Your Competitor Can Copy Almost Everything. Except This.

The car wash industry has changed dramatically over the last 20 years. We have better equipment, better chemistry, better POS systems, better technology and more data than we’ve ever had before. Operators are investing millions of dollars into building facilities that can process more cars, produce a better product and operate more efficiently.

And all of that matters. But as we continue investing in the physical car wash, I think there’s another question we need to be asking ourselves: Are we putting the same level of investment into the people running it?

Because eventually, equipment becomes equipment. Your competitor can buy similar equipment. They can use great chemistry. They can build a beautiful site. They can offer free vacuums, build an app and offer an unlimited membership. They can even copy your pricing and promotions. What they can't easily duplicate is the team, culture and relationships you've built inside your organization. As competition in this industry continues to increase, I believe that difference is going to matter more, not less.

There was a time when simply delivering a noticeably better wash could separate you from the competition. Today, customers expect their car to come out clean. That doesn't mean wash quality isn't important. Of course it is. But a clean car is the product they paid for. The experience surrounding that product is where we have an opportunity to create something different.

How was the customer greeted when they arrived? Did the employee at the pay station actually engage with them, or did they feel like they were being pushed through another transaction? Was the property clean? Did the employees look like they wanted to be there? Did someone thank them? And when something didn't go perfectly, did someone take ownership and make it right? Those moments don't come from the equipment. They come from people. More importantly, those moments create relationships.

I've always told General Managers that they should think of themselves as the mayor of the property. A great GM shouldn't spend their entire day sitting in an office looking at a computer. Yes, there are numbers to review, schedules to build and administrative work that has to get done. But managing a car wash should also mean being out on the property, shaking hands, talking to customers and building relationships.

Learn your customers' names. Know what they drive. Know what their spouse drives. Know their kids' names. Know their favorite football team. If they told you they were going on vacation, ask them how the trip went the next time you see them. Those things may sound small, but they're not. Relationships build businesses.

Think about how many times you've heard someone say, "I've got a guy." You need your car worked on? I've got a guy. You need something fixed around your house? I've got a guy. You need a good realtor? I've got a guy. Everybody wants to have a guy.

It's someone you know. Someone you trust. Someone you feel comfortable calling when you need something. And because that relationship exists, you're probably not searching Google every time you need that service to see if somebody else is five dollars cheaper. Why shouldn't we want the same thing for our car washes? We should want our General Managers and our teams to become the customer's "guy."

When that customer thinks about getting their car washed, I don't want them to only think about the building sitting on the corner. I want them to think about the people inside it. They know the GM. They know the team. Someone knows their name. Someone gives them a hard time because their football team lost over the weekend. Someone asks how their kids are doing. And if there's ever a problem, they know exactly who they can talk to and trust that it's going to be handled.

At that point, you've created something much more powerful than convenience. You've created a relationship.

Your competitor can copy your pricing. They can run the same promotion. They can buy similar equipment. They can build a beautiful express wash a mile down the road. But they can't immediately recreate years of relationships between your team and your customers. That's a competitive advantage.

The challenge is that we can't simply tell our employees to "provide great customer service" and expect all of this to happen. We have to teach it.

I've always believed we need to look at training through the lens of a teacher. Think about what a great teacher does. A great teacher doesn't hand students a textbook, explain something once and then assume everyone understands it. They teach it, demonstrate it, give students opportunities to practice it, check for understanding and provide feedback. When someone isn't getting it, a great teacher doesn't immediately assume that person is incapable of learning. They ask themselves a different question: Did I give them the right tools to be successful?

I think we need to ask ourselves that question a lot more as leaders. I've had the opportunity to work with a lot of employees and managers throughout my career, and one thing I've learned is that most people want to do a good job. But sometimes we give people responsibility before we've actually taught them how to handle that responsibility.

We promote a strong employee into management because they work hard and have proven themselves operationally. Now they're responsible for leading people. Did we teach them how to coach someone? Did we teach them how to have a difficult conversation? Did we teach them how to read the numbers and understand what those numbers are telling them? Did we teach them how to hold someone accountable while still developing that person? Did we teach them how to build relationships with customers? Did we actually show them what a successful General Manager looks like?

Or did we give them the keys, change their title and expect them to figure it out?

Then six months later, when they're struggling, we decide they aren't a very good manager. Maybe that's true. But before we come to that conclusion, I think we have a responsibility as leaders to look in the mirror too. Did we actually develop that person, or did we simply give them the position and expect them to develop themselves?

There is a big difference between giving someone a title and developing a leader. And there is an even bigger difference between telling someone what you expect and actually teaching them how to achieve it.

That's also why I believe training can't be something employees simply complete. Training isn't watching a video. Training isn't signing off on a checklist. Training isn't having someone shadow another employee for three days and assuming they're ready. Those things can all be pieces of training, but real development happens when we teach, observe, coach, reinforce and then do it again.

Sales conversations should continue to be coached. Managers should continue developing as leaders. Customer interactions should be observed and discussed. Operational standards should continue to be reinforced. People should know where they're doing well and where they need to improve. Training shouldn't be something employees complete. It should be something organizations do.

This becomes even more important as technology continues changing our industry. I'm excited about where technology is taking the car wash business. Automation can remove repetitive tasks. Better software can give operators visibility they never had before. AI will continue changing how we analyze information, train employees and operate our businesses. We should embrace that.

But I don't believe the future of the car wash industry is about choosing between technology and people. I believe the opportunity is using technology to make our people better. Give managers better information so they can make better decisions. Give employees better training so they can become more confident. Automate administrative work so leaders can spend more time leading. Use data to identify where coaching is needed instead of relying on assumptions.

Technology should remove friction from the business, but frictionless doesn't have to mean relationshipless. As we automate more of the customer experience, I actually think the human interactions that remain become even more important.

We tend to think of our product as the wash itself. I think we need to look at it differently. Our people are part of the product too.

The customer doesn't separate the tunnel from the employee at the pay station, the cleanliness of the vacuum lot, the manager who handled their complaint or the GM who knows their name and asks how their kid's football game went. To the customer, all of it is the car wash.

That means employee development isn't simply an HR responsibility. It's an operational strategy. It's a customer retention strategy. It's a membership strategy. And ultimately, it's a growth strategy.

You can build an incredible facility. You can install the best equipment. You can have great chemistry, great technology and a beautiful property. You should invest in all of those things. But don't spend millions building a great car wash and then expect an underdeveloped team to turn it into a great business.

Teach your people. Develop your leaders. Give them the tools to be successful. Get your managers out on the property building relationships and becoming the "guy" your customers know and trust.

Because the equipment may produce the clean car. Your people build the relationships that keep customers coming back. And relationships are what build the business.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/your-competitor-can-copy-almost-everything-except-conrad-sams-ygrgc/