Business

Value has always been a powerful motivator in marketing and sales, but with the uncertainty in today’s tough economic times, an emphasis on value is more important than ever before. Although you’ll find many definitions, I believe we can all agree that in the mind of your customers, value means getting the most bang for their buck.

My 70-year-old mother started texting before I did. This probably sounds strange given that I’m the tech geek in the family and “Web” is my middle name.

Amy Porterfield, co-author of “Facebook Marketing All-in-One for Dummies,” presented a recent SEMA webinar regarding five proven strategies to grow your fan base and create a community on Facebook.

During tough economic times you need to make the most of every opportunity that you have at your disposal to generate more sales. Follow these five tips to convert more first-time callers into happy customers.

Institutional advertising programs, like print media, TV and radio, and electronic media, all have their place. Clearly they can help you keep the name of your company top of mind with your customers, which, in the world of advertising, is a good place to be. But regardless of how much name awareness your company carries, one thing is for certain: You sell a service, not a product.

Part 1 of this article in the July/August issue discussed how great customer service is not as easily defined as having clean restrooms. Customer service is a tangible, measurable attribute, so your customer always decides whether or not you’re delivering exceptional customer service.

When I was still in the auto repair business, I learned an invaluable secret from a remarkable man named Sol Price. For those of you not familiar with the name, he was the founder of Price Club; the company known today as Costco. Sol was able to take himself out of the price comparison game, and the way he did it was by making sure that every appliance he sold was unique to Price Club.

As every shop owner knows, both money-making opportunities and unexpected situations present themselves on a regular basis. A deal to buy a new sign for your shop, a chance to buy inventory at a discount or forging ahead with an equipment upgrade are all ways to grow and develop your business.

In July, I opened my 25th auto repair shop in Marietta, GA. The shop, which operates under the Service Street banner, is located on a busy highway, northwest of Atlanta. The store launched strong, posting the third-best opening, sales-wise, of all my shops. Once it matures, I expect it to be my top-performer.

The Internet is often referred to as “The Wild, Wild West” because technology is changing so rapidly, it’s virtually impossible to police content, images and business practices. Well, the web just got a heck of a lot wilder in the local search space, so here is what you need to know to protect your shop’s reputation.

Let’s talk about the lifetime value of a customer and what that value means to you. Lifetime value has many meanings and has been analyzed by folks who are a whole lot smarter than me.

If you are falling short of your sales goals, before you start blaming your service advisors, you need to make sure that your technicians are providing them with the adequate recommendations.