Autobell: a Success Story
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
a national publication for savvy carwash owners and suppliers Autobell: a Success Story issue 2012.1 Published by: Bay Media, Inc. © 2012 Bay Media, Inc. 550M Ritchie Highway, #271 Severna Park, MD 21146 Letter from the Editor: 410.647.8402 Email: [email protected] twitter: @carwashtrends Facebook: WashTrends magazine Web site: www.baymed.com Patricia H. Troy, President WashTrends Contributors: Did you ever feel like something great is about to happen? That’s Publisher: Patricia H. Troy how we’ve been feeling at WashTrends as we celebrate the cusp Editor-in-Chief: Sandy Travis- of winter and spring, ready for endings and new beginnings. Our Bildahl first issue of 2012 features trends and information that can add Editorial Advisor: Pam Piro inspiration to how business is done at the carwash. Designer: Betsy Earley Web Site: Anne Benjamin This issue is packed! We’ve got news about solar, an energy Editorial Content: source that can add savings, energy efficiency and a marketing boost to your wash. You won’t Sandra Loepker want to miss the new ideas and fresh insights that we’ve learned from our research down Lucia Regan under. Find out how Australia’s faced challenges and success with optimism and strategies Wendi Winters that translate into new ways to consider business in the USA. Hear how “express detailing” Advertising Sales: can add a great option for customers and a nice boost for business. Our carwash profile Cheryl Kinney shares a personal look into what makes a business work and our featured blog report provides Support: Doralee Billings information straight from the source. Patty Blakeney We cover it all and hope you’ll benefit from the advice, information and ideas that are food Laurie Plemons for thought and motivation for greater success. WashTrends gives you new options for doing Sea Williams business, communicating and serving your customers. Want to Advertise? And take note! Our live media edition brings you more than ever before. Follow links for Call, email, or twitter, facebook… easy access to the information you need. Listen to audio tips direct from industry experts and Let’s Connect! leaders. Enjoy WashTrends from your computer, your smart phone or your tablet. WashTrends Cheryl Kinney at: ph: 410-647-8402 brings convenience and great information to our readers in the way that works best in today’s www.WashTrends.com business arena. email: [email protected] As always, our goal is to bring you unbiased, trendsetting, up-to-the-minute information, that can move your business to the future with economic success. Sandy Travis Bildahl Editor-in-Chief on the cover: Washtrends ORIGINAL WATERCOLOR BY PHYLLIS SAROFF Phyllis Saroff is both an illustrator and fine artist. She illustrates children’s books, magazines and sci- WashTrends Publication Schedule: entific wildlife pieces, 2012.2: Deadline April 15, 2012; Publication Date - May 15, 2012 and exhibits her fine art in an Annapolis Product Showcase: Deadline June 15, 2012; Publication Date - July 2012 gallery. She feels 2012.3: Deadline September 1, 2012; Publication Date - October 2012 fortunate to be able to 2012.4: Deadline - November 1, 2012; Publication Date - December 2012 paint what she loves, and it shows in her Trendsetter Issue: Deadline January 15, 2013; Publication Date - February 2013 work. She often says that she benefited from excellent teachers and a father who WashTrends is changing the way it designates its issues. Our four regular issues will be 2012.1, 2012.2., made sure she could become an artist. 2012.3, and 2012.4. We will also include the Buyer’s Guide and the Trendsetter Special Reports. WWW.SAROFFILLUSTRATION.COM 3 4 WashTrends / 2012.1 5 A Weekly Blog Posting from WashTrends and the Industry Leaders From the WashTrends.com web site BY PAT TROY, PUBLISHER OF WASHTRENDS As the publisher of WashTrends magazine, I am pleased with a healthy competitive environment. The trends to announce that we have launched a WashTrends don’t trickle down from a few people at the top. On the blog, called CarWash Words. This is a weekly blog, contrary, they seem to percolate up from the bottom. with a new post each weekend. Posts are written by In my opinion, that is why a magazine like WashTrends an array of carwash industry folks on carwash related is important to the industry. Somebody needs to topics of their own choosing. It is my observation keep an eye on what is driving change and report it that innovation in the carwash industry springs from throughout the industry. individual hard work and flashes of genius, coupled KARL MURPHY, CAROLINA AUTO SPA SUCCESSFUL MARKETING IS A PROCESS, NOT AN EVENT If you are unhappy with the results You need to market your business every day, week and month of your marketing, you are not really religiously if you expect to make a difference. You need a great marketing your business and you USP (unique selling proposition). A USP is the “why me,” “why want to get started now…create a should you spend your money with my business over all other marketing process for your business options available to you to spend your money.” will maximize your investment in Every hour, day or week you are not executing some sort of marketing dollars. marketing event to share your USP’s with clients and potential So what is the difference between clients you are missing opportunities and allowing competitors events and processes? Let’s use access your clients. If you are not starting conversations and fitness, running and marathons as developing relationships with your clients and prospects, you an example. I know running long can bet a competitor is. distances is something ever car wash A brief word about the competition today, if you haven’t been owner does on a weekly basis so this paying attention THERE IS a new economy. Today consumers at is a very appropriate analogy… all income levels are more discerning with their discretionary The marathon is the event. Life-long fitness is the process. The income. Because of this new more difficult consumer mindset marathon races occur infrequently (for most of us). They tend you now compete with everyone else and everywhere else the to occur on one day. Fitness is the process that occurs over a consumer may spend his or her discretionary income. You just lifetime. Each day we get up and exercise. We run, lift weights, don’t compete with other car wash and detail facilities. You eat healthy, ride a bike, take a class at a gym, do cross training, compete with vacations, car payments, house cleaning services, go for a hike, etc laundry and dry cleaning, auto repair services, children’s parties, gym memberships, new clothes. Today you literally compete So how does process vs. event affect your ability to run well? If with every other discretionary item that a consumer MAY spend you show up on race day for a marathon, enter, run and perform money on. poorly or don’t complete the race because you didn’t train for weeks in advance…that seems like a reasonable outcome. Your May the sun shine on your wash and the car lines stretch all the marketing reacts the same way to events. If you decide to one way down your street. day run an ad, buy a coupon, run a radio spot or buy a cable What are your events driven by process or maybe no marketing TV ad with no process, strategy and continuity over time you plans and need a plan? will have little or no success. One ad, little or no preparation equals no success. Just like running marathons or any road What works for you? race, with your marketing it is unlikely that single event will have What questions do you have? any measurable positive impact on your business. In fact event Owner/Operator of two car washes, a detail facility, oil change shop and driven marketing can be very damaging because you develop growing mobile detailing business serving the greater Raleigh area of bad habits in your business “my marketing doesn’t work…I’m North Carolina. not going to invest in “X” any more.” Founder of Bizownerseminar.com series and www.bizguy.tv to I coach and educate business owners on marketing and sales share marketing, time management and operations expertise with other every week and I hear this a lot. “I did one or two of something business owners. Bizguy provides marketing tools, tactics, coaching and and we didn’t grow our business.” One of the biggest challenges strategy to independent business owners nationally. I face is creating marketing process based habits in the owner. Much like my children, owners want immediate impact from the Let’s hear from you today! This blog was repeated from the Carwash first event. It just doesn’t work that way. Words blog at www.washtrends.com/blog 6 WashTrends / 2012.1 MIKE BENMOSCHE: WINTER CONDITIONS CAN CAUSE SERIOUS INJURIES Mike joined Mang in 2004 and brought with him over 30 years of insurance industry experience. Mike is the Director of Mang’s National Car Wash Insurance Program. He has served as President of the Albany Field Club, The Independent Insurance Agents of Albany and Director of the Independent Insurance Agents of New York State. He received his Certified Insurance Counselor designation in 1983. MARK CURTIS: BLUE SKIES FOR SMART CARWASHES Splash Car Wash was founded by Mark Curtis with the opening of their first hand wash–—in Splash, Greenwich. A lifelong Greenwich, CT resident, Curtis cast aside his business suit and tie to immerse himself in suds and water with the purchase of Greenwich Car Wash in 1981.