Habits can be either good or bad. “I need to get back in the habit of eating better” – that’s a good habit.
“I need to stop driving so fast” – a bad habit.
This year, many successful repair shops learned to change business procedures in order to stay successful. And in many cases, those new procedures were actions that they should have been doing before the recent business upheavals. A good example is fully inspecting each vehicle in the shop. Ensure your team always conducts a full inspection and follow-up on scheduling the needed maintenance.
Regularly scheduled customer calls are a key habit that a profitable shop performs. Shops that continued on a profitable trajectory this year may not have been making those calls last year, but you can bet that these shops are making those calls in 2020. Continue with this important policy into next year and beyond or you’ll be leaving money on the table.
The calls give you and your team a terrific opportunity to touch base with customers. So don’t just ask them how their car is behaving or when the needed maintenance can be scheduled – but also ask them how they are doing and if you can help in anyway. And don’t forget to say ‘thank you’, that they matter and that you appreciate their business.
Profitable shops have learned that successful habits shouldn’t just be put in to action during a downturn. Just think if those successful habits were in place pre pandemic…or down the line, post-pandemic.
“As the owner of Yeoman Service Center, I always look for the most effective ways to market the business. We increased our marketing budget this year and
it’s paid off with proven results.”
Donny Yeoman
Donny Yeoman, DRIVE & BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY client
Owner of YEOMAN SERVICE CENTER, Fort Wayne, Indiana
You may have implemented aggressive marketing plans this year – a smart thing to do. This is a good habit. But don’t feel like you can go back to the marketing habits your shop had before March of 2020. Continuing with and increasing your marketing plans into next year will give you the results you want.
“Spending my marketing dollars has to be precise to get results. Small businesses can’t afford trial and error marketing. And I just upped my Google ad
budget for the second time this year!”
Donny Yeoman, DRIVE & BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY client
Owner of YEOMAN SERVICE CENTER, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Something that has proven very successful this year is offering a pick-up and delivery service for all customers. Your shop may have had this service for some time, but did you market this service to both existing and new customers? Including this in your arsenal of offerings is not just convenient for people but it also states that you believe your customers well-being is important. That they aren’t just a number but a neighbor who needs this service. If you had this prepandemic or if you just started this during the pandemic – don’t discontinue it post pandemic.
In today’s environment ensuring your customers vehicles are clean doesn’t mean wiping down the windows. It means a through cleaning of the interior using the most up-to-date technology available. Many sophisticated shops purchased specialized ozone cleaning machines in 2020. Continuing this initiative positions your business as one that cares about your community.
Each shop should examine the policies that were put in place during 2020. Chances are those policies should have been in place years before
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