Laundry Talks By TEXO

No BS Sales Conversation with Walker McKay

Eric Smith — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 19:32:56 +0000

Season 2 kicks off with a conversation between host Eric Smith and sales coach and author Walker McKay, diving deep into what effective, modern sales really look like—especially in the textile rental industry. This episode challenges traditional sales mindsets, reframing “no” as a powerful and productive outcome, and emphasizes the importance of transparency, qualifying prospects early, and differentiating through meaningful conversations rather than generic claims. From handling competition, to empowering route service reps to sell confidently, to building a simple, repeatable sales process for family-owned and independent operators, Walker shares practical, actionable insights listeners can apply immediately. It’s an insightful episode packed with real-world sales strategies designed to help business leaders sell smarter, faster, and with far less friction.

Listen now on your preferred platform and share your thoughts on our episode!

https://blog.alliantsystems.com/laundry-talks-podcast/s2-ep1-no-bs-sales-conversation-with-walker-mckay

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Laundry Talks
(00:00:43) - Laundry Talks
(00:03:25) - Getting a No quickly
(00:07:57) - The Textile Rental Industry
(00:12:02) - Do Route Sales People Get Enough Upselling?
(00:15:45) - How to Get the Help You Need
(00:17:28) - Route Sales Hiring 101
(00:18:42) - New Business Sales Coach: Change Behavior
(00:20:52) - 4 Steps in the Business Buyer's Process
(00:23:53) - How to Improve Your Sales Process?
(00:28:43) - How to Get More Business From Your Customers
(00:32:26) - No BS Sales: Walker McKay on

How to Hire Great Route Service Representatives with Nancy Roberts

Eric Smith — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 19:55:04 +0000

In this episode of Laundry Talks we discussed the challenges of hiring and retaining top-performing route service representatives (RSRs) in the textile rental industry. Host Eric Smith interviews Nancy Roberts, also known as the Disc Wizard, who specializes in using behavioral assessments to help businesses make better hiring decisions. Nancy shares insights from her years of experience, explaining how top RSRs possess strong customer service skills but are also internally driven by efficiency and control—traits similar to business owners. She discusses how benchmarking successful employees and using assessments can help laundries reduce turnover and find the right candidates.

Listen now on your preferred platform and share your thoughts on our episode!

https://blog.alliantsystems.com/laundry-talks-podcast/ep10-how-to-hire-great-route-service-representatives-with-nancy-roberts

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Hiring and Retiring Great Route Service Reps
(00:02:16) - Hiring With the Disc Wizard
(00:03:17) - Laundry Talks
(00:04:05) - Bucket List Vacation
(00:05:10) - In the Elevator With the Disc Wizard
(00:06:49) - Have the Assessment Programs Changed the Way You Hire Route Reps?
(00:09:25) - The Process of Job Benchmarking
(00:14:01) - WSJDLive: Hiring in the Laundry Industry
(00:15:21) - Don't Hire This Route Rep
(00:16:29) - Getting the survey data out there
(00:17:17) - The Top Performers Project
(00:18:10) - The Competencies of Top Performers
(00:22:22) - Top Selling Reps: Skills and Competencies
(00:25:09) - Top Operators: The RCRS Assessment
(00:27:28) - Have I Got The Right Route Rep?
(00:30:27) - RSR cheat sheet for hiring reps
(00:31:44) - Book Recommendation
(00:34:18) - The Changes in Payment Systems for Textile Rentals

Securing the Legacy: A Financial Planner talks Essential Succession Planning Strategies for Textile Rental Companies

Eric Smith — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 16:03:00 +0000

In episode 9 of Laundry Talks, we're excited to welcome TJ Acerra, the President and Founder of Avail Wealth Group, as our special guest. We'll explore succession planning strategies, employee benefits, and even insurance, for textile rental businesses. This new episode will help you learn more about why is very important for small and mid-sized family-owned businesses to have a forward-looking plan.

Listen now on your preferred platform and share your thoughts on our episode!

https://blog.alliantsystems.com/laundry-talks-podcast/ep9-securing-the-legacy-a-financial-planner-talks-essential-succession-planning-strategies-for-textile-rental-companies

A new generation takes over and expands beyond a single plant with Colin Wetlaufer

Eric Smith — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 20:54:00 +0000

In Episode 8, we're joined by special guest Colin Wetlaufer, president of City Clean & Simple, a family-owned textile rental company, to discuss the history and growth of the company, which has been in operation for nearly 120 years. Colin explains how the company expanded significantly over the past several years while maintaining its service quality and local feel.

Join the conversation in our new EP8: "A new generation takes over and expands beyond a single plant" to learn more about the company’s family legacy, challenges of expansion, employee retention, technological innovations like RFID, and strategies for growth and customer service in the textile industry.

Listen on your favorite platform at the link below:

https://blog.alliantsystems.com/laundry-talks-podcast/ep8-a-new-generation-takes-over-and-expands-beyond-a-single-plant-with-colin-wetlaufer

Future-Proofing your Textile Rental Business with Joe Ricci of TRSA

Eric Smith — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 15:30:00 +0000

In Episode 7, we're joined by Joe Ricci, President and CEO of the Textile Rental Services Association (TRSA) to talk about how the Textile Rental Industry continues to grow and evolve.

What are the top challenges operators face regarding labor? What are leading companies doing to retain talent? What technologies are changing how textile rental companies interact with their customers? What is TRSA doing to promote the industry?

We'll answer these questions and more with Joe Ricci. As a textile rental professional, don't miss EP7: "Future-Proofing Your Textile Rental Business" to keep up with industry best practices!

Importance of Peer Groups with Kasey Wahl, Matt Vacca, Currie Gilbert & Levi Nix

Eric Smith — Fri, 28 Jun 2024 14:31:00 +0000

One of the great things about our industry is the willingness of operators and suppliers to work together, collaborate, and share information. Our newest episode focuses on this topic! We're joined by an amazing group of people today with special guests Kasey Wahl, Matt Vacca, Currie Gilbert & Levi Nix. In this episode, we'll talk about the benefits and importance of Peer Groups and how they can help both operators and suppliers become better textile rental professionals.

Expand or Build: What happens when you outgrow your textile rental facility? with Arrow Linen

Eric Smith — Wed, 08 May 2024 16:00:00 +0000

In Episode 5: Expand or Build: What happens when you outgrow your textile rental facility? Our host, Eric Smith, brings two generations of Textile Rental Operators to answer the question on how to proceed when your production needs outgrow your plants’ technology resources. Join us in this amazing conversation to learn the story of Arrow Linen with John (3^rd generation), Anthony, and John (4^th generation) Magliocco and their key takeaways to a successful expansion.

Don’t forget to utilize our Free ROI Calculator resource available for textile rental operators!

Best Practices for Managing Price Increases with Judy Krenz and Melissa Busch

Eric Smith — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 14:58:15 +0000

In this episode of Laundry Talks, Eric Smith interviews two industry veterans, Judy Krenz and Melissa Busch from Phelps Uniform Services. Price increases are a reality in every business, but how companies approach them varies quite a bit. Join our conversation today as we hear how one company completely changed the way they approach their price changes with their customers.

Don’t forget to utilize our Free ROI Calculator resource available for textile rental operators!

Coaching: The Value of Formal Route Check-In Processes With Dana Horne

Eric Smith — Thu, 31 Aug 2023 20:34:04 +0000

In this episode of the Laundry Talks podcast, the host, Eric Smith, interviews Dana Horne, the General Manager of CTC, a mixed textile rental operator based in Clinton, OK. Dana got her start in the textile rental with a national provider, Cintas, but has since worked on both the operator and supplier side of the business prior to landing with CTC. She has a long history of training and coaching success. Eric and Dana also discuss the value of daily face-to-face coaching sessions and challenges related to training and hiring in today’s business environment.

Evolution Of Technology In The Laundry Industry: Part 2 with Becky Hughes

Eric Smith — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 16:00:00 +0000

Don’t miss out on part two of the very first episode of “Laundry Talks” – Evolution of Technology in the Laundry Industry! In the second part of this podcast, we are joined by Becky Hughes, president of Hughes Customat, Inc. of St. Louis, MO. Becky and Eric discuss what managing a form-based invoice system was like and how the move to mobile technology has reduced costs and improved customer experiences. Make sure you tune in to “Laundry Talks” and join the conversation.

Evolution of Technology in the Laundry Industry with Guest Barry Smith

Eric Smith — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 19:41:21 +0000

Calling all textile rental professionals! Get ready for an exciting new podcast, "Laundry Talks." In our debut episode, we have industry veteran Barry Smith, who helped pioneer computerized billing systems in the late 1960’s. Join us as Barry talks about riding his first route, his impressions of the industry at the time, discusses the limitations of computer hardware in the early days, and shares early challenges, successes, and his thoughts on where the industry is headed. Don't miss out on this insightful conversation. Tune in to "Laundry Talks" and join the conversation.

Check out our episode recap and notes here or use our Free Resource for Textile Rental Operators here!