Success Stories

Country Clean Car Wash, Hartville, OH

Exterior with Quick Lube

Running Cross Promotions With DRB Systems Helps Boost Volume At Small Town Multi-Profit Center

Hartville is a beautiful small town nestled in the rolling hill country of eastern Ohio, not far from the Pennsylvania border. Quiet and friendly, it is the sort of place that offers a welcome escape from the hustle and bustle of big city life.

Unfortunately, the same tranquil qualities that make Hartville so relaxing, also present special challenges for the carwash operator looking to increase volume. The town's small population limits opportunities to grow by opening a second location. Or, to put it another way: there is room for only so many carwashes in a town the size of Hartville.

This was the challenge that Brad Pavlak, the owner of Country Clean, faced not long ago. Although his three-year-old carwash was doing well, Pavlak realized that opportunities to clean more cars in Hartville were limited. It was then that he decided that adding a quick lube to his site would be a more efficient way to grow the business.

"From the first time I saw quick lubes, I was interested in them because of all of the opportunities they create to run cross-marketing promotions with a carwash," said Pavlak, who's been in carwashing for over two decades.

Pavlak's optimistic view of the quick lube/carwash promotions was well founded. Since opening his quick lube, he's found that over half (about 54%) of all customers who get their oil changed also buy a carwash. For their part, many of the carwash customers have also become quick lube regulars at Country Clean. "There are many cross benefits between the carwash and lube shop," said Pavlak. "Each business helps build traffic for the other with just about every customer."

A key reason behind this "synergy" has been Pavlak's practice of cross-marketing his two profit centers. Lube shop customers receive generous discounts on a basic wash and extra services; customers who go through the wash tunnel get $3 off an oil change.

Pavlak uses his DRB Systems computer to run cross-promotions. The cash registers at his quick lube interface directly with those at his carwash, so his employees are able to sell washes from the lube bays, and oil changes from the tunnel entrance. Having this capability makes it much easier for his employees to create "tie-in" and impulse sales, according to Pavlak.

Lube shop customers receive a carwash number on their receipts. If they enter the carwash within 30 days of their quick lube purchase, the computer system will automatically award them a discount, without depending on the actions of employees. The computer will refuse to award a quick lube discount unless it recognizes the number on the customer's oil change receipt. By taking all decision-making power out of the employees' hands, DRB Systems helps protect Country Clean's cross-promotion from fraud and abuse, since quick lube customers are assured of receiving the exact discount they're entitled to -- nothing more or less.

Pavlak stores the quick lube transaction numbers in Country Clean's computer for 30 days, so customers don't have to get their vehicles washed right away to take advantage of the discount. "This is a great incentive for customers who come to our lube shop on rainy days. They don't have to worry about 'wasting' their discounted wash."

At his carwash, Pavlak uses our computer to print double coupons on the bottom of his cash register receipts. One coupon is good for a discount on a carwash extra service; the other is for an oil change discount.

Reviewing his cross-promotion strategy, Pavlak said, "I'm not sure I would build a standalone quick lube shop today, because the market is competitive. But I wouldn't hesitate to put up a lube shop with a carwash, even if there were other lubes in my immediate market, because the two businesses are such a good fit.”