Repair Shop Advice

“The supreme end of education is expert discernment in all things–the power to tell the good from the bad, the genuine from the counterfeit, and to prefer the good and the genuine to the bad and the counterfeit.”

Automotive service and repair shops have recently discovered that some of their long time customers have started doing business with shade-tree mechanics that have set up shop in their garages. These people may not have the expertise, the equipment and certainly not the warranty but they are doing it for a cut rate and getting their parts from the junk yards and buying the cheapest parts they can find from auto parts stores…and they enjoy tinkering with cars. These customers are getting what they paid for…a cut rate service or repair and no warrantee!

I was reading an article in Advertising Age this week. The writer was sharing his amazement. He was working on a bid for a web project for a client when the marketing director informed him that they appreciated the months of effort he and his company had put into the project, but they had decided to go in another direction. It turned out that the man who owned the coffee shop next door had built his own website and offered to do theirs too. When looking at the site, it was just an online brochure…but it was cheap! I am sure they got exactly what they paid for…not much.

I know I have been similarly amazed when a shop owner has decided to turn their marketing over to a relative with no experience. They were cutting their budget and this relative needed a part-time job and liked to dabble a bit. They obviously felt an expert wasn’t necessary. Again I am sure they got exactly what they paid for.

Have you noticed how many people claim to be experts in social media? What constitutes an expert in this field? Are there social media degrees? No. Are their social media certifications? No. Many times it is just someone sitting at home in their pajamas trying to make a few extra dollars. We must all be careful who we allow to interact with our customers. Be very cautious who you pay to do this service for you.

The point of this article is that in these trying economical times it is so tempting to pay less money to get a job done without thinking it through. Consumers are looking for creative ways to save the family budget and business owners are anxious to keep their bottom line intact. In the quest to save money we (I use “we” because we are all consumers) are often overlooking what real value is. Consumers need to be reminded that expertise equals value because the job will be done right and experts back up their work with warrantees and guarantees. How can you spread the word?

• Your website is an excellent place to start. You may need to spell it out for customers and prospects that expert car service and repair saves them money in the long run and keeps them and those sharing the road with them safer.
• Post an article on Facebook and/or write about it on your blog
• Remind others through every communication you use (online, direct mail, deal sites, reminders, group meetings such as Chamber and BNI)
• It may be time to explain your credentials once again. Many consumers still don’t know what ASE means! This is not the time to hide your education! Let consumers know that you and your staff have ongoing training to keep up with the never ending changes on today’s vehicles.

We all know someone in this economy who has lost their job. We all know businesses that need to trim the budget. What we must decide is…do we want experts or amateurs? Do we want just cheap or do we want value? We all get what we pay for.

Rhonda Hiltbrand
Chief Operating Officer
NWZ WORX Multimedia & WorldWide Connectors
Automotive Marketing & Business Consulting, Direct Mail & Technology Services
4270 Mt. Carmel Tobasco Rd.
Cincinnati OH 45244
800-473-0202
FAX: 513-688-8303
rhonda@nwzworx.com
www.nwzworx.com
www.motorvehicleconnectors.com