THA 148: Generating Repeat Business

David Roman began his automotive career in 1999, attending an automotive technical school at a local community college. While attending college, he took a part-time job at a large parts retailer, hoping to gain some experience in the field. This part-time job turned into full-time employment, as he was promoted to management, culminating in placement as a store manager in East Central Illinois.

David discovered a passion for helping people and sharing his automotive knowledge. This passion for serving others allowed him the opportunity to successfully manage multi-million dollar operations in Illinois, the St. Louis area, and eventually Kansas City. His approach to customer service garnered him several accolades and awards, something he eventually wanted to bring to automotive repair and service.

In 2012, he opened Done With Care Auto Repair with the goal of bringing exceptional customer service, transparency, and honest work to his clients. The business was started with only some savings, no prior clients, and no history. Over the last six years, David has been able to bring a servant’s mentality to helping his clients with their automotive needs resulting in loyal customers, excellent reviews, and a solid reputation.  Find other episodes that feature David HERE.

Kelli Weatherby co-owner, with husband Lee, in Accurate Automotive, Inc. in Mesa, AZ. Accurate Automotive was founded in July 1994

Their time building Accurate Automotive, Inc. has been very adventurous. Along the way they have been fortunate to have received awards but mostly Kelli treasures her involvement in ATI and being a part of the sole all women 20 groups, Leading Ladies.

Kelli is the mother of 2. Morgan (daughter), Corbin (Son) both married now and working in their careers. Corbin is a father of 3 which makes me a Nana who LOVES to spoil her little’s!!!   Listen to Kelli’s previous episodes HERE.

Key Talking Points:

• Begin with the end in mind as you work to build your relationship with your customer
• Consider mystery shop your business
  • We do ignore many of the things that are wrong with our business
  • We can get dumb to our surroundings
• Offer customers a tour of your shop
  • Involve them in new equipment
  • Get them to meet your technicians. A bright spot for your technician
  • Allow them to get a view of your clean and high-tech shop
• Define your customer life cycle
  • Type of lead acquisition, cold lead, warm lead, referral
  • Their experience, inspection processes, getting an estimate, selling work, receiving service
  • Follow up (back-end) biggest opportunity if front end if set up correctly
    • Your groundwork for future work is set with each experience they have with you
    • It is not asking for additional work, it is about providing value to the customer and continuing to build a relationship in a natural process
      • Use email, social media, texts, phone calls
      • David strives for a weekly touch with his customer
    • Consistent contact with your customer. They will receive you if you provide consistent value
  • Customer should know this is a long term relationship
  • It is too easy to send a mailer with a ‘let’s get acquainted’ email and your existing customers get the mailer. How do they feel? David says this is a wrong tactic.
• You are working hard to get a new customer than to build a relationship with a customer who has already been in your door
• David sends monthly emails with landing pages
  • The message is we appreciate you
• Determine what works consistently for you
  • Email with landing pages
  • Newsletter
  • Mailer
  • Social
• Your emails need to be organic and not institutional
  • An example was a story of scorched gravy at Thanksgiving
  • Connect with your customers at a different level. Not boring.
  • We appreciate you as our customer is communicated in David’s marketing.
  • We want you to come back over and over again
  • We are educating you, providing value to you
  • David D. Get his email for inspiration
  • Find a smooth way to lead into a sale (a soft sale)
• David does not believe that social posts are not getting the kind of engagement you need for the effort you put in
• A community relationship needs to be brought into your email marketing. Leverage it for your marketing
  • Find the organic story in each of your experiences and turn that into a post or email
  • Your philanthropy should not be for profit, but to profile you and your company’s causes
  • Include pics of your philanthropy in your mailers and not pictures of cars or your building
• Texting works unless you are sending one to sell declined work. Careful. Texting is a tactical tool to keep in touch but not for a hard sell.
  • Kelli uses more texts than emails
• Find the story to tell from the many jobs you do each day that helps customer know the story of safety and reliability
  • Make it genuine
  • Your voice in the words you write
  • Use your smartphone to capture a moment to share
  • Life gives you content. You need to recognize it
• David uses software to create custom campaigns
  • Many options like Infusionsoft, Entraport, Click Funnels
• Kelli advises watching ‘Sticky Church’ on YouTube
• David says you are the best marketer for your small business. Careful if you delegate it. Your voice, your personality is unique to you. You know your company best and see organic content each day that others may not see unless you share
  • All the sales are in the follow-up.
  • The second visit is worth 6 times the initial visit.     (sound bite: 45) up to :47
  • The second and third visits are critical and should permeate your marketing
• Your marketing efforts are about building trust

Resources:

• A special thanks to David Roman and Kelli Weatherby for their contribution to the aftermarket.
• Books Page HERE
• Leave me an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one of them.

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Thanks to Shop Ware and Jasper:

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