By Bob Cooper of Elite
Regardless of their income, the majority of your customers are very sensitive to price, even if they have been dealing with you for years. During these tough economic times they’re looking for value, and they determine value not by the lowest price, but by what they receive in return. I’ve also discovered that today’s customer is highly motivated by coupons, and the discounts don’t have to be large to be effective. Most of the people I’ve interviewed in customer panels, who were average to above average wage earners, felt that $10.00 in savings on a service was enough to motivate them to take action. Now I realize that many shop owners believe that they have a business and clientele that are above coupons or discounts. Unfortunately, that feeling of self-worth has put many shop owners, and dealerships, out of business.
Now please don’t misunderstand me, because I am not suggesting that you give away your services. What I am suggesting is that you establish retail prices for your services in a way that allows for both coupons and some limited discount programs in your auto repair marketing. Just look at Mercedes Benz; clearly they don’t have to provide the promotional prices or discounts they advertise. Without question, Nordstrom, the leading high-end clothing retailer, doesn’t have to offer semi-annual sales either. But there are two primary reasons why they do: not only do promotional prices drive sales, which are the lifeblood of every business, but equally as important, they send a powerful message to their customers. It’s the message that these companies care enough about their customers to constantly be looking for ways of ensuring that they get a really great value for every dollar they spend.
While I may be the messenger with this article, the message itself comes from the single most important part of your business: your customers. I can only hope … you listen to them.
For additional help increasing your car counts, learn more about how Elite can help with your auto repair marketing.
