[ Giveaway worth over S$278 at the end of this blogpost :D ]
If you do a Google search for the term “car grooming singapore”, you are likely to find Max Polish in the #1 position that is not ad-based! And I was curious to find out why over 13,000 loyal customers choose Max Polish over the rest of the car grooming providers in Singapore. And who better to answer my questions than Max himself? :)
I also sprung a surprise on Max by asking to see what his car looks like. As it turned out, his white Subaru Impreza (which is already a 7 year old car) is in great condition! My meeting with Max and his business partner (Gabriel) gave me a good insight into what it takes to succeed in this industry.
[ Gabriel and Max from Max Polish ]
And if you groom your car without professional help, you might want to check out this blogpost from Max Polish in which they list the Top 10 Car Grooming Mistakes which can ruin your car’s paintwork. (Psst… there are a number of informative articles on their website!)
If you’d rather ‘outsource’ the time-consuming car grooming work, Max Polish offers packages that start from just S$49.90! Get your car groomed right at your doorstep or at your neighborhood carpark! :)
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1) It’s your 7th year in this business. What are the challenges you face now?
Definitely labor. It’s hard to find the right person for the job. He must have the passion for cars and grooming cars. We are constantly on the lookout for people with passion for cars – without it, they won’t last long in the industry.
2) Looking back, is there anything you think you could have done differently at the start?
Study harder? So I can get away from labor-intensive work? :D Jokes aside, I think it is important to learn the right way to communicate with the extremely price-sensitive customers (just a small percentage of our clientele) who want just the bare minimum even when the condition of their cars requires them to do more.
Having said that, we’ll never oversell. If you want to do more, but your car doesn’t need it, we’ll tell you there’s no need to.
Lastly, we could also have grown the operations side of the business faster, but at the start, it was a steep learning curve for us.
3) First-time customers can get 10% off when they book via your website. How else do you encourage customers to refer their friends to you?
We give customers a rebate card which is transferable. Some use it or pass it on to their friends. Because of the rapport we’ve built with our clients, we have many customers who help to promote our services to their friends who require a reliable car groomer who can give them peace of mind. Sometimes you worry about your cashcard or other items going missing after you send your car to the workshop, right? Our clients trust us, so they refer their friends to us.
Some of our clients also send us ‘goodwill texts’ to thank us for the service, and which we upload to our website, and others even voluntarily post good reviews on sgcarmart about us.
4) How big is your team and how do you train them?
I have 2 full-time staff and 2 part-timers who help out during peak periods. They start out working side-by-side with me and inevitably get influenced by the way I approach customers and how I advise them.
My guys know my standard and how I am particular about cleaning certain areas such as the door frame. When they know my standards very well, and follow what I do, they won’t miss the mark.
I don’t micromanage them as I believe it is good for workers to learn to handle situations by themselves.
5) From the articles on your website, I have learnt that bird droppings are acidic and ruin paintwork. What’s the worse case of bird bombing you’ve encountered?
The worse case involved my car. It was literally covered all over – every single inch – with bird droppings. I had parked my car overnight at my parent’s place where I used to stay.
I found the roof, bonnet and boot covered with bird poo and wondered if somebody had poured bird poo on my car! :D As a groomer myself, that’s one time I didn’t want to wash my car myself – I went to the carwash and got it all sprayed off. I did my own detailing after. It was a “nightmare” I can’t forget.
Now I avoid trees entirely. Even if I have to walk a little further, I’ll park far away from trees. I’ve also noticed that with a white car, I don’t encounter as much ‘bombing’ as opposed to driving a black car. It could be a random coincidence but color might have a part to play in preventing or attracting bird bombing. :D
To find out more about Max Polish, the packages they offer, and to get 10% off (for first-time customers), head over to http://www.maxpolish.com.sg/
~ Giveaway ~
Thanks to Max Polish, I have 2 vouchers for their Magnum car grooming packages (worth S$139 each) for my readers to win! :D Max Polish will provide full service exterior and interior grooming for 2 lucky car owners!
Simply head over to my Facebook page to take part in the giveaway :)
