In this week’s edition of Wash Wisdom, we feature several tips for winning customers in the professional carwashing industry.
In an effort to provide our readers with insightful content geared toward growing business and boosting profits, the Professional Carwashing & Detailing team is excited to launch our new weekly roundup of business best practices, Wash Wisdom. Each week, our editors will deliver information on the latest trends, technology, tips and techniques aimed at helping investors, owners and operators enhance their operations.
These tips for winning customers were recently featured in an article on Carwash.com titled, “5 ways today’s savvy business owners excel.”
Providing a carwashing and detailing service that surpasses the competition is a good end goal to reach for winning customers. However, if you don’t know your customers, the shifting buying trends and what influences buying, then you risk losing business and possibly more.
In the article “5 ways today’s savvy business owners excel,” author Brian Greenberg notes that tomorrow’s smart and successful entrepreneur will have “his or her bases well-covered on five particular fronts.” These fronts are:
- Being transparent. Operating with transparency is now quite mandatory. Especially important to millennials, who wield a tremendous amount of influence and purchasing power, transparency will drive how businesses are perceived is an understatement at best.
- Loyalty programs. Most seasoned carwash owners understand and appreciate the benefits of loyalty programs. “Each industry faces new competition on a daily basis, and customers are understandably price-sensitive, often buying from the company with the best sale or perk,” writes Greenberg.
- Smart financing. Some new business owners will try to grow too quickly. Just as with personal finances, it is wise to not operate your business over your means. Use smart lending or crowdfunding, as Greenberg recommends.
- Social media. Social media is a great place to promote your business for free. However, your efforts will only be limited to your network. Greenberg says business owners should consider “pay-for-play” social media campaigns to maximize these channels’ potential.
- Instant gratification. “Simply put, if you do not offer some form of instant gratification your prospective customer will likely go somewhere that does,” writes Greenberg. Customers visit your carwash because it makes them feel good. Offer services, programs and offers that will make them feel even better. Being a memorable business that provides instant gratification for customers will pay you back in the long run.
Be sure to follow these tips, especially if you are a new business owner in the carwashing market. Buying trends and customer shopping habits are changing so be sure to change with the times as well.