The Car Care Professional Network (CCPN) has taken note of research showing how dealership closings might affect the aftermarket, and is offering members a tested program to help its independent repair shop members.
The CCPM used research that the NPD Group released during the Global Automotive Aftermarket Symposium (GAAS) stating that when a new car dealership closes, taking with it the service department, the vehicle owners previously serviced by that dealership change service providers.
The breakdown is:
• 51 percent continue to use a new car dealer service department, although it may be at a less convenient location.
• 24 percent turn to the independent automotive service center.
• 12 percent don’t know where to get the car serviced or repaired.
• 10 percent choose a source other than the new car dealer or the independent garage for service.
• 3 percent do more themselves (DIY).
Realizing that approximately three out of four people turned away by a closing car dealership do not choose the independent, the CCPN executive committee has developed a direct mail program specifically targeting the owners of the vehicle makes represented by the closing car dealership.
The CCPN teamed up with R.L. Polk & Co. and the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) to create the program.
By using a highly targeted vehicle owner list, mailing costs are kept to a minimum because promotional cards are not sent to all households in a geographic area, rather only to households owning the specific vehicle make, according to the CCPN.
Promotional post cards are targeted as well, featuring customization with vehicle make and message directed toward the vehicle owner in search of a new service and repair facility. Messages on these cards are not generic service and repair messages, but a message targeted directly at winning the vehicle owner over to the independent shop, as the new car dealer they have used for years disappears.
Multiple mailing card templates and designs are available for a CCPN member shop to select from as well as the ability to customize the message to help the independent repair shop get the most cost effective targeting possible at the least costly price, the group says.
The program is available to any member of CCPN starting June 1. For more detailed information on CCPN membership or for shop owners who wish to discuss the use of the CCPN Target Marketing Program, contact, Sue Kalish, senior director of education at AAIA at (301) 654-6664 or [email protected].
