Article courtesy of Tom Hughes HUGHES Advertising, LLC

Does this article title mean that only people who graduated with honors will be your auto repair shop's best customers? Hardly! Today, successful business owners and managers tell customers to expect the best when shopping their stores - the best in selection, service and integrated value.

Yet, how is it that consumers know what to look for? Do they truly know how to shop for real value in a product or service as opposed to just shopping price? How do they know what to expect in a value versus price merchant?

Educating customers is the key to bigger auto repair profits!

If you are only educating your auto repair customers with a sign stating your best price, they can get the same introduction to math at the neighborhood  discounter, insurance network referral shop or direct repair provider (DRP) down the street.

In the world of home remodeling, the smart independent kitchen design dealer teaches his customers what to look for in a quality cabinet. As a result of the time spent educating them, price becomes less of the focus - especially  when a client is on the lookout for dovetailed drawers and hand-rubbed finishes. Price becomes less of the focus when a customer finds there is someone who can truly design and build a special cabinet for that odd-sized kitchen nook; rather than have a standard sized cabinet force-fitted into the opening as many main-line retailers might try to get away with.

Teaching The Difference - Value Shopping

One of the most important things any business can do is to teach customers how to value shop. It can be as simple as having a chart to point out value versus price differentiation.

Very early in our education experience we were taught the difference between apples and oranges. The basic lesson is still very applicable to business today. If you went to the grocery store in search of a nice tart, juicy apple, would you buy a tangy orange? Not if you knew the difference!

Why is it then, that we allow our customers to buy the discount model when they truly want the very best their pocketbook can buy? Why give them an orange when they really want a shiny red apple?

It is our job to teach them the difference! Teaching differentiation to your customers is not as difficult as it may sound. At its core, it teaches how to recognize quality and what to expect in the product and its dealer or supplier.

Again, from the world of home remodeling, we find a well-known overhead garage door dealer has used an instruction chart that shows residential homeowners how to shop for an overhead garage door. Instructions include specific points that help customers understand how a quality door operates and what its specific features are. It points out safety requirements and what a customer should be able to expect in a reliable and safe door.

A leading HVAC manufacturer, Carrier, actually provides written specifications for mechanical contractors who are shopping for heating and air products.

Merchandising Must Also Educate Consumers

If you are limiting the merchandising in your auto repair store to price stickers, banners and signs, then you will fall far short of educating your customer into bigger profits.

• Do you provide comparison charting in your dealership or auto repair store that customers can study to learn what is involved in a safe repair?
  
  
• Are your floor displays set up with special signage pointing out safety features in the auto parts you use or the procedures you undertake while repairing automobiles?
  
  
• Do your customers know the difference in the cosmetic and structural parts of a car, and why compromising safety is never an option?
  
  
• Have you made it easy for your customers to know how to recognize quality and value in your offering?
  
  
• Is your sales team knowledgeable themselves in what sets you apart from the competition?
  
  
• Are your customers being educated in what to look for in a safe, reliable and quality auto part or service?
  
  

How Does This Translate To Bigger Profits?

Despite the fact that ,as an auto repair professional, the items you sell and the services you offer cannot often fit in a shopping cart  that allows consumers to handle them, still, a business that educates it customers by way of a knowledgable staff and well-thought-out merchandising will not be disadvantaged.  These shops will see their efforts rewarded with bigger profits and happier customers who will be leaving with the knowledge that they got the apple they wanted as opposed to an orange they didn't want.

In addition, it means your customers will be back to make purchases from you again, because they have been educated to know that they can expect the best value from you...and you'll not only deliver on their expectations, you'll exceed them!

content & design 2002-2008 David Williams and SafeCollisionRepairs.com

About Safe Collision Repairs

For more than ten years, David Williams of Wheelersburg, Ohio's Safe Collision Repairs has worked with consumers and attorneys in the tri-states of Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia to expose unsafe auto repairs and maximize recovery on auto insurance claims. Some of the company's services include Post-Repair Inspections, Prepurchase Inspections, Auto Damage Assessments, Lemon Law Investigations, Expert Court Testimony and Diminished Value Calculations using an advanced version of Network Information Communication's WreckCheck program.

Inquiries can be directed to: Safe Collision Repairs David A. Williams Post Office Box 70 Wheelersburg, Ohio 45694 (740) 456-1111 (740) 355-4056

Disclaimer

The content expressed on this website and in the article above represents the opinions of David A. Williams. Williams is neither an attorney nor public insurance adjuster, but is an expert, consultant, and writer specializing in the field of automotive collision repair and valuations. The information provided herein is not intended to be a substitute for legal or insurance advice. Because collision repair is a continually evolving science, any text, materials or links found herein are provided without claim or guarantee to their accuracy or completeness.