May 2018

M arketing is a funny thing. In the old days it began and ended with a board outside, some ads in the local press, and that was about it. For some in our industry this is still the case, but perhaps with a enticingly low price on an MOT chucked on top, to bring in the punters. Later, you needed a website, which became a job in its own right. Apparently content uploaded at the launch of the site in February 2004 has a limited shelf-life, so you need to keep updating it, again and again. Then Facebook became a thing, ditto Twitter and LinkedIn. Later I started to wonder what business I was in – content creation or vehicle maintenance. It turns out I’m in both and many more besides. You never stop marketing your business, and every interaction is an opportunity to improve the image and reputation of your business. You have to think about everything you do, all the time. Customers will form judgements about your business from everything you do. Not just the work mind you, there’s the cleanliness of the workshop, the language used in the ads, and everything they see and hear when they interact with you, on the phone, online or in person. Don’t over-think it I’m probably starting to over-think it, so I probably need some stimulation. I’m not always inside these four walls. Later this month Mrs P and I are seeing The Rolling Stones on their upcoming UK tour. This old fossil needs the company of other old fossils occasionally, and Mrs P deserves a night out too. Now, I think anyone with ears who’s been alive over the last 50-something years could tell you what songs they WILL play. What’s been amusing me lately as I waste time in the workshop fiddling with Spotify to provide a broader cultural education for my young charges is what they WON’T play. Now, assuming they definitely play ‘Start Me Up,’ some of you wags will probably assume I would want the staff to hear an album track such as ‘Stop Breaking Down’ – you know, because of associations? The problem there is negative associations – What if the customers hear it and assume we blame them for the mechanical state of their cars? That’s not great for the overall marketing thrust is it? ‘Parkit Garage; where the customer is the culprit.’ I nixed that one naturally, but made sure to play ‘All Down The Line,’ another album track, to the team. This was because of how I associate the song with properly maintained steering and suspension systems and the application of wheel alignment. Yes even I think I need that night off more than I would like to admit… In all seriousness though, I am trying to show the garage in the best light possible light, and educate the team to think the same way. I might even write a new marketing plan after this, if I can just tear myself away from the music on the computer for just a little while… PAINT IT BLACK 66 AFTERMARKET MAY 2018 TEABREAK: MEMOIRS OF A MOTOR MECHANIC www.aftermarketonline.net