WW - It is good topic, and one that many take for granted. You state you contact 50 people per week. I feel that if you're asking others to participate in expounding on measures other business take to remain successful, I'd like you to please expound on the contact tip you've sited. I am very interested in this as I need to reach more people now that we're (hopefully) coming into spring in New England.
How do you go about contacting 50 people per week? Direct mail? Fliers, Email, google ads, social media, all of the above? What is your messaging? Do you have a good rate of return on the 50 contacts? How much do you spend (time / money) on making these contacts?
So here are mine, they seem common sense... but here we go.
Listen and instill trust - Trust and integrity is huge in this business. People are trusting you with their vehicles. Listen to what people say about their vehicles, what items they're concerned about. Some people say it without realizing it. I once had a woman state engine cleaning 3 times, yet she's never popped a hood on a car in her life. Yet, when I delivered the car the engine bay was detailed. She was thrilled!
Be compassionate - I had a customer whose cat died, and on her way to the vet, the cat urinated on the seat. Being an animal lover myself, and one who has lost a dog two years ago, I felt so bad for her. We quoted for cleaning the seat, but once we saw the interior of the vehicle, I realized she needed a full interior. We knocked it out in two hours and in the mean-time she hung out with my two greyhounds, which helped with her cat passing. We fully reconditioned the interior to like-new, she was shocked.
Go above or beyond - I had one person worried about the rock-chips on the hood. I did Dr. Color Chip repairs and didn't charge her. She was so excited that the rock-chips were dealt with. She asked how much, and I said "no charge".
Keep it fun - Another thing I do is contests. I recently did one where I asked customers to write testimonials. Of those that did, I put their names in a hat and drew two to win (each) SnoBrum's which I ordered from AGO. Sadly, or luckily, NH has had little to no snow this year and it's 52 degrees out today! LOL. I'll be doing another contest soon, just haven't figured out what it's going to be for, thus AG will be getting another order soon for some sort of car accessory.
Monthly Emails with tips - This forum is a treasure trove to gather tips. For example, there are so many threads on how to maintain a car in the winter, that I put together a news letter and sent it to my customers. The "Do Not Wash my car" is another great tip. While I won't copy Mike's words, I'll write my own based upon the topic.
Build rapport with others in your business - I've said before, competition is good, but reaching out to others in the same business and building a rapport is very helpful. Don't undercut prices of your local guys as you'll hurt the economy. Once others don't see you as a threat, they may refer some of their overflow to you, and likewise.
Honestly, WW you state you contact 50 people per month. I don't know how you do that... but I think you'll get some good tips on here. Most seem like common sense, but one must not make assumptions.
