Every shop owner accepts the fact that to compete, they must continually attend training on new vehicle technology and systems. Yet, many, perhaps most of those same businessmen and businesswomen do not accept that they need to update their knowledge and skills for marketing their business. Many of those same repair shop owners refuse to accept that they also need to attend marketing seminars, interact with other shops regarding new marketing ideas and learn how to better reach and have an impact on today’s vehicle owner. Marketing is not just running an ad or sending out a mailer, marketing is a process, learned, practiced, evolved and perfected, much like the shop owner and technician continually learn vehicle diagnostics.
Repair shop owners are by definition, marketers. The Car Care Professionals Network has had the opportunity to observe many shops during the ‘demise’ of many car dealerships. Interestingly enough, those repair shops that have continued to improve their skills as marketers, have taken and continue to take huge amounts of business from the car dealers (and other shops). Those who have not continued to improve their marketing skills have missed out on all or most of this "once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity." In an effort to help repair shop owners gain new marketing knowledge and expertise, the Car Care Professionals Network will hold marketing seminars throughout 2010 at various State Association meetings and other industry events around the USA.
Not a profit-oriented program, the State Association Seminars have been created by AAIA and are financially supported by the University of the Aftermarket.
In addition, The Car Care Professionals Network’s executive committee has developed, tested and introduced a program to help the independent repair shop members of CCPN go after a bigger portion of those vehicle owners abandoned by the closing new car dealer. A direct mail program specifically targets the owners of the vehicle makes represented by the closing car dealership.
