April 2019

BY Andy Savva I want to use this month’s article to give you my thoughts about why you should have considered entering this year’s Top Garage competition, organised by Aftermarket magazine, and if you were not one of those garages that already participated please consider challenging yourself next year. I entered several awards during my ownership as an independent garage owner and each and every time the exercise of justifying and completing an entry form gave me a chance to reflect on the many good points and justification of entering an award but also, time to think about areas of improvement. What do you have to lose? These are the main reasons why you should challenge yourself and your business and enter next years awards. Maximise visibility of your business The marketing opportunities that come with making an awards shortlist, or winning that award, mean your garage business will be in the spotlight for all the right reasons. Reputable business awards like Top Garage can generate significant publicity across local press and social media and of course within our own aftermarket. Make sure you share your involvement on social media using any hashtags associated with the awards, connect with other businesses involved and include news on your website. Take advantage of this exposure to promote your business to new customers, as well as increasing respect from your existing client base. Winning a business award can open doors that lead to getting contracts, finding new supply channels as well as breaking into new markets. Comments from the judges about why you won can be used as quotes in press releases, and the award logo can be added to your website and other marketing materials. The awards application process can make you look at your business from a different angle. You will need to make sure that you stand out from the competition. That can be through innovation, diversity, growth, customer service, as well as through investment in people or strategic thinking. Award wins add value to the work being done in your business. They are also a great indication you’re moving in the right direction. Then again, what if you didn’t win? That can work for you as well. You can use the experience to consider what you could be doing better and then identify how to do this. In fact, the experience of not winning could be just as valuable or even sometimes more valuable than winning the award itself. That’s what 28 AFTERMARKET APRIL 2019 TOP TECHNICIAN AND TOP GARAGE 2019 www.aftermarketonline.net TOP GARAGE: TOP OPPORTUNITY Andy Savva, The Garage Inspector, takes a moment to explain why he believes Top Garage is going to provide a real boost to the businesses taking part Sponsored by: