CoffeeWithUs.com

24 Hour Guarantee - The Story

Over the years I have been asked many times about our “24 Hour Clean Car Guarantee, referring to the car wash business. Why did you do it? How did it start? What made you think of it? Where did the idea come from? - were the questions asked.

It started over 20 years ago when I started thinking of what else we could offer our customers.

Being an exterior car wash (I sold the company in 2002) we had very few products and services to offer and I would often be thinking out what else we could do for customers. At the time, (the best I could find) worldwide, the only thing close to a guarantee was a rain check. If it rained the next day you could wash your car again.

All I really did was Expand the Original Idea by asking my self “What if” questions. I started by asking what if;a cat walked on your car, you drove though a muddy puddle, a bird pooped on your hood, bugs smeared all over your windshield, construction dust, etc. right after your car wash.

The 24 hour clean car guarantee began at Buckman’s Car Wash in Rochester New York in 1986 and is now used at many businesses around the country. The main theme is no questions asked, just pull up with your receipt. You do not need a reason to wash your vehicle again the next day.

Now, in it’s day, that was real customer service. Another insurance policy was born. This program was extended to upper level packages offering a 5 day guarantee. e.

Here are the main points to consider from this story.

Think of how you can create a better experience for the customer or even a dynamic one.

Ask yourself a series of “What if” or “Why” questions. (My Lean Six Sigm, Black Belt partner taught me to ask 5 why’s)

Develop a very strong Guarantee - one that has you wonder what you will do if too many use it.

That’s the story and the base came from thinking about people and how we could make it better than it was (which was already good). How to make it exceptional. One way is a knock their socks off Guarantee.

Ray Justice

Rochester New York

SiteBrandBuilder.com

RayJustice.com

In talking to most small business owners I find that when I ask them the question “Is your website delivering profit to your business?” that they don’t know. Most companies today are not using their website as an interactive tool with their customer base and are living with a static site that is not working for the company. How do you make your site work as a resource for impacting your P&L? Technology has changed considerably in website development and valuable features have become much more affordable. Along with this change in technology you can now incorporate many value added features such as:

• E-commerce tools that will enable your customers to order products off your website 24hr/7days a week without ever going into your business.
• E-database management tools that will allow your company to do email promotion campaigns, newsletters, invitations and more utilizing your website.
• Form builder tools that offer built in conveniences for customers and employees to save time and money in:
  • Paying bills online
  • Scheduling appointments online
  • Registering
  • Giving feedback on company surveys
  • Subscribing to newsletters

  And the data from these completed forms can be directed to an Excel spreadsheet, database, saved to a PDF, or emailed to your address.

These are all ways that a website can deliver profit to your business. If you are interested in getting more information on this new technology check out www.sitebrandbuilder.com. If your website is not working as a resource to grow your business you should consider what options might be available to you and how you can make them work for your bottom line.

Bruce Scott

bscott@sitebrandbuilder.com

Staying Connected and In Touch
I am learning a lot, and being reinforced, about the importance of staying connected to our clients and customers. My good friend, Blair Hornbuckle asked me if I wanted to get involved in another business. This one is Send Out Cards, a MLM company where you can send out greeting cards, at a very reasonable price, right from your computer. No email attachments, this is a recycled paper card, in an envelope, with a stamp - all much less expensive and easier than going to a store, picking out a card and mailing it yourself.

I started out sending a few appreciation cards to friends. I was able to get fairly creative and found it very easy to use. Blair also has me considering a couple of different club ideas where people can join and part of the concept is receiving a greeting card once a month.

Along with this process he and Larisa Belliveau have been offering a seminar about setting up a customer referral program. It is quite good and they have perked my interest in the concept of more client contact.

Many organizations do nothing or send out a yearly birthday card. While this is a very good path to follow, it is not enough. I have heard twenty contacts a year and from another source, Dan Kennedy and Bill Glazer, I have heard that 52 “touches” or contacts a year is not too many.

Three years ago I lost all of my addresses in a computer crash. My thinking at the time was that with email I would not need them. That is all changing as I move into sending out cards and start collecting addresses again.

They told us that 80% of our business, as an average, comes from three places – our existing customers, our friends and family and our circle of influence. Most of a businesses marketing and advertising budget is spent on the other 20%, attempting to interest new customers. They are suggesting that we spend the bulk, or 80% of our available funds on the 80% we already have as customers.

They call it a referral program, because your existing friends and customers will refer for you - to me it is also a program for connection.

If you would like to test out the card program you can send me an email to ray@SiteBrandBuilder.com and I will send you a link that allows you to send a free card  to your self or someone you know and see how it all works - a test drive.

Here are 3 things to focus on in order to get all referrals you want:

1. A network of people that know you and know what you do.

2. Building a relationship of trust and appreciation with your network

3. A system to manage all your relationship-building efforts

Connect and grow

Ray Justice

SiteBrandBuilder.com

RayJustice.com

The Body Language of a Phone call.

We had a meeting yesterday at a local Doctor’s office to discuss the possibility of doing a Six Sigma office procedure program for him. He is interested in fine tuning his already wonderful practice by reviewing the steps taken in each task. It is nice to see that McDonald’s is not the only business interested in consistency. It was also very refreshing to see someone who already looks like he has it all working and still be interested in stepping it up another notch.

During this exploring conversation we touched on the importance of personal energy even while answering the phone. It seems like a stange thought at first but we talked about how our body language also effects the energy or tone of our voice. Then we took it another step and talked about how much the listener on the other end of the phone can pick up on how we are feeling about ourselves in that moment. In other words are we paying attention or doing something else at the same time? Or are we frustrated, agitated, angry or happy, smiling and maybe feel like singing?

It all can be “felt”.

The other end of the phone doesn’t know exactly what, but they can pick up the energy. These are the day to day things that are so important and we are generally unaware that they are going on.

We will be adding a piece on this, along with some exercises to practice their phone presence, when we start the procedure training sessions.

What a nice and compatible combination it is to work on procedure, Lean Six Sigma style, and the energy of awareness and the present moment.

Ray Justice

CoffeeWithUs.com

SiteBrandBuilder.com

RayJustice.com