The biggest critics of a franchise brand name come from two groups of people and neither of them are you customers. If our brand is lousy your customers will most likely simply not say anything, after all every day average brand names are a dime a dozen in the market place. No you biggest critics are of course your competition, who will never miss a swipe if you make the smallest mistake; you can bet they will mention it in high-volume conversations, jabs and snickers. But that is to be expected of course and who cares what they think, especially if you a light years ahead of their mediocre best efforts.

Your very biggest critics and the one’s you better play careful attention to is you own team. So each quarter I ask the team to hold nothing back and let me have it, the whole truth and I listen, sometimes it is not pleasant sometimes it is, but in franchising truth about all else is essential for honest evaluations. Here is what one team member asked when I asked about our brand.

“. . . and that is the point. We are different, we are the best, we accomplish what others in this industry can’t. Sparkle Wash can low-ball prices and hit up a handful of fleet accounts, but they can’t detail the car of a construction site foreman and land a well-paying post construction clean up (we did). They can’t make money, servicing offices and open up the doors to whole other kinds of business, which can all be done with the same equipment off the same truck that just cleaned out a cell tower site. We can and this is clear in our presentation and materials. We are here to stay and to dominate our marketplace.”

“But it would not be fair to mention the strengths of CWGs without mentioning your strength, Lance. Your charisma, excitement, vision and energy pours out of the materials. ‘This guy is excited about what he is doing’, comes across LOUD AND CLEAR and is (I think) a large part of what attracts people to the franchise. And when people meet you, they don’t find a fake. You live and breathe CWGs. It’s a mission, a lifestyle and a business all in one.”

Incidentally (CWG) stands for Car Wash Guys, our brand name; CarWashGuys.com . The reason for this example is that when we talk about Brand Names, we must take about “buy-in” and hear the truth straight from the gut of the biggest critics, the one’s who know the inside scoop and lay it on the line everyday for the team. Think on this in 2006.