By John Volz
Owner, Volz Bros. Auto Service
Recently, I was having a discussion about female customers with my advertising/marketing partner LeeAnn Brook from Brook Design Group. She was sharing statistics as to the purchasing power of women and asked me why I thought female customers comprised such a high percentage of our customer base. We discussed the shift in purchasing power in many different sectors, including auto repair.
I then shared with her a story about our shop that was written in 1994 by a customer named Bill Kiley and published in the Midwest magazine GRIT. He got the idea for the story when, as he was sitting here waiting for his car to be serviced, he noticed the next five customers who brought their cars in for service were women. He sat and listened as I interacted with each of them.
As his car was completed, he asked if he could stop by in the next few days to sit down and chat with me. As the week came to a close, Bill called and we met for coffee. He told me the interaction I had with my female customers was not the typical interaction he had seen over the years in the auto repair business, or many businesses as far as that goes.
Bill said he noticed that I took the time to ask about them, their family and even the family pets that came to the shop with those customers. He said it was as if I was chatting with family rather than customers.
Bill also noticed on two occasions that day that I encouraged my female customers to come out in the shop with me to inspect their vehicles as it related to the needed repairs.
Even though I put a lot of emphasis on educating my female customers about their vehicles’ repair needs, the first conscious decision I made to make my business more appealing and friendly to them came with the help of my son John Jr., who now works in the business.
As it turns out, John Jr. had input on this subject when he was a toddler, without really even knowing the extent of his impact at the time.
Over the years, we always put up the usual “girlie” calendars supplied by tool companies. In the early days of the business, my wife had taken then 2-year-old John Jr. to the employee bathroom and he asked his mom, “Why is that lady missing her shirt?” “Ask your father,” she quickly responded. That day, I realized that this commonplace practice should no longer be tolerated in any place of business. “Well I think your son is waiting for an answer,” she quipped with a smile on her face. She knew that I had been schooled by a 2-year-old…out of the mouths of babes.
As time passed, I realized that many customers, both female and male, seemed a bit intimidated by the whole process of auto repair. Taking that into consideration, I always try to make sure my customers have the opportunity to ask any questions about the repair.
Operating in a small community, many of our customers are close to our shop and I always encourage them to stop by and inspect the vehicle with me, as they say a picture is worth a thousand words. And, having them inspect the vehicle while we discuss the necessary repairs always helps to build credibility.
I feel that both female and male customers deserve the same attention when it comes to making them feel comfortable with automotive repair. But, the women are more receptive than the men. They welcome the opportunity to be educated about the repair at hand and why various services are being recommended.
Our goal has always been to have all of our customers understand their vehicles and the needed repairs. Doing quality auto repair is only one component, but having the customer see the value in the repair is equally important. By making a connection with your customers, you are building a relationship that can last a lifetime.
Our intention over the past 30 years was not to market specifically to female customers, but rather to make all customers feel welcome. Now, in hindsight, with a customer base that’s more than 70% female, it appears that our female base appreciated the way we did, and still do, run our business.
John Volz is owner of Volz Bros. Auto Service in Grass Valley, CA. The 38-year industry veteran goes to great lengths to put customers first and takes pride in offering environmentally conscious auto service, which he’s done since the day he opened the shop in 1982. Volz Bros. specializes in Subaru (the shop’s primary specialty), Toyota, Honda, Lexus and Acura.
