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October 19, 2023 • 42 mins

Anne Mauler, the VP of Marketing for Soapy Joe's (San Diego, CA) joins host Kevin Zalaznik on the latest episode of the Modern Car Wash Podcast, providing insights on everything from marketing a new location to employee retention.

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Anne Mauler (00:00):
Mhm.
Mhm.

Kevin Zalaznik (00:11):
All right.
Welcome back to the Modern CarWash podcast.
I'm your host, Kevin Zalaznik.
Shane Groff is not with ustoday.
He is on assignment.
Uh, and, but we do have a veryspecial guest joining us is the
Vice President of Marketing forSoapy Joe's Car Wash in San
Diego, Anne Mahler.
Anne, how are you?

Anne Mauler (00:29):
I'm great.
Thank you so much for having me.

Kevin Zalaznik (00:32):
Yeah, it's a pleasure.
Uh, Uh, we were before, youknow, we were talking and, uh,
you know, I am a, I am amarketer, uh, and it is nice to
have a fellow marketer on the,the podcast.
Um, so we will certainly talksome shop, but, um, yeah, we
just want to get to know you andSoapy Joe's and, uh, and kind of

(00:53):
your insight and things likethat.
So I guess where we'll start isif you can kind of just give us
some background and set thestage of.
Of Soapy Joe's, where you'relocated, how many locations, any
other entities, sea stores, oilchange, things like that.

Anne Mauler (01:09):
Absolutely.
We've got everything you've justsaid.
So let me break it down.
Um, as you said, we're out herein San Diego.
We are an express exterior carwash model.
Uh, we've really been in a hypergrowth mode, and over the last
four years I've been there,we've grown from 11 locations to
20, and we'll be at 24 by theend of this year, uh, really
with no end in sight, so our,you know, um, growth trajectory

(01:33):
remains really healthy, it'sbeen very exciting.
Uh, but in addition to the, um,the express exteriors, we do
have a handful of conveniencestores, gas stations, and also
one auto loop center as well.
So we've got a couple of otherbusiness units that keeps us
busy and really keeping our eyeon the ball.
So, um, and again, I'm not sureif we mentioned out here in San

Kevin Zalaznik (01:55):
Diego, California.
Yeah.
So you've been with Soapy Joe'sfor four years and you just
mentioned when you started.
You had 11 locations.
So this is pre pandemic 2019.
Did you know when you appliedand you accepted the job that
this growth was coming?
Or this is very similar to kindof what happened to me.

(02:15):
I started in 2017 and we weren'tquite there yet.
Uh, I knew I was joining a goodorganization, but The growth
plan was not in full swing, so Ikind of got lucky there.

Anne Mauler (02:26):
Well, I, I came in a little bit after the upslope
of what you just described, so,um, I was recruited into Soapy
Joe's by a woman named MeganRagsdale.
She's our COO, and if you havenot checked her out, you should.
She should be your next guest.
Um, I'll get your editorialcalendar for you.
Yeah, right.
So, Megan was working with ourfounder, Lauren Zeticia, on a,

(02:48):
uh, really a culture project andhelping mature the organization,
uh, for, for massive growth.
Um, there's such an interestingtime out there in the
marketplace.
Um, so I was part of an A teamthat was brought in, uh, have
had the pleasure of working withsome very high caliber
professionals, uh, across thatleadership group.
So it, it's been really fun tocome in and structure the

(03:10):
organization for growth.
That's kind of the name of thegame.
Um, a classic people processtechnology scenario on
evaluating, setting up, uh, andreally positioning the company.
So it's been fun and that's whatI came

Kevin Zalaznik (03:24):
here to do.
So it seems like, um, uh, theyidentify that this growth was
happening.
We need to kind of level up on astaffing standpoint.
You're recruited, which isobviously flattering.
Um, was it a hard self, uh, forthem to, to kind of get you to
come over or, I mean, was, orwas an easy decision?

Anne Mauler (03:45):
Well, I, you know, it's a thoughtful decision of
any regard when you make achange, but my background
includes high growth, highvolume was to put concepts.
So I have a background inrestaurant with para and Qdoba,
um, and they were both not onlyhigh volume, but also, also on a
massive growth trajectory.
So.
All of that made a lot of sense.
I worked with their franchiseorganizations, too, and the

(04:07):
chance to come in and build abrand, uh, you know, we want to
be one of the last brandsstanding across the nation as
all this consolidation happens.
So, yeah, that was an incredibleThe end of the day, an
opportunity you can't pass up toput your skills and domain
expertise into practice with areally wide open horizon line on
how we could do this, what wecould do.

(04:28):
And, uh, you know, quite happilyfrom my perspective, the brand
is just thriving, happy, andfun.
And to come in and be a brandsteward of the Soapy Joe's
brand.
Um, it just.
Well, it was a good formula thatreally kind of ticked all the
boxes for me.
So, um, it's been fun.

Kevin Zalaznik (04:48):
How have you seen the, the, I guess the brand
externally?
In the last four years, how hasit grown?
But also internally you talkedabout that kind of that company
culture.
Um, I guess what's been bigger.
Have you seen the bigger shiftoutside or on the inside?

Anne Mauler (05:04):
Well, I think on the inside, really, I mean, when
it comes down to it, we'relooking to make sure that we're
providing an external experienceof fabulous customer experience,
a member experience, and sowe've done a lot of work with
our staff.
outlining and understanding whatthat customer journey is so that
we can train to do preventativeabatements against, you know,

(05:27):
Ops procedures X, Y, and Zagainst what we have quantified
as a great experience, butreally setting those processes,
doing the thoughtful work as aleadership team to understand
what those components are andthen building the resources
necessary to put those inmarket.
Really come first and kind ofthe actual impact on the
customer agency is the trailingmetric of those internal things

(05:50):
that we have put in place.
Um, that's not to say sometimesthe heart cart doesn't go before
the horse and you know, thingsget in market fast.
We really consider ourselvesvery nimble.
Um, if that could be our secretweapon, it's learning and
adapting as we go.
Um, so yeah, it's the two

Kevin Zalaznik (06:08):
go hand in glove.
Yeah.
So how many employees does SoapyJoe's have?
Oh

Anne Mauler (06:12):
gosh, we are in the 450 to 500 range at this time
and then I will have another 100or so by the end of the year
with the growth that I wasmentioning earlier.

Kevin Zalaznik (06:23):
Okay, so you, you, you come in and I'm
assuming at the same time wherethere are other, um, individuals
coming in.
At your level as well indifferent departments as you
grew this leadership team, um,and then you're, you know, as a
group, you're making thesedecisions and it sounds like it
starts, you know, we're going totake care of what's happening

(06:46):
inside of our walls first andthat success will lead to our
success outside is, is that kindof fair?

Anne Mauler (06:52):
Uh, yes, and I, I would say, I mean, I started
thinking through all the peoplereally responsible for this and
really wonderful people thatwe've been, um, bringing into
the organization, uh, predatingme, Isaac Lee, our SVP of
operations has an extensivemilitary background.
Uh, Lieutenant Commander of theMarine Corps, uh, spent some

(07:12):
time at the Pentagon and hisphilosophies on how to engage a
large, uh, group of individuals,i.
e.
our employees.
And then, it's my favorite, Icome from the restaurant world,
but he's military, so he callsit disaggregated ops.
To me, it's You know, locations,but she knows how to manage

(07:32):
across those scenarios, but notjust the technical functional
stuff.
Let me tell you, it's righttight.
And, you know, we're on it andwe have the procedures, but his
ability to enroll young leadersand get them.
to emulate the leadership andthen in turn affect the people
below them has been justphenomenal.

(07:52):
And it's a course of a lot ofour learning.
But I can't, you know, be remissor I would be remiss in not
mentioning Julie.
Uh, Julie Smith, she is ourdirector of HR and has brought
in place all of the content tosupport all that, all the, um,
the programs, and one of the bigthings that she has brought in
is our relationship with PrideIndustries, which is a

(08:16):
organization that has helped usstaff in unique ways by bringing
in, uh, adults withdisabilities.
So when you think about thehiring pool in San Diego, and
we've got Isaac with hismilitary background.
And Julie, with her, um, Adultswith Disabilities, um,
specialty, she worked with themfor many years, coming together
to form a really, uh, tightstrategic net for us to be

(08:40):
recruiting off of.
Um, and there's just dozens morepeople, uh, Ashley Wanamaker,
Megan Ragsdale, I mentioned her.
These individuals are raisingthe, uh, talent pool within our
organization.
Not just now, but for the longterm also, and it, they're
great.

Kevin Zalaznik (08:59):
Did in the last year, year and a half, two
years, I mean, I know we felt itis, it's hard to find help,
right?
It just did Sobey Joe'sexperience at a kind of like
what extent, or were you alreadywell positioned that you didn't
maybe have some of these painsthat some other operators had?

Anne Mauler (09:19):
Oh, well, I'd be lying to you if you said, I said
we didn't experience the pains.
I mean, everyone does.
It's a high growth, highturnover concept in general, um,
but I would say we were alsowell prepared just in terms of,
again, our flexibility and ourfluidity of thought, really
trying to, to be creative as wego.
So, uh, by, by adding theselayers, we've really been able

(09:42):
to unlock an entire populationgroup that doesn't get bored.
I mean, I would say our prideemployees.
Um, the repetition, theattention to quality at the same
things over and over are reallyappealing to that audience.
And we found a really greatmatch there.

(10:02):
So I would not say we're immuneto the market ups and downs.
But, um, not only have we Lookedat alternate hiring pools.
We've spent a lot of time on ourentire employee life cycle from
onboard recruiting to onboardingto recognition, uh,
anniversaries, celebrations, andthen on through even to

(10:26):
recruiting like referralprograms and trying to really
create that holistic life cyclethat makes us sticky.
Once we're in and we found you,we really, um, pride ourselves
in having a very low turnoverrate.
Uh, compared to the industry,we're at less than a third of
what the normal, uh, industryretail churn rate is for

(10:47):
employees.

Kevin Zalaznik (10:48):
Which is, I mean, that's impressive because
it is a high churn, uh,industry.
Um, but it sounds like, uh, socan we go a little further into,
into Pride and, um, Can youprovide a little bit further
background on, on A, what PrideIndustries is and how it got
started or how you got hooked upwith, um, with them?

Anne Mauler (11:11):
Yeah, so Pride Industries is a nonprofit
organization that findsmeaningful employment for adults
with disabilities.
Um, they have dozens of clientswho want to work, who are
looking for that opportunity.
to break into the workforce.
And it can be a significantbarrier for individuals who are

(11:32):
absolutely high functioning,absolutely independent in their,
um, abilities and thoughtprocess.
And it, it, um, is really anunderserved community in
general.
So pride.
has the clientele of theseadults that are looking for that
placement.
And Pride's role is to formthose relationships out in the

(11:53):
community with hiring entitiesthat would be a good fit for
their candidates in general.
For some individuals, Pride alsois providing an on site job
coach.
So they're there the entire timeyou're paying For the individual
and not the coach, and it isjust a real safety net.
I think in terms of the, uh, themental hurdles an organization

(12:17):
may face.
And we'll, how do I navigatethis?
So they're really that fullservice organization.
That's helping clients findplacement, helping organizations
like Soapy Joe's find anultimate workforce and really,
um, Eliminating as many barriersto entry within that on a
functional daily level that theycan't as

Kevin Zalaznik (12:36):
well.
As I was saying, I saw a quotefrom, Julie Smith, is it Julie?
I forgot the I when I wrote itdown, but so director of HR, she
said, um, people withdisabilities are some of the
most dedicated employees.
They come to work, they'resmiling, they're ready to work,
and they're excited to work.
So you have this audience orthis, this group of people who

(12:58):
want to be there.
It's, uh, They, like you said,they, they just want to work, I
think, and this could, thismight be ignorance and me
stepping back, but I thinkperhaps that some of the
barriers that operators havewith going out and hiring
someone who might have some sortof disability is.

(13:18):
All right, well, they're notqualified, but you seem to kind
of, no, they are, they're,they're quite capable of doing
what we're asking them to do,and they're going to do it well
and with a smile on their face.
They're going to show

Anne Mauler (13:29):
up.
They're going to be on time.
They are in uniform.
They want to be in uniform.
They are wearing it with pride.
They're happy to be there and,you know, aside from attitude,
which is some of those thingsyou can't teach.
On a functional level, we arefinding great success with the
repetitive nature of the taskswe have.
Doing the lot, doing the towels,cleaning the vacuums.

(13:51):
For some of these individualswhere we're boring a standard
candidate from a normalcandidate pool, the repetition
is comforting.
They know exactly what to do.
There's very little gray areathere.
We also have, and I think one ofthe biggest surprises for us,
massive success with our Prideemployees at the ExpressPay

(14:13):
terminals selling memberships.
We have one individual, he isthe top seller three months in a
row for our entire organization.
And let me tell you, that caughtsome attention and lit some
fires.
Like, are you kidding me?
Again, friendly, approachable,unflappable.
I mean, just...

(14:33):
It just makes your day.
And producing, not just doing.
It sounds too good to be true!It's like...

Kevin Zalaznik (14:43):
And you have this, um, this effect on
everyone else, right?
Like, I can see how happy youare for this person.
And like you said, yeah, I gotsome, you know, people fired up,
but how can you not be happy forthat?
And it just adds to thepositivity, and it seems like
it's a snowballing effect forsure.
It

Anne Mauler (15:02):
truly does, and I think one of the things, too,
you were saying, one of thebarriers to entry may be just a
functional skill set fit.
But I think it would be remissin not acknowledging that people
may think that there would beawkward social scenarios with
bringing someone.
with disabilities into theirwork environment.
And again, not to soundPollyanna, but we've just had
the opposite be true.

(15:23):
We have had leaders, you know,young leaders, like I was
describing before, reallyblossom and having someone who
truly wants to hear from themabout how they can improve
performance.
It's a great role modelrelationship for some of those
young leaders.
It's just, you know, in somecases, the younger brother,
someone never had, they're justreally Racing these individuals.

(15:46):
And I think when we're more opento being ourselves or
acknowledging that we're not allperfect, it creates a more open
environment.
People are just more personableand it's been really nice on the
customer side.
We are really getting a lot ofacknowledgments as we go on.
You know, I have someone in myfamily who's in a similar

(16:07):
scenario and you know, orsomeone in their life.
I believe the statistic frompride is one in Um, adults have
some sort of disability and withthat number so high, it's not a
surprise that it's such an easyget for people in their lives to
correlate.
Like this is a good thing.
I know someone just like thisand they could also benefit from

(16:29):
this type

Kevin Zalaznik (16:29):
of program.
Obviously, it seems that.
You set out to, um, here's anopportunity to have a workforce,
have a, uh, you know, a fullystaffed workforce, but here are
all the extra benefits that comewith it, you know, a liable, uh,
employee who likes to be thereand kind of almost secondary

(16:50):
and, but what you're going tosee is kind of that community
goodwill and everything thatcomes out of it that you just
said, you know, peopleacknowledging that, you know, I
have a family member or I knowsomeone.
Um, so certainly.
Okay.
From a community relationsstandpoint, also, uh, very
beneficial.
So, uh, your relationship withpride, no kind of unreasonable

(17:13):
accommodations or extraexpenses.
It's just, you know, these areemployees that are treated just
the same.
It's not, you know.
Uh, any extra resources throwntheir way?

Anne Mauler (17:24):
Uh, that's correct.
Um, you know, it's been prettyseamless.
They're taking the same kinds oftrainings, uh, the training
materials that we're providingto our regular employee base.
Uh, they do have the job coachthere, so if there's any...
Missing in translation or evensomething as silly as an idiom
that it just doesn't land that'sbeing used that that initial

(17:47):
kind of Um, enculturation, Iguess you would say it is
smoothed over by by that servicethat they provide.
But yeah, it will functionallyUh, very easy for us and I think
I, um, skipped over you andasked earlier how we got set up
with them to begin with.
And Julie is, um, uh, has astrong background in working

(18:07):
with adults with disabilitiesand spent, I think it's three
years with an organizationsimilar.
Um, so really has this close toher heart and understands very
deeply how that could benefit anorganization.
So she brought them in and, andestablished that relationship.

(18:36):
It is specific to California,so, you know, hear what I'm
saying, but know that you canfind a local organization that
does something similar.
This is a nationwide effort, andone of the reasons that we're
talking today is October isNational Disability Employment
Awareness Month.
So, you know, this is a, I hadto like think through, make sure

(18:57):
I got all those.
Uh, but this is a nationaleffort.
This is nationally recognized.
So, um, you know, we can helpidentify resources.
I know Pride can hook anybody upthat's listening with someone
local.
Um, but, but please do you lookit up.
There are resources like this

Kevin Zalaznik (19:14):
nationwide.
Yeah, I think it's, um, youmentioned it is National
Disabilities EmploymentAwareness Month.
I had that written down to you.
So, um, hopefully what, ifyou're listening to this and you
haven't considered this route, Ithink here's proof, the proof is
in the pudding, right?
That this is something that willwork for you.
And Hoffman Car Wash, we have,uh, not to the extent that Sobey

(19:38):
Joe's does, but we do have, uh,programs in place where we've
partnered again, just greatsuccess with it.
Um, you know, we just had, andyou were talking about, you
know, anniversaries and thingsthat you celebrate.
Right.
You know, we just had anemployee who, um, working with
the disability to celebrate fiveyears and it was, it was the
greatest thing, right?
The, the whole location washappy for him.

(20:00):
It was just an awesomeexperience.
And, uh, these are just thingsthat kind of come with it and
you get, and just.
They said just happy to bethere, happy to work, and they
do such a good job.
They

Anne Mauler (20:10):
really do.
We're at 0 percent turnover for,with our pride clients, and my
site managers are literallyfighting for the next one that,
next individual who's availablethere.
Like, I want that person.
It's phenomenal.
Five years is great.
Congratulations.

Kevin Zalaznik (20:27):
When you think like, how many, to say 0 percent
turnover is just...
You know, it's mind blowing and,and not just in our industry,
anywhere else, any hiringmanager would be like, I'll take
it.
I want it all day long.
Um, so that that's incredible.
Uh, it certainly is, but I,there's probably, and the shift
gears a little bit, it seemslike, you know, a lot of this

(20:50):
is.
Cultural within theorganization.
Um, and you know, recognizingemployees, making a safe, happy
work environment.
He, he walk us through.
It sounds like so we Joe's isdoing, you're pushing all the
right buttons.
Like what at the core is, orwhat are some of the initiatives
that you do to.

(21:12):
Employment engagement to helpreduce that churn, not just with
your pride employees, but just

Anne Mauler (21:17):
overall.
Yeah, I, I, when I think of ourvalues, the two that come to
mind that we would employ mostwith, with our employees would
be the have fun and keeplearning values and maybe build
community to, um, oh, and leadwith heart and they're all
there.
I can't stop.
Uh, but we really are, you know,trying to make sure that we're

(21:38):
promoting the individual.
With the skills that they'relooking to build.
So in addition to a standardlike performance rubric, we're
also doing a lot of careercoaching, career counseling and
doing that in a set method juston where they want to go.
So not performance, but tryingto provide those opportunities.

(21:58):
Then within the organization.
Uh, one example of that, I hadan individual working for me,
uh, running our call center, ourcustomer care center, and
identify that he, his passionwas LLD and had a background in
graphic design and all of these,you know, kind of components
leading up to that interest, andwe were able to create a year
long transition path to get himthe missing components to really

(22:22):
be qualified in that area.
elegantly transitioned out ofhis role over there.
So, um, we have several otherstories like that where we're
able to take someone's interestlevel and you don't have to
leave Soapy Joe's to Follow yourpath.
So you don't just have to be incar wash.
There's all the back officethings, those kinds of
opportunities.
Um, so, so I would say thosekinds of structured programs.

(22:45):
But then also you mentionedhaving fun, you know, are there
contests, you were doing thingsquarterly at minimum to engage
on the fun level.
Um, and we also just startedwithin, let's say the past year,
we call it behind the bubblesand it's a facebook group for
our employees that want to join.
Um, so we've got things on site,hydration challenges, uh,

(23:10):
Incentives in terms of salescontests, of course, um, and
then, you know, fun things, ourholiday parties, our on site
promotions, opportunities tointeract with our Soapy
character, um, swag giveaways.
All the things.

Kevin Zalaznik (23:25):
So you talked about you, uh, your call center,
employing the call center, youidentified graphic design was
their kind of background orpassion.
And I think, maybe this goesamiss a long time, and, you
know, Hoffman Car Wash, we have500, 600 employees, and, We're
in the process.
We're, we're kind of trying tojust fine tune our, how we brand

(23:47):
our workplace, right?
So, um, And in our discoverysessions, you know, we've kind
of identified there's two groupsof people.
There's the, the people, thepart timers, the young kids who
maybe this is their first timejob.
And then you have the other setthat is, okay, these are people
who are looking for a careerfull time.
You know, they're going to work40 hours a week.

(24:09):
So, you know, it's, you'retrying to talk to both groups,
right?
But one of the things that, youknow, and people need to
understand is if you're in thatfirst group and you're young and
you're coming up, like theamount of the skills that you're
going to learn in customerservice and just operations and
understanding certain things,but we find here too, is, you

(24:31):
know, you look at our customers,customer care team, or even our
it department.
All of these people, or most ofthese people, started as a line
attendant in our car wash.
They've identified or they toldsomeone that they had interest
in computer science or whateverit is, and then have found jobs
or careers, you know, outside ofthe actual location.

(24:53):
And, You think about all of theemployees that Hoffman Car Wash
has ever had, or Sobey Joe's hasever had.
It's a lot of people that havecome through your doors, and
they have many skill sets.
And finding those skill setsmake a bigger impact on your
organization down the road.
So you kind of have to have youreyes open, your ears open, and

(25:15):
looking for these things.
Um, because these are yourfuture, maybe, leadership teams,
or whatever it is, for sure.
I

Anne Mauler (25:22):
love that.
I mean, it...
What a compliment.
I mean, that they're able tomove within and stay with you
and explore that.
I, that's so cool.
And I think the biggestcompliment that we've ever
received, you mentioned a lot ofthe individuals working with us.
If they fall into that firsttime job category, sometimes
they leave and then they haveanother experience somewhere

(25:42):
that isn't up to Hoffmanstandards or Sophie Joe
standards.
And they come back and they'rereally recognizing for the long
term that there was somethingdifferent here.
And.
You know, there's value in that.
I would say our other claim tofame in the Soapy Joe's world is
the second audience youmentioned, the career minded
individuals.
You know, you can start at aSoapy Joe's car wash as a line

(26:06):
attendant and within two years,be manager of your own site.
This is a path forward, it'sstructured, we can show you how
to get there, and yes, you cantake a job as a clerk at Target,
but in two years, you're goingto be a clerk at Target.
This is a high growth, highopportunity, uh, high potential
opportunity for someone who'swilling to put in the work and

(26:26):
show that leadership aptitude.

Kevin Zalaznik (26:28):
Yeah.
So are there otheropportunities, obviously you're
growing, you mentioned you're,um, I don't know if on the
podcast or before, before westarted, you know, you're
opening four stores in the lastquarter of this year.
So it's not just necessarily.
The location growth, but withthat, the organization has to
grow too, just to support it.
So I'm sure there's moreopportunities, like not just at

(26:50):
a location, but you know, in thecorporate office or what the
service team or whatever it islike that needs to grow too.
And I, I would kind of goingback to my point.
People who work at the car wash,they understand it, they get it.
It's easier to find that talentwithin, and rather than
bringing, not always, but thanbringing someone from the

(27:11):
outside, there's a much biggerlearning curve because it's,
it's an industry like nothingelse really.
Right.
So, and understanding it, so isthat kind of the growth that
you're seeing too?
Is, is the expansion.
Within the corporate office, notjust necessarily in the, at the
locations.

Anne Mauler (27:27):
Oh, definitely.
I mean, I think you'veidentified something that we're
really trying to be thoughtfulat the enterprise planning level
about, which is as we scale up,you know, how, how, at what
levels and what milestones areyou adding resource in the
appropriate areas?
You know, some may be before thegrowth happens, and some may be
trailing after to account for amembership ramp that is, you

(27:50):
know, after opening.
Uh, as compared to constructionactivity, which happens before.
So really identifying what thoselevels are.
Is it a site count?
Is it a membership count?
Which of those leversnecessitate the types of changes
you're talking about?
So definitely yes, thoughtful,uh, as we can.

(28:10):
And then also, I mean, just, um,making the most of those growth
opportunities

Kevin Zalaznik (28:15):
eternally as well.
All right.
All right.
Let's shift here.
Let's get to the good stuff.
Let's get to the marketing.
So, uh, yeah, exactly.
Um, you know, the question Ialways get asked, and I'm going
to ask you, and Phil, if youdon't want to get too deep into
the weeds, no pars, you're goingto open up a store.

(28:37):
What does your marketingplaybook look like?

Anne Mauler (28:40):
We, uh, have a three tier NSO, new store
opening, uh, playbook, and we'vegot it tiered out, so we really
try and look at, um, what arethe, identifying the levers
to...
Fit within those three tiers,they would be different for
every organization, but thenhave our tactics and budget
amount roughed out, right?

(29:00):
That helps us from the beginningof the year understand where
we're going to put the maxeffort, where the focus is going
to be, helps us with staffing,all those kinds of things, and
then we can customize fromthere.
Is it a community that has aspecific need?
Is there a specific charitableorganization there?
Um.
Is it a specific time of year?
Do I want to launch something?
Do we have something going on?

(29:21):
And, you know, kind of finetuning out of those tiers.
So, um, we again try and comeabout it from a scalable system.
We are opening another four inthese coming weeks, months, um,
and the end of the year.
But we're really looking outsideof San Diego.
And, you know, if you can't doit for 50 stores, don't do it.
We're, we're trying to mold oursystems and processes with that

(29:43):
in mind now.
Um, so that's our approach.
How

Kevin Zalaznik (29:47):
much is that?
How much, I guess, from that,um, that game planning was just
the...
The previous people who havebeen, have worked, how much have
you brought to the table in thatsense of like, how have you
pulled from the other industriesthat you've worked for to say,
okay, like here's our three tierapproach.
This is how we're going to scaleand how we're going to go from

(30:09):
it.
And is there one industry thatyou've pulled from more than
maybe some others?
Well,

Anne Mauler (30:13):
gosh, well, I would say that the overall mix has
been a combo of gut knowledge,uh, from being in the industry
viscerally for years, i.
e.
Lauren's our CEO, and you knowhow the team did it in the past,
um, and then the data and thescalable approach that I'm
bringing in.
So we're kind of taking the bestof the best and pushing it all

(30:34):
together into what's a smartplan for Car Wash.
Um, I would say I'm leaning mostheavily in that sense.
I, on the four walls side fromthe restaurant days, but I also
have a significant amount oftime that I've spent in e
commerce, uh, with softwaresales.
So B2B, B2C software.
And on that side, it's all aboutlead generation and e commerce

(30:58):
and all the digital content,social, all of those kinds of
things.
So, um, In that sense, we'retrying to be smart in the
digital sphere as well andreally provide that omni channel
approach.
Uh, there was very littledigital, um, going on before we
grew the marketing organizationthat we have today.
Um, It really wasn't necessary.

(31:18):
They were doing a lot within thefour walls and were able to, um,
create and maintain a steadygrowth that they could, uh,
ingest at that time.
So digital layer coming over thetop I think would be, um, really
the hallmark of what I added in,uh, to the successful mix that
was already there.
Being things like billboards,radio, direct mail.

Kevin Zalaznik (31:39):
Yeah, I think what's important for some of the
smaller operations, you mightnot even have a marketing
director, is just to keep inmind, like, the cohesion that
you want.
You want similar, you want thebranding to be on point.
You want similar messaging allthe way across all of your
platforms.
It's so important that You know,again, you're creating a brand
here.
You want people to feel acertain way when they see your

(32:00):
billboard, when they see yourFacebook ad, when they're on
location, it should all be onething.
Um, you've, um, you'vecertainly, you're, you're in
tunes in the industry.
Are there any kind of lowhanging fruit that you might,
uh, that you think smalleroperators could be easily

(32:21):
picking and kind of fine tuning?

Anne Mauler (32:24):
Yeah, definitely.
I would say talk to yourcustomers.
Fancy words, research.
Easy words, go talk to people.
I mean, it is really somethinganybody can and should be doing
regardless of, you know, howsophisticated or, um, you know,
rudimentary your systems may be,analog.
Uh, your systems may be thatyour customers are right there

(32:45):
and it's something that ifyou're willing to adjust and
adapt and hear the feedback thatcan really help you move your
business.
You may be missing somethingthat they find very valuable
that you need to improve.
And with that, you could, if youtake action, could unlock a
whole other group of customersfor yourself.
So I, I would say get out thereand do some research, talk to

(33:08):
people.
I use SurveyMonkey.
It's very affordable.
Um, I, on the digital sidethough, if you can, if you can
go that one step further, the201 level.
So, be collecting people's emailaddresses or phone numbers so
you can text or email them thesurvey.
Um, if not, you're going to be,you know, looking at the people
that, that's right there on yourlot, which is fine too, but get
that contact information so youcan start communicating with

(33:31):
them.
Yeah.

Kevin Zalaznik (33:32):
Any, any tactics on how, how to actually get that
contact

Anne Mauler (33:35):
information?
I have tried everything.
And we're, like, still justtrying to make it happen.
Um, I, you know, if you get halfthe people to give you their
contact information, you'redoing great.
We've done everything fromattaching, like, a give us your
name and phone number to our airfresheners that we're handing

(33:55):
out.
So they're going out to, um, Youknow, walking the line with an
iPad, trying to get people's,uh, contact information.
Um, the, the most successful isgiving away free washes out in
the community, like at communityevents.
That's building a database, butthey're not necessarily your
customers.
So being able to distinguish thetwo is important.
Um, yeah, I, I, aside fromjoining, you know, that's the

(34:20):
majority of our customers aremembers.
Uh, our system doesn't requirethem to give us their email
address or phone number though,so there's a hefty amount in
there that we don't have theircontact information.
But that's the standard way,signature at the bottom of the
log

Kevin Zalaznik (34:32):
receipt.
Yeah, it's definitely, you've,you've touched on very similar
things that we've done.
Um, the, the key is, and, andwhen you think about it, the,
how important that first partydata really is, right?
So.
You have email addresses, youhave phone numbers.
You can speak directly to thiscustomer or potential customer.

(34:53):
You don't necessarily, you don'thave to go out and.
Hope they see your TV commercialor your billboard.
I mean, you can speak directlyto them.
It's an important and costeffective marketing tactic for
sure I and I think I knowprobably this is when we started
the unlimited program here thisis before my time is you know,

(35:15):
the Getting processing cars issuch an important part of our
our industry You want to getpeople through that line as fast
as possible.
So decisions are made.
Okay, we're not going to collectUh, email address or whatever it
is, it's going to hold up theline.
And I think now we're startingto rethink that a little bit.
Um, we'll, we'll, we willcollect the phone number.

(35:36):
Um, and we have an onboardingprocess with text message.
You have to be careful becausethere's, there's guidelines and
laws and you can't just textmessage anyone.
So you have to kind of becareful there.
And it's expensive

Anne Mauler (35:47):
too, but it's cheaper.

Kevin Zalaznik (35:52):
Yeah, it's certainly cheaper.
Um, but yeah, I can't.
When we look at our marketing,um, you know, it's those, it's
that first party data that's,that we put such a high priority
on and you really can't just,it's, it's not easy to collect,
uh, you have to think outside ofthe box sometimes.

(36:13):
And like you said, like the freewash is certainly the easiest,
but it also sometimes youattract the bottom feeders or
people who are your customer or,or whatever it is.
So, um, yeah, that'sinteresting.
So, um, I'll be curious to seehow over the next, um, just few
years that the, how AI plays arole in all of this and, and

(36:37):
what Google or Facebook and howthey're going to incorporate it.
Um, into potentially bettertargeting, but on the same side,
you have, you know, Apple andtheir iOS privacy thing.
So it's just, it's a, it's achanging landscape that.
You kind of have to, you have tobe aware of and be smart about
it.

(36:58):
Um, but with that being said,sometimes traditional marketing
still does work.

Anne Mauler (37:03):
I'm grateful they were in that.
Yeah, I like working both levelsof it.
Um, there's so much going on if,like you were talking about, if
you don't have a cohesive brandthat is going to cut through the
The digital clutter, get inthose mailboxes.
I mean, people do redeem offerswith an old school coupon.
I mean, we, we see it in ourbusiness.

(37:25):
Um, and like you were saying onthe digital side, for me, what's
exciting as a marketer is it'salways moving and it's always
changing, but that is a.
big challenge to keep up with.
Uh, yeah, I have a small inhouse team.
I have three people on mymarketing team and we do
everything from point of salemanagement, to PR, to ad
placement, to events, like allof it.

(37:46):
And I lean heavily on my agencypartners to keep me up to speed.
Uh, we are always saying, what'sthe shiniest tool you've got in
your shed?
What's the newest thing?
What's out there?
What's hip?
Even if I can't afford it to buyit, I can benefit from the sales
pitch and the learning.
So we try and stay up to date.
Not only on our own, but throughthose partnerships as well.

Kevin Zalaznik (38:07):
I think what you said is, uh, it's so interesting
cause I do this too is, and, andhopefully our listeners could
take this as you have thesemedia partners and they're going
to sell you, they're going tosell you.
You know, something thatprobably doesn't make sense for
you, but there's always onething that you're like, Hmm, I
kind of like that idea.
You might not want to use themor you might be able to do it

(38:28):
yourself.
I think those are, those aresuch great conversations to have
because they just get the wheelsturning.
Right.
And, uh, I think it's very easyto be like, Oh, you're a
salesperson.
I'm not going to talk to you,whatever.
A lot of it is relationshipbuilding, but, uh, yeah, go into
it with an open mind.
And, uh, you know, is theresomething that we can borrow,
uh, and, and kind of doourselves.

Anne Mauler (38:51):
I like the DIY angle too.
I mean, that's, we're in themiddle right now of trying to
create all the data layers inour BI infrastructure to have
some input into our POS, pull itout and be able to use it in a
way that's meaningful for usbased on ideas that we have
learned from others.
And

Kevin Zalaznik (39:08):
I, and you look at the POS, I think there's good
data that.
That can be pulled from there.
And it sounds like you're doingthat.
Uh, or is there a certain dataset or a KPI that is most
important for you and Soapy

Anne Mauler (39:21):
Joes?
Well, definitely membershipcount.
I mean, we are really focused onramping up our new store
openings, fast and strong, um,get that membership base going
and then retention.
So the other side of the coin,uh, making sure that when they
are in that we're engaging them,that we're creating.
Experiences that are meaningfulto them back to that customer
journey map.

(39:41):
I mentioned the beginning of ourchat, making sure that each of
those touch points is on pointand we don't lose them.
And if they do decide to leavethe organization, of course, we
survey them and we do that morefrequently than our regular
customer survey.
So we can really keep our fingeron the pulse of why people may
be opting to leave right now.

(40:02):
And what can we do about it?
So, um, yeah, membership andretention.

Kevin Zalaznik (40:06):
Yeah, I, I think it's hard.
Sometimes you have so much datato kind of filter through and
actually know what, what's worthlooking at.
Um, having data for data's sakedoesn't really get you anywhere.
Totally.

Anne Mauler (40:20):
Totally, yes.
I mean, I, it can be tempting,but, you know, um, knowing
what's meaningful and sometimesthat changes over time too,
being willing to say, you know,the, This was a goal associated
with this time period.
But now we're over here and it'sreally engagement.
So maybe our social media scorerankings is is really important

(40:41):
over a key time when you don'twant to discount, for example.
Um, so being flexible and Moveon.
responsive to your environmentalso is a good reminder for all
of us, including myself.

Kevin Zalaznik (40:54):
And I, I've taken up a lot of your time.
I don't want to keep you muchlonger.
Uh, we ask all of our gueststhis at the end of each show.
And if you have, uh, I knowyou're probably outside in
beautiful San Diego weather, butif you do find time and you're
inside and you're streaming somesort of TV show where.
Netflix show.
What are you streamingcurrently?

Anne Mauler (41:14):
I am, I love documentaries.
And so I'm watching, gosh,whatever comes up in my feed.
I want to tell you that it's notTV, but I am going to the Taylor
Swift movie on Friday when itcomes out with my eight year old
daughter.
So I'll say

Kevin Zalaznik (41:33):
that.
Yeah.
There you go.
I have a seven year old and, uh,we, I am, I am a Swifty.
Um, yeah, yeah.
So where is she playing?
Where are you going?
Is it in San

Anne Mauler (41:44):
Diego?
Uh, it's the IMAX movie.
Like version of her playing up.
Well, yeah, the movie thing.
So I confess I'm not as swifty.
So my plan is to go as the, um,Kelsey era and just do the
Kansas city chiefs because I amfrom Iowa in the Midwest.
So that.
There you go.

Kevin Zalaznik (42:03):
There you go.
Very good.
That is awesome.
Well, um, it was great talkingto you.
Congratulations just on all yoursuccess.
Soapy Joe's express success andwhat a great program you have
with pride.
prideindustries.
com is where you can find moreinformation, particularly if
you're in Southern California,or if you want to just kind of

(42:25):
get a baseline of what anorganization like that can do,
definitely go check it out.
And thanks so much for joiningus today.
Thank you for having me.
All right.
Have a good one.
Bye.
Bye.
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