Because business isn’t just about what you know, it’s about who you know.
Yoely Lefkowitz of the Laundry Store
Ever heard of the 80%-20% rule? According to Yoely Lefkowitz of the Laundry Store, it’s THE golden rule of sales. “You need to use the 80% rule in sales- 80% listening to clients and 20% talking to them.” Listening, and meeting the needs of their many customers is what the Laundry Store’s team does best. Yoely started off doing sales in his father’s security business and credits that early experience with giving him an edge when it comes to dealing with sales. “I did A LOT of sales,” he recalls.
Yoely and his team got into the commercial laundry industry through payment systems which they were offering to replace the annoying, outdated coin-operated systems. “I was looking to get into something and my brother had this idea, and he shared it with me. “After some time selling these systems that replaced the unwieldy and annoying coin-operated systems, they got into OPL- On-Premises Laundry. They began selling washers and dryers and managing the repairs too. “We were selling the tire for the car, why not sell the car itself?”
These days, the Laundry Store has a great team of techs that they send out to do repairs and maintenance. Another service they offer is the installation and management of laundry rooms in facilities from school dormitories to nursing homes and multi-family homes. The headache is all theirs and a cut of the profits goes to management.
What’s the secret to success? When you treat your customers like royalty the word gets around. To sum it up, you need to offer great customer service. Their clients, who are often insanely busy management pros need things taken care of and taken care of fast! The Laundry Store’s service is “prompt, punctual, and effective” When a laundry room is out of service that’s a crisis for a facility, and Yoely’s team is on it within 24-36 hours or even sooner.
Yoely shares “It’s a lot of work to gain new customers and it’s very easy to lose them! Offering great service is the way to ensure that once a customer, always a customer. “So what does he view as his secret weapon in creating a great customer experience?
“Quick, effective communication is key. Especially in our industry time is of the essence. Every call gets a response within 24 hours! We come in and rescue our clients with our service.”
For busy management pros that certainly sounds like a dream come true!
What does Yoely really enjoy about his business these days?
“We’re in the know about the industry and that puts us in a position to help other people now, we can share who is buying and selling laundromats, equipment, etc. Being a “shadchan” is a great feeling!”
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