Easy Steps to Keep Your Gas Station Customers Happy and Returning

StarCare Power Wash can help keep your gas station's appearance clean and inviting!
(707) 580-3665

Research shows that consumers today have little loyalty to gasoline brands; instead, convenience and pricing are a gas station’s main attractions. This has remained true despite loyalty programs and gasoline brand credit cards.

What can forecourt managers do to attract customers to their gas station?

For starters, maintenance of the fuel station is of paramount importance — inside and out. But that’s just the beginning. Here follow some tips that you can follow to positively impact on your sales!

• Excellent customer service. The reputation of your station’s staff is key to your success. Make sure you staff members are always respectful, ready to attend customers, and friendly. Remember, when they have a bad experience, people talk about it to their friends and family: if your staff is rude, you risk losing much more than just one customer.
• Store and station appearance. Make sure your station looks good, inside and outside. The landscape, dispensers, driveway, trash bins, and exterior of the buildings are the first things your customers, and all other passing traffic, see. If your station looks appealing, more people will stop by.
• Cleanliness. Maintain your gas station and c-store up to par by always keeping windows, floors, and restrooms clean. Spotless bathrooms are very important to customers, especially those travelling long distances. Pay special effort to maintaining and modernizing your facilities. Their cleanliness, along with your overall store appearance, will help increase your sales.
• Competitive pricing. Keep your gasoline pricing comparable, or below, other neighboring sites. It’s a great way to maintain loyalty and get repeat customers, who might then decide to also drop by at your c-store or café.
• Various types of services. Recognize what goods and services consumers want provided to them quickly, and make sure you offer them. These might include, for example, ATMs, drugstores, coffee islands, car washes and liquor sale.
• Stock up. Make sure your convenience store is fully stocked with all the merchandise your customers wish to buy. Keep track of expiration dates, and check that all products are fresh.
• Gas station lighting. It is very important to keep your site well lit and safe — especially during dawn and evening hours. This will prevent your customers from getting injured or harmed in any way.
• Promotional signage. Represent your brand(s) properly. Your customers look at your promotional signage on a daily basis, so do it right!
• Marketing. Promoting products and current offers is a great way to add brand awareness. Marketing materials do not just promote the items in them, but also your brand – the imagery of who you are as a convenience store. Make sure your marketing materials are tasteful and fun.

Article Source: https://www.lsretail.com/blog/easy-steps-to-keep-your-gas-station-customers-happy-and-returning/

Freshen Up Your Business' Appearance with Power Washing!

Power washing is an excellent way to give your business a freshened up appearance, making it more attractive to customers. StarCare Power Wash is ready to help you with a cleaner and brighter future! 

Give us a call today!

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The Crucial Importance of a Business' Curb Appeal

Call StarCare Power Wash to learn how we can help you improve your business' curb appeal!
707-580-3665

Hey small business owners, as the saying goes, you never have a second chance to make a first impression. This is especially true in the competitive world of business, where a single negative review or bad experience can send prospective customers (and their dollars) elsewhere. Even if your prices and customer satisfaction levels are beyond reproach, a lackluster, dated, or damaged storefront may all but ensure that many would-be customers will never make it past the door. One of our merchants that we introduced the Clover™ Station to have a nice little shop in Glen Ellyn, IL and if you happen to stop by you can get some great ideas on how to make some changes to your store front for more curb appeal, while enjoying their inventory inside too!

Read on to learn more about the impact curb appeal can have on your business, as well as some steps you can take to instantly improve your curb appeal and pull in more customers.

Why is Curb Appeal So Important?

The term "curb appeal" is often used in the context of residential real estate sales: the greater the curb appeal, the quicker the sale. But curb appeal is just as, if not more, important when it comes to retail stores, restaurants, and service-based businesses. A building that looks run-down, doesn't have obvious signage, or lacks good lighting can be unappealing to passersby, leading them straight to your competitors.

One local study found that 70 percent of first-time sales were based on curb appeal, which means a business lacking in curb appeal could be leaving a major amount of money on the table.

How Can Businesses Grab Attention and Increase Foot Traffic

Even if you're dealing with a building that could use some TLC, improving (or creating) curb appeal doesn't need to be an expensive or time-consuming process.

Improve Wayfinding and Signage
It's important for passersby to not only be able to find your business, but to have some idea of the products or services you offer. Make sure your street number is easily visible from the storefront (or even painted on the sidewalk) to make it easier for map or GPS users to find you. If your business has a fairly nondescript name, consider using a logo or short slogan on your signs and storefront that will let the public know what to expect.

You'll also want to ensure that all your business's signs are large enough to be easily read from wherever your potential customers will be traveling, whether a nearby sidewalk, highway, or somewhere else. Even if your sign seems large when you're standing right next to it, if people driving by can't read it, you're unlikely to pull in many new customers.

Repair Walkways and Steps
Crumbling concrete sidewalks and stairs can pose a tripping hazard for customers. Not only is this a liability risk, it's likely to deter would-be customers from making their way inside your business. Having damaged exterior concrete patched or repaved will reduce the risk that a customer could be harmed on your property while also improving your building's overall look.

Clean it Up (Or Hire a Cleaning Service)
While having a steady stream of customers can be good for your bottom line, it also entails a certain amount of daily and weekly cleaning. If you don't have the time or staff to handle this yourself, you may want to consider hiring a cleaning service that can do things like pick up trash around your building or in the parking lot, wash your exterior windows and sidewalks, and empty any outdoor trash cans or cigarette containers.

Use Landscaping to Create an Inviting Atmosphere
Businesses that are surrounded by a stark, vacant lot without any adornment can be off-putting. Adding some bushes, flowering plants, landscaping boulders, or other decorative elements can give a friendlier impression, as can using foliage to create a direct path to your business's door.

If your storefront doesn't have much in the way of grass or greenery, you may want to consider installing a rock garden instead. Not only are rock gardens modern and eye-catching, this type of xeriscaping is extremely low-maintenance and won't eat into your overhead costs.

Lure Customers With Discounts, Samples, and Offers
For retail businesses, placing a few deeply-discounted items outside can draw in bargain-hunting customers. In other cases, using outdoor signage to conspicuously advertise free samples, trials, or other offers available inside can get brand new customers in the door when they may otherwise have walked right past.

Invest in Seasonal Decor--But Keep it Timely
Seasonal decor like holiday lights, pumpkins, or American flags can be an instant way to update your building's exterior and keep its look fresh. On the other hand, having your Christmas lights still up when Easter arrives can indicate your company is disorganized, overwhelmed, or even closed for good. Make a point of updating your seasonal decor on a regular basis to avoid sending the wrong message.

Use Trim and Shutters to "Finish" Your Building's Appearance
A new paint job can freshen up any building, but if this isn't in your budget, installing new shutters or adding some coordinating trim can instantly give your business a streamlined, updated look. Trim or shutters that match your business's colors are even better, providing a source of exterior branding in addition to your signage.

By taking these steps, you'll help your business remain competitive in an increasingly image-focused market.

Article Source: http://insight.getvms.com/curb-appeal

A Clean Backyard is a Happy Backyard

Get your backyard ready for spring entertaining by having your patio power washed by StarCare Power Wash! We also do driveways, sidewalks, bricks, and house washing. Our cleaning process includes using environmentally green soaps and products. Give us a call today to make an appointment!

Tips for Choosing a Power Washing Company

There are some important factors that you should take into account when choosing a power washing company for your private or commercial needs. Getting the appropriate company will ensure that you get a reliable and good service at competitive cost. Power washing is an important method of carrying out cleaning processes both of domestic and commercial applications. For instance, if you are in a working environment with a lot of oil residue, then washing can be of great importance.

It is important to note that finding an affordable and reliable power washing company is not an easy task. This is so because many companies have branded themselves as the best in the industry and therefore posing a great challenge in determining a company that is offering quality services. There are several companies out there. There are also different sources from where you can get such companies. The internet can be a great source to find the contractor or company of your choice. You can easily find a company at your locality which you were unaware of at your locality.

After getting the various companies at your locality, it is important that you request their estimates for your project. It is important to note that some companies are willing to provide free estimates. It is therefore important that you request the estimates from different companies for comparison. This is one of the best ways of finding an affordable cost. Your budget is quite important and therefore you should work in accordance with it.

Another important aspect you should take into account is the insurance and the licensing of the power washing company. Licensing is part of the government and legislation. It is important to note that any company that is to carry out power washing in your estate should be licensed and registered by the required bodies. You should never be afraid to inquire about their current licensing, certification, type of insurance and any other qualification they have.

Communication is very important when it comes to selecting power washing company for your domestic and commercial needs. If in the first case, the company is reluctant to take your calls or even respond to the emails, this is a sign of how unreliable they are. It is possible to pay them in advance and fail to complete your project. It is crucial to contact the company you are engaged with and ask some details from them before contracting them.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6387446

Do Gas Stations Get Dirty? We Are The Clean Machine!

When the concrete or pavement is so dirty, it sticks to shoes and travels with everyone walking in and out of your store, or into their cars and trucks. But, just a little bit of maintenance from time to time can solve those issues and have your service station looking as close to new again as possible. See the dramatic difference in this one photo!

Call StarCare Power Wash to set up your own maintenance schedule today! 707-580-3665

StarCare Power Wash Offers Rust Removal

StarCare does rust removal with awesome results on a beautiful residence in Vacaville CA with our new EBC Restorer! Give us a call for more information and to schedule an appointment. 

707-580-3665

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