I thought it might be helpful to have a thread that stimulates our thinking and observations around how businesses add value.
I went to a car wash the other day. This is one of those "in between" models where you do the vacuuming but the car wash is automated - you drive your own car through. Normally, I only vacuum once in a blue moon. Saturday, I decided to get out and do a quick vacuum. I noticed when I got out that there were signs saying you could use two complimentary towels. I thought, what the heck. I am not into washing my car, but I thought it would be nice to dust the inside, and it doesn't cost me anything. So I reached into the box and pulled out, to my surprise, a large, damp microfiber towel. And wiped down the inside of my car. Oh, wow, what a difference that made! I spent maybe 10 minutes on it, and the car looked like it had been detailed. There was a drop box for the dirty cloths right beside the box of clean cloths.
When I ran my car through the wash, I chose the most expensive option they had ($13 instead of $5) because this experience a) made me feel generous towards the owner and b) made me want the car looking better than usual. While driving through, I realized I should have wiped down my windows. So after the wash, I pulled into the vacuum area and got another cloth. I wiped down all my windows, inside and out, and then wiped down the entire car to get that layer of grime that a touchless wash can't get.
A full service car wash costs me $25 with the tip. An economy wash with no frills costs me $5. I chose to pay $13, my car looked better than it did from a full service wash, and I got the personal satisfaction of accomplishment with very little work on my part. (Who knew the power of a damp shammy?!?)
This is a great example of a value-add service with a high benefit. I don't know what his costs were - initial - the signs, bins, and cloths - ongoing - probably just the cost of keeping the towels washed and replaced every so often. This business owner has found a way to distinguish his car wash above all other self service locations.
What have you noticed businesses doing to add value?
I went to a car wash the other day. This is one of those "in between" models where you do the vacuuming but the car wash is automated - you drive your own car through. Normally, I only vacuum once in a blue moon. Saturday, I decided to get out and do a quick vacuum. I noticed when I got out that there were signs saying you could use two complimentary towels. I thought, what the heck. I am not into washing my car, but I thought it would be nice to dust the inside, and it doesn't cost me anything. So I reached into the box and pulled out, to my surprise, a large, damp microfiber towel. And wiped down the inside of my car. Oh, wow, what a difference that made! I spent maybe 10 minutes on it, and the car looked like it had been detailed. There was a drop box for the dirty cloths right beside the box of clean cloths.
When I ran my car through the wash, I chose the most expensive option they had ($13 instead of $5) because this experience a) made me feel generous towards the owner and b) made me want the car looking better than usual. While driving through, I realized I should have wiped down my windows. So after the wash, I pulled into the vacuum area and got another cloth. I wiped down all my windows, inside and out, and then wiped down the entire car to get that layer of grime that a touchless wash can't get.
A full service car wash costs me $25 with the tip. An economy wash with no frills costs me $5. I chose to pay $13, my car looked better than it did from a full service wash, and I got the personal satisfaction of accomplishment with very little work on my part. (Who knew the power of a damp shammy?!?)
This is a great example of a value-add service with a high benefit. I don't know what his costs were - initial - the signs, bins, and cloths - ongoing - probably just the cost of keeping the towels washed and replaced every so often. This business owner has found a way to distinguish his car wash above all other self service locations.
What have you noticed businesses doing to add value?
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