Marketingtipps 37-59
The workforce as a success factor
As a petrol station operator, you have potential car wash customers on the spot. Use this advantage!
If you operate a vehicle wash facility, you have to retain your existing customers by offering convincing services to stay on the winning side. In both cases, your customers are the key to your success. You should therefore invest in the motivation and professional appearance of your team. It will be worth it!
Five Ideas for Motivated Employees
| 37. | Initiate an »employee of the month« program. As an expression of your appreciation, reward the winner with a plaque or gift certificate from a local store. Design a system which uses measurable methods to select the employee of the month from among his or her coworkers. |
| 38. | Install wall lockers for use by your staff. This provides them with a secure area where they can store money and personal valuables. You can even use the lockers to distribute messages and payroll vouchers. |
| 39. | As supervisor, you should always encourage your staff to share their opinions and recommendations with you. You can create a frictionless and successful work environment only if your employees are just as satisfied as your customers. |
| 40. | Conduct training and issue certificates to employees who successfully complete your training courses. Certificates can be displayed at your facility to show your customers that your employees are trained to work properly with automobiles. Auto repair shops often display such certificates for the very same reason. |
| 41. | Pay bonuses to those employees who recruit the most members for your custormer club or who sell the most additional wash programs. The bonus should be a percentage based on the sales figures. |
Success Through Training and Education
| 42. | Always put on a smile. If there are children in the vehicle, instruct your cashier to draw »smilies« on the windshield or side windows when marking the car for a particular wash program. |
| 43. | Staff members who assist in guiding the customer driving onto the conveyer should use their entire arms and clear motions when giving signals. Hand signals alone may easily be overlooked or misunderstood. |
| 44. | There should always be an individual in sight and available to take care of your customers. Don't ever make the customer have to search for someone to help them. |
| 45. | Do not allow your employees to wear sunglasses at work. Eye contact is an absolute must for a friendly and trustworthy appearance. |
| 46. | Use a video camera to make your own »training film«. Film one of your staff doing the work correctly. You can then use this tape as an orientation for new employees and/or as an occasional refresher for older employees. Just because it's an amateur video production doesn't mean it can 't be an effective training tool. |
| 47. | Your staff should accept large notes only when absolutely necessary. Always count the change out to the customer to ensure that he properly receives the correct amount. |
| 48. | Appoint a staff member to be responsible to identify dangerous conditions such as tripping hazards. This employee should regularly check the wash boxes and vacuum cleaners to correct safety deficiencies. |
| 49. | Create an employee handbook which includes rules of conduct or, as a minimum, work instructions and then update it at least once a year. |
| 50. | Always have your employees wear name tags. By doing so you'll create a professional atmosphere and improve customer service. |
| 51. | Prepare your start in the correct procedures for handling complaints and customer issues. Give them the opportunity, within certain bounds, to make decisions on their own. Even major problems need to be handled quickly. |
| 52. | Train your employees not only to do their jobs, but also to deal directly with the customers. |
| 53. | Practice the various forms of greetings and farewells. Customers remember their first and last impressions best. |
| 54. | Don't badmouth the competition to your customers. In the end it's your image that will suffer! |
| 55. | Instead, your staff should always point out the additional services your facility offers. |
| 56. | Employees understand and be able to explain the benefits of your wash programs and facility. Keep in mind that professional and well trained employees are the key to your success and will help you increase sales. |
| 57. | Although it's natural to be excited about the advantages of your additional wash programs, your staff should never ask more than once if your customer wishes this additional service. Otherwise the customers may feel they're being put under pressure and might not come back. |
| 58. | Train your staff to address the customer in a friendly and open manner. Don't ask if he wants a car wash. Instead, pose the direct question: »Which wash would you like ?« |
| 59. | Select an employee to conduct quality control on at least every 20th car. This employee should assess the external appearance of the car following its wash. |
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