Have you ever been to a NASCAR race? If you have, then you know these are special events well-attended by a special breed of people.
Having partaken in a couple NASCAR race-day events at New Hampshire speedway, I can testify that racing is alive in well in that state. And New Hampshire is certainly not alone in attracting the masses to their home state NASCAR events.
The first thing the novice attendee (like me) notices is just how far away from the track you get to park. So far that I couldn’t even remotely see the track from our parking spot. So you need good walking shoes. As you trek the five or so miles to the track, the next revelation is the sheer magnitude of campers you encounter along the way. I lost count at 1,271 or thereabouts. And the fascinating thing is most all of the campers are not locals from New Hampshire. Taking in the license plates, you realize the whole country is here and accounted for, from as nearby as the New England states to the South, West, and everywhere in between.
Who are these people? And, more importantly, why did they travel all this way for this?
The answer is they’re enthusiasts, and like NASCAR, your tire and auto service business is dependent on them to grow and prosper.
At NASCAR, these enthusiasts are loyal, devoted, committed followers who happily march the miles (and pay the fees) to attend each event – essentially, doing business with NASCAR as often as possible. What a concept!
At the race, I learned that there are not only NASCAR race enthusiasts, but more often than not, NASCAR race driver enthusiasts. Case in point: As I was sitting there watching the cars warm up before the flag dropped, the clearly southern gentleman next to me screamed at me, “Who ya here to see?” I wasn’t there to see anyone in particular but using my keen powers of perception I noticed he had a Jimmie Johnson hat, shirt and banner so I shouted, “I like Jimmie Johnson.”
The guy turned to his pals and screamed, “He’s here to see Jimmie.” I was now part of the club, an insider enthusiast among enthusiasts. Coincidentally, Jimmie went on to win the championship that season.
People love winners. Which brings me back to you and your business. Have you created a winning team at your tire/auto service business? Above all else, enthusiasts are enthusiastic. Winning teams are much the same in that they look like winners and act like winners. There’s an old saying in sales: “success breeds success.” The same is true for business.
Have a look at your store and staff. Are they communicating success or distress? Success looks a certain way. It has a good mood, stands tall, looks people in the eye, is attentive, confident and engaging.
Conversely, failure has an unmistakably look all its own. Depressed, worried, foot dragging, off-putting. If your business is the only one in town, a monopoly, none of this matters. I bet that is not the case. Given that consumers have many local choices for their tire/auto service, yours better convey “winning team.”
Ask yourself, is the service you provide ordinary or do you deliver the extraordinary service that brings customers back and influences them to promote your business to others when they leave?
Buying is primarily an emotional experience. Customer loyalty is driven by emotional engagement. You need only be at a NASCAR event for 10 minutes to realize there is a very high level of emotional engagement there. It would take The Hulk to pry away the typical fan there. Emotional engagement and creating enthusiasts is all about how the customer feels when they do business with you and the stories they tell when they leave.
Happy, loyal customers feel good about doing business with you and take it upon themselves to promote your business at every opportunity.
An avid auto enthusiast with a fondness for American muscle cars,Steve literally grew up in and around his family’s auto servicebusiness in Massachusetts. Today, he is the CEO and Trainer ofChampions of Sale Away LLC.Steve has over 20 years of successful sales, sales management and salestraining experience. He was featured in Tire Review’s January 2010cover story, "Deliver World-Beating Customer Service" and has been a featured speaker for numerous tire dealer association conventions across the country. As the producer and host of the Pinnacle Performance sales and customerservice training program for the tire/auto service industry, Steve hasreceived national acclaim for teaching independent tire and autoservice businesses how to improve customer relations and producegreater sales results. To learn more about the program, click here. Ferrante can be reached directly at 866-721-6086 ext. 701 or via e-mail at [email protected].
