Don Jacobs has been featured in WashIdeas.com interviews twice. Don started out as a tire shiner and is now an equity partner in and running two flex serve car washes based in McKinney and Frisco, Texas.

Don’s rise in the business is a great demonstration of outstanding recruiting and training that, through a series of events, led to his running and owning part of both successful locations.

There may be a great word of encouragement in Don’s story for employees who give their best and apply themselves to learning the business. Opportunity does knock and it is usually looking for those who have great attitudes and have gotten themselves prepared to lead.

WashIdeas recently called on Don to discuss a problem many in the industry deal with: car damage.

Perry:

How can you prevent employees from escalating the situation with a customer while discussing damages?

Don:

It is easier than you may think. I have four or five people in each facility that can make decisions on damages. What I do is demonstrate. As they are learning, I let them follow me, and this is how I learned. They listen to every word I say and when we are done I tell them what I was seeing.

You don’t ever say no right away. You lose every time.

Perry:

Or that it’s their fault.

Don:

It goes back to something I learned in the beginning. First of all, the difficulty in my business is that everything I do is subjective. Secondly, I am usually dealing with their second largest investment. So there is a fear coming in.

I have heard all kinds of horror stories about things that happen in car washes that simply could not be true.

It did not saw the top of your Jeep off and throw it on the ground! There’s nothing sharp in there. Flipping cars over... but that’s out there. There are urban legends. So you have to understand that. One guy told me his car caught on fire in the wash.

I tell my service advisors to pretend you are talking to your mother. Well, first I ask them if they like their mother. If they do, then I ask them if this was your mother, how would you want someone to speak to her?

But you have to listen and investigate and if you don’t know the answer then tell them you don’t know. But, tell them you will find someone who does.

The issue does not have to be solved right then and there. Customers appreciate and understand for the most part, and as long as they feel you are being honest, they will let you investigate.

We have cameras and some people say that you should not let people see the cameras but we will let people follow us to the office and show them the camera. We don’t have anything to hide.

Perry: You are transparent.

Don: The cameras exonerate us. Many times the customer sees the video and says “Oh I see it. Thanks for showing me.” And I think, “Thanks for not suing me!”

I teach my guys that this is advertising. It may not show up on tax statements or P&Ls that way, but it is advertising. So how do I want to spend my money?

Nine out of 10 claims I pay for, I am not legally, morally or ethically bound to pay for and it would never hold up in a court of law. But it goes back to what does it take to get a new customer?

You have to develop a system that is fair and equitable. We are the professionals. Always take the high road. The real root of this is fear. They fear they cannot afford to fix the damage.