Word-of-mouth marketing remains one of the most effective strategies for auto repair shops to attract and retain customers, attendees of a recent training event were told.
By focusing on creating positive customer experiences, identifying ideal customers, and maintaining consistency in their processes, shops can effectively use word of mouth marketing to grow their business, said Sabrina Wilkerson, a trainer at training company Elite and a former service advisor, and Tom Amero, director of operations at Elite, at the Midwest Auto Care Alliance Hi-Tech Training & Expo in Kansas City.
Wilkerson highlighted the importance of creating positive customer experiences to drive word-of-mouth marketing.
“When I was a service advisor at the local independent shop near me, that was the biggest thing,” she said of word-of-mouth marketing. “We would do some marketing in terms of sponsoring events. But for the most part, it was our word of mouth. That’s how people heard about us.”
Positive experiences lead to free, effective marketing that builds over time, ultimately boosting the shop’s bottom line, she added.
The role of the front counter staff in this process can’t go unnoticed. The initial interaction sets the tone for the customer’s entire experience and influences whether they will recommend the shop to others.
“Who’s answering the phone? They’re going to be your first line of marketing,” Wilkerson said. “That’s going to be the person that answers the phone — the caller is going to get them and that’s going to determine, ‘Do they come into our shop?’” she said.
Wilkerson shared her enthusiasm for receiving referral calls.
“I love to get those calls, and I love to say, ‘May I ask who referred you?’ And I’ve always got somebody — I heard it from Joe, Bob, my neighbour, whatever, somebody. They’re hearing it from somebody.”
Amero noted that not every customer will be the ideal fit for the shop, but it’s crucial to ensure that everyone has a positive experience.
“Hopefully, a lot of you have come to the realization that not everybody is your ideal customer. And hopefully, you started figuring out what your client avatar is, or what your ideal car is and you started marketing in those directions,” he said.
However, Amero stressed the importance of making everyone want to come to the shop, regardless of whether they fit the ideal customer profile.
“We want everybody to want you, even if you don’t want them,” he explained. “And so those service advisors who are on the phone — talking to that customer who is the pain in the butt, and isn’t an ideal customer — they can just throw in the towel and say, ‘I don’t want it. Well, to heck with you.’ This is where marketing happens. This is the best marketing, it’s having that great experience,” he explained.
But it takes consistency in the process at the front counter. Ensuring that staff members follow a consistent process when answering the phone and interacting with customers is key to driving word-of-mouth marketing, Wilkerson and Amero said. By providing excellent service and creating positive experiences, auto repair shops can leverage word-of-mouth marketing to attract new customers and retain existing ones.
Image credit: Depositphotos.com
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