Consider this – one of your customers has come in three times for an oil change, and brought a coupon each time. They haven’t bought any other services from you, and even refused a couple of recommendations. Another brought their vehicle in for regular maintenance, thanked you for taking the time to explain everything to them, purchased almost everything you recommended without trying to haggle over price, and wanted to come in later to take care of the rest.
Are you putting the same amount of time, effort, and money into getting both of those customers back into your shop? One of them is likely to be a great relationship with high margins, while the other one is probably going to be a low-margin customer.
That’s not to say you should never put any effort in to relationships that aren’t yet “fully baked” – you might be making money on those oil changes, even if they don’t agree to other services. But if you can build a strong relationship with the high-margin customer, it’s almost certainly worth the extra money you put into it. Here are three steps you can take to retain your most valuable customers.
Always make the next visit easier than the last – When you learn something about the preferences of these customers, document it, and be prepared to bring it up without them asking. This information could fall into many different categories. Tuesdays are always their long day at work. They always use synthetic oil. They plan on getting rid of their car in one year. Whenever you gather this information, flag it and make it easily accessible to your service writer.
The next time you’re talking to them, let them know you remember that Tuesdays are bad, so you aren’t recommending that day. Tell them you’d recommend a major repair if they weren’t changing vehicles soon. Each of these conversations is an opportunity to remind them how much they’ll have to tell a new shop if they ever do decide to move – and it also makes it easier to work with the shop, which will make them a happier customer.
Focus on customers, not cars – For most people, cars aren’t like kids or pets – they don’t have an emotional connection to their car’s well-being. That means that if you take great care of the customer’s car, but don’t take great care of the customer, you’re not earning any points.
It’s certainly important to focus on the vehicle needs. What does the customer want done? What problem caused them to bring in the car? But also remember that it’s a big hassle to be without a car. If the repair was unexpected, what impact is that having on their day? When do they need to get somewhere? Do they need a rental car? If they have been stranded on the side of the road for an hour, their first question might be where your bathroom is. Try to help them get their immediate needs taken care of before you dive into car questions.
Invest in gestures that make a big impression – For your very best customers, a more personal gesture might be the difference between a happy customer and one that raves about your shop to all of their friends, co-workers, and anyone who will listen online. The next time you send out a mailer or quarterly newsletter, hand address those to your best customers. Include a coupon for a free pizza from a local shop, or even a couple of ice cream cones. The hand-addressed envelope, and the uncommon gesture of appreciation, is likely to make a big impact.
To learn how we can help you attract more great customers to your shop, call us at 866.665.1605 or email us at Team_RSW@RepairShopWebsites.com.