This week’s blog is a shout-out to Google.
Understandably, Google doesn’t need any help from Metro Car Wash (they seem to be doing just fine on their own), but I thought that by mentioning some of the ways in which Google has helped our organization, it might also provide some good information for other local Tucson small businesses.
First of all, let me say that Google has done much more for our car wash than just guiding new customers to our door (though they’ve done a great job with that too). Here’s a quick list of just a few of the things we do with Google products and how they’ve benefited us:
(1) We use their FREE office suite (word processing, spreadsheets, powerpoint) and don’t plan on spending money on software upgrades anytime soon. In this economy, the ability to provide all of our employees with this type of software (that used to cost us lots of money) is a significant savings. They made it easy to switch, too, as you can convert any Microsoft document to a Google document with the click of a button.
(2) We use their FREE Google Sites product to host an internal website for our management team. The simple task of creating this site (I am NO software guru and I created it in an afternoon) changed our business more than we ever imagined. Now all of our policies & procedures, financials, HR documents, compliance documents, checklists, and to-do lists are consolidated and accessible simultaneously, by any authorized employee, from any place there is Internet access. Information is shared between locations and in real-time. Managers stay in touch with their stores even from home (and yes, it’s so fun to play with, they do it on their days off).
(3) We use their FREE Blogger product to host this blog you are reading now, allowing us another way to communicate with our Tucson customer base. (4) We use their FREE Google Analytics product to track how many people visit our website and this blog (a lot more than we thought, btw), as well as what key words were used in their search to find the same (allowing us to refine our marketing efforts).
(5) We use their FREE Gmail product (email and calendar), so that all of our employees can stay in touch with management, schedules, and announcements better.
(6) We use their FREE Google Places product to enhance our Company Listing when people find us in their Google search. We offer coupons, list hours of operation, mention specials, and respond to Customer Reviews (We’ve also petitioned our loyal customers to leave reviews about us on Google, which they have, which has significantly improved our visibility on the web).
(7) We use their Google Checkout product to now sell gift cards on-line (i.e. through Google you can set up e-commerce on your website without breaking sweat).
(8) Finally, we’ve transitioned all of our managers to Android phones so that all of what I’ve just mentioned above is also available on mobile devices.
That’s a fairly impressive list, especially since the word FREE was used in just about every other sentence. Sometimes, its a wonder Google actually makes money at all (don’t worry, their earnings are staggeringly healthy).
But along those lines, there’s one more thing Google helped us with: inspiration.
The more we used free Google products and the more we sang their praises (I’m giving them some pretty good word-of-mouth advertising right now), the more we wanted to model our car wash business after them. Silly, I know, since car washing and the search engine business are a little more than miles apart. But true just the same.
We took our inspiration in three areas: their innovation, the simplicity of their products, and most of all the VALUE in what they were delivering to the consumer. In today’s economy, where everyone wants you to spend more, while delivering less, Google is the freshest of breezes.
And so in 2010, we launched Metro 2.0. It was our effort at improving our business and offering a new version of our services to Tucson. We simplified our menus, cut prices to true value levels, created simple services that customers really wanted, and assured that all could be delivered in the same timely manner. Our motto became “Simple. Fast. Value.” And the truth is, it really worked. Business is up. Customers are happier. And our managers and employees are having more fun washing cars. It may not be a high-tech campus with soaring stock options, but I think you get the point.
So … “Thank You” Google. Thanks for truly being there for small businesses, as well as the big guys. And thanks for being such a great example to this little car wash company. Much appreciated.
As for you readers, if you haven’t checked out Google as a low cost option for your business, you may want to take a look (everything is accessible to you once you sign up for a Free Gmail account at www.google.com). And if you have questions, feel free to ask me. Stop by, get a wash, and I’ll be glad to show you first-hand how we’re utilizing all of these tools.
Until next time, stay clean my friends!
--Dj DripDry
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