Maximizing the profitability of your car wash is about more than just having a lot of customers. You also have to get those customers to spend as much as possible.
But how do you do that? Let’s take a look at what you need to do to make this happen:
Up-Sell Your Offerings
The key to getting people to buy more is to convince them that they need an additional product after they are already prepared to buy.
As David Anderson Wealth mentioned in a recent article, fast food restaurants do a great job at this by asking the question “Would you like fries with that?” with every order. This seemingly innocuous question has translated into countless dollars in extra sales for the industry. Here is how you can translate these results to your car wash business:
Make Sure That Your Customers Are Offered Everything They Need
First and foremost, you must make sure that you are up-selling your customers on something they actually need. As Bidsketch discussed in a recent blog post, the fries are a great up-sell product because “they are delicious – which makes them irresistible.”
For a car wash business, key up-sell offerings should include vacuuming (nobody wants a halfway clean car), waxing (people will want their wash to last as long as possible) and air fresheners (people want their newly cleaned car to smell fresh).
Make Your Sales Pitches Irresistible
Now that you know what to up-sell, let’s consider how you should approach your customers with these additional offerings:
Help Your Customers Understand the Value of Your Offer
Saying a single phrase, no matter how relevant to what someone is buying, won’t always be enough to successfully up-sell a customer. People are programmed to say “no,” and it is your job to ensure that they see why they should accept your offer.
You can, for example, follow up your waxing offering with a reminder that getting this done will protect their wash and paint job.
Don’t Confuse Your Customers with Irrelevant Offers
Remember that irrelevant offerings can completely derail your up-sell attempt by causing people to lock in on the word “no,” regardless of what else you have to say. For example, if your car wash also has a repair shop, you shouldn’t suggest a brake inspection in addition to their car wash.
Keep Your Offers Concise
If you start talking too much, people will tune you out; this ruins your ability to up-sell and can even cause customers to walk away from the entire sale. Going back to the air freshener example, you could say “Would you like an air freshener with your freshly cleaned car?” Anything after this statement would be superfluous.
Don’t Overdo It
Don’t force up-sells on people, because pushy sales tactics will cause customers to walk away.
Optimize Your Car Wash Business with the Right Offerings
If you’re looking to make a lot more money at your car wash, you’ll need to invest in the best equipment available. MacNeil Wash Systems has helped countless car wash owners increase their profits with state-of-the-art car wash systems, and we can help you, too. Contact us for a no-obligation quote or for more information, and start making more money today!