Knowing how to run a successful business doesn’t come easily. Nevertheless, with the right advice and a little bit of elbow grease, you can keep your shop in the fast lane. 2022 is a great time to grow your business, as many competitors have closed down and more eager enterprises are willing to partner. Keep in mind that building an auto repair business isn’t a marathon; it’s a sprint. Create an action plan and avoid taking drastic measures. You won’t see the results in an instant, but that doesn’t mean that your efforts will be in vain. Focus your attention on the finish line at the end of the race.
If you’re not sure what to do, you have all the answers below. Get the word out and expand your customer base. Each shop is unique, so there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Figure out what works for you. Hope these tips help.
Don’t make decisions based on HIPPO
HIPPO is an acronym and it stands for Highest Influencing Person’s Personal Opinion. It’s a notion commonly used to characterize the decision-making process. Given the quantity and quality of data available these days, it doesn’t make sense to make decisions based on what HIPPO wants. Experts talk about the HIPPO effect. It’s better to adhere to your personal conscience than to trust the opinion of those regarded as experts. Make data-driven business decisions. Solicit opinions from your team and evoke reactions from those you suspect might have new, interesting information.
Any auto repair shop with a website can collect data. You can see who visited your site, what they looked at, and understand what you can do to be of service. You can obtain detailed analytics reports highlighting how long visitors stayed on certain pages and what information they needed. The data is useful in terms of making better business decisions and establishing marketing approaches. Don’t rely on intuition – in other words, on simply knowing. If you want to make significant improvements, become more analytical in your decision-making process. Data should always be the basis of decision-making.
Establish an online presence
Traditional media such as TV, magazines, and newspapers offer poor returns on the investment. Invest your marketing money in something worthwhile. Have you ever thought about establishing an online presence? In the age of the Internet, it’s not enough to have a website to be successful. If you want to appeal to younger generations, be present on social media. Make entertaining videos and post interesting questions that individuals hesitate to ask their peers. Use social networking sites to show the nature of your auto repair business. More exactly, provide insight on how things work. You don’t have secrets, after all. People like to connect to companies from the local community, so highlight the responsive nature of the business.
When you have a strong social media presence, it’s easier for the customers you serve to share information about your business, no matter if it’s promotions, interesting posts, or fun videos. You can start a dialogue about what’s going on in the community. For instance, if there are any construction projects on the way, share driving tips. What can people do for the sake of their vehicles? Develop connections with current and future customers. Community involvement will surely pay off. When you have time, express gratitude to customers. Inform them about the trends in the industry and disclose the updates in the auto repair sector. You can talk about the various technologies being implemented.
Reach out to local businesses
Interestingly enough, small businesses have an advantage over large corporations. Therefore, if you want to take your auto repair business to the next level in 2021, take into account the possibility of partnering with other local businesses. If your auto shop specializes in BMW vehicles, reach out to a restaurant and make a strategic partnership. Work with a well-known business in the area. If you’re based in Scarborough, don’t look too far. As a BMW mechanic in Scarborough, you should earn a good reputation within the local community. Take a look around and see what opportunities you can identify. What you need might just be around the corner.
If you have your mind set on growing your auto repair business, partnering locally is the best course of action. Be honest about what you wish to achieve and don’t forget that this is a mutually beneficial partnership. In other words, both sides have to make an effort. Market each other’s brand equally and have everything written down on paper. The rewards don’t necessarily have to be monetary. You can offer consultations or buy small gifts to demonstrate your appreciation. Consider offering packages and options from various companies. There are so many businesses that complement yours perfectly.
Increase your pricing
Increasing pricing isn’t a dangerous practice, contrary to popular opinion. As long as business operations and customer service are excellent, customers won’t mind paying a little bit more. So, don’t hold back on rising prices out of fear that you might be driving customers away. There are ways of raising prices without upsetting people. Timing is the most important consideration to make. Be certain that customers are satisfied with your services; maintain the same level of service for several months and then make your move. Offer discounts to conceal the price increase. Frugal customers will take advantage of them, while the rest pay full price.
You might want to target a completely different customer base. Ideally, you should raise prices at the beginning of each year, after the customer base has been with you for some time. Finally yet importantly, provide additional services while doing work on the vehicle in the shop. Concentrate on services that are straightforward and don’t require specialist tools. Everyone wants to get the best possible price, but that doesn’t mean that they’re willing to sacrifice quality for affordability. Increased prices are sometimes necessary to maintain profit margins. If you’re feeling nervous, it’s completely normal after all, you’re not keen when your mechanic raises prices.
Use an efficient workshop software
Being hands-on with your business can be overwhelming, especially when it’s only run by a small team. Aside from the actual operations, you’ll have to deal with a stream of bookings, inquiries, and client complaints. But all these can be streamlined using a single auto mechanic workshop software.
Employing this technology to your business helps you manage admin-related tasks better, maximizing your resources and redirecting them to your major repair services. This saves you more time to focus on other more important matters of the business. Plus, it also cuts down costs from spending billable hours on admin work, boosting your profit in the long run.
