Champ, I’m really trying to create the ultimate car wash experience with my new site. What suggestions do you have to set me apart from my competition?

Sven, Bergen, Norway

All competition in the car wash business is local, Sven, and I’m sorry to say that I really don’t know too much about Bergen… Located in the municipality of Hordaland and covering roughly 465 square kilometers, Bergen was incorporated around 1070 and became an important member of the Hanseatic League in the late 1300s. Today, nearly 400,000 live in the metropolitan area, where it averages 235 days of rain a year and the salmon special at The Enhjørningen is to die for…

Unfortunately, this does nothing to answer your question.

So, here is my suggestion: develop a differentiation plan that has two components — experiences for the vehicle and experiences for the customer. For the vehicle, it’s the old adage of “clean, shiny and dry” with the addition of “safe.” Look at the products and processes being used by others near you, and target their gaps. For the customer, the list could include speed, smell (fragrance), sight (cleanliness and brightness) and sounds. Even personality is a differentiator. Your site can remind someone of an amusement park (fun for kids), a dentist’s office (clean and professional) or a rainforest (exotic and environmentally conscious). Kick back, pop open a Hansa and let your imagination run wild!

What does my customer want?

Sharon, Tampa, FL

I’ve got to hand it to you, Sharon — you cut right to the point. I kept this question on file for a while, contemplating the best response. (Full disclosure: when I say “on file,” I actually mean in a dusty satchel in the attic of my summer home, under a horse blanket and next to my Uncle Barry’s collection of vintage traffic cones. And, when I say “best response,” I mean the one that first comes to mind and allows me to get back to the second half of Game of Thrones as quickly as possible.)

Yes, clean, shiny and dry is important — but I’m going to answer by turning your thinking around. What customers also want is The Nots! The do not want their car to be dirty, they do not want it to take too long, they do not want to pay too much, they do not want to stop somewhere that’s filthy and they do not want to interact with unfriendly people.

It’s not wasted time to ask yourself what your customers want. You can survey, you can ask and you can infer. But it’s also valuable to consider what they don’t want — and use that as a competitive advantage. Think about selling Nots, and see if that doesn’t open your eyes to new opportunities.