Need Advice: getting whipped by Competitor's SS....

[DiamondWash]

Definitely add Credit Card Acceptance I just got done installing Cryptopay for another wash on the vacuums and S.S and it has increased not only traffic but his revenue went up, he was leary on increasing his prices but now he's glad he did. Don't go down in price to appease customers you'll get the worst of the worst.

 

[MEP001]

Somewhat unrelated, but following on a couple of comments about chemicals....I've tried some Kleen-Rite chemicals and was disappointed. They did an okay job, but the pre-soak and the triple foam gelled and made a complete mess of my systems. I had to spend about six hours cleaning out the holding tanks, manifolds and lines for my pre-soak and triple foam. Randy warned me about this, but I had already purchased five gallons of the KR concentrates so I tried to use them. I guess my wife is right, I don't listen.

I've seen that happen with certain chemicals, sometimes it's the fault of the chemical but it can also happen if you don't clean and rinse everything before switching and there's a reaction between the two. I just recently had someone complain that his tire cleaner solenoids were sticking open after he changed out the bucket to a different brand.

 

[tdlconceptsllc]

MEP001 your 100% correct a good soap man will flush the lines out with white vinegar to neutralize the chemical lines. I do this every six months to my laser as part of a PM helps the chemicals have a correct action and not working against each other before the soap even hits the car.

 

[loewem]

I did not use anything to neutralize the lines, but I drained and rinsed the holding tanks, ran hot water through the lines to each bay until clear, changed out pickup lines and pickup feet and cleaned the strainer. I'll add vinegar to the process next time.

 

[Stuart]

Out of population of 2900 what percentage of the carwash business do you believe you have?
If you do upgrades( ie. credit card,blowers, other) what percentage do you believe you will be able to get?
Will the new business you get create a reasonable ROI on your new equipment and be reasonably profitable?
And then what? The town population still decreasing?

Not to be the doom and gloom post here but could you make more money as a self storage?

 

[soonermajic]

Don't think self storage would be an option.
I prolly have 35% of SS biz. Might get to 50% w/ Credit Cards. Prolly my next project.

 

[Stuart]

Are you cash only or do you use tokens? If you do not have tokens this could be a good avenue to use as long as you do not need to buy new acceptors. Give out some to businesses who has multi vehicles, get some to the school (cheerleaders, bands, other clubs or groups) to sell at the football games, raffels, etc.. This will start to steer some traffic to you to hopefully try and stay. Get some to the motorcycle bar in town. Bars always have some kind or marketing program you can tie into like poker runs.

Credit cards can get expensive to install- not sure how many bays you have but put in 2 bays to try? Still need to market the fact you have card readers so expense is growing. good luck!

 

[Waxman]

I set myself apart by offering ample amounts of product and keeping functions working properly at all times. also by offering a towel dry station for customers to d.i.y. dry and detail. i offer a good vending selection. i try to add new services as time and money permit; 2 more vacs and a tire inflator are coming soon / in progress.

maybe see about getting a used car dealer license and selling a few for extra money. i did this and it was a very good move for me. i teamed up with another experienced dealer and got access to the car auctions. i chose a specialty ( volvo then hyundai) and it is a fun part of the business that requires no extra payroll ( at my level) and is steady year over year. it's rare that i lose money on a car sale. but in car wash biz, on a rainy day you are operating at a net loss. no way around that.

 

[Ayerule]

When I bought my established, underperforming wash the first changes I made was in presentation. Didn't really have the money to do a total revamp, so I wrote a list of things I wanted to do and made a plan. Two years later I'm still adding and working on this list.

Some cheap things I did first was:

- Pressure wash EVERYTHING. Building, bays, parking lot, curbs, parking bumps, ceilings, fences, dumpster...
- Tweaked the chemicals I already had working. Shaving cream FB, milky HP soap..
- Lights. Replaced bulbs and ballasts for bays, exterior, building and signage.
- Landscape. I didn't spend any money, just raked and pulled weeds.
- Polished/Cleaned my tokens. Threw them in buckets with soapy water to make them shiny again.
- Peeled old and worn decals. Actually went plain stainless steel for meter boxes with simple, clean looking decals. Looks new.
- Changed the voicemail greeting and made a list to follow up with every phone call.
- Website.
- Yelp, Facebook, Twitter... Free. Pictures, pictures, pictures. People love pictures and it was almost an overnight boost to my wash.

*I stress FREE. So many online chasers from the other coast or even other countries will call and tell you they are preferred or affiliated with Google or Yelp. You don't need them, they are just ripping you off. You can do everything yourself from your cell phone. I did. Google Adwords is the only thing I pay for only to spend on the amount of clicks I want and any technical help from actual Google is free. Watch for the third party companies.*

The above suggestions didn't really cost me much, just some time and elbow grease but it made a huge difference when it all added up. Plus, I was constantly on the property doing area beautification and customers saw that. As Waxman said, just being there I have earned people's trust. I'm out there pulling weeds and see someone walking to the token machine go out of their way to pick up a can and throw it in the trash. It's a nice feeling when people take that ownership and work with you.

Here are some things that cost a little more, but make a big difference. (At least I thought they did)

- Change all hoses with new colors.
- New guns, brushes, handles.
- Change spray tips.
- New vacuum domes with different colors.
- New decals.
- New signage.
- If you have an auto, perhaps new recipes and packages. NEW signage to reflect this.
- Paint building, worn parking spot lines and light poles.
- Landscaping.
- More lighting.
- Cameras. People notice and like the added feeling of security. Post signs they are on camera.
- CryptoPay (or any CC)
- Add scent to your chemicals. Cherry for wax, people will notice it and smell is the strongest trigger for memory.
- Pay someone $300 to build a legit website. Have it link to your Facebook and Yelp.
- Make an app for your place. It can link to you social media. You can send push notifications to their phones about specials or equipment back up and running.
- New pics with a fancy DSLR. I believe an online presence is critical and better to have it looking the best you can.

I hope some of these things will help you. Sorry for the ramble. Just a culmination of things I've learnt from this forum that shouldn't cost a whole lot. I've found some of my ideas would be productive and lucrative. While others only make sense to me, not the customer. Good luck.

 

[loewem]

Good info on your post, ayerule. I did most of the same things you listed and agree that the little things make a big difference. Great feeling when you see customers picking up after others. I get calls or texts from people when something isn't working like it should. When you can connect with your customers it is almost like they are in it with you.

I made my own website and Facebook pages. I really need to do what you did and pay someone to do it right.

Where do you get fragrance for your chemicals?

 

[DiamondWash]

Ayerule,

What is your website address?

 

[Kevin James]

I don’t think some of you guys get it!! He’s in a small LOW INCOME town of 2900 people. That means that most people don’t have any disposable income to wash their cars or it’s not important to have a clean car. You could build the frigg’n Taj Mahal of car washes with all the bells and whistles but if the people who live in the small low income town of 2900 people don’t have the means to use the car wash it won’t get used.

 

[MEP001]

The above suggestions didn't really cost me much, just some time and elbow grease but it made a huge difference when it all added up. Plus, I was constantly on the property doing area beautification and customers saw that. As Waxman said, just being there I have earned people's trust. I'm out there pulling weeds and see someone walking to the token machine go out of their way to pick up a can and throw it in the trash. It's a nice feeling when people take that ownership and work with you.

I've done the same thing several times, and I agree it makes a huge difference. I've been going to a lot of washes lately that could be much busier but the owner or attendant just doesn't care about keeping things clean and straight. The last one I was there for two hours and the attendant didn't do anything but stand around and smoke and watch me hang up two of the vac hoses.

 

[robert roman]

“I don’t think some of you guys get it!!”

I agree.

Someone on the Titanic doesn’t need to chart a new course, they need a lifeboat.

In this case, it’s not the equipment or chemical, it’s the market.

There simply isn’t sufficient public need for two washes.

 

[rph9168]

Robert and others are right. This market really doesn't have enough going for it to support one wash let alone two. I hate to say it but I hope Soonermagic got a good enough deal that the land is worth the purchase price because the wash will probably never be profitable to any extent or at all.

 

[soonermajic]

Bunch of good ideas. I'm doing many, but several more I need to do as well. Scent, in soaps/chems is a great idea.

 

[Ayerule]

Where do you get fragrance for your chemicals?

I was using JBS, but I'm about to make some chemical changes. Kleen Rite was ordering whatever I asked for from JBS.

 

[Ayerule]

What is your website address?

It's currently taken down as I am rebranding the place with matching logos and all for continuity between Yelp, Google, Facebook, etc.. I'll PM you once it's up.

 

[Nuphoenix]

In Reality the word "FREE" is very powerful in attracting attention from people and is an eye catcher , i learned this from a business webinar . my High Velocity IN BAY automatic started suffering when the new express tunnel was put in 2 miles down the road, so i put the word FREE in Use this i did

1 . Installed a token dispenser on my ACW4/5 and put a large Banner saying FREE Vacuums this only doubled my in bay washes just in a month and steadily going up , they can use the tokens for vacuum , self serve or use it for their next wash. customers are loving the free tokens to use , plus for marketing purposes i had my tokens custom designed with my wash name and address.

2. Things i am working on getting my change machine to dispense token and will advertise as follows " Free Tokens with every $5 dollar purchase, i am going to dispense 6 tokens for every 5 dollar bill , 12 tokens for 10 dollar bill and 24 tokens for 20 dollar bill " i have seen this working very well at a 14 bay self serve wash 10 miles from me who is also competing with 4 express washes in town.

How to you modify an ACW4 to dispense a token for free vacuums??

 

[soonermajic]

Just saw this, & the fact I started this thread 4 years ago... 2 yr into owning this wash. Thank the Lord I was able to sell this wash, & the guy who bought itnalso bought the other wash. He makea good $$, but not great.
I was able to buy the ONLY 2 washes in the next town over. They're profitable , have 2 fulltime employees, & life is MUCH better.

You guys did have a BUNCH of great ideas though.