One of the local shops here used to advertise a "Ladies' Day Tuesday" oil change special

 

Isn't that cute sorry for corrupting this thread brittany! I always like the idea of saturday hours and another thing is, I like the shop I go to, because I can actually see everything that is being done to my car! I hate leaving my car with people who may not give a darn about it! I had an oil change on a previous car and they put the freaking drain plug in all f'd up, po'd me bigtime! I know there are liabilities with customers in the garage area but if you know anything about cars you have an idea of what actually goes on in a garage area! it is ok to see what the mechanics are doing but "get the hell out of the way". when I bought my car I told the guy there I wanted to see the underside of the car and he said no problem, how many times do people who own cars and have never seen the underside of their car? If a shop is checking my brakes/exhaust, I want to be beside them and see what they are seeing that will determine what I may need!! hopefully that helps a little bit, sorry so long, see ya!

 

LOL, yeah it didn't work for me because I always go to the same place. Would work for my friend though, she'd go for the discount. I was thinking it might get some new people in the door that might need the other services they provide as well but don't realize its a full service type of shop.

Sounds like they're already doing a lot of great things for their customers - offering rides is just awesome, that's my biggest problem when taking my car in.

 

I use to be a manager at a repair shop and when we did the intial inspection on a vehicle I not only had the customer with me but I also had the specific mechanic who was working on the car do the inspection with me. I know a lot of shops do this and I think it is great. It is always better to actually show the customer what is wrong rather than try to explain it.

The shop that I worked at offered a good deal on a brake job: new pads/shoes for all four wheels, turning the rotors/drums, safety/fluid check, and all labor for right around $100 for most cars. The exception would be if someone came in with Porsche that needed some special brake pads and what not. This was also a good time to find out if there was something else broken with the vehicle that needed fixing.

I am NOT promoting getting the customer in the door and then trying to shake them down. I have had shops try to skake me down before and when I told them to prove it; like by showing me the issue, they would panic and try to dig their way out of their hole.
Honesty is gold when it comes to car repair. All good mechanics/shops are worth their weight in gold.

On another note, I think that maybe an oil/lube/filter service special on a specefic day is a good thing. If Tuesday is your slowest day try doing the oil change special on that day. Maybe stay open later on that day but slim hours elsewhere. Let's not forget the mechanics in this whole thing.... Set a sales goal and if you hit it, then buy them lunch or something of that nature.
Just some thoughts on things I like and have seen work. Good luck!

 

What keeps me going back to a business time after time?

A friendly atmosphere.
Honesty.
And being up front with repair costs.

Why do I still buy parts at NAPA? Cause they give me a price break after 30 years of being a customer. It's not a huge discount, but every little bit helps. And if you have repoeat customers who come back time and time again, say a dealership, giving a price break on parts could keep them coming back in the future.


With advertising such as printed advertising, the catchy things are what get's people's attention. Flashy colors - if you can afford to spend extra money for printing costs?

I know people love to receive free things. Even if it's something small. Like a lapel button with your shop's name on it. Or ink pens. People love to walk off with ink pens.

I have a degree in Marketing and Business Management. I studied marketing, advertising, sales, business management. But in one class I did a study on what prompts people to shop at one business versus another. I did cold calls for the local Sears store with recent customers who made large purchases. Asking people why they decided to buy from Sears and information like that.

 

bikini car washes always catch my attention, lol

it sounds like your doing a good job already. like others have said, a waiting area with a view of the bays, knowlagable mechanics, upfront pricing, expand services maybe start doing struts. many shops have adds in the gold clipper and newspaper, but what gets me to try a shop really is word of mouth. make sure 99.9% of customers walk out the door happy, and stay happy. happy ppl talk and soon there fiends will give it a try.

quality work
like your hours on sat.
new services
pricing posted
and specials, my shop i go to has car month where they drop prices on most services.
not sure how far off the road you are but nice cars in the parking lot is always a plus. makes it look like quality work is done there.

the most important thing is a happy worker/mechanic/tech is a productive worker. i like the idea for lunch. i used to love my job till the economy took a dump, and now i have no extras and am scarred to get laid off everyday i go in.

and remeber if your business is hurting so are the ppl in need of repairs. they may opt to do themselves, when b4 they wouldn't. hang in there and GL

 

I won't repeat what everyone else has said, though I like their ideas. An addition suggestion: How about a bonus for referrals. Not sure exactly how you could work it but something like 10% on next service for someone that refers a new customer and if it's a major repair maybe a free oil change for the referrer... Hey I'm the idea man it's your job to make it work! :-P

 

Chris, yeah i know what you are saying. my dad will let people walk into the big part of our shop and check out their car if they want, he usually doesnt have a problem with that at all.
yeahhh bikini car washes with my dad around?! lol i think not. i feel weird just washing my car in a cami and shorts lol
great suggestions everyone, moost def loving em for sure =D got lots of notes to take down thats for sure

 

woo hoo did I hear bikini car wash.....

 

BIKINI CAR WASH?????
I might have to make a ROAD trip for that event!!
When is it? I'll have to mark it on my MCF calender!

LOL!