One of the challenges of running any small business is standing from in the crowd. Dealerships and franchises have millions of dollars of nationwide advertising, carefully built by marketers and consultants to convince people that they are provide excellent auto repair services. Unfortunately, even if their service is subpar, this nationwide marketing can bring in new customers to replace the unhappy ones.
It’s hard to compete with the volume of mail and TV time these giant companies get. But you don’t have to spend millions, or even thousands, of dollars to figure out what makes your shop better than other competing shops and focus on those things. Here are three steps to take in order to make sure that customers and potential customers know what makes your shop better than the competition.
Identify what really makes you different: Think about the shops in your area that do the same type of work that you do. What’s better about your shop? It could be all sorts of things. Maybe your technicians are more experienced, and have been at your shop for longer. Maybe you’re faster, or cheaper. Maybe your service is actually friendly, you contribute to your community. All of these things matter to customers – figure out which ones stand out for your shop. If you can’t identify any, pick a couple and work excelling at those traits.
Make your effort obvious: Once you’ve identified your differentiators, figure out what you can do to make it apparent that those are your shop’s specialty. For instance, if you want to be seen as a community contributor, what events do you sponsor, and what pictures can you put up to show how your sponsorship is making a difference? If your customer service is the best in town, what parts of your process can you change to really impress people with the care and consideration you give to your customers? Are there any local customer service awards you can apply for? How are your online reviews?
Even if you excel at something, sometimes you need to draw attention to it in order for customers to process its importance. They may have been very satisfied with your service – but if you indicate that it’s uncommon to find that level of service elsewhere, they may think twice before giving your competitors a chance to ruin their day.
Track your efforts: It takes time and effort to build a reputation, but it takes almost no time to lose it. That’s why you have to track the results of your efforts to ensure they’re still keeping your reputation strong. When you ask your customers about their experience, make sure to ask about your differentiators. Was the service friendly? Was it fast?
Also make sure to keep track with what other shops are advertising – if you’re both aiming to excel at the same factors, you’ll have to work that much harder to beat them!
To learn about how Repair Shop Websites can help your shop stand out online and attract more customers, call us at 866-665-1605 or emails us at Team_RSW@RepairShopWebsites.com