Lets Get Some Positive Ideas Here

[robert roman]

Let me back-up through your comments.

A mentor is a trusted friend, counselor or teacher, usually a person of experience. Mentors don't charge their protege fees. A consultant is a professional who provides advice in a particular area(s) of expertise and charges a fee for the advice.

Over the last 9 years, I have made a decent living as a carwash consultant helping people get into business or improve their business.

The "theories" that you speak of are not mine and they are not pulled out of a hat. My suggestions are based on what I learned during my formal education, what I learned from my "mentor" and, more often, from the school of hard knocks. I don't have a habit of suggesting things that have absolutely no chance of working.

That my suggestion in the SS segment of this forum was met with such overwhelming disagreement led me to believe that my idea was considered preposturous. As for my emotional response, I'm a big boy, and I've gotten over it. Have you?

As for you and the few others who continue to pester me over this issue and demand things, I owe you nothng. I planted or shared a "seed" of an idea that has been effective for some of the people with whom I have worked with. My decision to quit participating in the SS segment of Bill's site is based on my experience that sharing ideas has been fruitless.

 

[Sequoia]

Consultants

While successfully building multi-million dollar companies, I've had the pleasure and pain to engage consultants from time to time in order to help with a particular business segment.

I've learned that some of them can be very helpful if they are truly an expert in the field and if their work is carefully targeted. One consultant I retained re-tooled our sales recruitment and training process and did a bang-up job that really helped our company. $20k spent on his fees resulted in great success.

I've also learned that some consultants, perhaps a majority, can be costly and ineffective burdens on a business and can even sometimes damage a process or business by employing untested theories or inappropriate ideas.

Over the years, I've learned to ask consultants to back up their claims with evidence, as I find this helpful to separate true progress from hot air. Thank you for clarifying your refusal to do that. I now better understand why you don't find any value participating in the forum.

 

[mac]

Some good and some stinging points here. Let me add a couple. I am a distributor, not an operator, but have been and may again get back into the retail side. I had this thought of a neat self serve bay utilizing some of the newer options available. A customer pulls into a bay and swipes his credit card. He washes with all the basic items, then blow dries the car with the bay blower, then vacuums with a central vac hose. Auto Vac has a neat system that greatly reduces the motor amp draw when not being used. Yes he will tie up a bay for a while, but he will probably spend 15 to 20 bucks. In the south where it gets hot, I think it would really go over good. As a distributor, I've done several things to keep my doors open. We looked real hard at all expenses, and cut them about 10%. As a business, if I cut $1,000 in costs, that's the equivalent of taking in 3 to 5,000 in sales. The other thing I did was expand my services to other businesses. I have techs on the road that do pretty good electrical troubleshooting and repairs. I now sell items other than car wash related things. And I found a neat way to capitalize on this stupid "green" movement in business. I won't say exactly what these are because I don't want to give my competitors any free advice. It is all about getting out of our comfort zone and getting aggressive.

 

[Sequoia]

Ideas

My idea for increasing revenue in difficult times is to raise prices on those customers who can afford to pay more, and preserve my core market by not raising prices on those who can't.

In my market, the "local" customers would object to a moderate-to-steep price increase, whereas the weekend "vacationers" from the San Francisco area always marvel at how cheap my SS is. ($2-4mins.) So the vacationers could pay more as they are used to higher prices back home.

I'm evaluating two methods for my selective price increase. One is to install new timers and make Tue, Wed, Thu washes at my current prices, and Fri-Mon washes at the newer, higher price. Locals could wash mid-week instead of weekend, and vacationers of course are only here on weekends.

The other method is to raise prices 20% across-the-board, but give 10% or 20% bonus tokens *if* a large bill ($10 or $20) is changed. Locals could buy a quantity of tokens knowing that they will use them this time or next, but vacationers probably would not do so.

I'm currently surveying a number of customers to get their feedback before making the decision and pulling the trigger.

 

[Bubbles Galore]

I see advice as neither good, bad or indifferent. I see it as someone's opinion or perception of the things they see around them. That is exactly how I take it, as opinion, not fact. If you take their opinion and are able to utilize some aspect of it into your business successfully, then you have received some advice. I don't think I will ever pay for it.

It would have been nice to have seen some numbers to back up Mr. Romans advice about lowering start times. But....it is his opinion and he is entitled to it. I don't think it will work in my market, but I am not upset that he expressed his opinion. He did hit the nail right on the head with his e-commerce statement. That aspect of my wash feels like it is growing exponentially. That is what makes us business owners. We all do things differently, and that is why there are great washes and not so great ones. Good luck to everyone, I know I picked up some good *advice* here.

 

[Earl Weiss]

>>It would have been nice to have seen some numbers to back up Mr. Romans advice about lowering start times. <<<

One local opertator has his cake and eats it too. He labeled a couple bays at each location "Splash and Dash" with $1.00 start time. I think he also has sinage indicating a reccomended minimum of $2.00 for a thorough job.

 

[Waxman]

My ss bays have always been labeled $2 to start. However, they can be activated with only $1. Big whoop. You get so little time for the buck that it's silly to only use $1. What's all the fuss over startup time, anyways???

Isn't the object to get people to linger and use all your great stuff; hot, hi psi water, lemony-smelling soap, cherry wax that beads even on glass like rainx, foam polish and spot free rinse???

If your bubble brush comes out like pina colada shave cream, then why in the heck does $1 vs. $2 startup even matter?

I think looking on that side of the SS equation is back a$$wards logic!!!

 

[Earl Weiss]

Promo ideas.

Fill a cooler with ice and soft drinks. Free drink with top package,
I give custom air fresheners with a top package. (Also sell them) I luv to see the little reminders / advertising hangiong from the mirrors.
Grocery store reciept coupons have been a winner for us. I thinmk grocery shoppers tend to be coupon users. Offer is free sealer wax with wash.

 

[Sequoia]

Waxman,

I agree with you. A focus on generating customers who are highly satisfied with the results at the time of leaving your wash is, IMO, the key to building a good long term core of customers. This is the strongest way to build a SS business.

To do that, you have to incent them to use all the needed products and services to reach that level of satisfaction-- whatever the cost. Trying to lure them in for a cheapie start price and resulting cheapie wash doesn't generate satisfied customers and, IMO, actually does the opposite.

 

[Red Baron]

RR wrote: "In April, I participated in an educational session at the NACS SOI Summit in Chicago. One of the key messages was that no industry is recession proof."

Recession-proof seems to be the buzzword of the times we're in. Two months ago I added those important words to our manufacturing company website: http://www.koldking.com/

I agree that no sector/industry is recession-proof, but there are recession-proof opportunities in every industry. In our mfg we simply switched emphasis away from high profit margins available by using our equipment, to the ability to price your work to stay busy while still making a reasonable margin. Leverage!

I could tell you how I'm adapting the same concept to my car wash but, then I'd have to kill you.

 

[Bud]

I know this has probably been discussed before but has anyone taken one day out of the week, such as Monday, and had a sale such as half off? This would be at an unattended SS and IBA. If so, what, if any, was the impact to income, positive or negative? It would kind of be a pain in the butt to change everything every week but if it helps then it may be worth it.

 

[Parker]

In the past 6 months or so I have tried all kinds of different promotions to bring people in, I do dollar off on all washes ever Tuesday ? Every wash gets a free 20 oz bottle of soda thursday ? free armor all pad with Top wash at the IBA. And all of them work great as long as you stick to it for a couple of months to let the word get out and let people get use to it, people love a bargains or love to think they?re getting one?.what?s an armor all pad worth 25 cents?. but people think they are getting a dollar value. To me people come to see what new deal they can get, but the biggest seller for self serves and automatics I think is being there on premise making sure people are satisfied?