My team and I work with valuable cars every single day. For some people, their car represents a lifetime of work and achievement. For others, it’s their family vehicle that they rely on to keep their loved ones safe. We can never lose sight of the fact that all our customers’ cars are valuable, and so I keep a constant focus on my company’s values.
What are a company’s values? They’re the guiding principles and beliefs that people use to work as a team toward common business goals. Here’s what “value” means at Immaculate Paint Protection.
We are quality people who care for and value our customers. My company operates by the grace of our clients. If no one shows up, there’s no reason for us to be here! My team and I put the client at the center of everything we do. We do what’s right for the client, and we do what’s right for the car. We never push anyone into anything. We’d rather sell you $2,000 worth of work three times than do $6,000 worth of work you’re not ready to do.
We value quality. We sell only the best-quality products and services. We sell our client not the most expensive, but the most valuable products and services. We may steer you to something you didn’t think you needed. We’ll sell you option B if we think it’s better than option A.
We’re creating a valuable team. As an industrial engineer and highly trained professional, I offer a high level of experience and expertise. That’s added value. I hire only top-caliber, professional technicians, and I train them well. I’ve invested hundreds of hours in developing my training program and step-by-step processes. I treat my team well to retain this top talent. We invest in training in-house because I want to engage my clients and my employees in quality. People complain that they can’t find help, but if we hold firm on quality, it’s attractive to job applicants.
We value our customers’ investments. It’s a blessing, privilege, and honor to take possession of a client’s vehicle. When someone entrusts me with their $50,000 or $100,000 vehicle for four to five days, that’s a lot of trust. Working with such high-value vehicles, we need to assure our customers that we will treat their cars with the utmost care and respect. We show how much we value our clients’ vehicles by working tirelessly to keep the shop clean. When we show that we care about our facility, our environment, and, yes, even our restrooms, that translates into our customers’ comfort knowing that’s how we’re going to care for their vehicles.
We value offering a positive customer experience. To make for the best customer experience, we start by providing our prices online. I take as much time as is needed to work with a customer, answer questions, and provide information so they can make the most educated decision for their vehicle. I listen to my customers, and I also listen to my team because they often have valuable ideas and suggestions. When working with a client, we are responsive, and we send updates to clients when their car is in the shop. We’re always looking for opportunities to wow the client.
Our customers value their vehicles. I’ve learned that every customer values their vehicle—whether it’s a Porsche or a Hyundai. That vehicle is theirs, and it’s every bit as valuable as anyone else’s car is to them.
We protect their cars’ value. Paint protection film and/or ceramic coating will keep a car looking newer for much longer.
The timing is valuable. When customers come to me, they are usually very excited. They might have saved and planned for this purchase for a really long time. They’ve just bought a new car! I realize the opportunity we have to work with people during a happy time in their lives. On the flip side, buying a car can be stressful, and it’s always a big financial decision. So my customers can also be a little anxious. I recognize that and do my best to help them make the best paint protection decisions possible to take that worry off of them.
We value effort and time. Our work is difficult. I value my team members’ hard work and effort. I’ve developed a step-by-step process so we get it right each and every time. We also value the fact that our clients have busy lives, and our product will save them time, so we value our clients’ time. Ceramic coating will make it easier to wash your car, and it will keep your car cleaner for longer.
We add value by educating our customers. In addition to helping protect a customer’s car, we add value to their experience by educating the customer. We teach them how to wash and care for their cars correctly. This is rare in my industry. Also, I write this blog series and create booklets to add value by educating people. I speak at car clubs and host events—educating people and also building a community of car enthusiasts.
We value helping others. I hate to promote this because I really want to remain humble, but even during our start-up phase, I donated a portion of what little profits we had. I would rather share our blessing along the way than wait till we are super successful and then make a big show of it.
We value success. What does that look like?
• Every job going out of the shop is worthy of a 5-star review.
• We will have every client wanting to come back.
• We will have an expanded team that exhibits the following:
Professional: We exhibit respect in our appearance and behaviors.
Organized: Our shop is clean and put together.
Teamwork: We focus on caring for the client and each other.
Learning environment: Employees are willing to learn and willing to teach.
Calm: We have a drama-free shop through organization and discipline.
At Immaculate Paint Protection, our core values shine through in everything we do!
About the author: Bill Fetter’s passion for cars started at an early age, as he loved anything with wheels. Through his childhood, Bill observed his dad’s work as a mechanical engineer turned marketing manager and proud lifelong employee of General Motors. During high school, Bill honed his passion for cars by hand-washing and detailing his neighbors’ vehicles. Knowing he wanted to be in the automotive industry, Bill earned a degree in Industrial Engineering from Kettering University in Flint, Michigan. He’s worked as an engineer in the automotive manufacturing, medical device, steel industry, and pharmaceutical manufacturing fields.