Marketing mindset

26 February 2014  

By Andy Vickery

Many of the garage owners I talk to have been in business for anywhere up to thirty years or more. They’ve seen really good times when they’ve never had to do anything other than a good job to maintain custom but most are now saying ‘things have changed’, certainly over the last five or so years.

For many customers, both men and women, a garage is an intimidating environment. Focusing on customers is something which the dealerships have, to a certain degree, got right and which the independent garage sector needs to catch up on. This might sound obvious but some independents confuse this with just doing a good job and keeping the customer happy. Of course this is right but this is really a base level requirement – who doesn’t want to do a good job and who wants to upset customers? What we are talking about here is a more holistic approach to how you perceive your business and what you are about as a business. I’ve said it before but it bears repeating; it’s not about what you do but what you do for your customers. Yes, you fix cars but so do twenty other local competitors. So, an example of focusing on what you do for your customers would be knowing they are possibly feeling intimidated in your environment, so making sure they feel welcome and comfortable; making the whole transaction process as easy as possible for them – not just easy for you.

Another thing to do is ask yourself what it is your customers are looking for and why they even bother getting their car serviced or checked over? Things to consider here would be safety, fear of breaking down, reliability, warranty – they want to feel safe, secure and confident when driving. Then ask what would make them choose you if they needed a repair or service? They want, probably above most other things, to trust the garage they select but it would help if they also ‘liked’ the garage, after all, they do have a choice of others in the area. They want to feel confident with their choice and reassurance everything will be okay. Other things going through their minds are the overall inconvenience of the whole process of servicing and fixing their car – it’s not generally an enjoyable experience or something anyone really looks forward to – it’s a hassle involving time off work, making do with one car and not two, picking the kids up from school etc.

Changing the way you advertise and market your business is something that is within your control and something that can have a big impact on your customer generation and retention. So, having realised that things have changed and that it’s not about YOU but your CUSTOMER, you need to permanently adopt this mindset. Make everything you do about the customer – from your marketing messages through to the way you meet and greet customers. This takes stamina and investment. It will also have an impact on how you allocate your own time. The thing to realise is that marketing to obtain customers is not something you get around to when you have time – it should be a priority if you want to move forward and make changes. You are in fact in the ‘marketing business’. The more you focus on becoming an accomplished marketer of your services and products (as opposed to a ‘doer’), the more you will increase your potential for success.

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andy@MotorRepairMarketing.com