mmotley

Awesome information! I remember a similar article explaining the same thing, i.e. don't treat social media like a squeaky clean, cold, no emotion, communication medium. Treat it like it's your own and give it some personality. Have fun, joke around, comment on local sports and events. Like the article said, use it to create personal connections... not just advertise

Wenxing W333l key duplicator... Gotta really advertise that you have this to your customers, but once word gets around, it can pay off in a hurry. http://www.lockpicks.com/w333l-sidewinderkeyduplicator.aspx I'm a few key cuts away from it paying itself off, all in just a few weeks of having it. And you would be absolutely amazed at how many people have only one key for their car... I'm guilty of it myself! Plus, if you know how much of a pain it can be on newer cars to add keys once someone has lost all of them, it's an easy sell to the customer. Edit : Holy cow!!! 2007-2008-2013! This thread was started one year after I graduated High School!!!! Thumbs up to AutoFantic for using the search function!

The dealership I worked at (just a few months ago), all they had were Hunter road-force balancers. Everyone who worked there pretty much used the road-force feature on every balance... Especially when putting on new tires. It really doesn't add that much time to a balance either. I'm gonna guess it adds about 15 seconds per tire to measure road-force. Like AutoFanatic experienced, I have seen cars with vibration issues at highway speeds and the tires would balance just fine. Checking the road-force however would show you they all needed to be adjusted.........One important caveat to this, however. When checking road-force on new tires, sometimes you can get a false reading. I remember certain Michelin tires would show 90+ lbs of road-force but wouldn't experience any type of vibration during driving. Chuck em back up after driving on them for maybe 2 miles and the road-force readings would come back down to normal... Was it just flat-spotting or something similar, I dunno? Just FYI. Anyway, more times than not, it was helpful and kept us from getting chewed out for vibration issues with brand new tires. Or helped quickly identify the source of a vibration that you otherwise wouldn't be able to find... If nothing else, it keeps you from sending customers to the 'other shop' to get it fixed

Before I started my shop, I considered keeping my full time job and trying to start my business on the side. Looking back, there is absolutely no way I could have done that. Not enough time in the day. This also goes along with what others have said, even if you think you can trust this guy, there is a good chance the relationship will change. I've seen it happen with friends who went into business together and end up at a point where they no longer talk to one another. Just my 2 cents though... I'm still very new to the whole 'owner-operator business' thing.

Would you take time to explain this? You said direct mail is the lowest rate of return type of marketing. You would substitute a car clinic & email blast in place of mail outs? Anything else, or are those 2 means of advertising enough to substitute direct mail?

What does ARO stand for?

Xrac, thanks for the examples!!! I've started working craigslist, leaving stacks of business cards at the auto parts stores, and have touched base with a large used car lot that carries a lot of Toyota and Lexus vehicles. They said they would send their customers to me and also contact me on auction days for possible cars to inspect/repair that they get from the auction... I guess maybe I needed a little kick in the butt to get me out and pushing my business a little. I just assumed the mailer I designed was 'good enough' and that customers would just show up. I've also started updating my Facebook page and adding some pictures and will start on my G+ page tomorrow. Might even advertise on Facebook for a week to see how it goes since it will be local and not that expensive. However, I am definitely going with a different mail out design next time. Also, when I order the new mail outs, I'll probably order some fliers to stuff under windshield wipers and stuff in windows. And a customer referral program sounds like a good idea too. Thanks again guys, and I'll keep everyone updated on progress.

xrac, thanks for the advice and I definitely do not take it as critical. I think you are completely right. Very few people know what ASE certs are and most just want their cars fixed right and fixed fast. Also, I love the map idea also and using well known reference points to describe your location. Great advice, no feelings hurt, and I think I will probably apply your advice to my next set of mailers. Thank you very much

Thanks everyone for the replies! I really do appreciate everyone's input CARMandP - I did list my business on google maps, but recently found out that IPhones do not use google maps...so I am in the process of adding myself to the Iphone map now. Also, I do have a facebook page, but I just kinda threw it together late one night. You're right, it wouldn't hurt to go back and touch it up during my down time and add some new pictures. I'll also look into advertising on there as well. Thanks nmikmik - How do you figure the closing rate percentage? Specifically, how long from the time that you mail them out do you allow before calculating the percentage? I hadn't really thought about it, but since you mentioned it, I think your are 100% right in targeting the same names and addresses 3-4 times instead of moving on to a new list. When you mention 'good online presence' are you referring just to a professional looking website? Also, you can see on my mail outs that the name and addresses come pre-printed. However, my follow up 'thank you' letters are hand signed and the envelopes are hand addressed. Great suggestion though, some people have never heard that hand written (even if your hand writing isn't all the great looking) letters/thank you cards are great for the customer experience. xrac - thanks for the advice. Here are the mail outs Mail outs measure 8.5" X 5.5" and are card stock (thick card, not just flimsy paper)

I'm a little unsure if this is normal business growth rate, especially given the niche market I am in and also being such a new business. I opened the shop doors to a Lexus and Toyota Specialty shop July 8th, 2013. I came armed with a list 3,752 names and addresses of Lexus and Toyota owners in the county my shop is located in. 1537 of those names belonging to Lexus owners (2010-2000 Year Model) and the remaining 2215 names being Toyota owners (2010-2008 Year Model). I also had an outrageous expectation of customer turn out from the mail outs. Here is the date ranges of mailouts I sent when I opened. 7/08/13 - Sent out the first 20!!!! Lexus mail outs (I know, go ahead and laugh, boy was I foolilsh!!!) 7/15/13 - Sent out the next 100 Lexus mailouts 7/22/13 - Sent out the next 100 Lexus mailouts 7/23/13 - 100 Lexus mail outs 7/24/13 - 100 Lexus mail outs 7/25/13 - 100 Lexus mail outs 7/26/13 - 100 Lexus mail outs 7/29/13 - 100 Lexus mail outs 7/30/13 - 200 Lexus mail outs 7/31/13 - 400 Lexus mail outs 8/1/13 - the last 237 mail outs So far I have had 7 ROs, and the phone rings about once a day, with the exception of today (no calls or drive ups). Today, 1000 of the Toyota mail outs should be going out. I'm just kind of curious as to what other's opinion might be on my business model. Obviously I expected a lot bigger response then I am getting (see where I only mailed out 20 ) . Should I carry on as expected? Should I be worried at this point? I can purchase another list of Toyota owners, working my way down to 2000 YM. I know I have heard people say that their father started their shop, and it took 18 years to get where they are today... But then I hear others talk about hitting close to $750k in sales by their second year... Any advice, suggestions, pep talk, tough love, whatever is greatly appreciated...

Hello all, my name is Matt. As of July 1st, 2013, I opened the doors on an automotive shop specializing in Toyota and Lexus vehicles in the Tyler, TX area. So far, I am the only employee. Before opening my own business, I worked for a Lexus dealership in the D/FW area.