A New Year
“Out with the old and in with the new” is but just one of the sayings that go around the beginning of every year when people speak of The New Year! This article is about just that, changing the old and trying the new.
Interested? For the purposes of this article I will be referring to the Independent Automotive Repair business, but this applies to all business, big or small! This is about changing with the times, growing any business and getting more: time, money, freedom (you pick). So, let’s take a moment and look at each one of these items and how they may/do affect business….. your business!
Changing with the times! Do you do business as you did 10 years ago, 5 years ago or even last year? If you have seen any growth in your business the answer is probably a resounding “NO” followed by how could you? And although there may be MANY reasons, one of the biggest and most trending right now is “we are dealing with more and more Millennials” and that is forcing change in every business, everywhere! Millennials are using the Internet more and more to price services and products out and the old adage about “not giving a price over the phone” is changing because of it. Please don’t misunderstand here, as an automotive business coach & trainer as well as running a very successful automotive business coach & training company, I never want to give a price over the phone! However if we are going to capture more new customers and train them in becoming clients we have to change how we go about it, today! This could be a lengthy article in and of itself so we won’t get into all the details here! The one thing that you have to change today to achieve greater success is to train your Service staff to start all conversations with Interaction and NOT go straight to Transaction. Start conversations with conversations, learn who the customer is, not just what they want. Ask for their name (and use it often), ask them about their vehicle (make, model and year, mileage or even a pet name for their vehicle, who has been servicing it to date, and why they think they need a ???. Far too many Service staff go straight to transaction when the caller asks how much for a ???, and simply ask “why do you think you need a ??” and “we can’t give you a price over the phone unless we can see the vehicle”. Now, those may be true statements, but what are the chances of getting the customer into your facility if we start there as opposed to talking with them about themselves and their vehicle, and building a relationship? Again, this is simply one aspect of change that is required going forward in today’s market.
Growing any business! Is it your desire to grow your business, regardless of the reasons or are you happy as is? As a coach & trainer my hope is that at least 95% said they wanted to grow the business, so how can this be done with the least amount of issue and expense? Do you have a website, do you have landing pages, do you market and have the means to track the results of your marketing? And, can you see the Return on Investment (ROI) easily? If you’ve answered yes to all of these questions, Congratulations you’re one of the few that do! But if you’ve answered NO to any of these questions, your marketing is probably NOT as effective as it should be. You see, what worked yesterday may not work tomorrow and certainly what worked last year isn’t working today! Maybe you believe it is, but unless and until you can track it effectively and efficiently you don’t really know! I know of only one company that can give you all of these products (all in one) quickly and easily, and if you’d like to know more about them, please ask. Did you know that mailers, that worked years ago and then fell flat when the Internet became so big that everyone only used it has been coming back in style and effectiveness? People are inundated with E mails daily to the point of not looking anymore, and as a result, mailers are working again! The bigger point here is to deal with companies that specialize in these forms of marketing AND track it! You must watch (track) the results for a minimum of 90 days to see if it is going to work and if you can’t commit to that expense, don’t start it because you will just be throwing money away!
Getting more:personal time, money, freedom (you pick). Achieving the above noted goals will automatically get you most of this and if you are able to do the above noted without being held accountable, we applaud you! But if you’re like 95% of business owners out there, you’ll need help! As example; how many big Football, Baseball, Basketball players out there rely strictly on themselves to play better? Short answer, NONE! Each and every player has a personal coach, a professional coach or both and although there are many reasons there are 2 that are above all others, the coaches can watch from the outside and make recommendations accordingly AND, they can hold the plays accountable! There is virtually nothing different in business and almost every CEO of a company relies on a coach and trainer for those very 2 reasons as well! Whether you believe this to be true or not, ask some of your successful peers, ask them whether they have coaches and trainers? And then ask them for their results! When looking for a Coach & Trainer for your Automotive business, make sure that they know the Automotive business and not just from books read, but from real knowledge within the industry. Sure there are coaches & trainers that know what to say and how to say it, but do they really understand the Automotive industry?
One more thing about coaches & trainers, they should ask you for your goals and needs! When they do, answer them honestly and truthfully for they are generally the only ones that can help you achieve those goals.
If you need help with your business and want to see and feel the successes you expected when you opened your doors, give us a call at: The ACT Group, 805-444-2598 or visit our website for more information www.automotivecoachingandtraining.com