Thursday, October 21, 2010

We’re Doing Something Important

Next week, Metro Car Wash is heading into unchartered waters. We’re hosting a Zombie Car Wash to raise money for our Scholarship Fund, and we’re a little scared.

We’re not afraid of zombies (they’re not real), but we are afraid of a lot of other things: Do we have enough volunteers? Have we built the sets well enough? Have we marketed the Event properly? Will people actually show up?

These are the things that are haunting us.

Even if you don’t like zombies and haunted houses (and I know that some of you don’t), I hope you’ll at least read this blog to get an understanding of what it is we’re trying to do.

First of all, we’re raising money for our Scholarship. Our Company is sincere when we say that we value education. And because of the type of work we employee, we too often see talented, smart young people who just aren’t going to get the same career opportunities as others because, simply, they didn’t have the funds or the resources to attend college.

In our opinion, that’s just really sad. And because we believe that in a free market economy it is a privilege to own a business, and that furthermore there is a responsibility to the community that accompanies that privilege, we have gone about setting up a Scholarship Fund that we hope can significantly and positively impact the lives of kids that might not otherwise have the opportunity to get a higher education.

You can find out more about our Scholarship through our website www.metrocarwash.com. But suffice to say that the money we are raising at this Zombie Wash Event will be helping us send a minimum of one high school student through one full year at Pima Community College in 2011; if we can raise enough funds, we will send additional students.

Fundraisers are always difficult things to manage. Even when the cause is good, you’re ultimately asking people for money. And in this economy that’s just not an easy thing to do. You hope that whatever Event you put on, therefore, has enough appeal and value to make parting with that money a little less painful.

I’d like believe our Zombie Wash fits that bill. First of all, you will be receiving a professional car wash from Metro, Tucson’s favorite and friendliest car wash. In addition, you’ll be getting your fix on a Halloween scare. We’re coordinating over 40 volunteers (who have been kind enough to spend five nights in zombie attire) to interact with customers and cars as only zombie’s can: by attempting to eat them.

We have literally spent thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours preparing for this. We had donations of props and sets and gift certificates from countless participating businesses (a big thanks to AlphaGraphics, 24-7 Creative Solutions, Sign-Age, Bob’s Enterprises, and others). And we’re pretty excited about what we’ve come up with.

A lot of the volunteers are high school students … some of the same high school students who will be applying for the Scholarship they’re raising money for. There’s a really good spirit among the volunteers; it feels good to be doing something positive in a time when the news, in general, is so negative.

We’re asking for $10 for each car for a trip through The Zombie Wash, but you can of course fit as many people into the car as you please.

We’ve worked hard. We’re hoping for a good turnout. And this is my personal request that, even if you can’t attend (or don’t agree with zombies in general), that you’ll understand what we’re trying to do and that you’ll tell others about the Event.

We’d love to see you there. And of course, look for me. DJ DripDry will be in full zombie regalia.

Until later, stay clean my friends.

--DJ DripDry

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Meet a Metro Customer

I mentioned several weeks ago that we were going to begin periodically blogging about a few of our favorite customers. We always said that our Metro Car Wash Blog was not going to be about washing cars, but rather about people, our Tucson community, and the stories we come across. It seems fitting then, that Sherry Elliott would be the first that we write about. She’s been a loyal customer of Metro’s since 2003 and she’s someone we count lucky to know.

First of all, Sherry is just a very friendly and fun person. Most of the time, we don’t get to know our customers on a personal level (we like to remember names and faces, but at the end of the day, we are viewed by most people as simply a car wash). With Sherry, however, things were different. Besides the fact that she’s got a smile and a personality that make you feel (almost instantly) as if you’ve been long-time friends, Sherry also made us feel as if she was making us a partner with her in her business venture.

Sherry is a personal chef and a custom caterer, and she believes her vehicles (which she uses for deliveries and errands) need to reflect that she’s clean, neat, professional, and efficient. She uses Metro - for which we’re very proud - but even more impressive to me is how many of our employees have come to know her personally and how much pride these same employees take in making sure she looks good out on the road. This is impressive because it’s not something our Company did; it’s something Sherry was able to do with a friendly, gracious and open attitude to all of our employees. When Sherry comes by for a wash, it’s not uncommon to see her receive multiple hugs from our employees while she waits for her car.

Sherry started her own business over seven years ago. She’d been working in communications and sales for large companies and she’d become tired of the corporate life. She was a self-taught chef with a passion for cooking, teaching and making people smile, and so in 2003 she decided to combine them all into her own business venture and head out on her own.

Today, CookingSherry, LLC is a very interesting business that we hope more people will take the time to learn about and try. There are three main services that CookingSherry provides: Custom Catering, Chocolate Fountain Rentals, and a Personal Chef Service.

Sherry’s goal, when she began her business, was to be able to create an economical cooking service for individuals and families who were too busy to cook great meals at home, but who never considered that they could afford a Personal Chef.

With CookingSherry, however, the product and service you receive is simply an incredible value. First, Sherry will personally sit down with you in your home to review what types of meals your family enjoys (as well as dietary restrictions and taste preferences). She then goes to the store for you, does your grocery shopping, and returns to your kitchen to prepare 5 different custom meals which are then frozen until you are ready to use them (oh, and she cleans up the kitchen too). Each meal can be served twice, so one visit from the CookingSherry equates to 10 custom homemade meals for you and your family. Prices vary upon family size, but the cost is refreshingly inexpensive. And the food? Well, it’s healthy, fresh and delicious.

In addition to the Personal Chef Service, CookingSherry also offers custom catering from parties of 2 -200. For parties of two, she can deliver a romantic dinner to your door, or if you prefer, she can cook one for you in your home (if you’d like to pretend that you actually whipped up something yourself).

Finally, she also offers Chocolate Fountain Rentals. These fountains of chocolate goodness are pretty amazing and impressive. They’re perfect for weddings or holiday parties … or car washes. We’re actually trying to get one into our lobby this Christmas for our scholarship benefit.

Like most businesses, of course, the economy has been hard on Sherry. She’s struggled and is working hard to keep her dream going. Because business is slow, she’s actually taken on a part-time job to help pay the bills and her staff has all been moved to part-time help. But she’s not giving up.

When I sat down to interview Sherry, I was struck by how genuine and passionate she was. She says good food makes people happy, and she is intent on sticking to her vision of providing her products and services at a value price that the Tucson public can afford. Not only this, but she’s dedicated to delivering friendly and responsive customer service every day. She gets to know her clients, returns calls immediately, and works on her feet 15 hours a day. She was the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Member of the Year 2006. And in the long-term, Sherry has the further dream of creating a local Cooking School for children.

Oh, and in her free time she likes riding motorcycles, too. Yup. She has a 2007 Harley Sportster and belongs to a motorcycle club. Just in case you thought you had her all figured out.

All of the pricing for CookingSherry’s services can be found on her website at www.cookingsherry.net. If you’d like to reach her, you can do so at sherry@cookingsherry.net or by calling directly at 520-631-5201. (I've included a picture of one of her chocolate fountains below.)

We hope you’ll take the time to check the business out. If nothing else, she’s a great person to meet and know. At Metro, we’re very glad she stopped in some seven years ago and allowed us to get to know her.

Thanks for staying tuned, folks. And until next time, stay clean my friends.

-DJ DripDry


Thursday, October 7, 2010

Why We Love the Way the Internet is Changing Our Business

Over the next few months, you can expect to see a few interviews posted on this blog. We’re sitting down with some of our favorite customers and finding out a little bit more about them personally – about their careers or the businesses they own, about their hobbies, and of course why they like Metro Car Wash.

When we set out to write this blog, we always said we wanted it to be different. We wanted it to be a local business’s perspective on its customers, its employees, and Tucson in general. There are actually quite a few people reading this blog now, and so we realized that this might be a good way to help out some of our customers too … to get them a little publicity so to speak.

It got me thinking about how it’s just one more example of how the Internet is changing our business for the better. More specifically, I think it is an example of how technology is actually bringing our business much closer to our customers and our community. And that’s a little ironic, because I think most people thought that technology and the Internet was actually going to be cold and impersonal.

A lot of credit has to be given to Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook, of course. But regardless, the new social aspect to the Internet is fundamentally changing business, customer service, and most importantly customer communication.

I suppose our own business is a great example of this. Who would have thought that a car wash in Tucson could benefit significantly from the Internet? But we are.

First of all, we love Facebook. Through Facebook, we’ve been able to begin conversing with our customers in a manner we never dreamed of in the past. It’s great to hear the nice comments when a Fan had a good experience. But it’s also a great place for our good customers to also leave us feedback. Did we miss something on your car? Did your service take too long? These are things we need to know, and we appreciate the remarks. As an example, several months ago we asked our Fans to submit suggestions so that we could make our business better. And the truth is: we were blown away by all the good ideas. We’ve implemented several of them already and are still working to implement others. How cool is it to be building a business where your customers have the capability to provide such input?

And of course it’s more than just Facebook. We are continually working to make our website better. At www.metrocarwash.com you can download coupons, read about our business, and purchase Gift Cards. But more and more, we’re finding it’s also being used as a tool to communicate our involvement in the community. High school students can now apply on-line for the Metro Scholarship, you can volunteer to help us out with our Zombie Wash fundraiser, or you can research what other charities and not-for-profit organizations we’re partnering with.

If I sound excited, it’s because I am. I’m anxious to see where this new interaction with our customers will bring us. And of course, we’re hoping for your involvement too.

Are you a customer that might want to be interviewed for our blog? Let us know. Do you have a suggestion or a comment about our service? Send us an email or post it on our wall in Facebook. Know any high school students who could benefit from Metro Car Wash picking up the tab on their first year at Pima? Direct them to our website and our Scholarship page.

The Internet and social media is changing things rapidly. And at Metro, we just don’t want to be left behind. More specifically, we’re hoping that by keeping pace, we’re going to get to know our customers a whole lot better. And who knows, we may even make some true friends along the way.

Stay clean my friends. And until next time, this is DJ DripDry signing off.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Does A Bad Economy = Forgetting How To Work?

There’s been some good news, of late, coming out about our economy. Nothing earth-shattering, but we’re hearing that the Recession has (officially) ended and that people are starting to spend a little more money. Put another way, experts are saying they may be feeling a pulse.

And in Tucson, I think we’re beginning to feel that pulse a little as well. The streets are more crowded, restaurants seem busier, and at Metro Car Wash we’re beginning to see more and more of our customers. That’s all good news and makes me very happy.

Then my wife made the following comment the other day: “Have you noticed how bad the service in Tucson seems to be lately?”

I thought about what she said, and then had to agree with her. We began discussing how our last few restaurant outings had been less than stellar (at places where we normally receive great service); we mentioned the lack of help and assistance we’d received in the last few retail stores we’d been to. My wife scratched her head and then made this suggestion: “Do you think that in this bad economy, people have just forgotten how to work?”

On the surface, it seems like maybe a silly statement. But the truth is: I think she might be right. I know this, because at our car wash, we actually have a real-life example of this phenomenon every year; we call it our Post-Monsoon Slump.

For most of the year, Metro Car Wash is a pretty hoppin’ place. Each of our locations washes around 300 to 400 cars each day. And for the most part, we do it without breaking too much of sweat (figuratively speaking of course, because actually, it’s a very sweaty job). We process cars quickly, our systems flow, and the employees do their jobs efficiently and effectively. But then the monsoons come. Every July, August and September our car counts literally get cut in half as customers stop washing their vehicles in anticipation of the next rain storm. It’s understandable, really. And there’s nothing we can do about it.

But here’s the interesting thing: In the first month of monsoons, our employees go crazy with frustration at the lack of work available. They hustle through their tasks like they’ve been trained to do, but then find that there isn’t another car in line to work on. They get bored. They tell me it feels like the days last longer. They miss all the cars; they miss the fast pace, the high-demand, and the excitement. But that attitude only lasts for a while. By September, their perspectives have changed. Instead of being frustrated, they’ve acclimated to the new (slow) pace of business. They don’t notice that we don’t wash many cars. And they don’t realize that their hustle is gone. They don’t realize, that is, until the sun comes out and all of Tucson decides to get their car washed.

This is literally something we prepare for every year: motivating our employees to find the spring in their step that they may have lost over the summer. We don’t get frustrated, we just remind our managers that they’re going to have an extra challenge in getting everyone back up to speed.

And so I wonder if this bad economy isn’t having the same effect on businesses everywhere. We have slowed down; there haven’t been as many customers; restaurants and retail stores are less crowded. And it’s human nature to adapt to these new environments.

But if the economy is starting to turn the other way—if we’re going to see people pulling out their wallets again and filling up our stores and eateries—then as managers and business owners we also need to be aware that our employees might have forgotten how to meet that demand. It doesn’t mean they’re bad employees. It simply means that they’ve grown accustomed to a slower work pace. And it’s our job to identify that. Furthermore, it’s our job to provide the proper motivation to get them back into high-performance mode. Because the truth is: when demand rises, if a business isn’t prepared to catch it with consistent service, they’re in big trouble. Using the excuse “we’re really busy” for poor quality or poor customer service is about the lamest excuse out there. It says you’ve stumbled into success and that you’re surprised by it, because you’re really not that good.

So let’s hope this economy is feeling the first pulse of heartbeat. Let’s hope it is getting back on its feet. And while we’re at it, let’s hope that businesses and their workforce rise to meet the new demand with energy and great customer service. In the end, I suppose, that’s the American Way.

Until next time, stay clean my friends.

-DJ DripDry