How to attract people to the car wash. Car wash promotion - special offer! How to promote a car wash with the help of allied forces

Professional Carwashing & Detailing® was asked by Ron Beverly, President of Vision Marketing, to answer a question submitted by an anonymous reader about the best marketing ideas to quickly increase customer flow. car washes.

Question: What are the best methods to use to quickly attract customers to a car wash?

Ron Beverly: So, you have just opened a car wash, or have been its owner for a long time, and you want to increase the number of visitors and revenue in a short time. I interviewed a number of car wash owners and operators participating in the 2006 International Car Wash Association's World Car Care Show. This article is the result of that survey, as well as a summary of some creative marketing ideas to quickly increase visitor numbers and overall turnover.

People who were asked this question primarily pointed out that the car wash should be conveniently located, clean and attractive. Do you own a car wash? full cycle service or self-service car wash - its appearance should be presentable - a pleasant building, an attractive landscape around, friendly and skilled staff. An important factor from the point of view of marketing and special methods of stimulation is an easy-to-read sign or canopy. If you are okay with the location and appearance sinks, the rest is a matter of marketing. Here are 8 creative ideas to quickly increase the number of visitors and sales.

Aim for the end working week, if you want to increase the flow of customers on the weekend, or if the main task of the mailing list is to spur customer activity on the weekend.

View long-term weather forecasts by choosing the days with the most suitable weather to send out.

One of possible ideas- an offer to service two cars for the price of one. If a client brings a friend, spouse or co-worker, they are both served for the price of one. This is a great way to attract new visitors at the expense of existing ones.

This method involves holding a competition between car wash employees who will be asked to distribute "door hangers" near the car wash and in the vicinity of their own homes.

The pendant can be designed as a personal invitation from an employee and contain special discount offers that encourage people to visit this particular car wash. The employee who attracted more visitors, wins a prize.

In addition, a free car wash or an annual incentive in the form of two free car washes per month will be drawn between visitors according to the lottery principle.

At the Car Care Show, the owner of one of the full service car washes noted that their door hanger promotion had a 12 percent response from the audience.

3. Self adhesive coupons

The idea is identical to the action with door hangers. Each of us is familiar with self-adhesives "Post it!", Or, more simply, "stickers".

Adhesive sheets, designed in the form of dollars, must contain a special offer that represents a benefit to visitors. Suggest car wash employees to wrap dirty cars with them in parking lots, parking lots and in front of houses. Assign a reward to the one whose "dollars" will bring the company the most income.

4. Cross promotion (combined sales promotion, promotion of your product together with the product of another manufacturer).

Boost your business by partnering with other local businesses such as car care products or restaurant owners to create affiliate programs or co-advertise.

Pizzerias are extremely popular on Friday nights. Invite the pizzeria to fit pizza boxes on Fridays with flyers containing special offers from both the pizzeria and your car wash (flyers can be in the form of a ribbon around the box or in the form of a tear-off label). Make sure that on Saturday all the staff are at their workplaces - otherwise you simply cannot withstand the influx of visitors!

One of the exhibitors at the Car Care Show spoke about his collaboration with a locally popular restaurant: his car wash was offering a one-dollar discount on a bill from that restaurant dated the same day.

How about something like this unusual idea: Another exhibitor uses co-branding and cross-promotion with a local car dealership. The essence of this incentive method is something like this: when the agency sells a new car, the buyer receives 26 coupons for a free car wash. This yearly offer includes one free car wash every two weeks.

The costs of providing such coupons are compensated free advertising from the car dealership promoting this promotion. This idea is a great way to tell current and potential customers about yourself with the money the car dealership spends on its own advertising.

5. Buy one, get one

Attach a tempting offer to any promotion and new customers will immediately knock on your door. Invite your visitors to "pay for one comprehensive car wash today and get a free exterior car wash on your next visit."

When the customer comes back for his free car wash, have your staff ready to offer him Additional services, and also try to sell him a prepaid card if you have such a program.

Advertising on signs, door hangers, newspapers, direct mail, or radio can help get this program up and running quickly.

6. Win a series of free car washes for a year

Reward every 25th car that visits your car wash with a special pass containing a year's supply of free car washes. Let this pass contain 12 tear-off coupons for a free car wash, each of which can be used once a month.

Have your car wash staff cheer for every 25th car that enters the car wash to get the attention of passers-by and other customers.

Sufficient duration of the action - 1-2 weeks. At the end of it, it would be nice to invite a popular local radio to cover this event.

7. Fundraisers for public organizations

Nonprofit organizations are always on the lookout for quick ways to make money. Collaborate with local non-profit organization(school, church, sports team), and for every car they send you, pay a certain percentage of the money they make from servicing it.

Strategically plan your referral organization so that it is most active on special days of the week—particularly on low traffic days at the car wash, or, if you work with a church, on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Organization, school, parents, etc. will make you the most advertising. You can also use a sign to notify people about the opportunity to support a community by washing their car at your place.

8. Prepaid Program

If you still do not have this program, you should seriously consider the possibility of starting it. By doing this, you will not only be able to increase the amount of revenue, but also ensure customer loyalty to your car wash.

Offer your customers a prepaid program every time they drive into your car wash. Such programs can quickly attract customers to your car wash if you work with fundraising groups (see point 7), or if your employees use one-on-one campaigning or work on a business-to-business basis.

There are many ways to implement such a program with minimal cost to run it: using tear-off coupons, punched cards, or coupon books.

And in addition:

A fast audience response and a good return on marketing spend is the main goal of every car wash owner and manager who advertises their services. However, attracting new customers to the car wash is only part of the task. It is equally important to keep them.

One of the principles of marketing that helps keep customers willing to return to you again and again is the principle of "and more to boot."

If this principle is ingrained in the minds of the staff, and if they always follow it relentlessly, then from the many competing car washes on the same street, motorists will always choose yours.

The principle is simple: no matter what the car wash workers do, they must do their best... and a little more to boot. They have to work hard... and more than that. They wash cars conscientiously...with a little extra effort to boot. They're cleaning doorframes... and something else to boot. Tires and wheel rims are spotless and shine in the sun... and more than that!

If your work exceeds the expectations of customers, they will not only flock to your car wash, but they will also recommend it to their friends and relatives. Customer retention is the name and the main goal of this game.

Use these tools marketing communications to quickly attract visitors. Use the principle of "and more to boot" to keep them.

Car wash customers are owners Vehicle ordering a car body wash, interior cleaning and related services.

Business owners, at the very beginning of their work, ask themselves how to open a car wash to recoup all the material investments required to open your business, and receive a high income in the future. To do this, experts suggest using effective approaches.

How to promote a car wash quickly and attract customers

Effective ways to increase customers

wondering how to attract customers to a car wash, it is important to choose the right marketing strategy, where all actions aimed at increasing the number of orders will be clearly defined. To the most effective ways can be attributed:

good location - if the car wash is in a prominent place, many people will notice it, and the number of customers due to this will be large;
advertising - on initial stage running a business is indispensable without advertising, which will help to tell potential customers about yourself. For this, information is used in the press, the global network, on the radio, using print advertising and other methods;
gifts - gifts given when ordering services are perfect to stimulate customers;
promotions - programs provide for the provision of certain benefits to customers, for example, discounts when ordering several services at once;
encouragement of regular customers - in order for customers to return again, their programs are carried out to retain them, for example, a system for accumulating bonuses that can then be used when ordering services.

Looking for an answer to a question how to promote a car wash quickly and attract customers, should be recommended to review pricing policy. The desire of customers to save money is understandable, so they will be attracted by low prices.

Increasing customers with the help of the get-in-line.ru service

How to attract customers to a car wash, it will be clear if you evaluate the capabilities of the get-in-line.ru service (customer accounting program for a car wash), which offers convenient online registration, payroll, notification system and its own CRM system. Booking online is the maximum convenience, saving time, and a car wash in this way attracts a large number of customers.

ARTICLES » CAR WASHING

Question: What are the best methods to use to quickly attract customers to a car wash?

People who were asked this question primarily pointed out that the car wash should be conveniently located, clean and attractive. Whether you own a full-service car wash or a self-service car wash, its appearance should be presentable - a pleasant building, an attractive landscape around, friendly and skilled staff. An important factor from the point of view of marketing and special methods of stimulation is an easy-to-read sign or canopy. If you have everything in order with the location and appearance of the sink, then the rest is a matter of marketing. Here are 8 creative ideas to quickly increase the number of visitors and sales.

Aim for the end of the week if you want to increase your weekend customer traffic, or if your main goal is to keep your customers active over the weekend.

View long-term weather forecasts by choosing the days with the most suitable weather to send out.

One possible idea is to offer two cars for the price of one. If a client brings a friend, spouse or co-worker, they are both served for the price of one. This is a great way to attract new visitors at the expense of existing ones.

This method involves holding a competition between car wash employees who will be asked to distribute "door hangers" near the car wash and in the vicinity of their own homes.

The pendant can be designed as a personal invitation from an employee and contain special discount offers that encourage people to visit this particular car wash. The employee with the most visitors wins the prize.

In addition, a free car wash or an annual incentive in the form of two free car washes per month will be drawn between visitors according to the lottery principle.

At the Car Care Show, the owner of one of the full service car washes noted that their door hanger promotion had a 12 percent response from the audience.

3. Self adhesive coupons

The idea is identical to the action with door hangers. Each of us is familiar with self-adhesives "Post it!", Or, more simply, "stickers".

4. Cross promotion (combined sales promotion, promotion of your product together with the product of another manufacturer).

Boost your business by partnering with other local businesses such as car care products or restaurant owners to create affiliate programs or co-advertise.

Pizzerias are extremely popular on Friday nights. Invite the pizzeria to fit pizza boxes on Fridays with flyers containing special offers from both the pizzeria and your car wash (flyers can be in the form of a ribbon around the box or in the form of a tear-off label). Make sure that all staff are at their workplaces on Saturday - otherwise you simply cannot withstand the influx of visitors!

How about this unusual idea: another exhibitor uses co-branding and cross-promotion with a local car dealership. The essence of this incentive method is something like this: when the agency sells a new car, the buyer receives 26 coupons for a free car wash. This yearly offer includes one free car wash every two weeks.

The costs of providing such coupons are compensated by free advertising from the car dealership promoting this promotion. This idea is a great way to tell current and potential customers about yourself with the money that the car dealership spends on its own advertising.

5. Buy one, get one

When the customer comes back for his free car wash, have your staff ready to offer extra services and also try to sell him a prepaid card if you have such a program.

Advertising on signs, door hangers, newspapers, direct mail, or radio can help get this program up and running quickly.

6. Win a series of free car washes for a year

Have your car wash staff cheer for every 25th car that enters the car wash to get the attention of passers-by and other customers.

A sufficient duration of the action is 1-2 weeks. At the end of it, it would be nice to invite a popular local radio to cover this event.

7. Fundraisers for public organizations

Nonprofit organizations are always on the lookout for quick ways to make money. Partner with a local non-profit organization (school, church, sports team) and for every car they send to you, pay a certain percentage of the money raised from its maintenance.

Strategically plan your referral organization so that it is most active on special days of the week—particularly on days with low car wash attendance, or, if you work with a church, on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Organization, school, parents, etc. will make you the most advertising. You can also use a sign to notify people about the opportunity to support a community by washing their car at your place.

How to open a car wash?

Prepaid Program

There are many ways to implement such a program with minimal cost to run it: using tear-off coupons, punched cards, or coupon books.

And in addition:

A fast audience response and a good return on marketing spend is the main goal of every owner and operator of a car wash advertising their services. However, attracting new customers to the car wash is only part of the task. It is equally important to keep them.

One of the marketing principles that helps keep customers wanting to come back to you again and again is the principle of "and more to boot."

If this principle is ingrained in the minds of the staff, and if they always follow it relentlessly, then from the many competing car washes on the same street, motorists will always choose yours.

Use these marketing communications tools to quickly attract visitors. Use the principle of "and more to boot" to keep them.

Attract customers to the car wash

We need to figure out what kind of news may interest the consumer and how to motivate the one who will “put” it into the right ears.

What will help keep those who have already visited the car wash:

· Loyalty programs - bonus cards with discounts for the volume of ordered services, a subscription for a monthly service, etc. You can offer a discount of up to 50% for an external wash at the next visit for one complex wash. Or introduce a prepaid program for several visits in advance, in which the client receives a significant discount on services.

· For regular customers, it is possible to provide for the possibility of participating in a corporate network - for this, it will be necessary to agree with gas stations, parking lots, specialized stores on a common card, which will make it possible to get a good discount when buying goods (services) of the network.

· Adding additional services. For example, washing of glass or other elements of the car on the road, washing of specialized vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, etc.

Difficulties in car wash management

Self-service car washes are gaining popularity due to an excellent combination of favorable factors: the positive attitude of people towards the opportunity to wash themselves for little (compared to alternative options) money, multiplied by the still low competitive environment in most regions.

Interest is spurred on by the fact that today reliable suppliers of modern highly efficient washing equipment and consumables and companies have appeared on the market that are ready to solve all starting issues in a complex (from construction to legal registration).

However, from the day of launch, daily activities begin, preparing for which potential entrepreneurs ask a natural question: what are the difficulties of managing a car wash.

Car wash business: underwater reefs or clean harbor?

On the Internet, you can often find the judgments of already experienced car wash owners, which this business- Fairly easy to manage. Of course, their assessment already depends on the path traveled and is not entirely objective.

Strategies to attract customers to a car wash

But there is some certainty in it.

The main management efforts in any business are aimed at:

legal and financial support of activities;
security production process: procurement of blanks, maintenance of capacities;
product sales and marketing efforts.

Documentation - in order!

The specifics of self-service car washes are such that some issues are resolved already at the initial stage:

the necessary documentation is drawn up;
contracts are concluded for the supply of energy carriers and waste disposal.

In the future, it remains only according to the worked out scheme to submit reports in a timely manner, pay taxes and prolong contracts. Therefore, it is good to have an accountant-lawyer in the staff, whose professionalism will be invaluable both during the passage of planned and unscheduled inspections regulatory authorities.

Marketing policy

A car wash does not manufacture products, but provides services. Hence, there is no need for warehouses for finished products and working out the logistics of deliveries to the consumer.

The main task - to attract a client, is solved by a set of advertising and marketing activities and monitoring the reliability of the equipment and the quality of services.

Accounting and control

The only resource that will not "come on its own" to the sink is consumable chemicals. Its stocks will have to be monitored and replenished in a timely manner. A similar approach is to preventive maintenance and repair of equipment: during the service period, the supplier is engaged in the work, then it will be necessary to conclude contracts with specialized firms.

Personnel issue

One of the advantages of self-service car washes is that all washing operations are carried out by the drivers themselves. Therefore, the staff is minimal: in some cases, one person is enough to prepare and replenish expendable materials, and also combines the functions of a cleaner and a security guard. Hence the simplicity of working with personnel: it is easier to find a common language on any issues with several employees than with a large team.

Summing up

The washing business, like any other, does not tolerate passive management. A complex of tasks for the owner or manager of the weight, but much less than in most other areas.

Discipline in ensuring daily control and accounting, as well as the baggage of knowledge inevitably acquired in the course of activities (about the operation of equipment, features of washing chemistry, effective marketing) is more than enough to carry out managerial duties.

The income of a car wash often depends on its location.

In the event that the car wash is located away from busy highways, additional efforts are required to attract customers. SMS mailing for car washes is an additional tool that helps to gain the trust of the client.

Solutions to the tasks:

Messages about the services provided, work schedule, level of service,
Example: “24-hour car wash on the street. Yesenina, 5! Come! We will wash your car while you drink flavored coffee! Tel.: 355-55-44.

Informing customers about new services provided,
Example: “For those who value their time! Additional services for interior aromatization and body polishing. Car wash Lada. Tel. 355-55-44".

Information about discount cards, discounts, bonuses for regular customers, congratulations on holidays, for example, Motorist's Day, happy birthday,
Example: “Wash your car 9 times and get your 10th touchless car wash for free! Car wash Lada. Tel.: 355-55-44.

Cross-marketing mailings in conjunction with gas stations, service stations, car dealerships, discounts and bonuses for recommending a car wash to friends and acquaintances,
Example: “Joint action! Refuel your car with 1000 liters of AI-92 and get a 50% discount for a European car wash at the Lada car wash. Details on tel. 355-55-44".

Reminders about the time of appointment for car maintenance, for example, for dry cleaning of the interior, about the need to clean the interior, wash the engine and other seasonal preventive cleanings,
Example: “Dear Irina! You are signed up for a car wash and dry cleaning of the interior on July 1, 17-00. Waiting for you! Car dealership "Lada" Tel. 355-55-44".

Informing car owners about the opening of a new car wash or the resumption of work after reconstruction, repair, modernization.
Example: “We are open after renovation! New equipment, modern facilities, the European level of comfort and cleanliness of your car! Waiting for you! Car wash Lada. Tel.: 355-55-44.

Regular use of SMS mailing in work with clients in combination with other means of advertising and marketing will allow any car wash located far from highways to become popular, receive high incomes and work profitably.

I opened a car wash a few years ago. Before that, I planned and dreamed a lot. In general, the very fact that I help motorists get rid of dirt and drive in a beautiful clean car inspires me a lot. I myself zealously monitor the cleanliness not only at home, but everywhere. I monitor the work of my staff and help them with advice.

To leave the client satisfied, it is not enough to wash the car to a shine from the outside and vacuum the interior. You also need to pay attention to complaints and suggestions from customers, which most other car washes do not. Due to the fact that we take into account all the wishes of customers, we managed to collect a fairly large base of regular customers who do not cease to bring a stable income.

Diligence of washers, high-quality shampoos for the car and latest equipment are the key to a job well done.

At first, I was just happy to open my own business, not paying attention to the fact that most motorists come to wash their cars after hours, including on Saturdays and Sundays. However, when more customers began to appear, the staff and I were faced with a situation where during the day the sink is empty, the machine is standing and the washers are idle. And in the evenings on weekdays or on weekends, you have to work without a break, serving long queues. The whole situation puzzled me quite a lot. Moreover, many customers left without waiting for their turn.

It was necessary to find a solution that would distribute the flow of motorists so that the queues were reduced, or even completely disappeared. Also, this solution was to increase the number of machines during equipment downtime. I understood that such ups and downs in customer activity were somehow related to the working five-day period, but it was necessary to optimize the service as best as possible.

After thinking about possible solutions, I settled on a serious discount for car washing on weekdays, valid for the whole month. I expected to attract those motorists who have the opportunity to wash the car on weekdays.

8 Tricks to Increase Customer Flow at Your Car Wash

In addition, the client, seeing that there are no queues on weekdays, will most likely come to the car wash at such a time in the future.

I decided to inform about the discount through SMS messages using the SMS service. 2700 rubles were spent on mailing. As a result, during the month of the action I managed to earn 28,000 rubles more than in the previous month. I was satisfied with the result, and now I always use SMS mailings to clients.

Car Wash Marketing Plan

Development marketing plan, as a rule, occurs somewhere between the approval of documents and the start of work. It seems to you that there is still plenty of time to think over a strategy and think about actions. But here the contractor asks you a question: “What do we write on the signboard?”. Suddenly comes the realization that marketing caught by surprise. To prevent this from happening, take the advice of experts and start working on a marketing strategy even at the stage of business planning.

Advertising and logo are an important part of the marketing plan

Most likely, your car wash will be located near a busy highway. Even when driving at minimum speed, the driver will only have 3-5 seconds to see your sign. Therefore, it is important that it is not just bright, but exciting. The best tool to attract attention is a logo.

We understand: how and how to attract customers to a car wash

A simple, clear, graphic sign that evokes associations with quality service. The driver perceives signs easier than loud text calls for one simple reason - attention on the road is riveted to them. effective method attracting attention also serves road sign. You cannot install it arbitrarily, but we will discuss this in the next article.

Advertising, like marketing, should be designed to target audience. If the average bill of a car wash is 100-200 rubles, this does not mean at all that your customers will be exclusively AvtoVAZ fans. Watch the flow of passing cars - these will be your customers. You should not position a car wash as “the cheapest way to wash”, focus on convenience and benefit for the client. Your forte is speed! While a manual car wash takes an hour or more, a self-service car wash provides an opportunity to wash a car in just 15-20 minutes.

Signs and banners - a component of car wash marketing

Choose the largest billboard in your area, and boldly get down to business. Your sign should become a reference point for the local population. Remember that any advertisement should be in your corporate colors, because recognition is important. In the future, when a whole network grows from one car wash, this will serve you well. Looking at the special combination of colors, the client, wherever he goes, will remember that here you can wash your car efficiently and quickly. For example, the Aqua Technology logo looks like this:

And, not surprisingly, it works!

For the construction of car washes, please contact the manager of the company! We are building not just car washes, we are building a ready-made business!

How to return the queue to the car wash? Recently, many owners of car washes have faced what is called a harsh reality: the usual queues of 5-10 cars in front of the boxes are no longer observed. It is especially difficult for new car washes - often up to half of their working time they are idle waiting for a “stray” client. And the estimated profit that was included in the preparation of the business plan, in fact, remains an unattainable dream. It must be admitted that the crisis had a negative impact on the car wash market. And in order to keep the business, today you need to actively look for new ways to attract customers who have learned to count every ruble. This is the subject of an article by a business consultant Dmitry Dubrovsky(St. Petersburg).

All the way! And all - by!
The main misconception of most car wash owners is the “blind faith” that the daily flow of cars rushing past is more than enough to load all the posts with work and go to work. acceptable level profitability.

Believe me, there is nothing more dangerous for business than relying on "spontaneity"! This is a business with many unknowns. Firstly, it is not known how many car owners will really decide to slow down and “turn” to your post. Secondly, it is not known how much money each of them will eventually leave in the cash register. Thirdly, it is not known whether they will return to you someday.How can you predict profit in such conditions? No way. Exit: seriously engage in active customer acquisition.

Unfortunately, most car wash owners do not have a clear marketing strategy for promoting their business, but act “at random” or (more often) following the example of fellow competitors. Often, the little money that is reserved for advertising is simply thrown away. This is the notorious “we too” principle: 99% of car washes use the same ways to attract customers, which, alas, are not effective enough in reality.

Image? Not that!
You can, of course, seek help from professionals from an advertising agency. There, an inexperienced neophyte will be gladly “taken into circulation”: not sparing bright epithets and “killer” quotes, they will begin to talk about how important it is to “work on a positive image of a car wash”, “increase brand awareness”, etc. And, taking a breath, they will sum it up: you can't do without a solid advertising budget... Do not hesitate, your money will be successfully spent. They will go to the development of a multi-page brand book (why do you need it?), a neon sign, billboards, "exclusive" booklet design and business cards. When it becomes clear that "professional marketing" has not worked, and the funds have already been spent, expensive (in every sense) advertising experts are unlikely to admit their own failure. On the contrary, they will double the "processing" of the advertiser. It will be said that this is to be expected: one-time promotions are ineffective and that "before customers remember your ad, they need to see it 6-8 times, preferably in different media."

Familiar situation? I'm sure yes. So, this type of marketing, which operates with the concepts of "brand" or "image" and which is actively used by giant corporations like Coca-Cola or, say, Vimpelcom ( trademark Beeline), does not work at all in the format of a small business, which includes a car wash. Why? The main reason is the limited advertising budget. At multinational companies it traditionally amounts to millions of dollars (even now, despite the crisis), so the “whales” can afford any experiments and the most sophisticated types of advertising (such as sponsorship of large charity projects or sporting events). What car wash complex (even the largest one) is ready for such expenses? No.

Direct response advertising
That is why I want to offer a completely different approach to car wash marketing. An approach that is really capable of becoming a source of a constant influx of customers. So, to attract customers to the car wash, I advise you to use only direct response advertising (the so-called direct response marketing). Its main difference from traditional advertising is that the advertiser can calculate the effectiveness of advertising investments with an accuracy of up to a ruble. There is no need to "increase awareness" of the car wash brand. The specifics of advertising car wash services - in the instant effect. If at the beginning of the week we send mailing letters with a seasonal offer to all car enthusiasts living within a radius of 3-7 km from the car wash, then after a few days the first customers with a discount coupon prudently attached to the letter will start coming to it. This instant response allows you to immediately determine how successful the mailing list worked. As a rule, the funds invested in advertising are recouped the first time and even bring a small profit. Moreover, they “fight back” already on new clients, who will then come again (and already without any paid advertising) to leave money at your car wash checkout again.

2. It is necessary to carefully monitor the results and display the efficiency ratio: costs, responses, total revenue, etc.

3. It is necessary to use as many advertising channels as possible (direct mail, partnerships with other organizations, contextual advertising in the Internet, outdoor advertising, handing out flyers, etc.)

4. If the advertisement has had an effect, after some time it must be repeated. Unfortunately, within the framework of one small article it is impossible to tell about all the marketing techniques used to attract customers to the car wash. Per additional information, please refer to my author's website www.car-wash-profits.ru, where you can subscribe to a free mini-course for car wash owners "The 7 most common mistakes that are guaranteed to kill your profit!".

Personal experience
Denis Prvarnikov, manager of the Dolinka car wash (Chelyabinsk):
- For four years we have tried different methods of promoting our services. Radio and television are expensive, newspaper advertising is ineffective. At one time, we had such a funny full-length washer-doll costume - a promoter dressed in it was on duty at a crossroads, approached cars standing at a red traffic light, handed out flyers and business cards ... We also advertised on a billboard, though without reference to a fixed place: thanks to this shield cost us twice as much. Of course, we regularly distribute business cards in nearby parking lots, car parks and gas stations. For the third year, we have been successfully implementing a loyalty program: regular customers are awarded a cumulative discount card. Last summer, we launched an anti-crisis campaign, according to which an express car wash will cost the owner of a car of the first price category (it includes small cars and all domestic brands) only 99 rubles instead of 120 according to the price list. Practice shows that the most effective advertising- This is a classic "word of mouth". Therefore, I personally communicate closely with clients, I try to find out how satisfied they are with our service, and how we can improve it. It is fundamentally important for me that the client leaves his post in good mood. Then there is a chance that he will come back to us more than once. Loyal customers are the key to the success of any business. This fully applies to the field of car wash services.

So, you recently opened a car wash or have owned it for a long time, but there are few customers. It is necessary to increase the number of visitors and, accordingly, revenue. But, how to attract customers to a car wash? Let's take a look at some creative ideas.

Direct mail

This is a great way to quickly enter the market. You need to think about when the newsletter will be at the door of potential customers. On weekdays, most people are busy, so it makes sense to deliver your ad closer to the weekend.

Watch the weather, it greatly affects the pollution of the car. Do mailing on the most successful days for you.

The text of the newsletter should be well-written, contain a clear call to action. You can offer discounts, for example, maintenance of two cars for the price of one. Your current customers will bring friends to receive a discount - this will increase future attendance well.

The method is similar to mailing. But, it is better that your employees implement it, as if a competition among them. The suspension may include a direct offer from an employee to visit a car wash, a discount offer, etc. And the employee who attracted the most visitors is rewarded.

It is advisable to place pendants in nearby houses.

Self-adhesive coupons

Pretty much the same as the pendants. Stickers in the form of dollars containing an offer to visit the car wash. Let employees stick them on dirty cars (in parking lots, yards, parking lots, etc.). The most successful is the prize.

Buy one, get one

Organize a promotion for new visitors. If they pay for one car wash visit, the next one is free. When a client arrives for a free car wash, your employees will have to offer him additional services, or buy a prepaid card if you have such an opportunity.

Opening your own car wash is a business that starts to pay for itself from the first day of work. The dream of seeing a queue at a car wash makes its owner actively look for ways to attract customers. Do not rely on "spontaneous". The choice of a clear marketing strategy will have a decisive impact on the profitability of the enterprise. Inattention to this seemingly insignificant detail leads to the fact that the profit is much lower than expected initially.

If you have a complete order with the location and appearance of the car wash, then the rest is a matter of marketing.

It is important to understand that in order to develop a business, it is necessary to solve two problems: attract a client and keep him as long as possible. I propose to consider several effective strategic schemes for attracting clientele from different angles.

Classic strategy

Regular customers of the car wash, using its services for a long time, are sure to be rewarded with discounts, attractive bonuses and accumulative discount cards. Special conditions and special offers should be discussed already at the first service of the car.

The traditional small business strategy has many advantages that are attractive for both customers and car wash owners:

The car wash visitor realizes that he benefits from the status of a "loyal" customer. The more he consumes services, the more significant the savings of his finances.
The business owner will receive increased profits from the new clientele. And this is fair. Indeed, according to statistics, one has to invest five times more money to attract newcomers than to retain regular customers.

When implementing the scheme, it is necessary to take into account several negative points:

Potential customers can choose offers from competitors that promise immediate benefits.
The growth of the size of discounts, the number of gifts and additional options has a reasonable limit. Visitors accustomed to rewards after reaching the maximum possible level can reduce loyalty to your car wash.
Over time, the profit from serving regular customers becomes less and less. Therefore, it is more profitable for the owner to direct efforts to find a new clientele, even if serious investments are required.

Motivational strategy

New customers are offered a car wash at a reduced rate for a certain period of time. This can be seen as a reward for choosing your particular car wash. Then the price becomes the standard for everyone.

Benefits of the scheme for both parties:

The main advantage of this method for potential client is the possibility of preferential service.
The reduced cost of services often becomes the main motivational argument when choosing a service center.
Losing profits when serving newcomers, a car wash earns much more from regular customers than when implementing a classic strategy.

Negative points that need attention:

The cost of attracting new customers to a car wash increases significantly.
New service users are in a better position than old ones. Therefore, after the expiration of the preferential service period, car owners can go to competitors.

In my opinion, it is possible to achieve rapid success in the field of car wash service only by resorting to non-standard methods of promotion in the service market.

A skillful combination of classic and motivational strategies can lead to amazing results in the fight for the hearts of customers. Universal scheme helps to quickly and practically without losses to expand the client base.

Universal Strategy

At the first stage of work with new clients, the motivational method is used. But the receipt of preferential services is limited in time or in the number of services.

Then visitors are offered to wash the car at the standard cost.

At the third stage, when the client is considered a regular, his loyalty is supported by discounts and bonuses according to the classical scheme.

This approach can really become the basis for a constant influx of people who want to use your services.

Attractive features of the strategic scheme:

It is beneficial for the client that at first they reward his choice, and over time - constancy.
The owner of a car wash can count on building long-term relationships with the target audience.

Disadvantages of the strategy:

It is not easy for clients to understand the structure of relationships and evaluate their benefits.
Complicated methodology for calculating car wash profits and increased costs to maintain a customer base.

In order for your car wash to get noticed, you need to stand out from the typical competitors. For this, it is important to prepare special offer offering to standard service something "in addition".

Choose the best marketing strategy, and then customers will come back to multiply the money at the car wash checkout again.

To implement any of the selected strategies, it will help you, for accounting for customers, processing work orders, maintaining a customer base, calculating wages cleaners...and much more.