DLI’s leadership and staff are honored to work for you everyday.
Between January 1 & December 31, 2021, DLI helped members by sharing information, providing training, building relationships, industry watchdog advocacy and leading the way. We’re very excited about sharing some important developments as we move into 2022.
Sharing Information
156 new readymade social media designs shared and archived for members on DLIonline.org. Designs are formatted for Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Many of the posts are in a video format, making them even more eye-catching.
Monday Morning Marketing News – Each year DLI emails 50 Monday Morning Marketing News articles to DLI Standard, Gold, Premier, and International members. All 2021 issues were written by Dave Coyle of Maverick Drycleaners, industry marketing coach and fellow DLI member. All of Dave’s items are available in DLI’s Drycleaning Encyclopedia. Dave will continue writing Monday Morning Marketing News in 2022.
Hanger Recycling Materials – DLI reintroduced and simplified this program because members reported difficulty in getting hangers. Prevent potential supply shortages by encouraging customers to bring their used hangers back to you. Downloadable poster, hanger tags, and Friend of the Planet Award help you communicate this to customers.
Providing Training for You & Your Employees
DLI understands the importance of communication and staying connected. As an association, DLI’s foremost purpose it so bring peer member cleaners together to provide training and facilitate relationship- building opportunities. DLI has re-tooled how these things happen by developing new virtual meeting opportunities and courses for members.
Virtual Training Programs – DLI produced & archived more than 75 training programs for members on many topics including:
- Diversification
- Maintenance
- Management (hiring, OSHA, security, growth, customer services, more)
- Marketing (each month one session is hosted by Dave Coyle – see Monday Morning Marketing News for more information)
- Production
- Finishing
- Stain Removal
- Business Sales & Acquisitions
Virtual Stain Removal Course – DLI held the first three sessions of the new Virtual Stain Removal Course to help members train employees during the pandemic. This course helps students understand the art and science of removing any and all stains by learning the chemical principles behind successful stain removal.
Building Relationships
75+ Members-Only Peer-to-Peer Weekly Zoom Meetings – Looking for some advice on how to start a new division in your company? Need help with an employee issue? You’re not operating in a vacuum. Another member has probably solved your biggest problem and can tell you how they did it on one of these calls.
DLI’s Marketing Labs – The pandemic accelerated change universally. DLI leadership realized our industry must adapt to remain necessary and relevant to consumers. To do this, we’ve got to do things a bit differently. Joining a lab is your chance to develop a new marketing strategy as part of a team of like-minded operators in non-competing areas of the U.S. and the world.
DLI’s Inner Circle – Are you spending too much on supplies or production labor? How would you know? DLI’s Inner Circle gives members a solid basis for comparing their business to others by looking at the hard numbers. Helmed by veteran management group coordinator Diana Vollmer of Ascent Consulting, these groups help members identify growth opportunities and cut losses by making direct comparisons between similar businesses.
Industry Watchdog Advocacy
The most important time to keep an eye on regulatory agencies is when the world is focused on dealing with rapid change. With help from the Institute, DLI members influenced favorable outcomes for several regulatory initiatives.
FTC Care Label Victory – the FTC entertained the idea of canceling the Care Label Rule. It did not succeed thanks to help from DLI members.
Employment Retention Tax Credit – DLI sounded the alarm on an attempt to shift the ETRC’s deadline up by a full quarter. Members quickly shared their opinions with elected officials, helping to defeat the measure.
Leading the Way
Institute-wide Strategic Planning seeks to ensure a brighter future for DLI members by taking proper advantage of opportunities and accentuating the positive aspects of professional cleaning.
Into the Future
It’s been an interesting year to say the least. All DLI leaders and staff value you and are committed to working to benefit your business. Please have a fantastic holiday season. We’re looking very forward to sharing some important developments when we kick off 2022 with our next issue of Fabricare.
