Why do cars in New England wear out faster than cars in, say, Southern California or North Carolina?

Winter cold, yes. Cold starts are hard on internal combustion engines. Overaggressive driving… yes, our version of bumper cars. And one other point: Salt. The salt spread and sprayed on our roads so that our fellow citizens (who are probably driving too fast for the conditions… see “overaggressive driving” above) don’t go sliding off roads into guard rails, trees, or each other. Salt crystals that rise up from roads to nick and ding car paint and chrome. Salt brine that coats door panels, wheel wells, and undercarriages and accelerates rust.

So… if I can avoid it, I don’t drive my car when the snow plows are salting roads or when roads are wet with salt brine. I would rather work from home or take public transportation.

Last Sunday night, we received enough snow that the snow plows salted our roads in time for the Monday morning commute… and I had to drive that day. Over the crunchy salt chunks. Through the brine. By dinner time on Monday, my gray car, from door windows to rocker panels, was salt-stained a crusty, ghostly-grayish white.

Tuesday weather was cold and clear. High temperature in the mid-30s. Afternoon winds gusting to 20 miles per hour. Nasty wind chill, and I just couldn’t stand the salt stains. I decided to wash the car.

I drove home from the office. I connected a garden hose. I drew water for the soapy bucket and the rinse bucket. I headed toward the driveway.

“Nick, it’s FREEZING out there. Listen to the wind! You know, there’s a car wash about a half mile from here. And a do-it-yourself place with spray guns a bit further along,” advised one of my fellow residents. “Your hands won’t get cold.”

I smiled, nodded “Thanks”, and continued on thinking, “You don’t understand, bud. This is my manly duty to take care of this car. Car washes scratch the paint. Spray guns are neither gentle nor effective. I like to get my hands on the car, feel the metal, wash with lots of suds. I like the shine when I’m finished.”

Besides, I use warm water; my hands won’t freeze… OK, they don’t “freeze” freeze and they do get cold and I’d rather that than the alternatives.

There are marketing wizards somewhere who have targeted my delightful consumer segment of “New Englanders who wash cars by hand in the freezing winter cold”. And they know that, to motivate us to buy products or use their car wash services, their messaging has to evoke our caretaker feelings and values (which you may consider ridiculous and we don’t care) rather than on “speed and convenience” (which attracts the “in-and-out car wash crowd). We won’t respond to that. We need to know that “they really get us” before we’ll consider their products.

Nick Miller and Clarity train banks and bankers to attract and develop deeper relationships with small businesses. Many more Sales Thoughts like this and a host of other articles and resources at https://clarityadvantage.com/knowledge-center/ .