Category Archives: Relationship Marketing

What’s Up With QR Codes?

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The current gotta have craze is Quick Response Codes (QR). The hype suggests that millions of people are just dying to scan every QR image they come across and will marvel at wherever their magic phone takes them. It doesn’t work that way!

Like the now ubiquitous barcode, a QR code image is another way to embed information in an image. But the information is only actionable by a device that can interpret the image. If you don’t have a QR code scanner, you’ll need a phone with a camera and a QR code reader application (app). You use the phone to take a picture of the code and the app software interprets and performs an action based on the data embedded in the image.

Here are some suggestions on how you can use QR codes:

  • For some people, saving your contact information is easier if you place a QR code on the back of your business card. They scan the code and have all your contact information in their phone.
  • Put a QR code at the bottom of a promotional piece to direct the reader to a landing page that contains a sign up for a free report.
  • The code can be used to test direct response promotions. Test different offers by monitoring the landing page, or providing special offers and tracking the response.
  • Place a QR code on the bottom of the customer’s invoice when they pick up their car. It can direct them to special future offers, sign up for your Preferred Clients Program, link to a satisfaction survey, link to a video, or any other after-sale, repeat-business generator you can think of.
  • Perhaps you can have a series of teaching videos on your site that explain various repair/service procedures. Place a code on their estimate that directs them to an index of the available videos. You can suggest they view the video for more information about whatever procedure you will be doing on their vehicle.
  • There aren’t many products sold by auto repairs but if you do, a code on the product package could direct the user to a landing page, blog post, video, or any medium that improves their results.

If you like, we can place an article in your Auto-Insights explaining QR codes, how they’re used, and how your client can add the application to their smart phone.

 

The Real Value in Your Business

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Ask any shop owner what is your most valuable asset? These are typical answers: employees, equipment, knowledge, real estate, integrity, processes, and more. If I wanted to be difficult, I’d stop now and place a link to a page that has the answer. But I’m not, so I’ll break the suspense…

The most valuable asset a business has… drum roll… are your customers.

You can survive the loss of any business asset except your customers. Every asset you have but one can be replaced. You would be inconvenienced and possibly lose a lot of money. But, with your customer list intact, overnight you could start over again.

When I sold my shop the real estate was valuable, but the other tangible assets were pretty much worth next to nothing. The low value of used equipment is depressing. The inventory was sold for a song.

And the employees, although they’re still friends, I couldn’t sell them to anyone!

However, my customer list continued to provide income for several years after I closed the shop.

The distinguishing difference between the customer list, when viewed as an asset, and all the balance sheet assets is the customers provide income. Equipment and inventory cost money and depreciate, but are cheap to replace.

So if the customer is the most valuable asset, why do most shop owners fixate on how well they can fix a car? They should be figuring out how to build a business that’s focused on the customer and provide services the consumer wants to buy.

 

What Business Are You In?

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I’ll bet you thought you were in the car fixing business. Well in a way you are. That’s what you sell, but that’s not the business. Fixing the car is a given; that’s what’s expected — that you can fix the car. This is the commodity you sell. The activity that you do.

But business is about people. We interface with people. People do their business with other people. The car doesn’t decide to bring itself to you.

So saying a business is about people actually translates into this: business is about relationships and experiences. That’s how people are affected by other people. And how you affect others will determine your success. I can’t overstate that. Whoever provides the experience someone wants and feels good about, will become the shop they call theirs.

Be in the business your customers want you to be in. That is, they obviously want you to fix their car, but what else is important to them? How about: trust, concern, professionalism, etc. The needs and desires of your customers is what really determines — or should determine — what your business should be about. Always remember, your client isn’t only buying your ability to fix their car. They are also buying everything that goes along with that service.

Here’s a strategic question to think about:  If all you’re selling is auto repair and fixing the car is your primary focus, you limit yourself to being just another auto repair shop. When that happens you run the risk of being commoditized. And a commoditized business will be forced to compete on price. That’s a hard way to spend the day!

The way your customer feels about your service, the people they deal with, the environment, and everything they experience controls everything.