You are here

Asking Questions Leads to Business

PEMBROKE, Mass. — A Laundromat operator said to me: “I don’t like my staff fraternizing with customers. Take care of their needs, but don’t bother them. Let them get in and out. The attendant can make better use of his time by focusing on his work. So when I walk in one of my stores and see the staffer talking to a customer, I am one unhappy camper. And the person knows about it later.”

Is this a good policy?

No, it’s short-sighted, old-fashioned and time-worn. Of course, one doesn’t want the attendant standing around kibitzing all day, telling the people what’s going on in his or her life. Asking questions, however, is a particular form of communication that could result in obtaining valuable information.

It also could inform customers of matters that they will find useful. It also enables you to better understand your customers and why they make the decisions they do. In short, asking questions can be the eyes and ears of your business.

To many people, asking questions is a normal way of talking, and their listening skills may not be up to snuff. You must train your staff in the art of asking questions. Role playing is a good training tool. Use the following examples as role-playing opportunities.

TARGET YOUR MARKET

The customer asks a question about a machine. The attendant comes over and answers it to the customer’s satisfaction.

Attendant: Where do you live?

Customer: Bradley Court Apartments.

Attendant: Don’t they have washers and dryers?

Customer: Yeah, but the machines are always broken. There’s no mechanic to fix them.

Attendant: How many people live in Bradley Court?

Customer: Well, there are four buildings, 12 apartments each building – that’s 48 families.”

Bingo. The staffer learns about Bradley Court’s washer-dryer situation. Probably 47 families clean their clothes there and are dissatisfied every time they do it. The attendant communicates the information to you. You have several options.

You could approach Bradley Court to make an arrangement.

You could stand out front and approach passersby: “I know the Bradley Court washers and dryers are always breaking down. Who knows, they may be discharging grease into your clothing. We’re the Laundromat on Center Street and, if you came to us, we could save you a lot of aggravation. Maybe you could make the task part of your chore day.” You could enlist interested parties to spread the word.

You could start a pick-up service where you pick up three days a week and deliver three days a week. Pick-up and delivery would be relatively easy since it’s a single location. And since it’s an apartment building, you could leave the laundry in a fixed spot – obtain a key and leave the goods in front of the door, in the foyer, or in a garage. By going to Bradley Court frequently, you’d develop a name brand, which would help you win more business.

Consider this: Get 20 customers at $10 each. That means $800 more business a month, or $9,600 a year. That’s a nice chunk of business. You could do early-morning pick-up and delivery, and be at work by 8:30.

Consider that just by asking a question, you could be expanding your business. To make this happen, the attendant must ask questions, realize the value of the answer, communicate the information to you, and you put procedures in place to gain from the information.

Role-play several of these scenarios. Point out the potential value of the information. Set up a procedure so that the information gets communicated to you. For example, perhaps there is a clipboard, and the attendant writes down: “4/6 – customer uses our laundry because Bradley Court overcharges. Can we gain some more business there? I don’t think anybody else comes in from there.”

 

SAFETY CONCERNS

Here’s another scenario:

Attendant: I see you in here all the time when it’s quite late.

Customer: Yeah, well, you’re the only Laundromat I can go to where I won’t get mugged. I went to the other Laundromat on West and Crocker, and they have rough people hanging out across the street. Once, a kid tried to steal my pocketbook, but I fought him off.

Bingo. You learned that a big reason customers patronize your store in the evening hours is because it’s in a safe area. Maybe the street is well lit. Maybe it’s well patrolled. Possibly it’s the proliferation of open stores. Whatever the reason, it’s safe. So what are you going to do with the information?

Use We Are Safe, Day or Night in all your marketing. Put up a sign saying, “If it is more convenient to do your laundry at night, we’re a safe place in a safe neighborhood.” Whenever you talk about your service, bring up the fact that the neighborhood is safe.

 

A SAVINGS ISSUE

Another scenario goes something like this:

Customer: (picking up wash-dry-fold work)

Attendant: You really like our wash-dry-fold service, don’t you?

Customer: I calculated your service is 20% more than if I did it myself. I save time, and I give the simple jobs to you. My time is worth it.

Bingo. You learned a clever way to express the cost benefit – “Save time; give the simple jobs to us.” Framed in those terms, it’s a great way to sell the service. You might create an ad – “Use our wash-dry-fold service – isn’t your time worth it?” If you could get prospects to think in terms of saving time, you would win a lot more wash-dry-fold volume.

If you operate an unattended store, then the opportunity to ask questions is limited, but not completely. You personally must be the eyes and ears of your business. When you go there at your regular time to cash out, be sure to question the customers in the store. Also, go there at different times to expand your sampling. Of course, it’s easier because you know the questions to ask, and as boss, you can quickly put the information to use.

Make asking questions a new directive in your company. The information gained will sometimes turn into golden nuggets of value.

An Outsider's View

Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Bruce Beggs at [email protected].