jam-packed daily schedules, customers have a lot
on their minds. They have a lot of businesses and
services fighting for their attention. Any c-store
operator hoping to secure loyal customers for his
car wash must be willing to fight. Fight for their
attention, fight for the right to be their choice for a
car wash, fight to win their loyalty.
The keys to generating loyal customers in today's
competitive car wash market are largely based on a
couple critical components: communication and
technology.
COMMUNICATION
There are many paths to creating loyal customers, but it all starts with communication. From the
attention garnered by a modern sign that draws
potential clients to a certain facility, to the messaging they receive at the entry station, to the very
real opportunity to land a return customer with a
follow-up "thank you" e-mail, communication is
critical to getting customers' attention, holding it
and engaging them in the future.
Great efforts should be taken to keep the message fresh, though there must be some tangible
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payoff, some incentive for the loyal customer to
return. If they are on the other side of town, will
they make the effort to return, or will they do what
is convenient? So, give them a reason to return
again and again.
When it comes to a loyalty program, the golden
rule is: you get out of it what you put into it. Good
c-store operators are good at customer satisfaction, which is the foundation of customer loyalty.
Customers have to be satisfied before they can
become loyal. While a car wash may satisfy a cus-
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