The Recycled Part
B&R Auto Wrecking Says "Thank You" to Henderson, Nevada.
People and companies can say, “Thank you” to customers in many ways.
Some ways can be effective, i.e., giveaways. But saying “thank you” with a genuine, loving spirit toward others can put a “thank you” over-the-top. I’ve witnessed it recently by watching B&R Auto Wrecking do what comes natural to them.
Here’s what I witnessed first-hand at 1 of their 14 locations. It’s a newly opened location located in Henderson, Nevada. The city of Henderson is located just outside of Las Vegas. B&R knows how to say “thank you” in a BIG way. It was a two-day celebration that had the who’s who the first two or three hours on Friday and a family day was held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
B&R Auto Wrecking was founded by Rick and Konnie Perlenfein and is co-owned by their son, Brian. Brian is a very sharp, talented person, a character trait of which I am sure he inherited from his parents.
Here’s what B & R did. When customers first entered the gates, they were given two blue tickets. Those were for the money machine which had $500 per day put into it. A customer received five Gold Tickets for Prizes of all sorts that were covering four, eight foot tables. The giveaways ranged from a 60” Flat Screen HDTV to an ipad, NHRA tickets and, of course, the $500 cash in the money machine. Tables were literally covered with an array of gifts.
Friday night, the key to the City of Henderson was given to Rick Perlenfein. The place was jam packed with lots of people from UNLV [University of Nevada, Las Vegas]. B & R Auto Wrecking is a sponsor of UNLV. I sat next to the Basketball Coach around 6 p.m. and by 8 p.m., in the chair he had just vacated, sat the wife of the head mechanic of a large cab company in Las Vegas who had just won $82 cash from the cash machine.
Besides a lot of famous sports people from UNLV, there were business leaders from all the car dealerships, repair shops and anyone who turned a wrench in Las Vegas.
The food was mouth-watering, and there was plenty of it too. A basketball court was set-up for high school students. A daughter of the lady who owned the catering company won the basketball challenge. After she served chicken and barbeque, she ran over to the court to take on the next challenger and then returned to serve food to the customers. At the end of the night, she had eliminated all the challengers and emerged as Champ for the evening.
Even J.C. Cahill was there. A few years ago, he ran the Graham and Spanaway locations for B&R. He spoke very highly of the Perlenfein family. J.C. attributes a great deal of his industry and business knowledge to the Perlenfein family.
Jeff Helget is the Business Development Manager. He explained the weekend event as a “thank you” for such a warm welcome the community has given B&R Auto Wrecking. Jeff brings in a person from each of their locations to work the weekend so they and their customers can experience what it’s like to have a true team spirit.
Yes, over $5,000 worth of giveaways from remote control helicopters to t-shirts were given away. Oh yeah, the blow car was great. Some lucky guy won another TV for guessing the correct time. Then at the end of the night, under the lights, they bashed a car.
It was fun attending this event and receiving some giveaways. Lots of fun, giveaways and laughter! Tons of it! However, our true immeasurable, giveaway is that this family gives back to the 14 locations in which they serve. They care for their customers first and then their team leaders. They are involved in numerous volunteer works with food banks and all kinds of fundraisers for sick kids in their communities. They care 24/7, 365 days a year for their communities.
Some customers came to this event because of B&R’s 90-Day warranty on all parts and their no-hassle return policy. Wonderful guarantees! However, from what I observed, it’s the relationship they instill in each customer that draws them back to B&R. Customers know when they’re loved and appreciated, and it shows when they return. B & R is their “first call” when they need to get back on the road.
Can you tell how much I like this unpretentious group?
See you next time.
D. J. Harrington is an author, journalist, seminar leader, international trainer, and marketing consultant. He works primarily with customer service personnel, and his clients include world-class companies such as General Motors, DuPont, Caterpillar, and Damon Corporation. He may be reached at 800/352-5252. E-mail: dj@djsays.com. 52 weeks a year, we are as close as your telephone.