How to Use Your Service Department as a Marketing Tool

As a Powersports dealer you have a unique opportunity to market to your customers. And it’s sitting right there in your dealership. What is it?

We’re talking about your service department. Most Powersports dealers don’t look at their service department from a marketing standpoint. But this part of your dealership is a great way to establish an ongoing, positive relationship with your customers.

Think about it: you sell equipment to a customer one time. But you may service that equipment 10 times or more during its lifetime. So shouldn’t your service department be set up to constantly impress these customers that are continually coming back?

Of course it should.

So how do you do it?

1. Keep Your Promises
Does your dealership have certain promises or standards it makes to every customer? This could be that no customer waits in line more than two minutes, everyone is greeted by name, etc. Whatever standards your sales staff has to live up to on the sales floor, make sure those same standards are being upheld in your service department.

Make sure there is at least one computer installed in the service department with your Powersport office software. This way team members can look up customer names, order histories, part orders, etc. and provide the same quality service that your sales staff does.

2. Admit Your Mistakes
Occasionally, balls will get dropped in your service department. Parts go missing, service orders take two weeks instead of one…it happens to everyone.

What’s important is that your team admit to the customer when they’ve made a mistake or had a delay. Instead of pointing fingers or placing blame on another distributer (or team member, for that matter), have them take responsibility for what happened. Make sure they know to apologize sincerely for the delay, and do whatever it takes to make that customer happy again.

3. Give Your Team Training
Your techs and mechanics should have the same access to customer service training that your sales reps do. They need to become experts in the art of customer service. The better service your techs and mechanics provide to your customers, the more your reputation is going to spread. People will go out of their way to get their equipment serviced by your team if they know they’re going to get great service and top-notch treatment.

4. Teach Your Team to Upsell
Do your mechanics get any sales training?

Well if they don’t, they should. Think about this: imagine a customer brings in a bike for an oil change. Your tech notices their wheels are getting a bit thin. There’s a chance for them to make a sale right there.

Again, make sure your service department team gets the same training your sales team does. It could make a huge difference to your bottom line.

Last Word…
Many dealers don’t think about their service department when it comes to sales and customer service. But your team here is in a unique position to deal with your repeat customers on a regular basis. Making sure they have adequate training and that they know the standards you’re expecting can really pay off in the long run.

How to Use Customer Service as a Marketing Tool

How would you rate your dealership’s customer service? Five out of ten? Eight out of ten?

Many dealers would swear their customer service is top-notch. But ask your customers what they think, and you might get some surprising answers that you’re not too happy with.

It’s all too easy for owners, and employees, to let customer service slide at times. But poor customer service can do more harm to your business than a new Home Depot opening up a mile down the road. Dealers must provide excellent customer service if they want to compete today.

The problem is that many times, employees don’t know what “excellent customer service” really means. Which is why setting standards for your business will not only raise the level of service, but will help market your business through word of mouth.

Strategy #1: Create a Powerful 8-Word Statement that Defines Your Dealership

Does your dealership have a slogan that powerfully defines your mission and promise to your customers?

If not, then you need to create one as part of your marketing efforts. This 8-word statement needs to define what’s at the heart of your dealership. It needs to tell your customers why you’re unique.

Think of this statement as your dealership’s “brand”. It needs to tell people why your customer service is better than every other dealer’s customer service, and what you’re going to do for them.

It can be challenging to pack that into an 8-word statement. If you’re having trouble, then enlist your employees to help. You might be astonished at the clever slogans they can come up with to brand your business.

Photo © by Infusionsoft

Strategy #2: Establish Standards to Help Market Your Dealership

Does your dealership have standards for customer service?

Surprisingly, many don’t. But customer service standards set the tone for your store; they’re a promise to your customers that you’re going to take care of them and if you fail, they get compensated in return.

For instance, one Midwestern dealership makes the following promises to all their customers:

• Customers will not wait in line more than 5 minutes for a part.
• Customers will not wait on hold more than 2 minutes.
• Customers will always be greeted by name during checkout.

This is just a small sample of the standards they set in their store.  If anyone, from the owner to the employees, fail to uphold these standards then that customer get a free oil change next time they bring their equipment in for repair.

The biggest advantage to defining standards is that it helps employees see clearly what’s expected of them. Nothing is left “unsaid” or vague.

So how can you do all this? Well, good OPE inventory management software can make a dramatic difference in your dealership’s customer service. OPE software can help your team find parts quickly, check the status on parts or repairs, check on back orders, and allow you to easily look up customers to greet them by name.

This speedy, personalized service can help your team uphold the standards you’re setting.

Last Word…

Excellent customer service gets results. Taking actions like having a clear statement about your business and creating standards will help define your dealership and give your team clear directives to shoot for.

What Is PR, and How Do You Implement a PR Program?

As an OPE dealer you might not think you need a Public Relations (PR) campaign. After all, aren’t PR campaigns used by giant corporations? Why would your dealership need one of those?

PR campaigns or programs are not slick, savvy marketing campaigns designed to “hoodwink” your customers. A PR program is just another term for a plan to show the public you’re part of the community. And yes, your dealership definitely needs one.

PR programs are much more than just advertising. It’s a multi-faceted approach to getting more exposure for your dealership, and getting people to know, like and trust you and your business. PR programs put a personal face on your dealership.

So, how do you put one together? Well, think of a PR program like a hand; there’s a wide base, and several different fingers reaching out. Your PR plan needs to have several “fingers” reaching out into the community.

Step 1: Send out Press Releases

A press release is nothing more than a one-page “announcement” you send out to your local newspaper or magazine to let them know of a potential story idea.

The key to getting exposure for a press release is to make it interesting from the editor’s point of view. All they care about is a good story; they’re not interested in just promoting your business.

What can you write a press release about? Anything at all, as long as it’s newsworthy and you can make it interesting. This is especially true if you’re doing good things in the community, like implementing a recycling program and safely disposing of oil in your business, or hosting a charity event.

Well-written press releases can get you a ton of free press in the newspaper and in the local news.

Step 2: Get Involved With Your Community

Are you on the School Board? Does your dealership host a Little League team? Do you collect canned food each December for your local food pantry?

Your dealership needs to be involved with your community on a personal level. This is a huge part of a PR program, but it takes advance planning.

For instance, if you want to collect food for your food pantry in December, then start planning in July or August. Send out a press release in early November so the paper can run the story before the collection begins.

It’s helpful to plan out an entire year’s community events so you can make sure you have all your bases covered.

You can use your OPE business software as a powerful marketing tool in your PR program. For example, you could send an email out to customers letting them know of the upcoming food drive (or other event) and invite them to come drop off donations.

Last Word…

A PR program is nothing more than a multi-faceted plan to get more exposure for your business. Just keep in mind what “PR” stands for: Public Relations. Focus on putting a personal face on your business; get involved with your community, and prove that you’re an integral part just like everyone else.

How to Use Social Networking to Grow Your Business

You’ve no doubt heard about how social networking is sweeping the world off its feet…including the business world. Everyone, it seems, from tiny home-based businesses to large, multi-national corporations are using social networking to get in touch with their customers and grow their business.

But how can you, as an outdoor power equipment dealer, use social networking to grow your business? And is it even worth the time?

Well, there are several ways that outdoor power equipment dealers can use social networking. And, it’s definitely worth your time if you do it consistently.

Why Invest the Time?

Because that’s where your customers, and your future customers, are spending their time. More people now use Facebook than Google. If you don’t have a Facebook page for your dealership, then you’re missing a huge opportunity to connect with your customers.

Social Networking is also very personal. It’s an easy way to reach out to thousands of people (for free), and develop a relationship. The more your customers, and your future customers, see your dealership’s name, and the more they interact with you, the likelier they are to spend money in your store.

How to Use Social Networking

Facebook should be the first social networking page you set up.

Start by uploading pictures of your dealership, and inviting customers to look you up on the site. Make sure there are incentives for them to do so; let them know you’ll be offering special coupons to all your Facebook fans.

If you’re having a hard time finding fans once you get your page set up, then try and find your city’s Facebook page (chances are, they have one). Once you become their fan, you’ll be able to see everyone else who is a fan of your local town. Invite them to become a fan of your dealership.

The goal here to continually grow your fan base. And it’s vital that you provide value to everyone who’s a fan of your Facebook page. So post quality articles you find online that will help your customers take care of their lawn, do interesting projects on their home, or shovel snow safely.

Using Twitter should be the same way. You can find Twitter fans by typing in your zip code, or becoming friends with other local businesses and then befriending the people on their list.

Twitter is a great way to stay “top of mind” with your customers. You have 140 characters to talk about whatever you want. But you can also post coupons, let customers know about upcoming sales and events, or even post helpful articles that your customers would be interested in.

Measuring Response

It’s important to realize that seeing results from social networking takes time, which is why many business owners don’t believe it works. They’ll focus on it for a month or two, and then give up.

The key is to keep going; social networking only works if it’s done consistently. This means spending time on it every week, at the least.

Social networking may seem overwhelming to many dealers, but focus on doing a small bit at a time. Remember, do it daily or weekly, and do it consistently. Social networking is a long-term growth strategy, not a way to “get rich quick”.

Are You Making These 3 Marketing Mistakes In Your Dealership?

Most OPE dealers know they need to be marketing themselves in some way. But, many owners rarely spend the time to learn how to market their store effectively. As a result, they end up wasting precious marketing dollars, and losing potential business. All because they’re making simple mistakes that can easily be fixed.

So, are you making these common marketing mistakes in your dealership?

Mistake #1: No Strategy

Do you have a marketing strategy for your dealership?

If you’re like most dealers, then the answer is probably “no”. This is one of the most common mistakes you can make with your marketing efforts.

Think of it this way: you wouldn’t start a business without a business plan, right? And you certainly wouldn’t head off on a road trip without a map.

Well, marketing your business is exactly the same. A marketing strategy is a road-map for where you want to go with your marketing, and a plan for what you want to achieve.

The Fix: Create a plan for your marketing efforts. Identify a goal first (like a 10% increase in sales this quarter), and then research a strategy for getting there.

Mistake #2: Living in the Past

Many dealerships don’t bother to gather their customers’ emails addresses. But, this is a huge mistake! Email is by far the cheapest and most effective way to communicate with your customers. You could be putting out a monthly newsletter filled with helpful tips and articles. This would keep you on your customers’ minds, and strengthen that level of trust.

The Fix: You can easily start gathering customer email addresses with your OPE point of sale software. Your employees can simply ask customers as they check out. You can motivate them to give their address by letting them know that you’ll be sending out special coupons and advance notice of sales (but make sure you follow through on this!). Email is also a very effective way to let customers know if there is a recall, or if there is warranty information they need to know about.

Mistake #3: No Idea How Much to Spend

It’s hard to know how much to spend on marketing. And, many dealers don’t create any kind of marketing budget at all. They simply do what they did the year before (like placing a radio ad in the fall and spring) and leave it at that.

But, just as you have a budget for your business, you need to create a budget for your marketing.

The Fix: Marketing is most effective when it’s done consistently. So, plan out a budget so you’re spending something each month to market your business. Most experts recommend that you spend 3%-5% of your total revenue on marketing. So, if you sell $1 million each year, then you need to be spending $30,000-$50,000 on marketing.

Last Word…

Marketing should be a vital part to any OPE dealership. If you’re currently making one (or all) of these marketing mistakes, then don’t worry! They’re easy to fix. Focus on creating a strategy, updating your marketing techniques, and planning out a budget that’s right for your dealership. These techniques will help ensure that you stay consistent with your marketing, and getting the most bang for your buck.

How to Set Your Dealership Apart From Your Competition

All of us have competition. Even if you’re located in a small town, 50 miles away from the nearest city, you still have competition. Where’s it coming from?

Our competition comes from other local dealerships, big box stores like Home Depot, and even the Internet. These days, OPE dealers are hit from all sides, and it can be a real challenge to keep customers coming in your door when they have so many options.

The key to maintaining customer loyalty and consistent sales is that you have to set yourself apart. You have to give people a reason to come to your dealership. We know, you’ve probably heard that one before, right? Well, here are some unique ideas to make your shop stand out.

Strategy #1: Consider Your Audience

Did you know that over 42 million Americans can’t read at all? And over 50 million can’t read above a fourth or fifth grade level.

There are another 44.9 million people who don’t speak English fluently.

What does this have to do with your OPE dealership? Well, everything. Chances are you have some customers, maybe quite a few, that can’t read well or at all. If you look around your store, however, how easy is it for these customers to find what they need? Imagine yourself walking into your own store, unable to read any of the signs you have up. Picture them in a different language. How overwhelmed would you be?

You can make your dealership unique by giving these customers a helping hand. Putting up signs with images, as well as words, would better help them navigate your store. These images will also help everyone find what they need faster and easier. Making your dealership more user-friendly in this way will keep customers coming back.

Strategy #2: Don’t Turn Business Away

You probably read that and thought, “Who in their right mind would turn business away?”

Well, many dealerships do. How? Because they refuse to work on equipment that was bought somewhere else.

This strategy is a good one if you want to send customers to your competition. Inflexibility is one of the quickest ways to lose a customer for good. Want to inspire loyalty and keep your customers coming back? Then work with them. Be flexible. Help them however you can. Sticking too closely to “policy” will only drive people away.

Strategy #3: Track Your Customers

Do you know which of your customers buy which products? Unless you have quality outdoor power equipment office software, then probably not.

The advantage to tracking your customers’ buying habits is that it allows you to become familiar with what they’re interested in. Chances are, you see around 5%-10% of your more loyal customers on a regular basis. Do you know them by name? Do you remember what they bought last time, so you can ask how it’s working out?

Good software will allow you to pull this information up in seconds. Imagine how special that customer would feel if you greeted him or her by name, and asked how the snow blower they bought last month was working out for them.

They’d feel unique and appreciated, that’s for sure. And this is what a high quality, customized outdoor power equipment office software can give you.

There are plenty of unique ways that allow you to stand head and shoulders above your competition. You just have to be willing to think outside the box a bit, and work more flexibility into your shop. Do that, and your customers will keep coming back.

How to Compete with the Big Box Stores

Unless you’re in a remote rural area, then your dealership is probably competing with a big box store like Lowe’s or Home Depot. The stores are everywhere and many dealers are wondering, especially in this recession, how they can compete with these discounting giants and still stay in business.

Well, the bad news is that you probably can’t compete with the big box stores, at least on price. They simply buy too much compared to smaller dealerships.

The good news is that you can leverage their traffic to get more sales.

How?

Well, one way is to change your hours. Many dealerships close at noon on Saturdays, and might close entirely on Sundays. But, many customers go out shopping late on Saturdays and on Sundays, because that’s the only free time they have to go. So can you blame them for buying from a big box store? After all, you were closed.

So, make sure you’re open to receive your customers when they’re ready to buy.

It’s also important to realize that, due to so much uncertainty with jobs and the economy, many people are feeling very skittish. They’re seeking the comfort of trusted relationships far more than they have in the past, which could be a real opportunity for dealers. That level of trust of familiarity simply isn’t there in the big box stores, which feature new faces almost every week.

Your dealership can offer your customers a stable, trusted environment, familiar faces, and a sense of community. But, you need to be open in order to support those relationships.

This is a theme you need to be using in your marketing as well. Your store is full of trusted experts that will take care of its customers. Home Depot can’t really say the same, not when their power equipment guy also works in plumbing and in the lumber department!

This is definitely an opportunity you, as a dealer, should be embracing right now.

Another smart way to compete is to use a portion of your marketing dollars to buy a billboard on the main route most people use to get to the big box store. This could be on the highway right before the exit, or on the main road the big box store is on. Again, it’s important that your billboard be on the route towards the store (not leaving the store!).

Doing this means that your target customer sees your billboard as they’re on their way to Home Depot or Lowe’s. And by reminding them that you’re a trusted part of the community, and only a mile further up the road, you’re hitting them right when they need you the most.

If you have reliable outdoor power equipment management software, then you can keep track of how effective this billboard is for your business.

Remember, don’t expect to see results from your marketing overnight. Marketing has always been a process, not a quick fix! There are always opportunities to capture some of the traffic from big box stores, especially if you’re right up the road.

How to Sell More to Your Current Customers

Sure, it’s vitally important to constantly attract new customers—before your competitors do. But don’t ignore your current customers or take them for granted.

It’s far easier and less expensive to sell more items, more often, to people who know you, than to attract and sell even once to strangers. And when you make use of some of the features of dealer management software, the process of getting repeat sales can be surprisingly fast, easy and economical.

Consider direct mail, for example. With detailed point-of-sale (POS) software, you already have the most important part of any direct mail campaign: the mailing list. You have each customer’s name, mailing addresses, e-mail address (be sure to ask for it), purchasing history, and other relevant data. So you know what activities they’re most interested in, and which additional products, accessories and services they’re likely to want or need in the near future.

But don’t assume they’ll automatically think of your dealership when they’re ready to buy. They may be as much aware of your competitors as you are—or even more so, if they often visit them to buy or just look around…and you don’t.

There are several ways for dealers to use direct mail to make additional sales to current customers, and also to attract new customers (once you obtain their names and addresses and add them to your database).

One of the most popular and well-proven ways is to send out a newsletter on a regular schedule: monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly. Or even semi-monthly during peak seasons. You can have your newsletter printed and mailed, but it’s far more economical and faster to send it as an e-mail or e-mail attachment.

Whether you have it written in-house or by a freelance writer (to control the cost, pay him or her by the page, not by the hour), you can probably obtain some of the content—articles, photos, new product info, etc.—from suppliers. You may also be able to obtain permission to use excerpts of articles published in certain powersport magazines.

To encourage readership, your newsletter should be written in a friendly, helpful way, as if you were talking one-on-one to each customer. Tell them about the new products that just came in, provide helpful tips, include a money-saving offer, and perhaps have a Q&A or FAQ section that answers common questions and addresses seasonal concerns. Avoid hard-sell promotional language; it can turn readers off.

If producing a newsletter seems like too much effort (it can actually be fun, once you get past the first issue), at least send out half-page or one-page e-mails on a regular basis. Use them to announce new products and services, and to promote upcoming in-store events. Direct marketing experts will tell you that every advertising message you send out—regardless of the media—should have an offer…a reason for the customer or prospect to respond by a specific date.

In most cases, this would be a discount off the regular price. But it might also be a “free gift” with purchase. (Cosmetics counters in department stores do this all the time.) Or, if appropriate, you could offer free tickets to a seminar or product demo, or a free three-month subscription to a magazine.

4 Free Ways To Advertise and Grow Your Business

Although the economy is slowly struggling back to its feet, there are plenty of businesses that are still hurting pretty bad. Which means that finding money for advertising might be out of reach for many business owners right now.

The old adage holds true, however: it’s when times are tough that you really need to advertise. But, that’s exactly when you don’t have the money to do it.

So, what can you do? Well, you have to get creative. Here are some no cost advertising ideas to help get you started:

• Start Writing- If you own a business, then you’re probably an expert at something. Do you install geothermal heating units? Landscape yards? Have a craft store? How could you use your expertise to help your customers? Write informative articles and submit them to your local paper or magazine, trade publication, or professional organization. Make sure your business and contact info is mentioned at the bottom. You might also want to research submitting articles to online directories; this can be a great way to spread the word about your business.

• Teach A Class- You’d be amazed at how much business teaching an adult education class can bring in, especially if you have a service business like financial planning, accounting, landscaping, etc. Your local library, community center, YMCA, or even community college is probably looking for instructors. This will not only give you “expert” status to your customers, but also expose you to plenty of new people who need your help (otherwise, why would they be taking your class?)

• Inspire Referrals- If your customers send other customers your way, are you thanking them for the increased business? Most business owners don’t. But, this is a missed opportunity! Tell your customers that you’ll give them a reward (a free service, free product, or a hefty coupon) if they send more business your way. It’s a win-win situation!

• Hold a Contest- Want to get people into your store or to your website? Then host a contest! Give away product you’re selling, or a set number of hours of your service. But, make sure you tie the contest in with something you’ll get that will help you for a longer time. For instance, for every $10 of sales during the month, customers will get an entry into the contest. Or, for every person they sign up for your monthly newsletter, they’ll get an entry.

There’s no doubt that business owners have to try harder to make sales right now, but you definitely don’t have to spend a fortune to get people in the door. Getting creative and being willing to think outside the box of “traditional” advertising is your best strategy.