Increase Your Car Count Now with these 3 Tips
To any auto repair shop owner, increasing the car count in a shop is a must, but deciding just how to tackle the task of getting more business can be tougher than you think. Unfortunately, it is not easy as opening your doors to get customers to walk in and spend money in difficult economic times, or even in less complex ones.
Fortunately, the following tips can help get your car count up and keep and stay up.
Tip #1 – Create a Referral System
Word of mouth advertising is always going to be the king in getting those customers through the door, and building a referral system is a fantastic way to make sure you get that free, reliable method of advertising. Whether you use a program that involves your current customers referring friends and family members, then receiving a discount or similar reward or a program that has you leaving business cards at local companies that may have customers who need you (like auto parts shops, for instance), building the right referral system can be lots more customers every day. The key is to decide where your efforts are best spend, then creating the right system around that.
Tip #2 – Don’t Overlook the Power of Direct Mail
Marketing flyers have long been one way shops have tried to get more customers through the door, and even in this age of social media marketing, direct mail companies are still often the way to go. The trick here, though, is that you’ll want to carefully craft your piece to get it just right, then make certain you have the right target audience in mind before you ever submit your flyer or your postcard. You have to have a solid call to action and a reason to make them move ahead, and you have to send your piece out to those households willing to spend a bit of cash to get their car serviced. A good direct mail company can help you better narrow down that list so your campaign is a success.
Tip #3 – Build a Customer Loyalty Program
Every month they’re not coming to you with a concern about their car or for a particular service, they’re losing touch, and keeping them as your customer is the key to ensuring your car count stays high. Customer loyalty programs help them keep your shop in mind, and they’re fairly easy to implement. Whether you go with coupons in the mail each month or text messages that involve coupons, constantly staying in touch can help keep slow days at bay in your shop.
Finding the best, and least expensive, ways to increase the car count in your shop can be difficult, but continually finding the right marketing methods that work in your area is often the key to getting more cars in your shop every day.
