During this economic slowdown dealerships need to be aggressive in finding new business and continuously marketing to the existing customers in their DMS. Some handy tips on revving up the gross and keeping your shop full of vehicles are listed below. If you stay on top of this list daily you will be ahead of the game and dollars will chase you instead of you chasing the dollars.
1. Call all customers the day before they’re scheduled to bring their vehicles in to confirm their appointment.
2. Review your DMS and call those customers whose state inspection sticker or emissions certification is due to expire.
3. Review your “Estimates” file for work that was never performed, track your declined services, and people who would have had work done but hadn’t found the time to come in.
4. Call all customers with recommended repairs listed on previously closed repair orders – again tracking your declined service work is a great source of future potential revenue..
5. Call customer “no-shows” from previous days. Often these customers simply forgot, or an important issue arose.
6. Notify customers of special order parts that have come in and book their appointment.
7. Make “Thank you for your business” phone calls the following day.
8. Call customers regarding maintenance and repair of the second or third (or more) vehicles in their
household, “We Service Your Other Vehicles Too”.
9. Review repair orders for factory or shop warranties due to expire, offer to perform a FREE courtesy inspection.
10. Call all customers with vehicle leases due to expire and recommend an inspection prior to turning their vehicles in.
11. Estimate current mileages on the vehicles in your DMS and determine upcoming vehicles due for various services such as oil changes and other scheduled maintenance items. Then call those customers.
12. Request that your employees personally refer work to the shop, ALL employees should have a business card.
As well, call the following and advise them that you can provide them with priority service on any day that’s not full on your appointment schedule:
1. Vendors.
2. Local used car lots.
3. Local Body shops.
4. Any and ALL fleet customers.
5. AAA Automotive
6. Local Towing companies.
David
