Army Of Advocates
By now, you’ve been in the business long enough to know what it takes to earn a customer’s trust. Through top-notch employees, honest and thorough vehicle service, clean and comfortable waiting rooms – and of course, impeccable customer service – your business likely is reaping the rewards of hard work and focus.
What Your Auto Shop Can Learn From The Insurance Industry
In order to build a successful auto repair business, most shop owners feel they need to sell more parts and more labor. Although both of those items are a part of your business model, one thing is certain: your customers don’t look forward to buying either of the two, at any price.
Embracing Diversity
With each passing generation, our population landscape gets more diverse. The majority of communities throughout the U.S. and Canada have a makeup that is very different from a few decades ago. With these ever-shifting demographics, business owners are faced with the challenge of constantly reinventing their marketing and customer service efforts if they want to cater to all potential customers.
Marketing To Millenials
OMG! It’s about time there’s an article about Millennials (also known as Generation Y) and how they use the Internet. Millennials were born between 1980 and 2000, and there are more than 79 million of them in the U.S. Got any of them coming into your shop? Of course you do. And here’s a hint … they’re different!
Listen To Your Customers – They May Be Smarter Than You Think
Recently, I made an appointment for a tire rotation at the independent tire dealer where I bought my tires, albeit a little earlier than the mileage requirement because my TPMS light was on. When I checked the car in with the service adviser, I pointed out that my TPMS light was on and asked them to please pinpoint and inspect the suspect tire.
Are You Ready For The Surge In Business?
This past winter will no doubt go in the history books as one of the toughest on record. Many shops, mine included, lost six or more days of work in February alone. I don’t want to think about the loss of revenue; I’d rather put it behind me and move on. There are some things that we cannot control, Mother Nature being one of them.
When Saving The Customer Money … Backfires!
A few months back, a customer came in with a broken seat frame on her Honda Pilot. The car had more than 150,000 miles on it and the seat frame broke through use. Replacing the seat frame, with labor, would be well over $1,100. My foreman recommended welding the frame, saving the customer hundreds and hundreds of dollars. Two months later the car returned with the seat frame broken in a different spot.
Building A Hybrid Service Industry
In 2012, Matt Curry, former owner of Curry’s Auto Service shops in Virginia, founded The Hybrid Shop to solve an emerging problem in the growing hybrid automobile market. “The only solution for hybrid vehicle owners experiencing poor vehicle performance is to go to the dealer and have the battery replaced,” says Curry. He adds that the cost of a new battery can run as high as $4,000. “That’s the only solution that a dealer offers.”
7 Tips On Delivering Extraordinary Service
Most shop owners will start pumping more money into their marketing campaigns when they are looking to increase their car counts. This can help bring new customers into your shop, which is certainly important, but the value of your new customers diminishes if you’re unable to keep them coming back. There will be no greater key to your success in the coming years than your ability to create a memorable customer experience that shows your customers you genuinely care about them, so here are seven tips that will help you deliver extraordinary service, and keep your customers coming back to your shop for years to come.
Age Of Convenience Dictates Streamlined Communication Methods
The manner in which the majority of your customers prefer to communicate about vehicle service is changing, as their need for convenient and easy information access accelerates. You likely have noticed that their attitudes and expectations are vastly different than what you were used to encountering.
Guide Your Actions With Reflection; The Past Can Be A Springboard For The Future
At the end of every year, I reflect on the events that transpired over the past 12 months that pertain to my business and personal life. Reflection can have a powerful impact on how you act in a similar situation you may encounter in the future.
Avoid Customer Disservice At Your Shop
There’s a lot of talk about the importance of providing quality customer service and superior customer experiences to improve customer loyalty and sales. In fact, these topics are the primary elements of my training and consulting practice for the tire and auto service industry. On the flip side, there’s relatively little dialogue about the aspects that turn customers off, harm customer relationships and can ultimately have customers not only leave your business for a competitor, but do so while complaining about your business to everyone with whom they come into contact.
