VICtor Drew says that for many shop owners—himself included—marketing savvy was not something they possessed when they started their businesses.
“Too many technicians who have an ‘entrepreneurial seizure’ and go into business for themselves don’t learn enough about marketing,” says Drew, president of Drew Brothers First Autobody in Tampa, Fla. He is also a frequent speaker and instructor at industry events.
Like the carpenter who becomes a contractor or the hairdresser who opens a salon, technician-owners think that their knowledge about fixing cars will automatically translate into business success, Drew says. This realization came from his own experience trying to build a shop after working as a painter.
“I realized that if you couldn’t get cars in the front door, it didn’t matter how good you perceived yourself [to be] as a technician,” he says. “And marketing a body shop is a little different than marketing a lot of other businesses. It’s similar to selling a large appliance—people are only going to buy once every five to 10 years, not on a regular basis. We are occurrence-driven, not need-driven.” Drew says you can cultivate or develop a need for most any other service or product, such as selling someone a nice set of clothes they don’t need. But you can’t ‘create’ a need for collision repair.
Many shop owners make up for a lack of marketing expertise in one of two ways, both likely to fail, Drew says. They either spend no money or effort on marketing, assuming that quality work and word- of-mouth are enough to sustain the business. Or they spend far too much money on random advertising and marketing schemes without thinking about how to get the most bang for their buck.
Drew says shop owners taking either of these approaches are missing out on relatively inexpensive ways to help attract a steady supply of collision repair work. Here are some cost-effective marketing ideas used by shop owners around the country that have been collected during interviews, industry seminars and gatherings.
Marketing often requires more in the way of creativity than money. So while books, Web sites and articles like this can be helpful, it’s better to use these resources as a springboard to your own ideas. Set aside a few hours every month to think about your marketing plan and what you could do differently. See what’s working for other companies—even outside of this industry. Think about what draws you to other businesses. Ask your neighbors and friends about what might set your company apart or earn it some free publicity.
There’s an old business saying: “You’re wasting half of your marketing budget—the key is knowing which half.” Low-cost marketing techniques such as these give you the freedom to try new things without a huge risk—helping you determine how to make the most of your marketing resources.
