Marketing Guide For Auto Repair Shops

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1000's of dollars on marketing and advertising and they are trying to confuse your customers about who is better qualified to serve them. Being that 73% of all.
HOW TO Get

F or

d e e t n a r Gua

“Now You Can Acquire New Customers Every Single Day… Month After Month… With Absolutely No Work On Your Part… GUARANTEED!”

Notes:

Why do you need new customers?

How Do We Lose Customers? #1.

According to the United States Postal Service (USPS) and customer studies

Big businesses

18.5% to 24% of your customers move every year. We the American people are a

can afford to

very transient society. We pick-up and move across the nation for a number of

spend money

reasons because we want to be closer or farther away from family, job opportunities,

on Branding,

better climate, etc, etc. We move because we’re looking for a better life.

#2.

Every minute of every hour, of every day, of every month and year; your

customers are prey to your competitors. Many competitors are spending 100’s of 1000’s of dollars on marketing and advertising and they are trying to confuse your customers about who is better qualified to serve them. Being that 73% of all customers cross shop, between both independent retail, business, service, etc, and larger corporations, you must continually battle the war. Because, when a customer switches to the other side and is captured by the allure of lower pricing, convenience, big budget advertising or by some other circumstance you have lost a customer, which costs big money!

#3.

Every day your customers have some type of life changing event: divorce,

children, marriage, kids off to college, grandparents, downsizing, upsizing, retiring,

we can ’ t!

moving across town, accidents, etc.. As your customers’ lives change so do their habits, which may draw them away from you and closer to another competitor, and worse, some of your customers just forget. They want a change or it’s easier to stop

Notes:

at Home Depot, or wherever, than drive the extra two more miles to your business. When I’ve done my survey in the past (located in back of this book) one of the main questions I ask is, “What is your number one biggest business problem?” You will be interested to know that 63.5% of the respondents say “I need more customers.” and 12.5% say “Cash Flow”, which would automatically increase if you had more new customers! In summary, 76% of respondents feel that acquiring new customers would solve most of their business problems. If you’re in this group, continue to read this report and learn how we can help you solve your problem!

“What Are Most Retailers Doing To Find New Customers And Replace Lost Ones” There are many tools, strategies and new technologies to acquire “New” Customers. Let’s look over the most common and see how they will fit your needs. Referrals or Word of Mouth: This is absolutely the cheapest and the best quality of New Customer you can acquire. This method is usually outstanding! My company loves referrals and we

T BES ! I dea

even reward everyone that sends customer our way. (We give them just a little ethical bribe... this month it’s a 1/2 gallon of mini chocolate chip cookies, two months from now it will be something different… maybe steaks!) However, relying on word of mouth will not likely replace all of your lost customers and grow your business. Traditional Advertising: There are many different types of mass media such as paper, television, radio, val-pak mailings, billboards, yellow pages, magazines etc. These listed are

WORST Idea!

very expensive and usually non-measurable. (It’s extremely hard to figure out your R.O.I. and say it cost $5.00 or $20.00 to get customers in the door if you can’t measure your ad.) However, more about that later. What is the role of traditional advertising? The role of traditional advertising should only be meant for new customer acquisition. It shouldn’t be used to inform your existing customers of sales or special announcements. The reason being is that mass advertising is just way too darn expensive. If you’re using mass media for advertising, such as radio, t.v., etc., then you’re pouring money down the rabbit hole. It’s not cost effective for you! The best method for contacting your existing customers is Emotional Direct mail using your own controlled data base. Why am I so sure of this last statement ? Because I’ve had over 384 members that have switched to this type of advertising and they continue to expand their customer base and kick the big box stores fat butts! That’s how I know it works! Don’t take my word. Read what Jim Carrington from Carrot-top says:

The Discovery I Made That Increased My Business By 47% In 9 Months. I wanted to tell everyone about a discovery I made 9 months ago and how it turned my business around and changed my personal attitude forever! Now don’t quit reading! But, I must give you a little background of what was taking place in my business approximately 3 years ago. After owning and operating a Produce and Fruit Market and Garden Center for 28 years the bottom fell out. All those Big Box Stores and Club Stores decided to move into town, you know, Wal-Mart, Costco, Home Depot, etc., etc. Anyways within 2 years, I lost 30% of my business and was very discouraged! In fact, I was explaining to a friend that my so called “Loyal Customers” were leaving and going to those stores and they had taken “the heart out of me!” I also realized that if I continued to lose business at the same rate I would be out of business this year. Then as luck would have it, I saw and answered one of Dean’s ads. He sent me a CD on the “10 Biggest Advertising and Marketing Mistakes Independent Retailers Make.”

Notes:

You know mistakes like: cutesy ads, no offer and advertising just to advertise. Dean explained how not to be an advertising and marketing victim and how to create a stampede of customers into my store by bringing back customers again and again. Plus how to out-sell and out-smart those club stores!

Notes:

He showed me it’s not our fault! We’ve been told so much B.S. by the media sellers and advertising agencies that we believe what they say, “You must advertise to advertise”. Frankly, I’m mad as hell and I didn’t want to take it anymore and yes, maybe a little desperate too. But, Dean guided me on how to turn around my advertising and marketing. He showed me How to create customer retention. By using his ideas and strategies I enjoyed over a 47% increase in 9 months and its fun going into work again! You may wonder why I’m writing this testimonial for Dean. Well, I hate big Box Stores and those club stores, they damn near ruined me and my business! So if I can help another independent retailer kick their butts and stay in business then I’m a happy man and have done my job. Thanks,

Jim Carrington Owner/Carrot-Top - Barrington, IL

“Who Can Use Direct Response?” Our clients often ask, “Why isn’t the radio, TV, yellow pages and billboards cost effective? It brings in new customers, why should I stop?” Because the ratio of the cost per acquisition of a new customer is too expensive. Here’s a great example: A friend of mine near Lansing, Michigan decided to place 13 billboard ads around Lansing at the cost $13,000 dollars. I asked him how many customers came in and his answer was a lot. I said, let’s be a little more specific. His answer was approximately 200. (Notice the word approximately. He actually had no darn idea… I hope that doesn’t sound familiar.) Anyway, let’s do the math. 200 customers divided into $13,000 cost of billboard = $65 per new customer acquisition. He learned a very expensive lesson. It was costing him over $65.00 per new customer for a retail business who’s average ticket is $33.00… he’s losing $32.00 per customer! Maybe he should advertise less and increase profits more! However, one can’t quit advertising all together or can they?

this Read ully! Caref

Let me say that all advertising works, but at what cost? Acquiring new customers at the cost of $65.00 each is expensive. His cost is even greater because my friend does not keep a current customer data base so he’s spending all this

Notes:

money and really has nothing to show for it except the original sale. No follow-up, no monthly newsletter, nothing but an original $33.00 sale. Let me expand on the idea of having a current customer database. Many independent business owners that I have dealt with such as restaurants, clothing apparel, furniture sales, auto repair and even some service industries like chiropractors, veterinarians and karate schools do not keep GOOD LISTS! One must have a current list of customers, then segregate them from “buying customers” to “Lost Customers”. Why a lost customer list? They are the 2nd easiest people to sell! They know who you are and what you do. All they need is a reason to come back and do business… like an irresistible offer! Give them a reason that they can’t refuse to come back again. A customer list is a necessity so you can also ask them to come back in and see you again. That’s why most dentists send out a six month check-up postcard to bring their customer back in again… shouldn’t everyone be doing something similar?

Only 4 Ways to Increase Business 1.) New Customer Acquisition 2.) Have Existing Customers Come Back Again & Again 3.) Up-sell existing customers: Sell them more goods/service per visit 4.) Lost customer program… bring them back! If you’re not happy with how your advertising dollars are working then read on… you will love this story: At a seminar I was speaking at, an advertising representative was listening to how I was saying that all advertising must be Brutally and Honestly Measurable or why do it? He asked (or told me) from the audience

That c ost Him R EAL mone y!

that you had to run an ad 9 times before it was believable and to see the exceptional results. I asked him if the darn ad didn’t work the first time, then how could it possibly work the 9th time? Needless to say, he wasn’t pleased with my answer and

Notes:

having been an advertising victim myself, I wasn’t about to let him tell me about branding. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never taken branding to the bank to deposit. The bank usually wants hard earned cash... I believe that maybe you’re like the “old me.” You’re frustrated with the advertising rep running into your shop yelling, “The deadline is tomorrow in order to save your place in Val-Pak, the newspaper, blah, blah, blah, you must give me the ad today!” Or the yellow page rep telling you your competitors are doing a full

his Does t Sound r? familia

page ad and you must do one also, he will put you in the upper right hand corner if you sign-up now. It’s like playing the Black Jack tables in Las Vegas hoping upon hope that you will occasionally win, especially when all the odds are stacked in favor of the house. I’m going to share a method that will cause a steady stream of new customers stampeding through your doors. The customers you need are ones that you can target with a rifle rather than the old shot gun approach. You must choose customers that you can Demographically and Geographically market to that will help you far exceed losses from movers, deaths, forgetfulness, or because they decided to do business some place else. These customers are New Move-Ins. Now before you say, “Done that, been there, don’t want to go there again,” let me explain why this system is different.

is This ! CIAL CRU

What Makes A Successful Customer Acquisition Campaign!

Notes:

Demographically Targeted New Movers Creates a Responsive Crowd New Movers equals New habits. These are people without established buying patterns. When people move they must find new restaurants, dry cleaners, car washes, hardware stores, dentists, veterinarians, chiropractors, etc. They must form a whole new pattern of habits of whom and where they buy their goods and services. New movers are more willing to try a business for the first time than established homeowners. This statement is worth saying again. It’s much easier to acquire new customers who just moved into a new area than to get established homeowners to break an existing habit and come in to your business. “Let’s think about that statement for a minute.” Why spend tons of money on advertising trying to steal a customer from someone else’s business when it’s more cost effective to target a new move in. 

Cost Effective and Measurable: Obtaining a list of new movers is attainable and you don’t have to give away the farm to purchase the list.



They Spend Lots of Money: New move-ins spend about 8 to 10 times more money for goods and services than established homeowners. My experiences have taught me that dollar for dollar this is an efficient and

cost effective strategy to reach hundreds of new prospects and turn them into paying customers. However, the real value is when you have converted that customer into a Life Time Customer or LTC.

w a st e Don ’ t r dy our ha cash! ear ned

Life Time Customer What is a life time customer worth? By using a simple formula we can find out. ____________________

Average transaction value

____________________

Number of visits per year

____________________

Number of years of expected patronage

____________________

Total lifetime value of customer

Notes:

Why is it important to know this number? Well, let’s go over an average example: If our average transaction is $65.00 and a customer visits 5 times a year and you keep them as a satisfied customer coming back for 10 years. You can determine the life time value of that customer at $3,250. 65

Average transaction value

5

Number of visits per year

10

Number of years of expected patronage

$3,250.00

th The Ma ’ t lie! doesn

Total lifetime value of customer

How much can you afford to spend in order to obtain a new customer that’s spending $3,250 in your business? What if they refer their family and friends, then how much is that customer worth? It’s really incredible to understand how well a no fuss, simple marketing system can easily and quickly increase your profits. It’s every bit as important as location, service, product and having the smartest sales people. Now, after reading the reason why new customer acquisition is so important you still might tell me, “Dean I’ve tried Welcome-Wagon or one of those other new move-in business coupon books and they didn’t work!”

o Read

n!

Well, there’s a reason they didn’t work. A small coupon, among 20-35 other pieces of junk offers, doesn’t work. You and your business must stand out.

Notes: Knowing The Right Strategy Makes New-Movers Work The first thing you must do is make a great offer. Great offers get great response. Lousy offers make lousy ads and receive lousy response. So, you need to know the right way to make an offer. Direct Marketing Magazine did a study and

ry We have ve on short attenti spans!

found out that you have exactly 5 to 30 seconds to engage and obtain the attention of your reader! If you don’t make your pitch “relevant” then the reader is gone. The old adage of grabbing attention then creating desire and finally a call to action is still true today. So now that you know all of this, you’re probably saying, “But it’s just too much damn work.” Well, having cash flow in July, August, September and October just may be worth the effort. However, I’ll tell you how to put your new move in mailers on autopilot, but more about that later.

My 2nd Strategy To Acquire More New Customers Will Blow Your Mind! I’ve already mentioned one way to acquire new customers in a cost effective manner. Here’s another way that will absolutely blow your mind! Are you ready? Birthdays! Yes, birthdays! People love celebrating their birthdays. They buy GIFTS, they go out to dinner, they get their hair done, However, very few businesses send out birthday offers. Why? Because it’s just too hard to write out those cards, put stamps on envelopes and of course keep track of all those names. Where do you find birthdays of your clients? This is another reason why your customer list is so important. Having your customers sign up for a loyalty program and acquire all their information including birth date should be mandatory.

st The #1 Mo d Celebrate

e Event in th ur Lives of yo ! customers

However, if you don’t have a customer list, did you know there are list companies which will sell you everyone’s birthdates? Along with, of course, their names and

Notes:

address. Birthdays are absolutely the second quickest and easiest way to acquire new customers and, remember, it’s the world’s largest holiday! Best of all... everyone has one.

How Can You Reach New Movers And Birthday People? Just like solving a puzzle, once you line up the outside edges you can simply find and piece together all the pieces. You will then find it a very simple process. 

The most important part of using new move-ins and birthdays is finding a

quality list. You need a list that matches the demographics of your customer base as closely as possible, such as:    

Married or single with children or grandparents in the home Homeowner or renter Radius from your business or perhaps only from the East side of town Income of under $40K, Over $40K, Over $60K, etc.

The better you can mirror image new movers or birthday people to look like your existing customers, the better your response will be. Now you have a choice to make. There’s only 2 ways to accomplish your goal of acquiring new customers: 1.) do it all yourself 2.) have someone do it for you. If you do it yourself, you need to decide on what mailing you like, what type of mailing list you would like to use, and how (or who) you’re going to get it printed and mailed. Here’s a couple list brokers that I have used before: 1. Rubin Management 2. Info USA 3. Melissa Data 4. Equifax 5. List Brokers

aphics Demogr est of your b rs! custome

Don’t forget, you also must implement a three step mailer and then decide on the following:

This is makes

 what   a great

mailing!

The offer The demographics on the customers you want to reach The copy or contents of the offer The design and layout of your letters or postcard so they get opened and read.

Sounds like a lot of work, however remember that it takes action to succeed.

Get Paid Every Day! Knowing that birthdays are the most celebrated holiday and New Move-Ins spend 8 to 10 times more on goods and services the 1st year, don’t you need a system in place to attract those customers? To have a Brutally and Honestly Measurable mailer to send you need… 1. The List: One that mirrors your Best Customers, no shotgun approach 2. The Offer: An irresistible offer that makes them want to come in and see your business... 3. The letter explaining why: Explain why you’re contacting them 4. The Gift Certificate: One that they have to hang on the refrigerator and see it until they use it 5. Lastly, A Deadline: Create a sense of urgency! They can ONLY use it for a short time

If you would like to see samples or find out more about our service, please email [email protected] and ask for a sample packet or fax the enclosed request form to (517) 546-2815.

Notes:

Business Survey WhaddaYaKnow??

Please take

33.5 seconds and answer the seven survey questions below. Simply put an “X” next to the answer you think is correct, fill in your information below and FAX or MAIL BACK your SURVEY immediately. In order to Thank You for your participation, we’ll immediately mail the correct answers along with a FREE informative , eyeopening package which reveals “How To Simply & Easily Acquire New Clients For Your Business, ioned t Guaranteed”, authored by Dean Killingbeck, a n e As m leading authority on how to truly build your busi2... e g ness. As another way to say “THANKS FOR PARTICIPATa on p ING IN OUR SURVEY” we’ll ALSO submit all completed entries received by the 8th of next month into a random drawing where the winners will receive a FREE OneOne-Hour MARKETING MAKEMAKE-OVER On How To Acquire More Guests in a Month Than Most Businesses 1. Business studies have shown that interior 5. Women make what percent of all buying Acquire in a Year. and exterior signs account for: decisions: _____10% sales Value this _____ 25%of sales

_____15% sales

2. The most effective type of direct mail for ANY TYPE of business is: _____4x6 Postcard _____ 1 page letter

_____6x11 jumbo postcard _____ 4 page letter

3. In order for your business advertisement to be effective it must have: _____Interesting Headline _____Specific Offer _____ Deadline Date _____ All of These

4. Business studies have demonstrated what percent of all gift certificates NEVER get redeemed: _____9% _____ 20%

_____ 23%

Marketing Make-Over is PRICELESS... _____ 35& sales _____ 58%

_____13% _____ 38%

_____38% _____ 72%

6. Recent surveys have concluded that the reason people stop visiting a particular restaurant is because: _____ No special reason given _____ They found another business they like better _____ They moved away _____ They had complaints that were not taken care of

7. What percent of existing customers or clients does the typical business lose each month when they don’t contact them: _____8% _____ 23%

_____19% _____ 31%

8. What’s the biggest problem plaguing your business:

________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________

Owners Name: _____________________________ Business:________________________________ Address: __________________________________________________________________________ City: _____________________________________ ST: _________ Zip: _______________________ Phone: ___________________________________ Fax: ____________________________________ Email:____________________________________________________________________________ Providing this information constitutes your permission to be contacted by New Customers Now, via phone, fax, email, mail or any other means of communication

FAX Back To: 517-546-2815

Just wanted to give an update on how GREAT your birthday program is. We have averaged 20-22% response consistently in all six locations for three months straight! It is absolutely NO WORK, other than bringing the box to the post office when it arrives. I strongly recommend you to all restaurant owners. Thanks again, Rob Ryder, ROR Restaurants

We started are first shop on the program in late 2007. We have been averaging 30-35 new customers a month with a record of 42 in January from these mailing alone. We added are second shop a couple of months ago and are doing 25-30 new customers a month there. This program is very turn key highly recommended to anyone that wants new customers. Sara and the rest of the people are very helpful and great to work with. Thanks for everything and keep up the great work. Jeff Shuh, JJs Auto Clinic, Neenah, WI

I wanted to update you on our overall success of the Birthday Mailer you mailed for us. We redeemed 54 gift certificates out of 185 mailers sent. That’s a 29.18% return with a cost of only $294.15. Our total sales were $2335.62 which gives us a 1 to 8 ROI. So we made money with cold birthday’s mailers and, as you can see, we now can measure results unlike radio or TV ads. How sweet is that? However, the best part is that we acquired 54 new customers this month with absolutely no work on our part! We love your system. If this continues throughout the coming months, we could have well over 650 new customers this year. Dean when I first saw your unique approach to cold birthday mailers I knew they were winners and you proved me right. Thanks!

I wanted to let both you and Dean know what an essential part you’re playing in our total marketing system. As you know, we are planning on having the largest month ever at Langley’s. Consequently we are doing not only your monthly birthdays, but our house anniver sar ies, ½ birthdays, and secret shoppers. We know that you get response, can handle all our mailers, and we make money! Thanks!! Fred Langley, Langley’s On The Green, CA

Michael Thibault, Waves Restaurant, St. Claire Shores. MI. P.S. I’ve dropped those other people that I was using for New Mover mailers and plan on only using your systems starting this month.

Here’s a quick note telling you about our outstanding success with your monthly birthdays. We are redeeming between 18-20% of the letters we send out. Our customers love it and say that we are the only ones that have sent them something on their birthday! We are making a great impression on our clients – plus we can measure our success! Phil Morrow, Khaki’s Fresh Food

We really love your monthly birthday and new mover mailers to acquire new customers. As you know, I’m opening another store and one of the first things I’m going to do is start your birthday and new mover programs. Just like everyone else, I’m so busy that I don’t have time to send out letters by myself. It’s great that you do everything for us, even the stamping!! Thanks for having such a great system that works! Bob Furlani, Sonny’s

"There is no question that we can always count on averaging one new customer per business day when we send out our birthday mailers. We have been involved with the program for over 7 months and the results have been excellent and consistent!"

We have been getting between 125 to 200 redeemed on 1000 to 1300 birthday mailers being sent. So with our 20 dollar discount, we get $10,000 to $12,000 in sales, after the 3 to 4 thousand comp, we are netting about $5,000 to $8,000 being spent by customers when they come in on their birthdays. So this definitely seems to be a winner! The unmeasureable component of these mailers is that people will come up to us and thank us for thinking about them! Even if they didn’t use their certificate, they say it was so nice that we offered and were thinking of them. They say this to me, my dad, and my mother. This program is the equivalent of a hand-written birthday card in today’s world. So this has definitely generated a lot of positive feedback in the community. Thank you. Grant Pivec, Piv’s Pub Cockeysville, MD

Just a note to let you know how much we like the cold birthday mailings. June was our third month and we are simply amazed with the results. There was a small change that I wanted to make and it was as easy as one phone call. Everyone in your office is wonderful to work with. Looking forward to working with you for a long time to come. We are currently sending out over 1000 mailers per month and with a redemption rate of 15.3%, that’s over 150 new customers per month. What a great investment!! Rodney& Carla Miller, Stoll’s Country Inn Restaurant, Bakery & Catering Evansville, IN and Linton, IN

I have been using the Birthday Mailer Program since December 2007. I am very pleased with the quality of customers and the response I receive from using them. We have been getting a 4% return and have generated over $9500.00 in business in five months. Jon Griesbach, Griesbach Auto Service Inc.

I wanted to let you know about our Birthday and New Mover mailers campaign. Both of them have been a great success with the birthday mailers receiving approximately 15% to 16% redemption rates and new mover mailers just slightly lower. We are very pleased with the results. Both systems make us money and continue to bring in a boat-load of new clients, which is exactly what we need! Also, our new customers have been complimenting us on the personalization of our mailings. Can you believe they actually noticed all the hard work that you’re doing to insure that they open our mailers? Well, keep it up it working! Also, we would like to compliment you and your staff on how easy it is working with you and how quickly you respond to our requests. For example, when we asked you to place our granddaughter’s picture on our postcard, you did it without hesitation. Thanks so much for a system that brings in new customers and doesn’t cost us an arm and a leg like yellow pages (which I have now dropped). Thanks again! Michael Clark, Ed & Joe’s Restaurant, Tinley Park, IL

New Customers Now is one of the easiest companies to work with. Shannon is quick, responsive and listens to what you want done. They make the process very simple. The results we have had with the Birthday Card program have been amazing for our automotive repair facility. If you use a great offer, great customers will respond!!! Craig & Amy Heiser, University Automotive, Sacramento, CA

© Copyright 2008 New Customers Now! 725 Mason Rd ● Howell, MI 48843 (ph) 517.548.5315 ● (fax)