High unemployment figures mean a bigger pool of prospects to choose from for your car wash manager role. Let’s jump right into finding out how and what to look for when it comes to filtering through to the absolute best candidates for the job.

What to Look for in Your Car Wash Manager

Skill sets, training, and experience are all important for the car wash manager job. However, so are the right personality, character, and mindset. You are entrusting your car wash manager to take charge at three main fronts – the crew, the customers, and the revenue – in a fast pace and highly-equipped environment. The bare minimum qualities they need to demonstrate are their ability to lead, to be decisive, and to have integrity. And this is all on top of strong work and safety ethics.

Car Wash Manager Duties

Responsible for the Crew

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As leader of the floor team, he or she has to be able to lead, mentor, and coach them into delivering ethical and high work standards. Your car wash manager must understand what motivates each of their team members. Also, they need to know how to stimulate and empower them to bring their best out.

Open and strong communication skills are a must. These ensure that all parties understand what goals they need to achieve and how to do it. Even if disputes arise, all involved will feel confident that the matter will be handled in a fair and just manner.

Good teamwork and collaboration creates a positive environment. One that is conducive to higher performance. In turn, this leads to satisfied customers and stronger sales.

Responsible to and for the Customer

When it comes to customers, an effective car wash manager has to have an open mind. He or she should always strive for customer outreach and better customer experience. They must genuinely enjoy meeting and greeting your customers while proactively ensuring that your business meets their needs and wants. Quality, consistency, and extraordinary experience should be their modus operandi when it comes to customer service.

Responsible to You for Revenue Generation

A smart and results-driven car wash manager is one who has all the factors – crew, customers, site appearance, equipment, supplies – under control. All these facilitate the profitability of your car wash operations. They should have these covered in order to free up time and energy to drive up sales, keep costs down, and handle exceptional situations.

Minimum Qualifications

Educational qualifications for car wash managers can range from high school to a bachelor’s degree in business management. Yet, you should put more emphasis on their hands-on management, supervisory, and training experience. Also, look at their competence at managing the car wash operations. They should have some mechanical and technical abilities in order to understand how to maintain or repair equipment, so that they function properly.

The non-technical aspects would include excellent organization, communication, and customer service skills. Knowledge of accounting, marketing or sales will be a nice bonus.

Your Car Wash Manager Salary

A car wash manager salary can range between $35,000 and $48,000 or even higher, annually. The rate depends on several factors such as the region, the experience, skill sets, and qualifications. A secondary factor could be how busy and lucrative the business is. These are base figures that exclude extras or incentives, i.e. shift work (which is common), health insurance, 401(k) savings plan, vacation, performance commission, and bonuses.

In Conclusion

Car wash management is hard work and is not for everyone. For this position, you want someone who is driven and who can be passionate about the nature of the work as well as your brand. Unless they are energized about the prospects right from the start, they will not be able to impart the same enthusiasm to the floor crew. In turn, this then impacts your customers and ultimately hurt your business sales revenue.

Finding the right people for your team is not an easy endeavor. Especially if you are starting up all by yourself. In contrast, DetailXPerts’ independent business owners get all the franchise help they need, including employee hiring and management to ensure their (and our) success. Learn more about how you can start a car wash business with us, too!

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