HOW WE WON BACK GROUP 55 FROM THE COMPETITION

Matt Golimowski with Bobby Hanley

In today’s competitive market, regaining lost customers and winning back their loyalty requires a strategic and hands-on approach. By understanding the reasons why a customer left in the first place and showcasing the advantages of our products, we can reclaim that market share and renew customer loyalty.

The following is what occurred when Susan & Bobby Hanley teamed up with members of the NuVinAir corporate staff to win back EHI Group 55, which covers parts of Alabama and the Florida panhandle.

First, Troy Blackwell got a meeting with EHI Regional Group Development Manager Doug Allsbrooks. The meeting took place at an EHI location in Tallahassee, Florida. Attending the meeting were me, NVA Franchisee owner Bobby Hanley, Doug Allsbrooks, and Matthew Turner, the  EHI Branch Manager of the location we met.

After some small talk, Bobby and I completed a demonstration on ReTurn on a vehicle with a smoke smell. While waiting for the treatment to be completed, Bobby engaged in conversation with Doug while I spoke with Matthew. Matthew reminded me that we met a few years prior when I trained his location on the NuVinAir Cyclone process. At the time, we didn’t have a Franchise in northern Florida, and I trained the entire market.

During our conversation, I asked Matthew questions about the current products he was using, where I received several pieces of valuable information. Matthew told me that he didn’t like the Spiffy treatments, citing they just didn’t work. He said he would often treat the car 2 or 3 times, and even after that, the odor would still come back while the customer was renting the vehicle. This resulted in having to give away discounts to appease the customer. I asked Matt if he ever saw the EHI internal email that listed the pros and cons of NuVinAir and Spiffy, stating that Spiffy was the cheapest but only 70% effective. Matt replied by saying, “I wish it were 70% effective. I’m lucky  if it works 50% of the time.” He said he would much rather use NuVinAir at this point, but they were ordered to use Spiffy as a cost-saving measure. At this point, I pulled Doug into the conversation, where I had Matthew repeat what he had just told me.

Doug was shocked at what he heard and asked why it wasn’t mentioned previously. Matthew told Doug it was because it was mandated and presented in a non-negotiable fashion. Doug shook his head angrily and said, “We have been getting our butts kicked for seven months in ESQI, and this could have been avoided had I known sooner.”

This takeaway from the Branch Manager was key in getting Group 55 back on board with NuVinAir.

Also, during the meeting with Doug, we introduced ReNuSurface. We showed Doug and Matt how the product worked on everything from windows, bugs, upholstery, plastics, etc. I told him about a location that was using ReNuSurface exclusively and removed all other spray products from the shelves. Specifically, I told him about the advantages of ReNuSurface, including a boost in the number of cars per hour per Detailer, ease of use, an increase in morale, and managers saving time taking inventory of products and the ordering process. To that, Doug responded, “Now you are talking my language. When you hear about cost and labor savings at my level, that means everything.”

This led to a pilot of ReNuSurface and its adoption in several locations. Most recently, Bobby introduced the Group to Power Podz by delivering two days of in-the-trenches training with an  EHI location. That has led to several orders already and we are looking forward to the full adoption of both NuVinAir treatments and ReNuSurface in all locations in Group  55.

KEY LEARNINGS FROM THE GROUP 55 WINBACK

1. Troy was able to schedule a meeting with THE Decision Maker.
   1. Understanding why/how the competition was brought into the fold is essential.
2. Feedback from the EHI field was an integral part of winning this back. We must constantly solicit feedback from our customers.
   1. Spiffy didn’t work or took multiple treatments to work
   2. Extra time spent in labor to create multiple treatments
   3. More $$$ spent on giveaways
   4. ESQI dropped
3. ESQI scores dropped, but it took several months to see it. How do we shrink the learning curve?
4. When speaking to front-line workers, the quality of the product means everything. When speaking to Executives/Upper Management, efficiencies/cost savings means everything.