Be Like Jimmy

March 5, 2021

This week, I saw an advertisement from a dry cleaner in Spring Hill, Tennessee offering free cleaning services for anyone needing an outfit cleaned prior to an interview as a way to help offset the impact of the pandemic on those who find themselves out of work. The offer from Jimmy Story of Jimmy’s Cleaners there is certainly a tremendously kind and empathetic gesture. But it’s way more than that.

For Jimmy, who doesn’t refer to himself as owner or CEO or any other lofty title, but as Team Leader, it’s also, whether he intends it or not, a way to ensure that those who find jobs after using his free service will be back.

See, people remember significant gestures, and they often switch suppliers because of them.

And that’s the point for the week.

Coincidentally, I often use dry cleaning analogously in teaching others about the difficulty involved in switching anyone from one vendor to another, particularly in industries with sticky relationships or high switching costs. In doing so, I ask teams to tell me how often, other than because they had to due to a move, closure of the business, etc. that they change dry cleaners. You can do the same as you read this.

The answer for almost everyone is, “almost never.” It’s because dry cleaning fairly acts as a proxy for many businesses today, especially B2B concerns. It’s a low interest category often marked by some level of stickiness where front end service relationships are concerned. To change dry cleaners, like changing vendors for many products and services generally requires one of a small handful of things to occur. Monumental and repeated screw-ups by the vendor. Some gigantic leap in product or service offering by a competitor. Or some suggestion by a competitor that they are going to care a whole lot more for you as an individual. If you are thinking price, sit this one out. For most, changes in price sufficient to switch are either (a) unrealistic or (b) always matched by the incumbent.

So, think about the scenarios above. Huge leaps come about as often as Haley’s Comet – especially in low interest (read low-investment) categories. Monumental and repeated screw-ups are also rare; most even half-decent firms fix things before they have outright defections. Only the worst firms actually lose business due to ongoing failures. So, we’re left with expressions of care.

Those who win and keep customers are coincidentally the same ones who win and keep associates. They do so because they care more. The more you care, the more you win. It’s actually no more complicated than that. I’m certain a phone call to Jimmy Story would sound a lot like that.

Because it doesn’t matter if you’re selling dry cleaning in the middle of Tennessee or something a tad more complicated on one of the coasts, people are people everywhere. And most of what everyone wants is to be valued, loved, and cared for. Those who do that more often win more often. And usually, it’s no more difficult than providing free cleanings to people who have more important things to pay for right now.

So, be like Jimmy Story. Care more.

And win (more).

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