Question
What can I do immediately to combat recession in my car wash and detail shop other than direct mail, coupons..
1 year ago - 10 answers
Best Answer
Chosen by Asker
1. Try a "point" system. Like, you wash your car there 10 times, and you get a free detail or something. Of a free wash for every 5 washes. Something like that. 2. Talk with other local businesses and push each other's product. Advertise their businesses at your place and have them advertise yours at theirs. Work with them to promote each other. For example, if a donut shop is next door. Help the donut place out by offering a free car wash with each 3 dozen donut purchase, and then you offer a free dozen of donuts with each 3 car washes, etc. Im sure the prices are something that can be worked out to make it economical for you both. (3 and free is just an example) 3. Do something different to make your place stand out. Like institute a theme based on the day of the week. Manic Monday - have all your employees dress in 80's garb each Monday. Football Friday - have them all in football gear as they wash, wipe down the cars. You get the picture. But having that gimmick will get more customers. Especially when a child sees that and wants to come back with their parents. It will get you a few more customers and seperate you from your competitors. Here in Seattle, they are having problems with some of the coffee stands. The stand are filled with female employees that are dressed in a bikini or something very sexual. The locals are up in arms about it because they say that its selling sex and that people are just coming to the shops to buy coffee and see a very attractive girl dressed in almost nothing. But the fact is this...they are selling the hell out of coffee. I hope these ideas help. Good luck to you and your business.
by Vol
1 year ago
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Other Answers
You can wash your car yourself.
by ZB- 1 year ago
wait do you own a car wash or are you asking how to wash the car without paying that much?
by kayluh k- 1 year ago
Drop your prices, take a pay cut yourself. Determine the absolute minimum number of employees you need to run the place, let positions that become vacant stay vacant and only hire if you are below your minimum. Watch the business closely, hire back those positions only as overall profits increase.
by gcameron169- 1 year ago
Generate a buzz like a free car wash day to try to bring in new customers. Maybe a name your price day like a donation or something similar. Let customers know that times are tough and you are there to help. I'm not business owner so this is just a suggestion not a solution.
by justcurious- 1 year ago
hopefully you have a list of past customers with address drop them a note to remind them its time to get the winter salt off their car or if your in a warm state its been six months stop by for your car detail you know what the sun does to paint jobs
by pickmefirstplz- 1 year ago
Sorry to say the first thing to go this last month in our household was our car wash passes. One for both cars at 40.00 a piece. It is a luxury in out house not a necessity. Not sure I would get them back even if they were discounted. Sorry...
by Angie P- 1 year ago
I think you always have to advertise... try focusing on saving time for busy people or the value of the protection of waxing your car the long run savings if there are any. People trying to make money are going to be busier and need that kind of service. Join Biz Journal for your area. attend network seminars. Advertise in the Entertainment coupon book or on talk radio. I throw away almost all direct marketing ads in the mail. Just me. also never underestimate the value of great customer service and word of mouth.
by zinger- 1 year ago
If you're in a high-traffic commercial area, you might try renting a portable flashing marquis, and running daily specials. You might also print some punch cards that give every X wash free.
by Wheels- 1 year ago
As you can see our economy is currently in a rut right now and we as customers and business owners need to come together and make our lives more simple. Stimulus check? What a joke. With gas prices as high as they are my check will be gone in a month. I have a small solution that can give a bit of relief to us as customer and even business owner as well. The answer to our problem is in the website called MOBPON.com. What is MOBPON? It's a Mobile Coupon site where businesses big and small can place their coupons to be sent right to the customers mobile phones. It's 100% percent permission based so you the customer are not forced to receive useless coupons anymore, you only get them if you want them. No more paper, no more clipping and best of all you are helping the earth and getting deals directly. It's time to make your cell phone make money for YOU! We make it easy for customers to find deals by including a search bar that only searches the actual deal and we provide the company with a web page with a spot for their Logo or Ad Image, a Yahoo! map for directions to the store and here's the best part an easy to remember URL that will read like this www.Mobpon.com/(thecompanyname) so its immediately accessible with our bookmarking and sharing option so it can be passed to friends and family. If we the consumer and business work together we can improve our economy. So check us out at www.Mobpon.com where you can save a buck and save the earth all in one spot.
by mobpon- 1 year ago



