one of the most beneficial conferences I have been to yet! Both from the speakers and possibly more from interacting with other attendees.
“The ‘biggest’ thing I took away was the information I learned having dinner with one of the participants,” Scott said. “Since that dinner, I created a list of ‘change now’ items that I am halfway through. It re-energized me in the business.”
Allan P. Johnson, III, said he particularly enjoyed the speakers. “If you are the founder of your business and are running into problems getting your heir(s) to properly take care of the assets they will inherit, the answer is ‘They are vested, not invested” like you,” he said. “That’s not an excuse. Now, you have to ask ‘HOW can I get them invested?’ It is time for you to act proactively and set out a plan to succession that revolves around an investment strategy.” Johnson is President of Peerless Cleaners in Corpus Christi, Texas and DLI’s President-Elect.
Bob Fogelsanger, president of Balfurd, Inc. in Tipton, Pennsylvania, said both speakers were excellent. “Rory’s ‘take the stairs’ was my biggest take away,” he said. This involves “doing the necessary legworth for any issue immediately and making sure my daily activity is what I need to do as a leader and not just buys work,” he said.
Most attendees said they loved the speakers and mingling with the other attendees, but there were some concerns about the extensive size of the property, its internet capabilities and the restaurants not taking reservations. Nealis said that both DLI and NCA take the participants’ feedback very seriously. They will be looking for a smaller resort more attuned to business conferences where cleaners can visit, enjoy and learn in 2015.
Scalco summed it up by saying the annual collaborative conference represents a unique opportunity for drycleaners to discover new practices, address common challenges, gain industry insights and receive constructive feedback about specific operational issues and solutions.
Five take-away tips from Cancun:
• Look at your business from your customer’s perspective.
• Locate and press the “buy button” in your customer’s mind.
• Distractions and the desire for perfection make it easy to procrastinate.
• Stay focused and achieve measurable results.
• What seems like a quick route to success is often a harder road in the end.
You’re Invited
Given the quality of information shared by attendees, whether poolside or during seminars, the event earned high ratings from attendees. DLI and NCA have already started planning next year’s conference set for January 15th – 18th 2015 at an all-inclusive tropical paraside resort in Mexico. More details will be revealed as the date approaches.
