Stand Out – Competing with all the other noise

As a specialty shop, competing with the dealership is a reality.  They have giant buildings and massive advertising behind them; you have personalized service and a convenient location for your customer.  We know the technical skill at the dealership isn’t any better than at your shop, and we also know that, more often than not, the independent specialist is much more concerned with true quality than the typical flat-rate employee at the dealership will ever be.

The question is: what are you doing to convey this message to your customers?

Your competition keeps their names in front of your customers all the time.  Every new car ad is an indirect endorsement of the dealerships.  Even chain stores and franchises market regularly. You must be consistent too.  Keeping your name in front of your customers is your best strategy for keeping customers loyal to your shop amidst all that other noise.  It’s even better if your messages are unique and personal.

It’s not as difficult as you think.

Advertising for new customers is great, but the truth is, your best source of increased business is in making sure you don’t lose the customers you already have (and the new ones you do get).  A well-designed marketing approach can send service reminders to your customers based on actual mileages and driving habits of each specific customer; it is personalized.  It allows options for various communication types, media forms and technologies.  It can create brand image for your shop, proving to consumers that you are a strong and competent business that deserves to be viewed on equal or greater footing than the dealerships or chains.

CRM done well will help your shop stand out and rise above the noise.

How much does CRM cost?

CRM doesn’t “cost” anything when it’s done right.  The typical CustomerLink customer sees an additional $54 in sales for every $1 spent on marketing.  The profit from the service more than covers the cost of the marketing.  Based on these averages, it works like this:

• Spend $0 on marketing, get $0 in extra business.
• Spend $1 on marketing, get $54 in extra business.
• Spend $100 on marketing, get $5,400 in extra business.
• Spend $1000 on marketing, get $54,000 in extra business.

The size of your customer database is really the only thing regulating how much your business can grow.  And we can help you grow your database too.  The program just builds and builds… so do your profits.

Maximizing Profit – Take Control

The more profit you make, the less pressure you have.  Pretty simple.  One way to grow profit is to make sure you’re doing the right mix of work.  Waiting for tow trucks to roll in or customers to come sputtering into the parking lot is hit-or-miss.  Take control.

By adding more maintenance work to your daily workload you can smooth out the ups and downs of business, adding profit all year round.

• Maintenance work can be planned ahead of time.
• Your customers can schedule appointments.
• You can order parts the day before.
• Less experienced techs can do the work because it’s easier.
• It is the kind of work that rarely causes comebacks.
• It’s based on mileage, not on breaking down.
• It provides opportunity to inspect and find more routine repairs.
• It’s a reliable way to improve profit.

CustomerLink CRM can help you take control of your mix of maintenance.  It can help you take control of the profitability of your shop.

CustomerLink CRM will help you get more of the BEST kinds of customers

Your shop is not a charity.  You are in business to make a profit.  Discounting and free stuff is not how entrepreneurial fortunes are made.  So, how does a shop control the number of coupon-clippers and bargain hunters coming through their doors?

The answer is CRM.  Your customer database is full of information that you can put to use with CustomerLink CRM.  It’s not only about getting more people to come in; it’s about getting the RIGHT people to come in.

With CustomerLink CRM, you control to whom your shop communicates and whom you are going to invite to come back again.  Cherry pick from the most profitable consumers and let the bargain hunters, the “oh, it wasn’t like that when I came in” people, and the coupon clippers go somewhere else.

Take control of the quality of customers you see.  Get the best kinds of customers and keep them coming back time and time again.

CRM is good for everyone

The bottom line is that CustomerLink CRM can help you make your business stronger.  With more profit and a steady stream of work that arrives in an orderly fashion, schedulable and controlled, your headaches are reduced and, ultimately, you will have more time to do other things.  Whether you need more time to focus on other areas of the business or just more time to go home and spend time with friends or family, a good CRM program will help you do just that.

It’s also good for everyone working at your shop.  The simple reality is more work is more money for everyone.  Enough work means not only job security, but also new jobs for more people in the community.  Enough business coming in means improved success for the shop.  When the shop does well, everyone working there does too.  It may seem obvious, but sometimes businesses need a little prod to get them to take new steps that can move them to improvement and growth.

CRM done right is good for the customer.  Nobody wants “car trouble.”  The typical consumer doesn’t like bringing their car in for service.  But they will, especially if they can plan it in advance.  The fact is, they just don’t always think about it when they should.  A consistent CRM program does that memory work for them… and it can do it for your shop.