I have a love/hate relationship with spring cleaning. I hate the actual cleaning up part, but I love the feeling of accomplishment and organization that results.
I love when all of that disorganization, dust and clutter that accumulated all winter long is gone. It’s a refreshing feeling. Invigorating.
Wouldn’t it be great to get that same feeling at your shop?
Who says spring cleaning has to be something you just do at your house or in your yard? Give your business a bit of sprucing this spring and feel the difference it can make.
So, what could spring cleaning look like at your shop?
Dust off mission statements. Take the time to make sure you’re focusing and delivering on your mission. If you’re off track, make adjustments to get back on track. This is the time to get all of your employees on the same page.
Purge your customer list. If you’re not going through your customer list monthly looking for attrition, now’s the time to do so. Make sure your list is clean so your next direct mail campaign isn’t landing on deaf ears. Plus, take the time to learn why you may be losing some of these customers.
Tune up your skills. Look at enrolling yourself and staff members in classes. Keeping up on training will help your shop better service the ever-changing vehicles in the marketplace.
Take inventory. While you might not keep any inventory on hand, take the time to reevaluate your vendors. Are you getting what you need from them? Should you be looking for new relationships?
Revamp your social media efforts and shop website. Do you have a way to book online appointments? Is your shop mobile friendly? If necessary, outsource your website to get exactly what you need to engage, attract and retain customers.
Give the shop a facelift. People buy new wardrobes in the spring to give themselves a boost and feel better; giving your shop a new “wardrobe” will give the same effect. Give your shop a fresh coat of paint. Plant flowers out front. Repave your parking lot.
While, we’re calling it spring cleaning, this “cleaning” doesn’t necessarily have to take place in the springtime. You could get an influx of customers needing their suspensions fixed post-pothole season, or customers looking to tune up their cars before a spring break getaway. So, you may be just too busy to do this cleaning in the spring. That’s OK, as long as you make the commitment to find time later to perform this truly beneficial task.
