Despite the doom and gloom of 2010 there are new market opportunities just around the corner that many garages may not have considered yet.
For example, more motorists than ever are keeping cars longer and need trustworthy garages to keep them running sweetly; they may also need replacing soon. These motorists might have been used to selling their car before its third birthday and have little experience dealing with MOTs or car servicing that might previously have been covered by a 3 year dealership warranty.
Another big audience is that of women drivers who account for some 50% of garage customers but often dread the ultra-male garage experience come MOT, car servicing or repair times. More than 20 million Google searches were being made for female friendly businesses during 2009 and to see which local garages are promoting themselves as female friendly online you just enter ‘female friendly garage’ and your post town into Google.
New car dealerships need to attract garage service customers as well; this is an important way to retain customer contact, earn well into the process and then introduce the customer to the car showroom at the right time, knowing that every new and used car sale counts…
The following business tips are specifically designed to remind garages and dealerships how to maximise their business revenues during a downturn.
1. Put existing customers first, ahead of new ones – they are cheaper to keep in touch with and they can influence others.
2. Emphasise a ‘value for money’ message – no matter your brand, saving money is essential in a downturn.
3. Encourage a topical ‘maintain and repair’ culture – running a well-maintained older car can be both cost effective and environmentally friendly (and it is the lifeblood of your garage business).
4. Explain why OE parts are better than cheaper alternatives – just in case motorists might be considering saving money here without understanding the consequences
5. Consider including emissions checks to reduce fuel costs.
6. Emphasise impressive mpg performance, low VED & insurance group ratings to help sell a used car quickly – low running costs are important in a downturn.
7. Do you review your products and services regularly – can you add value for the same price or economise and charge less in future?
8. Make sure that you are always seen to be on your customer’s side. Never patronise, overcharge or try to sell anything that isn’t wanted or needed.
9. Test ‘exclusive’ offers and loyalty incentives – then measure the response. If at first this doesn’t work, try it again – it takes time for new things to take off and it might not be the right month for his or her MOT and/or next car service.
10. Don’t forget the growth in online shopping and the need for search engine visibility here – as well as your website, is your business name getting noticed by future customers in news PR, are you ever mentioned in blogs, on social networking websites or as a Twitter tweet?
For more information about female friendly business marketing services for garages, fastfits and car dealerships by all means contact me at FOXY Choice via fcsales@foxychoice.com.
FOXY Steph
