If you partake of auto repair advertising, you may have noticed a downturn in effectiveness as a new breed of consumers emerges. They are armed not with phonebooks and word of mouth, but with Internet browsers and RSS feeds. They know where to check your information in the blink of an eye, and can find the perfect middle ground between price and quality faster than you can change oil. This new group of consumers ranges from 16 to 60, and they are looking for you. But are you ready for how they do business?
A recent study of consumers seeking auto repair quotes/information online showed extremely high levels of dissatisfaction with the speed and personalization received by local technicians. Beyond that, of the few facilities even offering email contact, virtually none of them chose to respond to the inquiry. Even more powerful is that the vast majority of these customers reported they took their business elsewhere. Some in just a few hours. A subsequent study, looking at the number of online searches for "auto repair" and all possible variations, found that in any given month between April 2006 and March 2007, there were well over 52.4 million inquiries nationwide.
What a fantastic opportunity for your auto repair facility! It seems the market is wide open for technicians who return emails. Somebody out there is getting this business... why not you? But here's the catch: Technicians choosing to tap into this massive stream of new customers will have to be prepared to focus on direct, personal communication and provide information before sales.
No longer is it enough to say: "bring it in and we'll take a look", or push credentials and experience now you must provide information along with a ballpark price or at least an explanation of why you are unable to estimate and a disclosure of your inspection fee. If you want to establish the kind of trust and credibility which leads to long term clients, you must do the following:
1: Directly answer the question/concern of the individual.
2: Offer, based on the information given, either a ballpark price or an explanation as to why you are unable to give this and quote your inspection fee.
3: Offer potential, lower cost alternatives to the full procedure (if possible).
4: Ask for the business, then provide an easy way to contact you.
Would you rather have a person come in once and never return, or endless times over the course of many years for $50 - $150 maintenance, while bringing legions of friends?
This isn't to say you shouldn't flout your credentials; it is always a good idea to include a sentence or two about your experience and certifications. But this initial online correspondence must be about offering information. There is no other way besides direct, value rich correspondence to build trust with today's net savvy consumer. Many auto repair facilities refuse to give any information at all over the phone or online. Unfortunately, this approach, in almost every case, backfires. Not offering some sort of info-rich response defeats the purpose of communication. This alienates your potential clients. While many technicians view these people as "price shoppers," the majority of consumers are only looking for a healthy middle ground between quality and cost.
At the end of the day, the auto repair facility responding appropriately to online buyers has a much better chance of landing a strong line of new clients. Not only will you establish your professional credibility, but you will have a major edge against the fierce local competition with a wide open door to new word of net business.
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