Marketing gimmicks...

[Dixiedrifter]

Ok I have been toying around with several ideas... what about doing car washes?

Scenario #1:

The gimmick is to pair up with a gas station. You offer the gas station a low ball rate to clean their lot in exchange for an opportunity to wash cars at their place of business for $2-3 each with an 8 gallon fill up. The pitch is that your washing will bring in extra customers and that will result in more sales for them.

So, on Friday afternoon, about noon you pull into the parking lot with your 14 foot rolling billboard up in an open area their parking lot, you give the cashier a roll of tickets and a money box. When the customer gets the required amount of gas, the customer pays the cashier, and the cashier gives the customer a ticket. The customer then takes the ticket back to the car wash area and hands it to the washer. The washer hands the customer a flyer with a list of items cleaned, a link to the web site and a 10% off coupon.

Scenario #2:

You contact schools and other youth groups and offer to organize and host a charity car wash. You charge $100.00 per day or 30% of the gross proceeds, whichever is greater. You provide the buckets, chemicals, mitts and signs and they provide about 10 ppl to assist.

4-5 are out on the side of the road flagging down traffic, then you have the donation taker, which you charge say like $10 for a wash. The donation taker would hand the person driving the car a full page flyer on one side, and on the other a copy of the school's team sports schedules.

At the next stations you have 4 manning the buckets with mitts, and one mans a wheel scrubber. Your at the end of the line with your washer and give the cars an undercarriage wash, maybe clean the engines, apply wax and then last a spot free rinse.

The net result of both scenarios is that you get paid to deliver the customer advertising along with a hands on demonstration, and you get jobs which more than makes up for the loss of time you spent dicking around with washing cars all day for little of nothing...

 

[mtngoat]

Sounds pretty good actually.
Id make shure the kids washing weren't scratching up the cars. Needless to say, you know how kids are. Have your own people do it.

I'd let some Bakinis wash my car! Just a thought

 

[Dave Ott]

One of my friends own a gas station. He shows me what he pays for gas.
Gas stations don't make that much a gallon. $1.89 a gallon when I talked to him last. If I fill up one of my trucks tanks say half way that's $50.00 . We calculated it with what he pays a gallon which was $1.86 his cost. He makes say .03 cents a gallon. Now he also gets charged 3% for every $1.00 spent on a charge card at the pump, like most like to pay. If they go inside and pay with card it's 1.5% per dollar which most won't do. Plus the electricity to pump the gas out of the pumps he's not making much for the $50.00 I just spent.
Now you go and say $8.00 or even $10.00 + car wash. Dont forget you will probably have to use his water so he is actually loosing money. Wasn't trying to squash this idea, but trying to help on that one. Oh yeah and don't forget you have to reclaim to avoid from the gas station owner getting the $15.000 fine + you $10.000 or more, depending on where your at.

 

[Larry L.]

Good point Dave not to mention several of the gas stations already they their own car wash with gas fill ups free.

 

[Tim Lynch]

Ok I have been toying around with several ideas... what about doing car washes?

Scenario #1:

The gimmick is to pair up with a gas station. You offer the gas station a low ball rate to clean their lot in exchange for an opportunity to wash cars at their place of business for $2-3 each with an 8 gallon fill up. The pitch is that your washing will bring in extra customers and that will result in more sales for them.

So, on Friday afternoon, about noon you pull into the parking lot with your 14 foot rolling billboard up in an open area their parking lot, you give the cashier a roll of tickets and a money box. When the customer gets the required amount of gas, the customer pays the cashier, and the cashier gives the customer a ticket. The customer then takes the ticket back to the car wash area and hands it to the washer. The washer hands the customer a flyer with a list of items cleaned, a link to the web site and a 10% off coupon.

Scenario #2:

You contact schools and other youth groups and offer to organize and host a charity car wash. You charge $100.00 per day or 30% of the gross proceeds, whichever is greater. You provide the buckets, chemicals, mitts and signs and they provide about 10 ppl to assist.

4-5 are out on the side of the road flagging down traffic, then you have the donation taker, which you charge say like $10 for a wash. The donation taker would hand the person driving the car a full page flyer on one side, and on the other a copy of the school's team sports schedules.

At the next stations you have 4 manning the buckets with mitts, and one mans a wheel scrubber. Your at the end of the line with your washer and give the cars an undercarriage wash, maybe clean the engines, apply wax and then last a spot free rinse.

The net result of both scenarios is that you get paid to deliver the customer advertising along with a hands on demonstration, and you get jobs which more than makes up for the loss of time you spent dicking around with washing cars all day for little of nothing...

This happens all the time in my area here, School Kids do cars washes to raise money for sports and the like. It's only like 3.00 a car for charity. Two years ago I posted a letter from the EPA in our county saying this has to stop! As the kids were just rinsing right into the drains going to creeks and due to the fact it was every weekend at the same place it was a problem. They were told reclaim or your gone. They left but slowley they popup here and there.

Any idea is a good Idea bad or not as you are trying to create something but in my view and in my area I would say keep thinking. [hello]

 

[Henry Bockman]

Try doing a community service job like cleaning a small local park area... Post some yard signs while your doing the job and try to get the word out to the press. It helps the community and your company image at the same time. That's the same principle that I based the clean across america campaign on with the PWNA. I also post this stuff on my website to check it out. I still have a couple projects I need to add but you can see some of them at least.

 

[mtngoat]

As far as reclamation goes. If your in one of the larger cities I would be concerned.
In any case, I still think its a great marketing tool.
Make an effort to reclaim your water and I dont think you will have any problems.Even if its a shop vac and some home made dams.
I hear of guys filling old fire hose with sand and using it as a dam.
Some guys place a cheap plastic swimming pool over the drains filled with water and vac up the run off.Or plug the drain with an inflatable device(bladder).
Just suggestions. Dont give up because of a few negative attitudes. [hello]

Mtngoat.

 

[Dave Ott]

LOL negative Hmmmmm. Just helpful. Small or large city it all needs to be reclaimed.

 

[mtngoat]

"Make an effort to reclaim your water and I dont think you will have any problems.Even if its a shop vac and some home made dams.
I hear of guys filling old fire hose with sand and using it as a dam.
Some guys place a cheap plastic swimming pool over the drains filled with water and vac up the run off.Or plug the drain with an inflatable device(bladder). [hello]

Like I said. mmmmmm Make an effort! [hello]


Make an effort to contain it. Youll be OK.
OH. Watch out for whistle blowers. [lm]

Everybody has to start somewhere.

On assumption you probably dont have the money for a proper capturing/reclamation. If you do. Look at this site and read it entirely you will find what you need>>>> http://www.dcs1.com/ Look for portable vinyl flat tarps in the smaller boxes on the right.
Or consult Mark from this board. He could find you what you need.

 

[Bob Gates]

Don't take this wrong....but to me "Marketing gimmicks" is an oxymoron...

"Buy one...get one free" does anyboy think you really get one "free"?

A well thought out Marketing Plan is what yields results...both short term and long term...

Again...don't take this wrong....just food for thought