Spring Car Cleaning News

It's been a long, cold winter but it's slowly coming to an end. It may not feel like Spring yet but our clients know it's that time of year again. With Spring comes change and this year is a big year for change. Car cleaning is a boom and with that being said Diamond Detailing has made a few new additions to provide our clients with the best possible services and quality.

We have added a new member to the Diamond Detailing team. We are so pleased to have Paul Brophy as the new shop manager. Paul is a professional automotive detailer with a long history of car care. He is a real asset to the detailing business and an even greater asset to Diamond Detailing. The business has continued to grow each year leaving me little time to expand the business in ways we feel would be beneficial. Having Paul on board will allow us to continue our high quality auto detailing and ensure that we can continue to move forward as planned.

It was inevitable that this day would come. Diamond Detailing has been on a continual upward swing since we opened 3 years ago in Guelph. Today, we are seeing a rapid increase to our already large client data base. As our reputation increases so does the growth in the industry. I've been saying this for years that the economy is weakening and as it does the demand for professional car cleaning strengthens. People have begun to realize that the days of buying new cars every couple of years has come to an end. People are buying more used cars than ever and keeping them longer. This has helped to increase the need for automotive detailing services. Consumers want to protect their investments and prolong the life of their vehicle's. In order to keep up with the demand Diamond Detailing needs to expand it's horizons.

Now that I have your attention lets talk about Competition Vs. Rivalry

A while back I wrote the following articles:
Deadly pathogens in your car are a possibility
Amateur poachers a disgrace to the auto detailing industry
Pro's Vs The Joe's
Some questions are more important than the answers

Well it seems that one business owner whom I have always considered the non-competition has become a big fan of Diamond Detailing. What had started as lurking around to get my prices and badmouthing me to my contracted service people has led to an infatuation with visiting my website and this blog on a daily basis.

Apparently it seems we got their attention with the article:
Deadly pathogens in your car are a possibility. The detailer responsible for doing the job I spoke of in the article came forward. It's unfortunate but instead learning from their mistakes and creating opportunity to improve themselves they decided to put on an ugly display of their true colors.

A few weeks back on a Monday morning as I was standing in line at Timmie's for my morning coffee along came a person who placed their hand on my arm and said my name. As I looked at this person I was confused because I didn't know who they were. Immediately the razor sharp tongue came spewing from their mouth and in a matter of 5 minutes I was called an idiot, stupid, I was told I don't know anything, I'm a liar and an a**hole. Classy!

After leaving the coffee shop I went to my store and found that this express detailer had left a message on Sunday only hours after I had posted the article. What had started out sounding like a call from someone I should know, ended quite bitterly stating that they suggest I get a hold of them immediately so we could work things out. Since the message was left before the incident at the coffee shop I didn't bother. If the immature actions taken at the coffee shop was any indication of how they planned on working it out -why bother. I don't have time for people who can't take responsibility for their actions and have no interest in improving themselves.

In their defense - it is true that I only have the customers side of this story and didn't have that of this so-called detailer; but the bottom line is that the job wasn't done right, it could have endangered people's lives and had the job been done right in the first place the client would not have come to me to fix it.

A few weeks past and then I received a phone call from this same car cleaner. The call was made not from their shop but from an automotive dealership. They stated that they were calling because they had a car they couldn't handle and wanted to see if I could do it. Then they went on to say well I thought it would be better to work together than to be enemies. I explained that I was booked up and couldn't get over to the dealership to look at the car immediately. I was given the contact info of the used car salesperson before the conversation ended.

I thought to myself maybe they did learn something from experience. After getting all angry inside and then calming down perhaps they saw the article for which it was intended. Not to criticize and not to harm their business - the words were not directed at them but directed to everyone who offers express or complete detailing services who is not equipped, trained or knowledgeable about the services they are providing. Then as I surfed the net I was quickly slapped in the face and was returned to reality. This detail shop replaced an old ad which stated that they did express detailing and had 9 years experience with a new version stating they have 15 years experience and offer highest quality and the lowest priced express and complete detailing. Apparently, they didn't learn a thing and that is scary! New info added today> I guess after reading this article they decided to pull the free classified ad.

When are they going to learn that competition, not rivalry, allows us to view our opponents clearly, Don't know the difference - think it's the same? Unfortunately it's not. Rivalry which is what this person has chosen; ends in a negative outcome while competition brings about positive changes.

I've never had plans nor do I plan on being this persons' rival and until they can fall into a category where I can consider them as competition, there is no struggle to compete. If people did their job properly and stopped selling services they aren't trained for, equipped and knowledgeable to perform I wouldn't have half as much to write. When I spend day after day repairing damage caused by car washes and amateurs I feel there is a real need for the public to be more aware of amateurs posing as professionals and how it has a direct impact on their investment.

Do the companies you deal with deserve your business?

Do the companies you deal with deserve your business? A recent study by Strativity showed that of all the corporate executives interviewed, only half thought their company deserved customers’ business. By their own admission, companies have no idea why they would deserve your business.

So what is customer service? Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. Consumers equate customer service with the ability to constantly and consistently, delight him/her and exceed their needs but in today's capitalistic society it is rare. It seems that the bigger companies get the less customer service they offer.

Customers are fed up with companies who treat them badly and it's driving people to become ex-customers. With so many new businesses opening up you would think that this shouldn't be a problem but it is - even among competitors offering lower prices. Regardless of selection, price and quality consumers still want and are entitled to legendary customer service. Companies are neglecting this part of the business equation on a daily basis because it takes less effort to gain new clients than it does to train employees, surrender to the customer and improve themselves. In the eyes of corporations, it is easier to draw in new clients through expensive advertising and it is this this short-term thinking that has caused commerce to be in the sad state that it is today.

So why are companies spending a fortune to capture new clients instead of trying to keep existing clients? Well Reichheld's detractor theory says that "companies are hooked on bad profits. Whenever a customer feels misled, mistreated, ignored, or coerced, then profits from that customer are bad." He also states that "profiting in this fashion is disastrous, because bad profits choke off a company's best opportunities for true growth, the kind of growth that is both profitable and sustainable. The pursuit of bad profits alienates customers, demoralizes employees and it blackens the reputation. With this in mind it would make sense why so many businesses today are changing hands, merging and closing their doors.

As a small business owner I understand the importance of providing legendary customer service - it not only adds value to your business it also aids in converting ordinary customers into lifetime customers. I have learned that it is cheaper to keep a client than to replace one. So as a consumer I realize the only defense I have and the only way I can help bring about change is to avoid buying from companies who do not provide me with the same caliber of service that I offer to my clients.

In fact, last week I had a fellow email me his email said " Hi i represent a manufacturer of car care products out of Toronto, and i would like to introduce our product line to you." I emailed him back to say " Thank-you for taking the time to contact me. Diamond Detailing caters to a lot of high end luxury and exotic sports cars so the majority of the chemicals I use are professional grade, superior quality & come at a premium price from Italy, England, Germany and Australia so chances are that unless you have a product of high caliber I probably would not be interested but feel free to send some info about your products by mail or email to my shop and if I am interested in any I will let you know. I appreciate the contact and I will add you to my contact list should I require anything new in the future. "

Today I received his reply which stated "Hi do you think italy,england,germany,etc produces professional grade products not CANADA, I GUESS THEN YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT QUALITY. AS A BUSINESS PERSON YOU SHOULD BE MORE OPEN MINDED AND SUPPORT LOCAL ECONOMY BEFORE SUPPORTING OTHERS."

Wow, how about that for customer care! His response absolutely blew my mind. The lack of knowledge about the industry struck me first. If you have something or know of something that equally compares to the products I currently use why wouldn't he have provided info about them and provided some details as to why they are better or equivalent. Secondly, if he thought he had a Canadian product of equal caliber to the ones I use why didn't he just present them to me? Anyhow, I emailed him back with this statement "What company is it that you work for Sir? Your tone is not appreciated or called for. I was pleasant in my response to your email and I did give you the opportunity to send me some info about what it is that you sell. Where I buy my products is my business! If Canada produced a product equal in quality I would be using it - fact is, to date they don't. Please refrain from expressing your economic & political beliefs and learn to have a bit of finesse. You had an opportunity to sell me on your product - but with the attitude you just displayed you can forget about it. This was the most unpleasant and unprofessional experience I think I have encountered. Good luck with your endeavor, I think you will need it if this is how you treat potential clients."

Unprofessional and rude behavior shouldn't be the norm nor should it be accepted or tolerated by clients. Corporations and small businesses alike need to take a step back to a time where they acknowledged that it is the customers who ultimately pay the bills and pay the salaries. Without customers, there is no business.