Image Is Everything
How Your Customers See Your Shop Is The Sum of Many Parts
It’s tough to nail down a single definition of tire dealership image. It’s one part customer service: Do your customers walk away satisfied? Was their car fixed to their expectation, and will they come back?
It’s one part shop appearance: What do first-time customers see when they walk in the door? Is the front counter messy or are desks and sales areas neatly organized? Are the grounds well kept? How clean are the floors?
It’s one part technical know-how: Have you kept up-to-date with the latest equipment? Do your technicians have the proper tools to get the job done right the first time? And are they well trained and/or ASE-certified?
It’s one part marketing: Are you consistently promoting your business to present customers and your community? Do you send periodic service reminders, make follow-up calls, and take advantage of special advertising opportunities?
Chuck Hamad, owner of Hamad Tire in Akron, Ohio, stresses to every employee that every customer at any of his four locations has a quality experience. "You know, a lot of times we think of these people as individual customers, but they’re a lot more than that. Every person who comes in here belongs to a club, a bowling league, works with people, has friends and relatives, has a lot of contacts they talk to," he said.
"If they have one good experience, their story will influence a lot of people. The flip side is if they have a bad experience, they’ll probably tell even more people."
According to Dan Schindler, owner of The Swedish Solution, an import repair shop in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, attitude is key. "I stress attitude," he said. "I tell my crew that when a customer comes in here, they are doing business with us. We are in the business of servicing the customer not servicing (his or her) car. Fixing the car is really secondary.
"People do business with people," he said. "That’s why I think the most important part of image is the personal aspect of it."
Smart, successful dealers subscribe to the belief that you only have one chance to make a good first impression, and since most people make that judgment almost instantaneously, dealers need to keep image at the forefront.
It is very easy for a dealer to get busy with customers, working in the office, meeting with suppliers or even working in the service bays and totally forget about working on their business’ image. But as any successful tire dealer – or auto repair facility – will tell you, coming to your location has to be a pleasant experience for the customer.
Lasting First Impression
Dave Cardoza, owner of service shops in California, said he relies on impeccable shop appearance to make a lasting positive impression on customers. He even employs full-time clean-up personnel at each of his three shops, helping to keep them "spotlessly clean."
"What do customers see when they first walk in the door?" he asks. "If they see dirt, they’re going to think, ‘Well, my car’s going to be dirty.’ That’s something to also take into consideration once the job’s done. That little smudge of grease on the vehicle’s carpet is the best way to ruin an otherwise good job."
While shop appearance is critical, he added, it doesn’t have to be laboratory clean.
"You’ve got to have it where a woman wouldn’t mind coming in here with her kids and sitting down and spending half an hour." Little touches like keeping a box of toys for children to play or having fresh magazines that interest women in the waiting area only adds to a shop’s image.
In addition to developing full-service strategies to ensure customer satisfaction, Cardoza is looking toward the future. "If you’re not going to be innovative in this industry, you’re not going to be around anymore," he said. "I’m trying to think of where the service industry’s going down the road. What I’m trying to do is prepare for the future."
