One of my personal marketing heroes is a man named Bruce
Arnett who owns Carnett's Carwashes in Gwinnett County,
Georgia right in my own neighborhood. This man has won
numerous awards and Chamber of Commerce recognition as
Gwinnett's Business Person of the year.
I've known Bruce for more than fifteen years now and he
never ceases to totally amaze me.
The story is legendary. I met Bruce Arnett as a result of a
nasty letter I wrote to him back in 1990. At the time, I was
severely upset about something or another that had happened
when I was dealing with his carwash. Truthfully, today,
thinking back...I haven't the foggiest idea of what could
have possibly happened to get me so upset. All I can
remember is I was really ticked off at the time.
After receiving my letter, (I can write some nasty letters),
Bruce tried to call me several times at home and at the
office but I refused to take his calls. Then he wrote me a
letter and I refused to respond. Then one day, he just
showed up at my office demanding to see me. This guy cared
about a single lost customer enough to drive thirty miles
across town to my offices in the middle of his workday to
apologize and to do whatever it took to make it right.
As a result, I've done business with Carnett's Carwashes for
more than a decade now, and there isn't even a thread of a
possibility that I would ever allow anyone else to touch my
cars.
I always get the Ultimate Car Wash, which is their best
service. Sometimes I'll spend as much as forty or fifty
dollars per visit...that is if I don't buy any accessories
or personal items.
Sometimes, I have my new Escalade detailed there three or
four times in a single month. My wife has her Cadillac
washed there several times a month, and I even trust them to
wash and wax my Corvette. In addition, I always tip the
people out front at least five or ten dollars. We're great
customers and that's the way they treat us. But, you know
what? I've discovered something. That's how they treat
everyone. Bruce Arnett must have come from the same school I
did. It's obvious; he realizes that past customers are your
best and cheapest source of new business.
From the moment you hit the drive you realize this is not
your ordinary, run of the mill, everyday kind of carwash.
Like Bruce himself, Carnett's is a class act. The young
woman approaches the car and calls me by name. I'd prefer to
think she knows my name because I'm such a big shot, because
I am such a VIP customer, but then I realized she also
called the very next customer by their name too. I watched
her for a minute and I saw what she was doing. You see,
Carnett's Carwash has a database which keys in on my car's
license tag number. She had already pulled up my account.
She knew my name and my history before I even got out of the
car.
"Will you be having The Ultimate Wash again, Mr. Ziegler?"
she asked, "We have a special on The Shine Express Service
this week. Want to hear about it?"
How cool is that? This is a carwash and they are all over
it. All of these people are so friendly, and enthusiastic.
This is a high-energy kind of place. It just makes you feel
good being there. You genuinely get the feeling they are
glad you're here.
Walking up the ramp into the building you can't help but
notice how spotless the place is. All of the employees are
well dressed, in uniform shorts, baseball caps, and tops,
nice people. These people don't fit the carwash stereotype.
This isn't what usually comes to mind when you envision
"Carwash Help".
The cashier knows me; she's been there a long time. There's
something good about doing business with familiar people.
She reminds me this is my eighth wash, just two more trips
before I earn a free one.
On the walls are framed articles from newspapers and
magazines about the Arnett family and their contributions to
our community. This is a family owned business that is
historically and emotionally invested and embedded in this
community.
I just bought my fourth new Cadillac Escalade and I'm still
heavily under the new car ether. I always have a special
honeymoon period with every new car I buy. So, last week, as
usual, I was browsing through the gifts and accessories in
the Carnett boutique while I was waiting for my car to be
washed. Most carwashes make some sort of feeble attempt to
sell a couple of aftermarket items with little, tacky
pegboard displays located near the cash register. This is
different! Carnett's has this really big, well-lit,
extremely nice boutique area with everything from the
traditional car scents and accessories to greeting cards.
Although I wasn't particularly in the market for any new car
accessories that day, you must realize that I am a complete
lay down...you might describe me as a 'guppy'. When you see
me coming, I'm the easiest sale to close in the universe.
We're talking about a world-class impulse buyer...with
references. Let's face it; a professional salesman like me
is an easy target for a sale.
There it was, hanging on the wall just above the air
freshener display, a custom chrome tag with a raised gold
Cadillac emblem. I knew it would look great on the front of
my new car. Now just picture this...my new tricked out
Escalade already has twenty-three inch custom wheels... a
custom mesh grill and a gold emblem package. All I need now
is a rap group and a posse. And of course, you already know
the rest of the story; before I could take another breath, I
was frothing at the mouth, eyes glazed over, with a credit
card in my hand. I did end up buying that beautiful chrome
and gold plate for the Escalade. Of course you'd have to be
some kind of a fool if you think I passed up the optional
gold frame that went with it. That part of the sale alone
amounted to an additional $75.00, over and above the price
of the carwash....and I was happy to do it.
Bruce Arnett and his wife, Dee, have become great personal
friends. His carwashes are now franchised and still
state-of-the-art. I made it a point to visit several of his
newest locations. I never cease to be amazed at the
consistency of the quality of his locations and his people.
Recently, in a conversation with Dee Arnett, I offered to
analyze their websites. Within an hour she forwarded to me
ten pages of recent 'web trends' reports and a complete
up-to-the-minute analysis of their traffic. The end result
was..."What does she need me for?" They were more than on
top of their business in the ultimate professional way. But,
you know, I should have guessed it. Bruce and Dee Arnett are
the kind of businesspeople who always pay attention to the
details so many others miss.
I am still studying their websites, But now I'm looking at
them to see what I can learn.
There are several stories within this story. The main point
I am trying to make is how Carnett's made more profit per
sales transaction through their upgraded levels of carwashes
and their daily specials as well as their aftermarket
boutique sales.
There's another lesson I'd like you to learn from this
story. You've got to remember, the story started out at a
time when Bruce Arnett had definitely lost my business
forever. You could have chiseled it in granite; I was dead
set, as in determined that I would never go back there.
Bruce Arnett definitely realizes the lifetime value of just
one single customer. Most businesses would have written me
off. Certainly, very few businessmen would have taken the
time and made the effort to rescue a single lost customer.
Bruce Arnett is an extremely successful and respected
businessman in Gwinnett County and his time is valuable.
Nevertheless, here he is, personally, doggedly and
relentlessly pursuing me until he recaptured my business.
Now, that's what I call incredible customer service.
These principles work for all types of businesses regardless
of whether it's a retail business selling directly to the
public as in these examples or whether it's a
business-to-business sales and marketing application.
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