Smart planning will create immediate wins for your shop!
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In this webinar session, they covered:
- Six steps for a winning shop plan
- How to define your brand
- Establishing your shop culture
- Creating value for your customers
- Attracting the right clients
- And much more
Let’s dive in!
How to build a winning plan for your shop
Cecil detailed a proven process to build your shop’s plan, attract ideal customers and grow the business.
Let’s walk through each step of the plan:
1. Set goals
Detail your goals for every aspect of the business, including:
Productivity rate: What is it currently? And what do you hope to achieve? Use your average repair order and calculate the daily number of cars you need to work on.
Customer profile: Make sure your customers align with the type of shop you plan to run (more on this later). “I don’t want to bring in just anybody to the shop. I want to bring in people that will be happy and a good fit for my business,” says Cecil.
Understanding your business: Let’s face it, your auto repair shop is a financial machine! Use this business frame of mind when setting your goals.
Running a relationship model: We’ll cover this in detail, but it comes back to bringing in customers who value your service and are willing to pay more. They aren’t a fit if they want coupons and only care about discounts. “We don’t run a discount model. We run a relationship model,” adds Cecil.
2. Know what your product is
Cecil wants you to remember that you aren’t just selling automotive service and repair. What you sell is a happy and satisfied customer. They like what your shop does, trust you, and are willing to return for future work.
“If that vision is your product, your marketing and the way you design your business is going to be different,” notes Cecil.
3. Know who your customer is
How do you establish a higher ARO for your shop? By working on fewer cars! But how do you work on fewer cars? By building trustworthy relationships with customers!
You should know all about your customer type, from their preferences for cleanliness to their belief in your shop’s product. “Have a vision for your business and what it’s going to be,” says Cecil.
4. Understand what they want
What does your ideal customer value most in an auto repair business? Perhaps they only care about reliability and performance. Or maybe they want a convenient experience that won’t add stress to their busy work-week. Study these details and plan your shop strategy around them.
5. Know how your product solves that
Cecil cites average campaign data for auto repair coupons. Can you guess what it is? A 0.5% return on investment. Yes, you heard that right!
The coupon and discount route will lead your shop to attract less loyal customers. Instead, Cecil and Kent recommend using a relationship model.
Discover your genuine specialization and what differentiates you. Target local search terms with SEO and SEM campaigns with that unique value proposition in mind.
Do you want to specialize in just tires and brakes? Your shop branding should reflect that. Are you only interested in working on Mercedes-Benz models? Highlight that in your promotional materials.
Find your angle, then figure out what people will pay for that. Create your “product”. It’s about customer satisfaction, not just a brake job on a car. Customers will value a shop that uses quality parts, goes above and beyond with amenities like loaner cars, and builds a brilliant experience.
6. Communicate your unique selling proposition (USP)
“What is it you do that makes you different from the other 40 shops in your area?”
Cecil asks this question to help you frame your shop’s USP. If you specialize in BMWs, market to that aspect. You can present your business in a way that will attract BMW customers and still work on other makes and models.
A word of caution: don’t focus on putting other shops down. Marketing is about elevating what your differentiators are.
Developing a clear USP isn’t always easy. If 60% of shops in the area work on Ford trucks and order the same OEM parts, you’ll need to dig deeper for differentiating factors.
Perhaps you’re the only shop with ASE master technicians in this scenario. That adds an extra layer of trust that competing auto repair businesses can’t offer. “We need to talk about these advantages in our marketing,” adds Cecil.
It’s easy to assemble generic marketing where you say your shop serves everyone. But does it? Then don’t say it.
It all comes back to an emphasis on relationship building. You want to provide a better product and attract customers eager to pay more for that increase in quality.
Define your brand
“What’s the opinion of us? That’s my brand,” says Cecil.
Here are four questions to answer when defining your shop’s brand:
- Why are you advertising?
- What is your purpose?
- What is your U.S.P.?
- How does your client win?
Communicating a clear message to customers becomes easier when you know who you are and what you can do. “The cleaner your unique selling proposition and product, the cleaner your marketing and messaging,” notes Cecil.
Again, reduce your emphasis on discounts. Those offers will attract clients interested in cheap prices over an elevated product and experience. Perks are a different story, as loaner cars and extended warranties can attract the customers you prefer serving. We’ll cover specific perks you can offer.
What is your shop’s culture?
Establish what you want your shop to be!
You could promote a shop culture that is:
- Modern, knowledge-based
- Client focused
- Female-friendly
- Convenience driven
- Organized and efficient
- Results-oriented
- High production
“What message are we sending? We need to send a message that is consistent with who our shop wants to be,” adds Cecil.
How you create value for your customers
To create value for customers, you need a WHY!
Answer these questions to define your shop’s WHY:
- What are you delivering to your client?
- Why should potential clients do business with you instead of the 40 other shops in town?
- How are you going to deliver your value?
Getting everyone on the same page about your WHY will lead to clear, consistent messaging. That’s essential for your sales team, who must know your values so well that delivery becomes second nature.
From there, it’s about translating these values so customers understand why saying YES to your services is the right choice.
Run a SWOT analysis on your shop’s value
Think of seven words to describe your business. Is it clean and organized? Do you operate efficiently?
Then run this exercise with your ideal client profile. What type of vehicle do they drive? What is their income level? Which hobbies do they enjoy?
Cecil walks through more details of this SWOT analysis to help your shop prepare.
Matching your shop’s value to the customer
You have established your value statement, differentiators, and how the shop’s purpose serves customers.
Now it’s time to focus on the specifics of what your ideal customer profile wants. Here are some examples of perks they may appreciate:
Getting the RIGHT customer through your doors
Bringing in the wrong customer will cause frustration for your team. It will also reduce your odds of being successful!
Make sure your shop’s marketing matches your BEST client. “If we determine they aren’t the right customer for us, we’ll let you go,” says Cecil.
Never forget that your clients want three things:
- Convenience
- Done right the first time
- Done when promised
Do you see pricing listed here? It’s always further down the list than you think, so stop worrying about your higher prices and deliver quality!
» Looking to transform your shop? Discover how our auto repair shop software can help.
Closing thoughts
Use these webinar insights to evaluate your shop’s goals and how to attract great customers. With the right approach, you can increase your car counts and grow revenue!
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