In the book Rework by by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson, they talk about planning. “Unless you are a fortune teller, long-term business planning is a fantasy. There are just too many factors that are out of your hands: market conditions, competitors, customers, the economy, etc.” What are all of these factors? They are…
Read MoreIn a day and age when consumers are inundated with different advertising and marketing messages, successful businesses are forced to work harder and smarter to gain their customers’ attention and remain top of mind. McDonald’s and Southwest Airlines are great examples of corporations who are nailing branding, earning themselves a loyal consumer following and setting…
Read MoreIf you’ve been in the business for five years or longer, you’ve seen the future! And with the future came some unintended consequences for our industry. Automotive innovations like automatic wipers and electronic transmissions have affected our ability to produce. A simple thing like automatic wipers when the sensor on the windshield gets wet has…
Read MoreWith the holidays right around the corner, many car washes are jumping on the gift card bandwagon. And rightfully so; gift cards translate into upfront cash and profits realized with each sale. However, why not take it one step further and implement a well thought out Unlimited Program? When properly done, an unlimited club is…
Read MoreIn recent conversations with both future and current operators, familiar topics always come up: Free vacs or not $3 car wash or not Prepping or not Auto cashiers or attendant You get the idea; there are more but this gets you thinking in the right direction. While I certainly have an opinion on most of…
Read MoreI’ve seen operators fixated on cost per car for chemical and it makes me wonder, should we care? The answer is, yes, you have to care, but let’s focus on what’s important. Consistency Be consistent! Make it the same application every time, the same chemical usage every time, and clean the same spots every time.…
Read MoreA wave has been crossing the country for the last couple of years; maybe you have caught this wave and taken the ride, or maybe you are still trying to understand how it actually works. What is this wave you ask? Unlimited Wash Clubs! DRB Systems recently held a seminar in Scottsdale, AZ entitled ‘Simplicity…
Read MoreA new year is upon us, which means it’s time for the long-standing tradition of setting goals and resolving to better, both personally and professionally, in 2014. For those of us with businesses, it is a time to reflect on the previous year and set new goals for the upcoming year. As we look into…
Read MoreAs humans, we are naturally drawn to things we can measure and quantify. It is because of this human instinct that the Marketing world has been moving towards more measurable efforts. We need to know what worked and what did not so our marketing dollars are not wasted. While this makes sense, there are some…
Read MoreFar too many times I hear operators talk about adding something to the higher package to try and move customers up; or, when a new store is about to open, they start at the top package (which obviously includes everything they just purchased as wash components) and then start taking away equipment until they get…
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