Shop Marketing | FAQ About Marketing | Your Shop Type | Yellow Pages etc | Dynamite Links

ARE YOU GETTING YOUR MONEY'S WORTH FROM YOUR YELLOW PAGES ADVERTISING? Shop Owner "Harry" tracks all his new business and finds that almost none of it comes from the Yellow Pages. Yet Shop Owner "Terry" knows that without his Yellow Pages ad, he probably couldn't bring in enough new business to be able to keep his doors open. What's going on here? Does Terry know something that Harry doesn't? Is there some essential difference between the two shops? Does Terry know a magic secret for effective Yellow Pages ads? For the answers, go to our LINKS page and check out "Do You Really Need a Yellow Pages Ad?"... "The Truth About Yellow Pages"... and "Do the Yellow Pages Make You See Red?" HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN "WORD OF MOUTH" WITH CUSTOMER TESTIMONIALS Whether you manage an "A-B" shop or a "C-D" shop, good word-of-mouth is usually the best form of advertising you can possibly have. Unfortunately, you can't just go out and buy it! But you CAN help create it... and if your advertising is done right, it can leave consumers with the same types of impressions they would get from good word-of-mouth! Look for the links on "Building Word of Mouth"... "Turning Buyers into True Believers"... and "The Power of Customer Testimonials." ARE YOU USING "DATABASE MARKETING" TO BUILD LONG-LASTING, PROFITABLE RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR TARGET MARKET? The name of the game is customer acquisition and customer retention. Whether it's called target marketing, relationship marketing, database marketing or micro marketing, the basic principles are the same. Your goal is to deliver the RIGHT marketing message to the RIGHT target market at the RIGHT time via the most cost-efficient means! Your target market consists of the loyal and profitable customers you already have, plus their "clones"-- other vehicle owners in your trade area who exhibit similar needs and behavior. Together, these folks should form your marketing database. By establishing a continuing dialogue with them, you can capitalize on their LIFETIME VALUE as customers of your shop! Check out the links on "Cloning Your Best Customers"... "The Lifetime Value of a Customer"... and "Marketing to Your Customer Database."

WHY IS A GOOD CUSTOMER NEWSLETTER ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE MARKETING TOOLS YOUR SHOP CAN USE? Sending out an educational newsletter containing helpful, informative articles about vehicle maintenance and repairs can be a great way to put more cars in your service bays... increase the size of your average RO... and enhance your relationships with your most profitable customers and prospects! To find out why, look for the links on How A Newsletter Builds Credibility & Profits... Boost Your Sales with a Customer Newsletter... and Marketing Your Auto Repair Shop with Newsletters. (If you're a member of the International Auto Technicians Network, you can read what some of your fellow members have said about them here: What Shop Owners Think of Their Newsletters.) WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO INCREASE CUSTOMER LOYALTY AND RETAIN MORE OF YOUR GOOD CUSTOMERS? Just about every shop has a certain percentage of Type A, B, C and D customers. The A's will probably stick with you for life, while the C's and D's tend to come and go like the wind. Your goals should be to turn the C's into B's, turn the B's into A's, and strengthen your relationships with the A customers you already have. As for the D's, some may find them profitable... but a lot of shops would prefer not to have to deal with them at all. Check out the links on "A Marketing Model for Auto Repair Shops"... "Which Types of Customers Do You Want?"... and "Building Loyalty with Customer Follow-Up." To find out what distinguishes an "A" customer from a "B" or a "C"-- see A Marketing Model for Auto Repair Shops