May 2020

MAY 2020 AFTERMARKET 19 www.aftermarketonline.net air. Either by making changes to the exterior of the garage, reception or even the workshop itself. Well, now is the best time for doing so. Refreshing your business will keep you focused, hopefully make you feel better but also it will be a great way to welcome back your customers and team members to a new far more impressive garage for the re-opening. Now that you have some extra time on your hands, you should take advantage of it by planning your comeback! Plan out your return with strategies that will help you get your business back on its feet! Here’s a quick word of advice – if you’re not actively staying in touch with your customers, then sadly, they might not have that strong of a bond with you and your business. And what happens when you re-open? Are you certain that these customers will come flocking outside your garage doors? By staying in touch during this time will make communication much more natural when you’re ready to re- open. Can you imagine not staying in touch with customers only to send them an SMS message a few days before reopening, saying: “Hey! We’re finally back, book your next service with us!” Now put yourself in your customers shoes – wouldn’t you feel like just a number in this situation? It’s thanks to your customers that your business has stayed afloat all this time – and by not valuing their loyalty, you undermine yourself and them. Just because you are on lockdown, you want to maintain communication with your customers from now, all the way until the coronavirus situation passes – but what exactly should you send to them? Well you could send them updates regarding improvements that you are getting on with, or you could offer some help to your senior citizens even local community, or simply keeping customers updated on the emergency MOT law. Your customers will value that you’ve taken the time to stay in touch with them during this crisis and will be more likely to book with you once it all blows over. Before COVID-19 made its debut, chances are you had your hands full with running the day to day activities of the garage and didn’t have time to sit down and think about ideas on improving your business. Your regular customers would book their vehicles for servicing and repairs MOTs etc, but things may be very tight for many of us when we eventually get back as we all prioritise spending necessities and these previous loyal-regulars may start looking elsewhere. So, what will you do then? In order to bounce back, you should consider trying to work on new marketing strategies that will help you to bring back your loyal clients and earn you new ones. Here are some ideas that are worth considering: Business plan Loyalty programme New website Corporate brochure Investing into a modern garage management system Over to you. www.thegarageinspector.com Business training days Business skills are paramount to the success of your garage, so that’s why leading aftersales expert The Garage Inspector (Andy Savva – an experienced award winning former garage owner), has launched his eagerly awaited courses which are unique to the independent garage repair sector. Book today to secure your place. Limited spaces • Book early Please email andy@thegarageinspector.com or visit The Garage Inspector website for booking instructions and full terms & conditions: www. thegarageinspector .com NEW DATES & COURSES FOR 2020 • Cardiff: 6th Oct Financial Understanding for the Garage Business • 7th Oct Marketing Essentials • Newcastle: 1st Sept Financial Understanding for the Garage Business • 2nd Sept Marketing Essentials • Chester: 22nd Sept Financial Understanding for the Garage Business • 23rd Sept Marketing Essentials • Lincoln: 3rd Nov Financial Understanding for the Garage Business • 4th Nov Marketing Essentials To book or for further information, please go to www.thegarageinspector.com