Mobile Oil Change Business Advice. You want to know it so here it is.......
Today I just picked up a fleet that has six Isuzu Box Trucks. I wish they were all diesel as only one of them is but I guess I can live with that. I set it up to do on a Tuesday because that's when they are not being driven and on a three month interval. I put them into the computer and just go out and do them. I do not even call. The only way they know we were out there is if they see us or the drivers notice a brand new window sticker in the window.
Good mobile oil change business advice is hard to find these days. Its not really a new industry any longer. You have had mobile oil change operators around for the last fifteen years. Most heavy construction equipment dealerships have a mobile service they offer although its very expensive. I have found that the reason why people think mobile oil changes is some "new" service for 2009 is because most operators only last a year. This industry has a 90% failure rate I would say. It may be more.
I was actually talking to one of the managers at one of the busiest quick lubes in town and, wow, did I have an interesting conversation with him. He re-affirmed several things I already knew. We talked for thirty minutes and let me outline some things we talked about that will give you insight in the oil change business. I used to think that we were different but I have come to find out that mobile oil change businesses and fixed oil change businesses are all in the same boat.
Here are two of the many things we talked about.
Add Ons
This is the key to your profits. This is what you take home ladies and gentleman. Oil change pay for the van, building, phone line, insurance, and all the other set overhead you may have but add ons pay YOU.
Without them you will be flailing in the wind. I used to think that we did not need add-ons. We did not have the overhead as Jiffy Lube so we only pushed them if we had to. Nonsense!
You need to push air filters, wiper blades, coolant flushes, radiators flushes, injectors cleaners, and anything else you can think off to get each ticket invoice as high as you can while at the same time being ethical. I firmly believe in God and that you should not sell anything that is false or the customer truly needs. But if the vehicle calls for it or they need it you need to be able to sell it. That's business. If you are doing individuals you need to be able to average one additional service per oil change. That's our business. What do you think Jiffy Lube does? They're always pushing.
Think you are going not sell addition services and make a good living doing this. Have fun....
Don't Offer Discounts
They are a waste of time and do not breed success. The thinking is that you offer a customer a discount now, they become your customer, and then they pay full price later.
Does not work with oil change businesses. The same person who uses a coupon for that oil change today is going to find a coupon in three-four months later for another discount maybe even for less. Cheap people stay cheap.
We offered $20 oil changes at Providence Hospital and got five people (not a lot anyway). Months later when those people called and we gave them the regular price they went someplace else. I will never make that mistake again.
The people who will pay $30-$40 per oil change are out there if you want to do the individual. You will not have to get them with discounts. Let those people go to Midas or Sears and get jacked. They are going to think they are getting a cheap oil change when little do they know they will be leaving there with a $350 repair bill.
Showing posts with label mobile oil change business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mobile oil change business. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Isuzu Diesel Cabovers
Here is some good advice for any mobile oil change business operator. Get your pen and paper out because the information I am about to give you is golden. It can aid you in making the $100/hr mark I was talking about and you can really get a lot of these if you follow my sales advice I wrote in another post.
Target Diesel Isuzu Cabovers. This is a common commercial vehicles for many businesses and over the last five years at least 30-40% of them have switched to diesels. I think they are called the Isuzu NPR Turbo Intercooled Box Vans as well. These vehicles pay.
The great thing about these trucks for a mobile oil change company is they are easy to service. You can perform an oil change on these diesel vehicles in twenty minutes. They usually take about 14-15 quarts of 15W-40 motor oil. When I first started doing these I would get the oil filter from NAPA but then I found out that they get all their filters from WIX and just spray paint their name on them and take off the "5" or "4" for air filters. Anyway if you have a WIX supplier, which I highly recommend, then the number is WIX 57521. If you do not have one and have to go through NAPA then the number is NAPA 7521. The air filter is easy to change on these as well but they last for minimum of two years unless you live in a very dusty place. Any cabover before 2005 will take a WIX 56506, just to let you know.
Here is what I will say about these vehicles. They cannot be taken to your nearby Wal Mart Express Lube or Midas to get an oil change because they will not have an oil filter. All the companies that have these will most likely be taking them into an Isuzu or International Dealer. You can easily charge $120. If they complain about the price explain to them that the oil filter is expensive. It does cost $20 by the way but they can easily retail for $35. Case in point you should be able to make minimum of $60 from each cabover. Thats without any add ons. If you service two in a hour then you make $120/Hr. You might be able to push wiper blades (they take 22"), a coolant flush if the truck has more than 50,000, or a rear end fluid change. I love these vehicles. They are a pleasure to work on.
I just got a call from a company that I did a sales call on three months ago. They have two of these diesel cabovers. This is where effort pays off even if you do not see the results right away. Anyway I was picking up some parts when I noticed the truck, an Isuzu, of a famous brewing company in town that I absolutely love. I followed the truck and spoke with the delivery guy driving it. He told me who to talk to. Then I went to the location and showed the fleet manager the van. He really liked the van which is why I said earlier that its always highly important to have a professional good looking oil change van and equipment. I told him the truth "I was in the area, spoke with one of your guys, and thought maybe you could use a service like this." He liked it. But he didn't need an oil change now so I gave him my card and a magnet and left. It wasn't a big fleet so I did not write it down like I should have. He called me today while I was at my computer sipping a hot cup of cofee working on my waste oil boiler blog asking if we could get his trucks this week. See how a little effort pays off.
The great thing about the mobile oil change business is while I will say time and time again how its not as easy as people think it is....its an easy sell once you get going, are established, and know what to look for. If you are able to make it you will train your eye to see vehicles that pay well for your time and vehicles that will not. Speaking of vehicles that do not Isuzu Cabovers that are gas are not nearly as profitabe unless you were to do at least five of them. They are just as easy by the way, if not more than their diesel counterparts, and take a PZ-45 oil filter and six quarts of 5W-30 or 10W-30. Just don't try and undercut the competion on these because they still are commercial vehilces and you can charge a little bit more than passenger cars. A lot of times companies who own the gas ones still take them to the dealers as well.
Target Diesel Isuzu Cabovers. This is a common commercial vehicles for many businesses and over the last five years at least 30-40% of them have switched to diesels. I think they are called the Isuzu NPR Turbo Intercooled Box Vans as well. These vehicles pay.
The great thing about these trucks for a mobile oil change company is they are easy to service. You can perform an oil change on these diesel vehicles in twenty minutes. They usually take about 14-15 quarts of 15W-40 motor oil. When I first started doing these I would get the oil filter from NAPA but then I found out that they get all their filters from WIX and just spray paint their name on them and take off the "5" or "4" for air filters. Anyway if you have a WIX supplier, which I highly recommend, then the number is WIX 57521. If you do not have one and have to go through NAPA then the number is NAPA 7521. The air filter is easy to change on these as well but they last for minimum of two years unless you live in a very dusty place. Any cabover before 2005 will take a WIX 56506, just to let you know.
Here is what I will say about these vehicles. They cannot be taken to your nearby Wal Mart Express Lube or Midas to get an oil change because they will not have an oil filter. All the companies that have these will most likely be taking them into an Isuzu or International Dealer. You can easily charge $120. If they complain about the price explain to them that the oil filter is expensive. It does cost $20 by the way but they can easily retail for $35. Case in point you should be able to make minimum of $60 from each cabover. Thats without any add ons. If you service two in a hour then you make $120/Hr. You might be able to push wiper blades (they take 22"), a coolant flush if the truck has more than 50,000, or a rear end fluid change. I love these vehicles. They are a pleasure to work on.
I just got a call from a company that I did a sales call on three months ago. They have two of these diesel cabovers. This is where effort pays off even if you do not see the results right away. Anyway I was picking up some parts when I noticed the truck, an Isuzu, of a famous brewing company in town that I absolutely love. I followed the truck and spoke with the delivery guy driving it. He told me who to talk to. Then I went to the location and showed the fleet manager the van. He really liked the van which is why I said earlier that its always highly important to have a professional good looking oil change van and equipment. I told him the truth "I was in the area, spoke with one of your guys, and thought maybe you could use a service like this." He liked it. But he didn't need an oil change now so I gave him my card and a magnet and left. It wasn't a big fleet so I did not write it down like I should have. He called me today while I was at my computer sipping a hot cup of cofee working on my waste oil boiler blog asking if we could get his trucks this week. See how a little effort pays off.
The great thing about the mobile oil change business is while I will say time and time again how its not as easy as people think it is....its an easy sell once you get going, are established, and know what to look for. If you are able to make it you will train your eye to see vehicles that pay well for your time and vehicles that will not. Speaking of vehicles that do not Isuzu Cabovers that are gas are not nearly as profitabe unless you were to do at least five of them. They are just as easy by the way, if not more than their diesel counterparts, and take a PZ-45 oil filter and six quarts of 5W-30 or 10W-30. Just don't try and undercut the competion on these because they still are commercial vehilces and you can charge a little bit more than passenger cars. A lot of times companies who own the gas ones still take them to the dealers as well.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Do You Try to UnderCut the Competition
I have seen so many oil change businesses try and do this and it never works. Mobile and fixed companies. They try and undercut the competition. They send out coupons or advertise oil changes for $19.99. A guy tried to start a mobile oil change business up here advertising oil changes for $24.99. What they hell???? How does he think he is going to make a profit from $12 profit per unit. I don't know anywhere where someone can live on that. Even if he were to do ten vehicles per day that would be $120 profit. That's shit. After taxes, fuel, fix expenses, etc that $120 will be more like $80. And is there one, I mean one mobile operator that is consistently doing ten oil change every single day?? Come on, get real. I called this guy up and asked him what was he thinking? He wasn't operating in the same city as me it was in "the suburbs" 30-40 miles away so it was not a competition thing for me. I just wanted to see if this guy was retarded. And his answer was "he just wanted to get his name out there" and "build up a customer base."
Let me tell everyone something. Your business will establish some sort of "brand" for itself. Even if you run a "fly by night" operation, which most mobile oil change operators do, you will establish a name for yourself. You will known as a real business or a cheap discount business that won't be around for long. You pick. I can go out today and advertise $19.99 oil changes and pick up 100s of new customers. But guess what I have learned. Once those customers see that you are willing to work for free.....they are going to come to expect you to keep working for free. They are going to expect that $19.99 oil change all the time. And when you raise your price to your standard price they are going to go to the next guy offering $15.99 oil changes. You can pick up tons of what I like to call "bottom feeders" or people who always want the world for nothing. You can have them. I let those people go to Midas, or Sears, or someplace like that. I love hearing stories of people going in those places for a routine cheap cheap oil change and getting totally ripped off and slapped with a $350 repair bill because they needed blinker fluid and that stuff is really really expensive. Those people never learn and will always go for the cheapest product or service they can find. I do not want them. You cannot build a strong viable business off people like that. Sure you are not going to have customers that will always write you a blank check, though some actually will beleive it or not, but you need customers that are willing to pay a fair market price for good convenient service. That's a foundation.
I picked up this fleet two and a half years ago. I am not going to say their name but it was G$@#&#*# Mechanical. They had 20-30 trucks. Nice sized fleet. It took me a month to get them. I did 15 of them. The owner brought me into the office after we did them. She was complaining about the extra quart I charged them (like when a truck or SUV takes 6 or 7 quarts). She claimed that the quick lubes never charged her for the extra quarts over 5 quarts. "HUMMMM" She also said that Jiffy Lube gives her free oil changes after so many. She also said that drivers say yes to too many add ons. I could go on and on..........
I dropped that fleet like a bad habit. I got paid for what I did do never did any more work for them again. That's how I operate. I do not want cheap bottom feeders. I am not going to run a business like that. I do not work for people who nickle and dime me.
I have another fleet that I love. If something needs to be done I explain what it is and why and he 99.9% of the time tells me to "go and do it." I don't add on all the time but when I do he knows its important. He has never complained once of my prices. He sees me freezing my ass off in the middle of winter doing all his trucks and he respects that.
The few individual customers I do have are ones like the guy I just mentioned. I only kept 10 of the 100s I used to have. Guess which ones I kept?
I got off base. My point is that if you are running a mobile oil change business and you are doing cheap oil changes than you are an idiot and when you go out of business do not complain. You work for free do not expect to profit. Remember that your goal is to make $100/hr minimum. So you have to be smart and find your correct customers. Don't waste your time.
Let me tell everyone something. Your business will establish some sort of "brand" for itself. Even if you run a "fly by night" operation, which most mobile oil change operators do, you will establish a name for yourself. You will known as a real business or a cheap discount business that won't be around for long. You pick. I can go out today and advertise $19.99 oil changes and pick up 100s of new customers. But guess what I have learned. Once those customers see that you are willing to work for free.....they are going to come to expect you to keep working for free. They are going to expect that $19.99 oil change all the time. And when you raise your price to your standard price they are going to go to the next guy offering $15.99 oil changes. You can pick up tons of what I like to call "bottom feeders" or people who always want the world for nothing. You can have them. I let those people go to Midas, or Sears, or someplace like that. I love hearing stories of people going in those places for a routine cheap cheap oil change and getting totally ripped off and slapped with a $350 repair bill because they needed blinker fluid and that stuff is really really expensive. Those people never learn and will always go for the cheapest product or service they can find. I do not want them. You cannot build a strong viable business off people like that. Sure you are not going to have customers that will always write you a blank check, though some actually will beleive it or not, but you need customers that are willing to pay a fair market price for good convenient service. That's a foundation.
I picked up this fleet two and a half years ago. I am not going to say their name but it was G$@#&#*# Mechanical. They had 20-30 trucks. Nice sized fleet. It took me a month to get them. I did 15 of them. The owner brought me into the office after we did them. She was complaining about the extra quart I charged them (like when a truck or SUV takes 6 or 7 quarts). She claimed that the quick lubes never charged her for the extra quarts over 5 quarts. "HUMMMM" She also said that Jiffy Lube gives her free oil changes after so many. She also said that drivers say yes to too many add ons. I could go on and on..........
I dropped that fleet like a bad habit. I got paid for what I did do never did any more work for them again. That's how I operate. I do not want cheap bottom feeders. I am not going to run a business like that. I do not work for people who nickle and dime me.
I have another fleet that I love. If something needs to be done I explain what it is and why and he 99.9% of the time tells me to "go and do it." I don't add on all the time but when I do he knows its important. He has never complained once of my prices. He sees me freezing my ass off in the middle of winter doing all his trucks and he respects that.
The few individual customers I do have are ones like the guy I just mentioned. I only kept 10 of the 100s I used to have. Guess which ones I kept?
I got off base. My point is that if you are running a mobile oil change business and you are doing cheap oil changes than you are an idiot and when you go out of business do not complain. You work for free do not expect to profit. Remember that your goal is to make $100/hr minimum. So you have to be smart and find your correct customers. Don't waste your time.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Mobile Oil Change Business Reminder Stickers and Branding
Getting the perfect oil change reminder stickers for my mobile oil change business was extremely difficult. It was one of the hardest pieces of information to find.
We started out with NEBS like I bet most people do. Do not use this company. They will a) almost always mess up your orders b) mess up your mobile oil change logo if you do have one or c) come out looking really bad and cheap. I had several NEBS stickers that came in a light blue that you could barely see.
Then I went from the static cling stickers to the oil change reminder stickers that actually stick to the windshield because the other ones keep falling off especially when it got cold. The problem is that these still looked "cheap" and with these you couldn't get them to come off especially when it got really cold. They were almost glued to the windshield.
It took me three years to find the perfect company to supply my mobile oil change business with the stickers I wanted. I wanted my reminder stickers to look just like the ones at Jiffly Lube. In my
NOLN magazine they did a poll to see what oil people recognize the most or feel most comfortable with. (Note that these study did not mention the best) Surprise surprise Pennzoil and Quaker State were first in line with Pennzoil owning a little more that fifty percent of the marketplace. If you did not already know BTW Pennzoil and Quaker State are the exact same oil and just come in different bottles and you will see both oils used interchangebley at all Jiffy and Xpress Lubes. Anyway, if most people feel comfortable with the Pennzoil brand guess what logo I want on my oil change stickers for my mobile oil change business........you guessed it.....Pennzoil.
This is the site I use to get the best brand name oil change stickers at the lowest possible price. You can get a roll of Quaker State or Pennzoil oil change reminder stickers for an extremely cheap price. They are the static cling oil change stickers. Here is the contact information that I used:
You can try and call that same number. If she does not work there any longer ask who is in charge of that department. That company does a lot of things including making the actual printer that prints the oil change stickers. They problem is that they will most likely work in your mobile oil change set up. The power needed is going to be too much. It is not impossible to do just most likely not worth it. Once they send you the order form all you have to do is give them your business name and phone number. They will imprint your business information right underneath the brand logo be it Shell, Quaker State, Pennzoil, etc... It looks really professional.
Okay so now you know where to go. This ties right into my other topic: branding.
You do not have enough capital to reinvent the wheel. The wheel can be made better but none of us have the capital to do so, or at least likely to have it. Go with things and brands that people already know and trust for your mobile oil change business. This is one of the main reasons I should have never went with the Oil Extreme brand. Nobody knew about it.
I used Pennzoil and Quaker State and Mobil 1 for my oil. Those are the top three oils that everyone knows and trusts. If you are talking with any customer who uses synthetic oil and they ask you what oil you use say "Mobil 1" and 99.9% of people will be 110% satisfied with that. Everyone loves Mobil 1. Everyone is comfortable with the other two. These companies put 100s of millions of dollars into adversting. Ride them. Don't go with XYZ oil, no matter how good it is, who do not have any brand recognition. You would have to spend millions in climbling that hill. Maybe if you win the lottery.
Again, go with the three major players. Go with Quaker State, Pennzoil, or Mobile 1, whoever is cheaper for your oil change sticker and oil needs. Nobody will complain.
When you are doing diesels go with Rotella 15W-40 or Chevron Dello. Rotella is always the best though. I have found that people who love Dello are equally okay with using Dello if they have to. But I have found that Rotella fans ONLY use Rotella and there is NOTHING you can say to convince them otherwise. And I do mean nothing. Even if they look like they are listening to you they are not and you are wasting your time. "Rotella is the only thing thats ever been in my engine and thats how its gonna stay" I've heard.
The mobile oil change business is hard. Having said that all the obstacles associated with it can be overcome. Low profit margins, weather, cheap customers, market forces, income levels, competion are all things you will have to face. I hope that I have led you all who are serious about this in the right direction. Remember that if you are in business in the US and you do not make at least $100 per hour, and I do not care where you live, you are wasting your time. That may seem like a lot but at expenses and taxes that 100/hr will not be anywhere close to there. Shoot for $30/hr for your mobile oil change business and you are working for free. You just will not realise it until the end of every month when your credit card bill comes or every April when you have to pay 22% taxes.
BWT, this mobile oil change website is complete bullshit and is an example on what to believe or follow
We started out with NEBS like I bet most people do. Do not use this company. They will a) almost always mess up your orders b) mess up your mobile oil change logo if you do have one or c) come out looking really bad and cheap. I had several NEBS stickers that came in a light blue that you could barely see.
Then I went from the static cling stickers to the oil change reminder stickers that actually stick to the windshield because the other ones keep falling off especially when it got cold. The problem is that these still looked "cheap" and with these you couldn't get them to come off especially when it got really cold. They were almost glued to the windshield.
It took me three years to find the perfect company to supply my mobile oil change business with the stickers I wanted. I wanted my reminder stickers to look just like the ones at Jiffly Lube. In my
NOLN magazine they did a poll to see what oil people recognize the most or feel most comfortable with. (Note that these study did not mention the best) Surprise surprise Pennzoil and Quaker State were first in line with Pennzoil owning a little more that fifty percent of the marketplace. If you did not already know BTW Pennzoil and Quaker State are the exact same oil and just come in different bottles and you will see both oils used interchangebley at all Jiffy and Xpress Lubes. Anyway, if most people feel comfortable with the Pennzoil brand guess what logo I want on my oil change stickers for my mobile oil change business........you guessed it.....Pennzoil.This is the site I use to get the best brand name oil change stickers at the lowest possible price. You can get a roll of Quaker State or Pennzoil oil change reminder stickers for an extremely cheap price. They are the static cling oil change stickers. Here is the contact information that I used:
Sherry Caudle
Administrative Assistant
Communication Graphics Inc.
1765 N. Juniper
Broken Arrow, OK 74012
1-800-331-4438 ext. 235You can try and call that same number. If she does not work there any longer ask who is in charge of that department. That company does a lot of things including making the actual printer that prints the oil change stickers. They problem is that they will most likely work in your mobile oil change set up. The power needed is going to be too much. It is not impossible to do just most likely not worth it. Once they send you the order form all you have to do is give them your business name and phone number. They will imprint your business information right underneath the brand logo be it Shell, Quaker State, Pennzoil, etc... It looks really professional.
Okay so now you know where to go. This ties right into my other topic: branding.
You do not have enough capital to reinvent the wheel. The wheel can be made better but none of us have the capital to do so, or at least likely to have it. Go with things and brands that people already know and trust for your mobile oil change business. This is one of the main reasons I should have never went with the Oil Extreme brand. Nobody knew about it.
I used Pennzoil and Quaker State and Mobil 1 for my oil. Those are the top three oils that everyone knows and trusts. If you are talking with any customer who uses synthetic oil and they ask you what oil you use say "Mobil 1" and 99.9% of people will be 110% satisfied with that. Everyone loves Mobil 1. Everyone is comfortable with the other two. These companies put 100s of millions of dollars into adversting. Ride them. Don't go with XYZ oil, no matter how good it is, who do not have any brand recognition. You would have to spend millions in climbling that hill. Maybe if you win the lottery.
Again, go with the three major players. Go with Quaker State, Pennzoil, or Mobile 1, whoever is cheaper for your oil change sticker and oil needs. Nobody will complain.
When you are doing diesels go with Rotella 15W-40 or Chevron Dello. Rotella is always the best though. I have found that people who love Dello are equally okay with using Dello if they have to. But I have found that Rotella fans ONLY use Rotella and there is NOTHING you can say to convince them otherwise. And I do mean nothing. Even if they look like they are listening to you they are not and you are wasting your time. "Rotella is the only thing thats ever been in my engine and thats how its gonna stay" I've heard.
The mobile oil change business is hard. Having said that all the obstacles associated with it can be overcome. Low profit margins, weather, cheap customers, market forces, income levels, competion are all things you will have to face. I hope that I have led you all who are serious about this in the right direction. Remember that if you are in business in the US and you do not make at least $100 per hour, and I do not care where you live, you are wasting your time. That may seem like a lot but at expenses and taxes that 100/hr will not be anywhere close to there. Shoot for $30/hr for your mobile oil change business and you are working for free. You just will not realise it until the end of every month when your credit card bill comes or every April when you have to pay 22% taxes.
BWT, this mobile oil change website is complete bullshit and is an example on what to believe or follow
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Mobile Oil Changes for Corporate Campuses
Save your time with this one. If you plan for your mobile oil change business to get big off corporate campuses then you better think again. You'd better change directions really fast quite honestly. You cannot build a "profitable business" and I wanted to highlight that just for emphasis off corporate campuses. That is what I was sold on. We would start this a mobile oil change business with a great no fantastic looking van and have a great service and a really great product and after doing just several people at a hospital or big building the phone would be ringing off the hook and we would not be able to keep up with the demand. Our mobile oil change company would grow soo big soo fast that we would need the second van within the first year.
I tell you I was really sold on the whole "corporate campus" idea. And I know now that not only doesn't it work well for my type of business but others as well. It sounds great. You have a building that is comprised of one huge company or hundreds of small to medium sized companies. They are all under one roof you could say. There are can be anywhere from a few thousand employees to over ten thousand employees. Now all those people need oil changes. You I was sold on the fact, and many of you might have been as well, that all you have to do is talk with the human resources manager and find a way to get your name out there to those 1000s of employees. They would love to get their vehicle serviced by a mobile oil change business. Why wouldn't they?? All those employees are going to need several oil changes throughout the year, why not make it more convenient....
I wish the mobile oil change business was that easy. It would have been very nice. Let me cut to the chase and tell you why it did not and does not work. First, when you talk to the building or HR department you are going to have to literally pull teeth to get them to work with you. They are going to think your mobile oil change idea is "cute" but they get people asking them to promote their
business all the time. If they promoted every business that asked them then it would turn into a full time job. The most you may get is a mass system wide e-mail sent out that barely anyone reads. And you will be a really good speaker and salesman or saleswoman if you get them to do that. What most companies have is a "work life" program or "discount book" where people like you get into this coupon book that they give out annually to everyone and your coupon would be for like "20% off any oil change" or "$19.99 oil change to all employees and family of XYZ Hospital". And not many people look at their company coupon books. Only the really cheap people will call you, won't want any add ons even if they really need them, and as soon as you raise your prices to the normal rate they will not want to pay it. Doctors, lawyers, nurses, and professionals are some of the cheapest people when it comes to that stuff. They want that really cheap oil change and then they go 6,000 miles on regular oil. They do not care because rarely do any of those people keep their cars more than 2-3 years. Maybe 4 years if they are feeling thrifty. So they Oil Extreme Synthetic was worthless for us as far as they went. In addition to this, many companies or campuses will get very uptight about "oil changes" being done in their parking lot. You can show them or tell them out your mats, how you suck it out, safety procedures and they do not care. Your mobile oil change business is seen as a potential liability to them that they do not want to have or think is worth it. Especially if they promote you. We live in a sue happy world. If they put up fliers, send out e-mails, and actively promote you then they are in way either directly or indirectly partners with you. And if anything goes wrong including damages or accidents while you are doing or have done an oil change then not only can your mobile oil change business be sued but they right high priced lawyer could go after them as well. Which would produce a better settlement you and your 1 million dollar insurance or that company with a 100 million dollar insurance. They have a whole department whose only job is risk control and your "cool service" is not worth them getting sued in the future. And most people do not care about oil changes. Its sounds good but unless the campus really worked with you and advertised you everywhere then people will not be looking for an oil change service especially a mobile one. They will see Jiffy Lube one day, look at their sticker, remember they are 2,000 miles overdue, and go there. You will get a few but most will be cheap and many of them will not turn into repeat business.And I say this with confidence and two and a half long hard years of going after the corporate campuses. I got a hospital with 10,000 employees, made a deal with Alaska Airlines that went through but was peacemeal and never really pushed, got several deals with other buildings with 4-6,000 people where they send out flyers and e-mails to every company, and Merryl Lynch. None of it ever paid dividends. I really have to thank a friend at Meryl Lynch he really did try. He sent e-mails to all his friends. And we did get 2 or three. But at the end of the day it was not worth it. Do not try to build your mobile oil change business off the individuals or corporate campuses. If you do want some none fleet customers go for construction works or tradesmen. They are very busy people and appreciate a good service. Most of them can do it themselves but do not have the time and are willing to pay a decent price to get it done. Plus a lot of those guys have trucks that they love and keep for years.
So let me say this again. Repetition is the mother of skill and success. As I stated in a previous post your mobile oil change must get 95% of its business from fleets. No buts about that. Do shoot for a 50/50 split. You are a business to business mobile fleet services business. I really want to rename my company. I say mobile oil change but we are really a mobile fleet helper. I see what fleets need, whats hard to get or coordinate and then try to make that as easy as I can while charging reasonable prices but not trying to undercut the going market rate. I love to please but only fleets. I have done the individuals. It used to be fun but its not. I have gone through so much trying to please them and it never paid off in good dollars. My fleet accounts did. And I go out of my way for them. That's why they like me. I try my absolute best to get whatever they need or make whatever I can easier. Oftentimes I have thought my prices for something was high and they thought I was undercharging b/c it was so valuable.
Do not let anyone or any company or any franchise sell you on a stack of cards. Your mobile oil change business is a niche business and it caters to medium to large fleets. You really want diesels but we will get into later. Let me know what your experiences have been in this area. Has anyone go any profitable corporate campuses. ONE???? The owner of the franchise Oil Extreme, though its not a true franchise in any sense of the word, lied to us about having a Microsoft and Boeing contract that never existed through another BS company called DOC 1. HA HA. I was such an idiot. When I think about all the mistakes I made at first its amazing I was able to survive. I must have been blessed big time. I was set on a course for failure but I hope that through this blog I can help other people who are starting or thinking about starting a mobile oil change business succeed and actually make money.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
