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Publicity: Sometimes Better Than Advertising

Joe Marconi
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  • 2 months later...
RobMax Apprentice

RobMax

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Publicity: Sometimes Better than Advertising

 

<SNIP>

Remember, we may be in the auto repair business, but that’s not who we are and why we are in business. We all have a story to tell. Find WHY you are in business and tell that story to the world. It will become your brand identity.

 

If you focus on the tools and equipment of your trade, you will reduce yourself to a commodity and become a “Me-Too” brand. Differentiate yourself from the pack. This will narrow your target audience, but will actually increase your market share. Give it a try, think about it. It works!

 

So true. Too many shops want to focus on "what" they do and "tools/skills" they have (too much a technician and not enough businessman). Average vehicle owner doesn't know about, or care about, that stuff. Shop owners need to think like a customer:

  1. I have a problem, how are you going to help me (what benefit do you offer me);
  2. You are an auto repair shop so you should have tools and skills to fix them (duh!). I want to know about people who work there and how you treat people. Studies have shown that consumers are more concerned with accountability than friendliness of service provider... (trust factor). They will put up with a lot IF they get value and feeling of trust;
  3. I don't trust you no matter what YOU say. Are your claims supported by what OTHER people say about you (online, public reviews)? If your reviews are seen as biased (moderated or controlled by business owner) you loose credibility. This is why open Google reviews are more often seen as more trustworthy than Yelp, Demandforce, etc reviews.

Tell YOUR story, show your personal side, and then back it up with public verification (reviews). Competitors can't replicate YOU and how you act. This is your strongest way to differentiate your business from the other guys. Make sure it is focal point of your website and all marketing.

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ATLAuto Rising Star

ATLAuto

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What sort of areas did you cover at the clinics? I have had several female customers ask for us to do one of these. Something along the lines of, "I'd really like to know how to change my own oil." I'm guessing you keep them simple along those lines rather than, "Alright. Day One!! This is how you rebuild an automatic transmission!"

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

    • Joe Marconi
      Want to End Your Technician Shortage? Focus on Retention!
      By Joe Marconi in Joe's Blog
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      I recently spoke with a friend of mine who owns a large general repair shop in the Midwest. His father founded the business in 1975. He was telling me that although he’s busy, he’s also very frustrated. When I probed him more about his frustrations, he said that it’s hard to find qualified technicians. My friend employs four technicians and is looking to hire two more. I then asked him, “How long does a technician last working for you.” He looked puzzled and replied, “I never really thought about that, but I can tell that except for one tech, most technicians don’t last working for me longer than a few years.”
      Judging from personal experience as a shop owner and from what I know about the auto repair industry, I can tell you that other than a few exceptions, the turnover rate for technicians in our industry is too high. This makes me think, do we have a technician shortage or a retention problem? Have we done the best we can over the decades to provide great pay plans, benefits packages, great work environments, and the right culture to ensure that the techs we have stay with us?
      Finding and hiring qualified automotive technicians is not a new phenomenon. This problem has been around for as long as I can remember. While we do need to attract people to our industry and provide the necessary training and mentorship, we also need to focus on retention. Having a revolving door and needing to hire techs every few years or so costs your company money. Big money! And that revolving door may be a sign of an even bigger issue: poor leadership, and poor employee management skills.
      Here’s one more thing to consider, for the most part, technicians don’t leave one job to start a new career, they leave one shop as a technician to become a technician at another shop. The reasons why they leave can be debated, but there is one fact that we cannot deny, people don’t quit the company they work for, they usually leave because of the boss or manager they work for.
      Put yourselves in the shoes of your employees. Do you have a workplace that communicates, “We appreciate you and want you to stay!”

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