Tips to help identify and target those customers who are willing to pay more per visit.
I hope you have had a prosperous and outstanding fall. Out West here, we have had a very short fall season and we are also seeing some of the old numbers (pre-recession) start to trickle back in some cases, with plenty more season left.
Now the task at hand is how to capture those extra dollars as they spill in to the queuing area, and how to identify and target those specific customers that will readily spend those extra dollars. Also, we need to determine what those customers will want and how to go about reaching them.
A tried and true marketing method
One of the best and most reliable tried and true methods of marketing (in the carwash business at least), is the use of super market register tapes or receipts. This method has an extremely high capture rate and is always affordable comparatively. Of course this appeals to a certain type of customer, so when placing your order with the representative, keep this in mind and try to gear the wording on the coupon to more accurately reflect what YOUR (not his/her) customer wants and is looking for. Remember, you are the carwash pro, they are the marketing ‘salesperson’.
Keep track of the buying trends
An important part of your marketing campaign should also focus on your ‘exact’ customer and their buying trends.
Questions for you to ask yourself, your managers, and your sales team are as follows:
- Do you have a way to gauge your customer?
- Can you gauge their buying power?
- Can you gauge their buying ‘habits’ and the way or ways in which they make their purchases?
- Do you actually track your coupons and see which one is giving you the highest return?
- Have you synced up your marketing materials and your coupon efforts?
- Are there places where your coupons are more effective vs. places where they are more or less a waste of time and money, and actually add to your image of being “cheezy” and cheap?
- Are they doing their job?
Being cheap is one thing, but being “cheezy” is another. Both can work for you and both can work against you. Take for example Allstate insurance company, they always want to know if you are in ‘Good Hands’? It’s cheezy, yet effective in its simplicity.
Consider hiring a professional
Another great technique in looking at your overall customer is to actually hire a professional marketing firm. There are many that do this for a living and there are even one or two carwash industry consultants that know how to do this quite well also. I would highly recommend the marketing experts.
Finally, a quick sweep of your demographic is always a wise move. This way, you can know your overall pool of customers before you even set out on this journey to capture more dollars.