METROPULSE™
Attract more upscale customers by offering something they can’t get anymore, anywhere else, at any price!

“They Don’t Make ‘Em Like They Used To…We Do!” is a headline you may recall seeing recently on advertisements for The Metropolitan Vacuum Cleaner Company’s Professional Series vacs. This new twist on the old line, however, represents much more than a few clever words describing the handsome retro styling of these units. Rather, it epitomizes the Stern family’s commitment to maintaining a standard of American manufacturing and service excellence that’s hard to come by these days.

As I’m sure you’re aware, virtually every manufacturer is now making or importing plastic vacuum cleaners. Consumers see them every day in “self-selling cartons” on the shelves, in the mail-order catalogs and online in the e-stores, of just about every mass merchandiser in the world who deals in housewares. They come in every color imaginable, boast a long list of great-sounding features, and are relatively cheap. They also break easily, are only designed to last a year or two, and despite all their “bells-and-whistles,” don’t really work very well! Unfortunately, most consumers don’t realize this unless they’ve been burned once or twice.

So, Mr. Floor Care Specialty Dealer, how do you turn this situation around and make it work in your favor? You obviously can’t fight these monster marketers on price or volume, nor would you want to. The only way is to target more discerning, upscale customers with something they can’t get anywhere else: expert, personalized service and quality, professional-grade products.

If you’re a regular reader of this column you may recall a recent article (MetroPulse™ December 2006) describing how the Metropolitan Vacuum Cleaner Company was started back in 1939 by Israel and Pearl Stern with nothing more than $50 and a dream. From that humble beginning, three generations of the Stern family have built the company into a thriving, multidivisional manufacturing corporation. But, they have never lost sight of their original commitment to providing the highest quality products at fair, marketable prices; backed by uncompromising service and dealer support -- a rare commitment these days, but exactly what the doctor ordered to help keep your specialty business healthy in this mass-market economy!

Let’s take the Metro Professional Series vacs as an example. The difference is apparent immediately. Instead of the gaudy, often intimidating look of the molded-plastic units, the Professionals feature an appealing, “retro-classic” canister design with an elegant stainless-and-chrome finish. Instead of easily-breakable, throwaway plastic, they are made of rugged steel and designed to last a lifetime. In place of unnecessarily complex “bells-and-whistles,” they offer no-nonsense, professional-quality cleaning power and performance. And finally, instead of being made in a country you’ve probably never heard of, and sold through a disinterested third-party distributor, the Professionals are made right here in the USA and backed by a family that’s been in the vacuum cleaner business for almost 70 years. That’s the kind of quality and service upscale customers will come to you for. The kind they can’t get anymore…anywhere else…at any price!

If you’d like to learn more about utilizing Metro® products to leverage increased profits in the face of the faceless, mass-merchandising giants, contact Ken Stern at 1-800-822-1602 or visit www.metrovacworld.com.

MetroPulse™ is sponsored by Metropolitan Vacuum Cleaner Company, Inc.
Dealer inquiries are welcomed at 1-800-822-1602 or visit www.metrovacworld.com.

Reprinted from Floor Care Professional, February 2007