Consultation


Thinking of Investing in a Car Wash?


Whether you're planning to buy property and build from scratch or you're looking into purchasing an existing wash, we can help guide you through the process.


We have experienced helpful people who will be happy to provide you whatever assistance we can. We also have a successful network of industry leaders, some of which belong to our team, that we can bring to the table on your behalf including equipment manufacturers and engineers, chemists, building contractors, marketing professionals, employee training and recruiting specialists, health & safety and fire safety plan consultants and more. Give us a call any time to arrange an initial discussion.


In the meantime, here are a few tips to get you started. There are 3 basic components to the success of a car wash:


Results


We list this first because nothing else you do will matter if your customer's cars aren't clean.


You get what you pay for. There's no other way to say it. The old computer cliché "Garbage In. Garbage Out" pertains to carwash also. Old equipment and cheap chemical may appear to save you a few cents per car initially, but results will always suffer.


Nothing is more powerful for business growth than happy customers who keep coming back and who tell their friends.


If you want to dominate your market, make the small extra investment to install quality, proven equipment and use proven performance, quality chemical - particularly if you're operating a touchless wash. The payback that comes from great results will far outpace any perceived savings from inferior equipment and chemical.


Customer Experience


In addition to great results, customers will come back more often if the experience of the wash was pleasant. The property, the building, the equipment and the chemical all play a role in great customer experience. You will also see a higher rate of first time customers if your wash has curb appeal. How do you get curb appeal in a wash? Here are some ways to bring in those first timers:


Maintenance is also a key component of Customer Experience. It is essential to keep your site clean - both outside the wash and inside. This is a never ending requirement! Make sure your equipment is operating at peak performance. When choosing an equipment and chemical supplier, choose one that will visit regularly with qualified, trained technicians to help you achieve the highest level of customer experience.


Chemical plays a huge role in achieving great Customer Experience. Obviously pristine, consistent results are the top priority, but other factors such as the product "show" on the vehicle and pleasing scent are important components to making the entire experience one that will keep your customers coming back.


Marketing


Selling your site to the market starts long before you ever wash a car. Here are a few steps in the continuous process of market-share building.


Location


It is essential to select the proper location for your wash. Accessibility and visibility are top priorities in customer attraction. Choose a site that has access from 2 streets if possible. Locating right at an extremely busy intersection can be detrimental if customers will have trouble getting across multi lanes of traffic to get in or to exit.


Choose a site that is located on a daily drive routine for the majority of residents in your market (near shopping areas or main access routes to and from employment areas).


Make sure you have a population of at least 5000 to draw from, and remember that areas with lots of townhomes and apartment buildings usually mean customers have no place to wash their cars in their driveways. Municipal zoning issues, allowable hours of operation and potential summer time water use restrictions are critical factors to research prior to purchasing a site.


Building and Site Design


Just as with Customer Experience, it is essential to create a building and property design that will invite customers in and give them a pleasant, hassle free experience. Choosing a qualified architect and builder is critical. It is also very important to have your equipment and chemical provider working with your architect and builder right from the start. This will ensure proper space allocation and adequate, properly placed electrical and mechanical servicing for the wash equipment, both in the bay and in the equipment room.


Include building features such as glass walls and bright lighting, both of which give a sense of openness and a feeling of security.


Besides building design, your site layout must provide easy entrance and exit as well as simple, clearly marked and safe internal navigation. Positioning of stacking lanes, vacuum centers and traffic aisles must be carefully planned. Exit lanes from automatic wash bays normally will have specific municipal requirements that must be incorporated into your site plan.


Your site design will play a big role in turning your customers into your promoters. Give yourself plenty of time and budget for research and design.


Signage and Promotional Materials


Most wash sites will be located in busy commercial areas. Your signs will be competing with dozens of others for attention. The first step in grabbing customer attention is branding. Work with a reputable graphic designer or marketing firm to help you create an image for your wash. Look around town and see what signage and/or branding jumps out at you. If it got your attention, it probably gets everyone else's as well. Find out who the designer of that branding was and pay them a visit.


Take Advantage of National Branding


A significant part of branding is brand recognition. There's a big difference between marketing that says "We use ABC wash products" compared to saying "We protect your car with LustraShield Protectant", or "Let CSI clean your car". Choosing a chemical provider that carries well known brands not only ensures great brand recognition, but also ensures quality product with proven results. In addition, a good chemical provider will help you with marketing and promotional programs and materials as well as staff training. All this will help drive sales and keep your customers coming back.


Building and growing a successful wash requires detailed research, experienced consultation and never ending work. Nothing "sells itself". Partnering with a proven equipment and chemical provider right from the start and building that relationship over the years will help give you the edge in your community.


Give us a call at Vehicle Care Systems. We would be pleased to provide our expertise and experience to the development of your wash project.