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Attracting customers to a car service center for service. Five ways to increase car service profits

After opening a car service center, the question arises of its promotion in order to attract the maximum number of customers in the shortest possible time. Ignoring simple things and not understanding the importance of the goal leads to months of unprofitable operation of the car service center. Today, a huge number of car repair shops are up for sale, but they failed to reach the planned level of profitability due to low traffic. If you don’t want to be in the shoes of your former colleagues, then you should carefully study the recommendations of experienced marketers and start putting them into practice.

When starting any business, an entrepreneur encounters many difficulties. Sometimes he doesn’t have the time or energy to think about promoting a car service. However, an effective marketing strategy will help you pay for yourself quickly. It is important to understand that you should attract customers to any commercial establishment. In any case, a clear action plan will not be superfluous. If you do not have experience in such planning, then you should contact specialists.

Before promoting a car service, you need to consider issues related to preliminary preparation. The funds invested in advertising should not only be fully recouped, but also bring indirect profit. The focus should be on the target audience; attractiveness and beauty play a secondary role in this matter. Good advertising will open up new channels that will help in further promotion.

Many people consider marketing a creative activity. In reality, everything is much more serious. It is an applied task with a lot of calculations and diagramming.

How to advertise

external;
on social networks;
network marketing;
press;
contextual advertising;
promotion on TV and radio;
for business partners.

Before choosing any method, you need to understand that promoting a car service must be comprehensive and require certain efforts. It is important to analyze exactly the supply and demand for each type of service. It is better to do this at the planning stage.

To promote your car service at minimal cost, you need to become familiar with marketing strategies. The main goal of advertising is to force every person who sees the advertisement to perform certain actions. For example, he must call the specified number or visit a car service center. It is necessary to understand exactly what is required from the client. How to convince a person that he needs the advertised product?

First of all, take into account:

The customer must be willing to repair or upgrade the vehicle.
There must be a focus on a target audience that has the financial means to pay for car service services.
The desire to call or travel should appear while watching an advertisement.

Answering the question posed above is problematic. If a car owner has no problems with his car, then he is not interested in advertising for vehicle repairs. A person views offers only after a breakdown occurs. He is interested in content with information on the repair of certain components - tires, engines, glass, etc. Thus, the advertising offer must contain a detailed description of the services performed.

If there is no need for repairs, the proposal is not paid attention to. Accordingly, it is important to use the urgency factor as a guide.

Advertising tricks

Consider an example in which a potential customer had an oil change 6 months ago. It's time for another replacement. However, many prefer to postpone everything until a better time. Understanding this psychological characteristic of a person will help promote business. To encourage the client to change the oil in a timely manner, it is necessary to explain the reasons for this and the negative consequences of ignoring the rules of car care. A number of marketers describe in advertising what the client refuses when the offer is neglected.

To increase your benefits, you can use the deadline for the promotion - oil change. It is necessary to inform the drivers that the operation is carried out by an experienced specialist in the shortest possible time.

It is more difficult to get customer recognition if the business is newly launched or has any restrictions. For example, clients are received in a garage. Man has always strived for comfort and the most profitable resources. If it is not possible to provide comfort, then you need to rely on affordability - changing the oil is 50 rubles cheaper than competitors. By adding urgency, the effectiveness of the proposal will be high.

Expanding the target audience

After the first positive results of the marketing strategy, expansion of the offer can be considered. For example, car body washing is in demand today. This is due to the fact that every owner has to wash the car. The technical condition is not important.

Clients will always be lured by a “bribe.” They must feel that cooperation with a car service will be profitable. It is easy to work according to this principle. First of all, the size of the “bribe” is determined. It should be based on the amount you are willing to pay for a new client. Size can sometimes be irrational. Some agree to give 100 USD, while others agree to give 1000 USD. The contribution must be comparable to the size of the possible profit. If advertising can provide a sufficient influx of customers, then you can allocate a significant amount for it. The situation is similar with affiliate programs and discount offers. In the future, advertising costs will no longer be a significant expense item, as another factor begins to play - the car service will already be known.

After calculating acceptable advertising costs, you can move on to the Internet. Today, this method of promotion shows good results if professionals work. If the maximum cost of attracting each client is 100 rubles, it is advisable to offer services of a similar cost. For example, you can pay a washer 50 rubles for free cleaning of a client’s windows. If it does not bring the desired income, it will remain a bonus. When replacing auto parts, it is advisable to offer a T-shirt or related service as an additional service.

Secrets of saving on advertising

To avoid repeated investments in advertising, you must adhere to certain rules. First of all, you should take into account down to the penny the size of the potential profit from the advertising offer. If at the planning stage doubts arise about the rationality of investing, then it is better to refrain from it. The effectiveness of the advertising offer should be monitored from the first days of the project launch.

If you determine the effectiveness and profitability of advertising, then you should not use it. Rather, there will be losses that cannot be determined at first glance. However, there will be an additional cost item in the future.

Determining the effectiveness of a marketing strategy means that employees will regularly ask how the customer found out about the car service. This will allow you to find out the level of investment justification. Additionally, you should analyze the site traffic, if available. You should not rely entirely on customer reviews, as they may contain misinformation - people often answer uninteresting questions without thinking.

Working with advertising channels

If you need to determine the effectiveness of an advertising channel, then it is better to supplement offers with contacts. This will help you find out the effectiveness of the actions performed. For example, in print advertising it is recommended to use numbers, and on the Internet - special utilities that allow you to determine traffic.

Efficiency control methods:

use of code phrases;
separate resources;
adding contacts;
use of cut-off coupons;
use of colored marks.

The main task will be to find out the number of customers who came from this advertising channel. If this is an ad in a newspaper, then a certain response will be triggered. Such measures allow you to determine the return on advertising investment.

Internet advertising

Previously, the Internet was rarely used to advertise car services. Today everything has changed radically. The Internet has proven to be a popular advertising medium and attracts many entrepreneurs. If you want to promote your business and increase profitability, then you need to use the services of professionals.

Promotion should begin with optimization. The existing website should be adapted to the most popular queries. This will allow you to appear in the TOP 10 search engines. Only a specialist will find and correct internal errors, optimize content and place external links. It is mandatory to register the site in certain directories. If the site is “young”, then optimization will take more than six months. In the future, it will be important to maintain this position in order to withstand the competition.

To increase the flow of customers in the long term, it is necessary to invest certain funds. You should not expect immediate results, as much depends on individual characteristics:

Territorial sign. The most significant sign by which a car service is searched. There is no point in driving your car hundreds of kilometers to change the oil. Geographic location will be a determining factor.
Price policy. If there is no desire to work in the low price range, then there is no point in working on the “inexpensive” request. When clicking on such requests, the user first examines the cost of services.

Working with the press

Advertising in the press- a classic marketing method of attracting customers. As a rule, small advertisements with an emphasis on the name of the car service. Be sure to include contact information. In this area, the main thing is an attractive name. The effectiveness of advertising depends on the circulation, brand and location of distribution of the printed publication. The main disadvantage is the high cost of advertising. Popular publications highly value their services, which is not always available on a limited budget.

Printable advertisement

Many small car services resort to printed advertising: brochures, catalogues, leaflets, booklets. This is the most common method. Its advantages:

information is easily perceived;
quickly manufactured;
reasonable cost;
good result.

External advertising

In difficult times, outdoor advertising helps car services. It has been working for quite a long time, but has undergone some changes.

advertising posters;
light boxes;
billboards;
signs;
wall panels.

For a car service, a billboard near a busy highway is better suited. As mentioned earlier, it should be close to the car service center. You should not spare money on the services of a marketing agency. Outdoor advertising should be informative and attract the attention of drivers. The lower the speed limit on the site, the better the result.

Non-standard methods

Before you start promoting, you should consider the important features of a car service. It is necessary to strive to provide visitors with maximum comfort and coziness. You can open a small cafe on its territory where you can drink tea or have a sandwich.

Another advantage may be fast service and affordable cost, and the possibility of “on-site repairs.” This will be additional advertising of the main activity. Various promotions and bonuses will increase customer loyalty. For example, you can organize “free diagnostic days”.

Particular attention can be paid to the image company:

sponsorship;
specialized exhibitions;
souvenir products.

Any non-standard methods will increase recognition and profitability. You can advertise on cars. It can be personal cars of employees or a fleet of other cars. The information is applied to a special film that is used to cover cars or motorcycles.

Customer Retention

Fast service and high-quality service will be important factors for the correct operation of word of mouth. This is important for small towns. If the visitor was dissatisfied, then it is worth eliminating the mistake made.

To increase loyalty will help:

discounts;
free provision of a number of services;
understand the situation and fix the problem.

It is necessary to provide discounts for regular customers. It is constantly necessary to monitor the politeness of staff. It is necessary to organize the team well. You can periodically notify clients about various promotions, reminding yourself.

It is better to introduce discount cards in the first days of work. It can be cumulative or have a fixed discount percentage.

Trying to quickly promote a car service center by attracting a large flow of customers, many entrepreneurs make serious mistakes when targeting new consumers. It is important not only to expand the base, but also to work on the terms of cooperation with existing ones.

All car services are unique in some way, but at the same time they have common features and common problems. The most popular ones will be discussed in this article.

Method 1. Car service specialization.

Often in a small car service they try to fulfill any request of the client. Firstly, you want money, but here they give it, and, secondly, it seems like “the customer is always right”? In the end, it only gets worse: it’s impossible to be an expert in everything, every car brand has its own secrets, every type of work requires special tools and, again, skills. For example, one small car service center specializing in Honda chassis decided to make “quick” money by changing the engine of a Toyota Camry. It turned out that 3S engines, although common, have mounting peculiarities, and instead of four hours, one of the three posts was occupied by the disassembled machine for a week. You can easily calculate the losses of this service.

Specialization can be vertical, by manufacturer or even car model (for example, Honda), and horizontal, by type of work (repair and maintenance of chassis, engine, electrical, body repair).

Determine what kind of work you do best, how much such work is in demand in your city, and don’t be afraid to gently refuse non-core work to your clients. Better yet, accumulate information on car services around you and recommend who to contact. People really appreciate sincere help and when they need your services, they will definitely turn to you.

Method 2. Clients, direct contact, increasing loyalty, word of mouth.

Your entire business is built on customers, so it is very important to be able to properly attract and retain customers.

According to repeatedly confirmed statistics, the most effective advertising for attracting customers is word of mouth. A word spoken through an advertisement by a car service center will always weigh an order of magnitude less than a word spoken by a friend. At the same time, there are techniques that allow you to manage word of mouth. Management is a way to force a person to tell their friends about you. Indeed, it is necessary to force, since people are more likely to share the fact that they were served poorly. Good service is taken for granted.

Getting a client is important, but keeping them is even more important. To increase customer loyalty, you can use maintenance of a service book for the customer, reminders about the need to perform service, congratulations on the holidays and many other ways.

If a client has a choice between two car services that are very similar in quality of work, prices, and politeness of service, then he will ultimately choose the one that offers additional amenities. See how you can easily implement maintaining a service record through.

Method 3. Accounting. Or better yet, automated accounting.

Is your car service going through hard times? Have you invested a lot of money in your business, but it is in no hurry to pay off? Don't know how to promote a car service? We have prepared an answer to this question.

Read the material to find out how to attract customers to your car service and increase its profits.

Tell clients about yourself

However, remember, the specifics of the business are such that customers need car service services only if they have certain problems. Make sure your service advertisement is memorable. This doesn't mean you need to generate funny slogans and use crazy designs. It will be much more effective if you stand out from your competitors by emphasizing your own advantages. Tell us why yours is better, more profitable, faster.

Car service promotion on the Internet

Create your own website with up-to-date information about current promotions and discounts. Arm yourself with contextual advertising and direct mailing. Place an ad on thematic forums. With the help of these tools, potential clients will learn about you.

Involve internet marketers who will help promote your website using SEO optimization. If your site is listed in the TOP 10 of search results, clients will find you themselves.

Outdoor advertising

Don't forget about leaflets that will tell you about current promotions. They can be placed under the windshield wipers of cars parked in the service area.

Word of mouth

Take advantage of a special technique of experienced security officers, when a group of professional agents penetrates the companies of car enthusiasts and accidentally spreads information about a new super service.

Your clients may well become such agents. How to achieve this? Everything depends on you. Provide good service, reduce prices, expand the range of services. In a word, do everything so that the client not only returns to the car service, but also recommends it to his friend / colleague / neighbor in a traffic jam.

Help from partners

Give customers a reason to visit you now

A person whose car is in good condition will not stop by a car service center just out of curiosity.

To attract a client, play on two factors: benefit and urgency. Run a short-term promotion. The car owner must understand: he needs to urgently visit a service station in order to save money.

The promotion should not be highly specialized. Take a service that, in theory, is necessary for all cars. For example, hold a free diagnostic day. Or offer a 10 percent discount on all services. Or set a super price on an oil change. In a word, attract as many visitors as possible to the car service center. And provide them with services at such a level that their visit does not turn out to be a one-time visit.

Keep customers coming back

How much a car service center earns directly depends on how often it is visited. A one-time promotion, of course, will provide you with an influx of customers, but there is no guarantee that they will come back again.

Make your clients an offer they can't refuse. Develop a loyalty program. Discount cards, bonuses or gifts - please your customers and show how interested you are in them.

Give your clients more opportunities to grow even faster

A fashionable, but not yet fully promoted feature is its own mobile application.

Create a program for mobile devices with which clients can find out about the cost of work and ongoing promotions. Make a special offer for those who installed the application: a discount on the service or several liters of anti-freeze as a gift.

Developing a mobile application will not require a lot of money, but it will immediately set you apart from your competitors.

An additional measure for effective promotion

All the methods discussed are effective to one degree or another. But their effectiveness depends not only on you. Even the coolest and most profitable loyalty program will not help if there is a car service next door that has been operating for 15 years. It will be difficult to compete with established service stations. Likewise, it’s unlikely that anyone will take advantage of a promotion if they can’t find you right away.

What to do? We can only rely on luck. Or become the owner of a service with a good location.

There is an even better solution! The Altera Invest company sells ready-made businesses in major Russian cities: you can buy a ready-made car service center in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and a number of other federal cities.

Problems with “skillful” neighbors and inconvenient check-in will be resolved in your favor. All you have to do is apply the above methods and continue to promote your existing business.

Let's summarize

To effectively promote your service station, do not spare money on an advertising campaign. Ensure high quality of services provided and develop a loyalty program so that visitors return to you and bring new clients.

Don't forget about promotions and think about your own mobile application to stand out from your competitors.

In the process of creating a car repair shop, an entrepreneur has to overcome many difficulties and solve complex problems. It is necessary not only to find a good location and go through the entire bureaucratic chain when obtaining permits, but also to buy high-quality equipment, get experienced specialists, and convince suppliers of the advisability of providing discounts to the newly created enterprise.

When everything is ready, the entrepreneur approaches the main problem: how to quickly promote a car service and attract customers? It’s great if he has already repaired cars in a garage in the past: this means that some minimum customer base has already been developed. However, relying on word of mouth and waiting for these customers to bring their friends is definitely not worth it: overhead costs can bring a company to the brink of bankruptcy in a few months. Therefore, it is more expedient to think over and implement a comprehensive strategy for promoting service stations, consisting of three stages: achieving impeccable quality of work, organizing customer-friendly service and conducting an effective advertising campaign that takes into account the interests and needs of the target audience.

Principles of car service promotion

If an entrepreneur creates a workshop on his own, and does not buy a ready-made car service business under a franchise, then he will need not only to study the principles of organizing production, but also to master the basics of marketing. The first rule of promotion says that advertising should provoke a person to take some action - a call, a visit, searching for information on the Internet. Having decided what exactly is expected from a potential client, you can plan an advertising campaign.

Obviously, you shouldn’t try to attract everyone at once - there is a large category of citizens who do not currently need the services of a service station. The need to perform the proposed action arises when three factors coincide simultaneously:

The car enthusiast must feel the need for repairs;
He must have money to pay for the services of a master;
He must have a good reason to contact the service station immediately.

Car enthusiasts rarely come to a car service center with an abstract complaint like “something is wrong with the car”: usually they try to identify the problem on their own. Then, based on this conclusion, they choose a specialist - suspension, clutch, engine. Therefore, the advertisement should inform the client that this particular workshop provides a service suitable for the profile.

The company has a dishonest employee who directly or indirectly persuades customers to turn to competitors;
Advertising for a car service center focuses on services that are not in great demand in this area or among this audience;
The inflated price eliminates all other advantages of the workshop - such as a professional team or modern equipment.

Service station target audience

Potential customers of the car service are all car owners. However, to optimize the advertising budget, this audience should be specified: by understanding who exactly you will be working with, you can reduce the cost of attracting a client. The following factors are considered key:

1. Sales geography. A service station usually serves a small city or a specific area of a metropolis. It is useless to advertise a car service in other regions;

2. Portrait of the visitor. You should not try to attract all car owners at the same time. It is necessary to analyze which clients are more profitable for a car service in order to highlight their common features. Subsequently, these characteristics are the main emphasis in advertising:

Age of motorists;
Places of their residence and work;
Makes and ages of cars.

3. Assortment. When compiling a list of car service services, it is necessary to collect statistics on the vehicle fleet of potential clients, as well as find out the main types and causes of malfunctions in cars of these brands.

How to come up with a name for a car service?

The enterprise cannot operate without a name: the abstract “IP Ivanov” does not at all contribute to creating the necessary image of the workshop. You should think about what to call a car service in advance: when registering in a hurry, you can easily choose the first option that comes to mind, and later realize that it simply scares away customers and instills distrust in them. How to name the company:

When compiling a list of names for a car service, you need to give preference to words that are sonorous, memorable and understandable to the common person;
The brand should be correlated with the business profile. If you use a term from another industry, you can expect dissatisfaction from misled customers;
When trying to come up with a name for a car service center, it is better not to use abbreviations, abbreviations and compound words like “GlavAvtoTehTsentr”;
The word must correspond to the interests of the target audience. Some terms appeal to young people, others to older people. Wealthy clients pay attention to more pretentious and loud brands;
The name of a car service in Russia should evoke pleasant associations and positive emotions among consumers, and create confidence in the performer.

There are templates traditional for this industry that help you figure out what to name a car service - variants of such names have probably already been encountered by a businessman:

Names with the words "car", "auto" or "auto";
Names that include the word “service” itself;
Names for car service centers with the addition of “motors” or “motors”;
Original names associated with cars, engines, speed.

Ways to advertise a car service

When implementing any project, you should understand what exactly clients are guided by when choosing a contractor.

In the case of a car service, this is:

Location. All other things being equal, car enthusiasts choose a workshop located closer to home or work;
Price. If service stations are identical in terms of service level, drivers turn to a car service center with more favorable prices;
Quality. Price becomes a secondary factor if the workshop is staffed by professionals using modern equipment;
Reviews. Almost all car enthusiasts listen to the reviews of their fellow drivers.

When studying how to promote a car service, you need to understand that no marketing tool is absolutely effective: the result can only be achieved through complex events.

The following types of advertising are known:

1. Corporate identity. The image of an enterprise is formed not only by business cards and a logo, but also by other elements of visual design - a signboard, a uniform, outdoor advertising. All details must correspond to the same style;

Advertising billboards with directions and a list of service stations are installed along the roadway at a distance of up to three kilometers from the workshop;
Small signs with the distance to the car service and the direction of travel to it are used in parallel with billboards;
The sign is installed directly at the turn to the service station;
A sign for a car service center should be visible already at the entrances to the workshop, from a distance of 50–100 m.

3. Print advertising. All printed materials must contain information sufficient to attract the client's attention. What is important here is accurate, specific data, supplemented by visual illustrations. Promotional materials must include contact information and address;

5. Business cards for auto service can be distributed to customers to provide a discount in the future or distributed in auto parts stores;

6. Booklets with information about service station services and colorful photographs are also distributed through partners or handed to doubtful visitors. Simpler leaflets are distributed at traffic lights, gas stations, in front of traffic lights, as well as in parking lots and parking lots near supermarkets.

7. Advertising in the press. Experts believe that PR materials - articles and interviews mentioning the service station - are the best way to attract customers to a car service center. However, such tools are available mainly to large enterprises, while small workshops are satisfied with advertising units. Where to print them:

8. If there is an automobile or technical magazine in the city, then an advertisement for a car service should be in at least every second issue;

9. In the city newspaper, advertisements are placed in sections about the sale of cars and the provision of services.

11. For radio promotion, they use local stations with a wide audience coverage, popular among car enthusiasts;

12. Regional and federal TV channels will ask for fabulous money for the video, so it’s better to contact city television.

13. Partners. These may include companies working in related areas. Cooperation should be mutually beneficial: for example, partners promote various types of car service services, and the service station, in turn, refers clients to them. Who would be advisable to negotiate with:

Auto parts stores;
Car washes;
Tuning salons;
Gas stations.

14. Car branding. Workshop workers and owners probably have personal cars that can be used as advertising platforms. Several options are offered:

On minibuses or trucks, indicate the original name of the car service, list the main services and indicate contact information;
Passenger cars are marked with the workshop logo or one or two specific services are indicated with an address or telephone number.

15. Souvenirs. Small useful little things with a logo can be given to the client. A pen, keychain, lighter or magnet will often catch the eye of not only the owner, but also his friends, reminding him of the workshop.

16. Non-standard methods. By positioning the service station as a reputable center, you can promote not only specific services, but also the brand itself. How to find clients for a car service:

Sponsor local car shows and public events;
Conduct a column on automotive topics on local television;
Conduct classes for students and graduates of driving schools.

How to attract rich clients?

In large cities, some workshops strive to occupy the segment of servicing premium cars owned by large businessmen, officials and pop stars. To avoid annoying mistakes, an entrepreneur should learn how to sell car service services to wealthy consumers:

Advertising. To attract such clients, a free newspaper will not work: you need to use advertising platforms that are interesting to them. Also, it is advisable to choose a suitable name for the car service, symbolizing prestige and prosperity;
Recommendations from famous personalities. The very fact of the participation of “stars” in advertising will not impress wealthy consumers. But they may think about the reasons why a certain famous person is already using the services of this car service;
Promotion technology. VIPs will not take risks and trust their expensive cars to a newly created company. Therefore, you need to work on your brand reputation for years.

How to attract high-ranking clients to your car service:

Maintenance should be expensive, but at the same time fully meet its cost in terms of quality and comfort;
The service must be built on the principle of exclusivity - many people like to be part of a closed community;
For wealthy clients, it is not discounts that are important, but special services, guarantees and minimizing service problems;
The lifestyle of VIPs excludes the use of consumer goods, so care must be taken to include the proposed service in their sphere of attention;
Brand representative. Organizing a car service center for wealthy clients involves hiring a manager to work with the target audience. His tasks include attending public and private events, communicating with the public and establishing personal contacts with potential consumers;
Individual approach. There is no need to wait for the VIP client to arrive at the workshop. The company itself must approach him with a proposal.

Car service promotion on the Internet

The potential audience of car repair shops is gradually moving to the Internet: today even older car enthusiasts actively use virtual services. Moreover, automotive-related resources are among the top ten in terms of traffic.

It should be noted that a company with serious intentions will definitely need a website. Only small service stations and private craftsmen with a limited range of services or a narrow specialization need a landing page, social networks and bulletin boards.

A website is an advertisement for a car service on the Internet, working around the clock. Therefore, when developing it, it is important to place the main emphasis on the professionalism of the performers, modern equipment and quality guarantees. What sections should be on the site:

Detailed description of services. Even if the client does not need any of them immediately, he will still remember that the workshop is capable of solving such a problem;
Current price list. For each service, it is recommended to indicate not only the price, but also the approximate time spent in hours;
Contact Information. We also need a work schedule and detailed directions;
Online repair registration form. The manager can call such a client back to confirm the application and clarify the nature of the malfunction;
Reviews of real customers. The easiest way is to invite several service station visitors to write reviews in exchange for discounts or bonuses;
Helpful information. Car enthusiasts are interested in articles about car repair and maintenance, recommendations from manufacturers, practical advice, and master classes.

Without visitors, the site itself is useless. Therefore, it is not enough to simply learn how to open a car service center from scratch: a business plan for a service station should also include measures to promote the resource on the network using the following tools:

1. Search engine optimization. Users rarely study search engine results beyond the third page. Through optimization, you can ensure that your site ranks first for some important queries:

Linking to the area is relevant for customers choosing a service station closer to home;
Linking to the car brand is needed for specialized services;
Linking to a specific service will help attract users who are faced with a similar malfunction;
Linking to the names of spare parts and works complements the previous option.

3. First of all, you need to cover queries that describe a specific problem or malfunction;

5. In the settings, you must specify that advertising will only be shown to residents of a certain city or region served by the workshop.

6. Social networks. Using the car service page on a social network, you can study the target audience, notify potential clients about promotions and events, and create a positive image of the service station. Users are interested in:

8. Lotteries and repost competitions, which involve awarding winners with bonus cards or coupons for car repairs;

9. Educational posts on automotive topics in other thematic or regional groups and public pages;

10. YouTube channel. Thousands of car enthusiasts look for ways to solve problems in videos, and therefore will not ignore detailed professional consultations. Such publications should be accompanied by the name and address of the car service;

11. Maps. On interactive maps of Yandex, Google and other GIS, users can study the location of the workshops closest to their home. The label should be supplemented with a photograph of the service station, indicate the address and hours of operation;

12. Thematic forums. By actively communicating on motorist forums as an expert giving useful advice, you can create a positive image of the service station and convince potential clients of the advisability of cooperation.

How to attract corporate clients?

The profitability of a car service as a business increases significantly when working with legal entities - after all, companies usually have a large fleet of vehicles and order servicing of several cars at once. When planning to attract such corporate clients, an entrepreneur should know that the rules for cooperation with individuals in this case do not apply:

When choosing partners, business leaders are not guided by advertising in a magazine or on a billboard. The entrepreneur must contact them personally;
The process of considering a commercial offer and signing a contract may take several months;
The cooperation scheme involves many specialists from both sides;
Any transaction requires the coordination of a large number of documents - acts, commercial offers, agreements of intent, estimates.

Classifying corporate customers by size, they distinguish:

Small clients (1–5 machines);
Important local clients (5–20 cars);
Large clients (20–100 cars);
Federal-scale companies (more than 100 machines).

Sometimes start-up entrepreneurs believe that in order to open a car service, it is necessary to immediately conclude an agreement with a large customer. Such a strategy is irrational - large enterprises impose increased requirements on service stations:

Fixed low prices and wholesale discounts;
Constant availability of spare parts;
Customer-friendly service mode;
Issuance of replacement cars;
Full range of services;
Possibility of deferred payment.

For a beginner, these conditions may be unbearable: you will have to buy expensive equipment, expand the area and hire additional staff. Therefore, thinking about how to develop a car service, it is better to start with small customers in order to move on to larger ones as the production base improves. What methods are suitable for finding corporate customers:

Participation in exhibitions. Here you are likely to meet representatives of enterprises of various sizes;
Study of electronic platforms. Companies regularly place applications on stock exchanges and special platforms on the Internet;
Creation of a customer base. An entrepreneur needs to study the local market for the presence of potential customers with a fleet of vehicles;
Social contacts. Any connections, recommendations, acquaintances and even family relationships are useful.

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How to retain clients?

When analyzing whether it is profitable to open a car service center, entrepreneurs usually think only about attracting new customers. Meanwhile, business success is determined primarily by the ability to retain regular customers:

Retaining an old client is several times cheaper than attracting a new one;
For one new car enthusiast there are a dozen regular ones;
By re-applying, customers buy much more services;
About 40% of customers could be profitable with the right interactions.

A businessman must be clear about who his clients are and what they need. A well-thought-out and properly organized structure for a car service center facilitates receiving feedback:

1. Maintaining a client base. Knowing the repair history and contact information of the customer, you can notify him about suitable promotions and discounts on maintenance;

2. Sign up for repairs. Sometimes clients ask about services and even sign up for repairs, and then disappear. By finding out the reasons for such incidents, you can identify shortcomings and understand how to properly organize the work of a car service;

3. Discount cards. Issuing discount and especially savings cards to customers significantly increases the likelihood of their repeated use;

5. Collecting feedback. A few days after the repair, the manager should call the client to find out and enter the following into the database:

Were the staff polite and friendly;
Have the technicians explained the causes and essence of the malfunction in sufficient detail?
Was the repair completed within the stated time frame?
If there are comments on the quality of work, you need to allow the client to express dissatisfaction and speak out;
Ask to rate the service on a ten-point scale.

Even when it comes to that, the entrepreneur must carefully consider the entire service process:

If possible, it is desirable to provide customers with the delivery of the car from the place of breakdown by a tow truck or at least towing;
If repairs take time, it is recommended to take the client to the nearest stop or metro station;
The work schedule should be convenient for busy customers. In sleeping areas, it is impossible to close already at five o'clock in the evening or rest on Saturday and Sunday;
To demonstrate honesty, be sure to return broken or replaced parts to customers;
Employees from among those who work in a car service and directly communicate with customers must observe the culture of communication, avoid complex incomprehensible terms and, moreover, obscene expressions;
Employees should not complain to the client about wages, working conditions or management policies, and should not be enthusiastic about their duties;
It is obligatory to arrange a comfortable waiting area with drinks, a TV, a smoking area and a client bathroom.

Conclusion

Of course, you can pay for the most expensive and effective advertising for a car service, hire copywriters to write positive reviews, and use the best system of discounts and bonuses. However, all these measures will be useless if the entrepreneur is not guided by the principle of maximum comfort for consumers. How to increase the popularity of the workshop:

The client's time must be valued. The repair must be completed not only on the agreed day, but also by the agreed time;
If questions arise during the repair process or additional faults are discovered, you should immediately discuss the situation with the owner of the machine;

The main goal facing car service owners is to attract new customers. Some people consider marketing a creative activity. In fact, everything is extremely simple. This is an applied task consisting of dry calculations and independently compiled diagrams. We will talk in this article about how to attract customers to a car service center to promote your business.

Internet advertising

Previously, Internet platforms were used extremely rarely to attract customers to auto repair shops. Nowadays, the situation has changed radically. The Internet has become the most popular advertising tool, so many entrepreneurs choose this method to promote their business. If you want to promote your business and increase its profitability using the Internet, seek help from specialists.

The work begins with search engine optimization. To do this, you need to adapt the site to the most popular queries so that it gets into the TOP 10 of search engine results. Specialists correct internal errors, place external links and optimize content on the resource. In addition, you need to register your site in special directories.

You will not get an immediate effect from this method of promotion. If a website on the Internet has been created recently, the optimization process can take 5–6 months, and sometimes even a year. It is also important to constantly maintain your positions, otherwise your competitors will overtake you. To establish an influx of clients for a long period of time, you will have to invest a lot of money in the site.

Territorial sign. This is a very important criterion by which clients usually look for a car repair shop. It is unlikely that any car owner will drive his car several hundred kilometers, so the geographical location of the service is the determining factor when choosing a workshop;
Price policy. If you do not plan to attract customers with low prices, then there is no point in promoting a car service for requests like “inexpensive”. Users who land on the site using these words immediately look at the prices. If they are high, no one will be interested in your services.

Advertising in the press

Many novice entrepreneurs are interested in how to quickly promote a car service and attract customers? One of the most effective ways is advertising in the press. These can be small advertisements, the main emphasis of which is on the name of the car service. Below you should place a text containing contact information. Don’t forget that the most important thing is a bright and attractive company name. The effectiveness of such advertising depends on the print brand, circulation of the publication and place of publication.

The only disadvantage of this method is the cost of advertising. In popular publications the price will be quite high, so this option is not suitable for people with limited financial resources.

Non-standard methods

Before you start a car service from scratch, you need to answer many questions and take into account all the important details. The most important thing in any business is service. You must do everything to ensure that visitors in your car service center feel cozy and comfortable. It is advisable to open a small cafe at the auto repair shop so that customers can have a cup of coffee and a snack. Speed of service, affordable prices, the possibility of “on-site repairs” - all this is additional advertising for your company.

You can also periodically offer visitors a “free diagnostic day” or hold a joint promotion with suppliers of spare parts and automotive accessories.

Also, don’t forget about image advertising:

Sponsorship;
Souvenir products;
Specialized exhibitions.

All these non-standard methods will help make your business recognizable and increase its profitability.

Printable advertisement

Its advantages include:

Ease of perception;
Short production times;
Affordable prices;
High efficiency.

Such advertising must be accurate and concise. Vague phrases will not make the right impression on consumers. Try not to overload your ads with any unnecessary information, but it is advisable to use illustrations that correspond to the text of the ad. Don’t forget to focus readers’ attention on the possibility of feedback from the advertiser (address, fax, phone).

External advertising

If you don’t know how to promote a car service that is going through hard times, it’s time to reconsider your marketing policy and come up with a more effective way to attract customers. For example, this could be outdoor advertising for a car service center. In large companies, special marketing departments deal with this matter.

In addition to regular advertising posters, they now use:

Light boxes;
Huge billboards;
Wall panels;
Signs.

The best advertising for a car service is billboards. Such marketing assemblies are installed along busy highways. It is advisable that the shield be located near the car service center. This will significantly increase its effectiveness.

Modern businessmen have realized that they cannot save on advertising, since an unprofessional approach can have the opposite effect. That's why they spare no expense and collaborate with the best marketing agencies.

Advertising on cars

Each company has its own vehicles. This could be several employee cars or a whole fleet of different cars. Many entrepreneurs do not know that advertising a car service center on a car is an accessible and cheapest way to promote a business. You can even use your own car for these purposes by placing removable magnetic stickers on it.

Form style

Many clients evaluate a car service based on external features - business cards, letterheads, etc. Corporate identity is an integral part of any business, so before that, it is necessary to hire specialists who will implement the corporate culture.

Corporate identity is not only business cards and logos. It includes office furnishings, employee uniforms, and corporate charter. This system plays an important role in the development of the enterprise’s image, so special attention should be paid to it.

Video on the topic

Word of mouth

Internet users often ask the question, ? The first thing that comes to mind is your own auto repair shop. In order for an enterprise to make a good profit, you need to hire good specialists and purchase professional equipment.

The most important task facing a novice entrepreneur is how to attract customers to a garage car service? In this case, word of mouth radio works most effectively. If you do your work efficiently and provide clients with truly high-quality service, they will recommend your workshop to their friends and acquaintances. Thanks to this, you can quickly develop a base of regular customers and occupy your niche in the automotive services market.

Many businessmen use word of mouth as a source of new clients. This is a fairly effective way of promotion that you won’t spend a penny on. At the same time, you can distribute various promotional products (keychains, pens and other useful souvenirs). Regular customers can be given discounts on services or offered services out of turn.