Youth Group Donation Update

[Waxman]

Okay, so I took Pat C's advice and donated 50 deluxe ($10) carwashes to a local church youth group. I have a nice lady who has been a 15 year+ customer and she is affiliated with one church; she was my 'liason'.

She contacted another woman who came and picked up the tokennotes. I discussed how they could be sold, for potentially how much, etc.

What a super idea this is!!! The youth group sells them for $8 each and stands to make (pure profit for them) $400 towards a trip they want to take.

Just as Pat C. said, the Priest announced at mass the sale of these after service. Also, the church made up a large flyer touting the benefits of the carwash, and generally saying how nice it was of the company to donate these for the youth group.

I am getting MANY NEW, FIRST-TIME customers due to this promotion and am completely thrilled about it.

Super idea.

 

[Bubbles Galore]

Ditto here. Per Mr. Crowe's advice in his tech bulletins, I will be doing the same thing by offering up just straight tokens that can be sold for pure profit.

I will also be doing a food drive where for a sack of non-perishable food items, you will receive a free token.

Kudos to Mr. Crowe for helping me think outside the box

Good work Waxman, I have found that goodwill in the community will take you and your business quite far. Let me know if that vender makes it to you in good condition.

 

[bigleo48]

Great Idea Mr Crowe! Great execution Waxman. Generally, church people are loyal customers and with some much competition out there, they are the kind of customers you want to attract and retain!

It's this kind of thing that makes some washes thrive during these trying times!

BigLeo

 

[car washing systems inc]

What we do at our washes are on the kick off day for little league we let them use 2 bays and 2 vacs set them up for tokens max out the timmers and they use the equipment for about 4 hrs, they have kids from the teams wash the cars for the people for donations i think last year they made about 1,000.00 all the donation money they keep 100% and they advertise it at the ball park, there are people just give a donation to help them out and then go into one of the other bays and pay to wash there car, it works out great for everyone

 

[BillClinton]

If there is a car wash bulletin, I would like to be on the mailing list. Anyone have info about it? Thanks,

 

[Renato]

As per Pat?s advice and help, I donated to one of the church near to my car wash 1000 cupons for a basic wash, the church group sold these at 3.00 usd each ( about 35.00 pesos) So far I?ve received about 300 of these cupons and all of them are NEW CUSTOMERS!!!! they are very pleased about the help we gave to the church.
I named this small program THANK YOU FOR HELPING US TO HELP.and its printed in the cupons. Im planning to give this kind of help at least 2 times a year.
Again Thanks Pat for your help!
regards
Renato
from Mexico

 

[Patrick H. Crowe]

Waxman, Bubbles Galore, bigleo48, Renato:

I'm delighted to hear how well the promotion worked for you. What I hope the readers of your posts can sense between the lines is how good it made these guys feel to do it. The joy of givi9ng is alive and well and the extra business is just the icing on the cake.

Carry on!

Patrick H. Crowe

 

[Patrick H. Crowe]

Dear BillClinton:

I think the word "Bulletin" was used in reference to the 30 Self-service Car Wash Technical Bulletins which I wrote, publish and sell. They cover 30 different topics but there is no mailing list.

These guys refer to my bulletin #24 titled: ADVERTISING AND PROMOTING THE SELF-SERVICE CAR WASH. Here's a brief summary:

Advertising costs tons of money. Few self-serves can possibly afford TV, radio, newspaper or any sort of main stream media ads. Mean while PUBLICITY is free or almost free and if well done will generate word of mouth support which is priceless. Waxman could never have bought ANY ad as good as the Priest tell about his place at the end of mass. I happened to me, I wrote about it.

#24 gives 14 other specific ways I have promoted my self serves over many decades. I remain amazed that no wash took up my invitation to joibn my OPRAH for President car was promotion.

Incidentially Bill has a complete set of all 30 Bulletins to give away as door prizes at the "FOURM PARTY" at the ICA convention. An autographed copy of my OPRAH for President book is included as are all my other materials. Pitzer knows the power of PUBLICITY so go to the party if you possibly can.

Patrick H. Crowe, wwwcarwashappraisal.com

 

[Patrick H. Crowe]

BillClinton:

Email me your snail mail address and Bulletin #24, ADVERTISING AND PROMOTING THE SELF-SERVICE CAR WASH will be on its way to you with my compliments - - all you are required to do in return is tell us how it feels when the Priest endorses your business and thanks you for your generosity at the end of Mass.

One more promotional tidbit: All teachers and staff at your kid's school(s) should get free tokens at Christmas and Easter (Winter & Spring) - - don't dare skip the staff, especially the custodians and kitchen staff.

Patrick H. Crowe

 

[Patrick H. Crowe]

One more promotional tidbit: As I suspect some of you also do, my wife and I eat most often at a neighborhood bar an grill. Theyrecognize us, most of the wait staff knows I prefer my manhattans sans cherry - on and on. There are 47 folks on the staff there; I know because I asked the owner.

You can be 100% sure that each holiday season I gave the owner 50 packets of car wash tokens so these folks knew Pat appreciated their care and attention. Amen. for sure!

Can I offer statistically valid evidence that this sort of effort can be proven to be profitable? Heck no!

Whyndi mky wash do so, so much better than the national averages? Who knows. Pethaps a sarcastic attitude like mac's is the real answer.

Patrick H. Crowe

 

[Randy]

NEVER AGAIN!! We?ve given token notes and tokens to different groups in the past only to be used by the group member?s themselves. We give large number of Token notes to the PTA to be used in the annual PTA auction, next thing we know the school teachers are using them. We were approached by a local radio station, they wanted to do a contest and give away prizes. The vast majority of the Token notes were used by the radio station employees and there friends. We?ve given tokens and token notes to the local welcome wagon. They were used by the real estate people. Every year I get letters asking for money for this or that. Most of the letters are poorly written and are copies of copies. We?d love to sponsor youth sports teams or other local causes but they won?t ask face to face. When I was running the Boy Scout Troop we had an annual/ dinner auction. I had the boys in uniform go to the local businesses and ask for donations of goods or services. These boys did very well in getting donations, all because they would ask the business manager or owner face to face. They had the best gear, there parents never had to pay to send them to summer camp.

 

[Renato]

Waxman, Bubbles Galore, bigleo48, Renato:

I'm delighted to hear how well the promotion worked for you. What I hope the readers of your posts can sense between the lines is how good it made these guys feel to do it. The joy of givi9ng is alive and well and the extra business is just the icing on the cake.

Carry on!

Patrick H. Crowe

Dear Pat: Today I received the invitation from priest JULIO ALBA, which is my friend and to whom I donated the 1000 cupons, to join him and his church team, during eastern holidays in which he called HEALTH AND CARE WEEK, in which he and his church team, among with some dentist, doctors and other give help to a very poor community located in the Sierra. I feel HONOR with this invitation and of course I will help them.
Thanx again Pat

 

[Patrick H. Crowe]

Dear Renato:

You are welcome kind sir. St. Patrick will bless you and be there to welcome a man of generosity and good will.

Patrick H. Crowe

 

[soapy]

AS I recall it was Lori Cady of Mo cady carwash in Colorado who first posted this idea for charity carwashing back in the mid 90s when this forum was in its infancy and long before Pat C was on board. She is responsible for most of the WCA charity wash program that was also adopted and updated by the ICA. Most of her ideas have been reposted by others. Most of what I am seeing here is for IBA charity washes. I think Pat C. is strictly a SS bay only operator. I think Lori has sold her washes now but she deserve the real congrats for this idea.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

I met her a few years ago at an ICA show. The industry could use a few more class acts like her.

 

[soapy]

Lori and her husband built a house and live off the grid making their own power etc. They now make concrete statues for gardens. It would be great if they could make it to the expo.

 

[Waxman]

Thank you Lori Cady.

I'm a big fan of this concept and have gotten so much positive feedback in the community that it is surely a strategy I will continue to implement.