Some time ago I interviewed shop owners about the most critical marketing strategies for their shop.  Here are their answers.  I think you’ll find this info valuable. Let me know if I missed any. (FYI: Part of this was posted as an article on Repairpal.com).

1.  Be Referable

“Show up on time, do what you say you’re going to do. Say please and thank you and finish what you start. Those are what I call the four rules for being referable.” -Dave Riccio, Owner Tri-City Transmission,Tempe, AZ.

Have you ever gone to a restaurant and had such a great experience that you immediately came back and told your friends? That’s the experience you want to give to your customers.

There are many things that make your shop referable in the eyes of the customer. But the main thing is the quality of customer service you provide. From their first call to set an appointment to after their vehicle is out the door, you need to make sure that every step of the customer experience wows them so much that they will want to tell their friends.

Once you have this in place, I recommend you set up a “Referral Marketing” system where your goal is to leverage your happy customers’ networks of influence.

There are many ingredients that can be in your referral marketing system including creating a “How to Refer” us page on your website, asking for referrals by follow up email and more. By implementing a referral marketing system in your shop you will help create a referral culture where giving referrals becomes the norm, not the exception.

Click below to read the full article: