You drive at a car wash and become pleased with what you see. Clean facilities, well-maintained equipment and polite and friendly employees who deliver prompt and efficient services. Chances are, it is managed by a very able person who has learned to cultivate the traits of a successful car wash operator.
What Are the 7 Traits of a Successful Car Wash Operator?
The right car wash manager is the glue that holds his business together, the pilot that steers it to the right direction, the hand that pulls or pushes the lever. How does he do it? Below are 7 of his traits.
1. Tenacity
The successful car wash operator has the drive and passion to pursue his dreams, in this case, to ensure the success of his car wash business plan. He wills himself against obstacles, no matter how big those are. To him, dealing with a difficult customer is not a problem but a means to improve his customer service; a malfunctioning equipment gives him a chance to learn more about it and how to repair it; a lazy employee provides him with the chance to use his people skills. To him, everything is possible as long as he sets his heart to whatever task he undertakes.
2. Charisma
No, a car wash operator like you need not be the next Dalai Lama in order to inspire others. Contrary to what most people believe, charisma is not innate. Nobody is born clutching charisma in his hand. It is a skill that can be learned by anybody and that includes you. Leaders of huge corporations did not start out as charismatic leaders. They learned that they can lead better if they had the power to motivate people. If they did it, so can you.
3. Ability to understand basic finance
As a car wash operator, there is one reality that you have to face: you have to learn basic accounting skills, whether you are good in math or not. No worries, you need not review square roots, exponents or advanced algebraic expressions – all you need are basic mathematical skills. You must be able to understand your car wash’s balance sheet, income statement, cash flow and the like. Yes, you can hire a number-cruncher to do the job for you, but be aware of the hefty fee that comes with the service. Can you cope with that extra expense?
4. The patience to teach
Let’s do a little reminiscing. Remember your first years in school, when you were still learning to read and write? Wasn’t it a lot easier when your teacher or tutor patiently sat beside you to teach you how to trace lines and curves or recognize the sounds of letters? You can manage employees as a franchisee by showing the same patience when training new hires or teaching how to use a new equipment or product to old employees. By doing so, you are not only teaching them how to do things properly but more importantly, building rapport with the very people who can help your car wash achieve success.
5. An open mind for new trends
Times change, people change, so why should your business be left behind? As a car wash operator, you must have an open mind to the advancements of business and technology and use those to your advantage. So everybody is in Facebook and Twitter? Then it’s time to create your account as well. You might be surprised at what is trending in these sites nowadays. And never underestimate the power of social media – these are the modern-day versions of town plazas where customers gather together and review products and services. The only difference is that everything is happening online. Do your employees work with a smile? Mrs. Brown will probably praise them in her FB status update. Did one of your workers use air freshener in Mrs. Green’s car interior even when she specifically ordered him not to because her children are allergic to it? Heaven forbid – because she will definitely rant about it for all her friends to know. But how can you repair the damage if you do not have a Facebook page to address such an issue?
6. Responsibility
Your customers chose you among all the other car washes in the area because they believe that you can provide them with quality services so it is your duty and responsibility to ensure that they will get nothing less than superior services. Likewise, it is your duty to equip your workers with the necessary skills and materials to maximize their potentials. Yes, with car wash management and human resource come great responsibility.
7. Consistency
Consistency marks the line between a good car wash operator from an awesome one. Do not be an object of your employees’ guesswork or your customers’ ridicule by being a warm and helpful person one day only to be a tyrant on the next. Develop your leadership style and stick with it so that both your employees and customers know what to expect from you. You are strict with quality control? Fine, go ahead and teach your employees how to do their designated tasks properly and let them do their assignments over and over every single day until they achieve mastery in those skills. In no time at all, you will notice that your attention to detail will breed like-minded employees.
Learn and practice these traits and who knows if you will be the next successful car wash operator in town. Better yet, why not check out the DetailXPerts franchise opportunity – among other things, we also provide training to our franchisees, including car wash operators.
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