Garages we’ve spoken to have suggested that over the past year, drivers have started putting off servicing or skipping it altogether. Now, the surveys are confirming it. Kalimex’s marketing whizz Dee Blick FCIM advises garages on how to change customers’ minds.
The research says it all. And it’s coming from several trusted sources.
UK drivers are seriously slashing their vehicle maintenance spend, with the annual service being the first cut. 25 per cent of people surveyed by the RAC confirmed, “they’re either delaying maintenance or choosing to carry out their own car servicing at home or through friends.” Motorists are either opting for DIY or are choosing a minor service over a full one. And they’re shopping around for the lowest bidder.
The Motor Ombudsman has suggested that 65 per cent of “independent garages and dealer workshops were contending with motorists putting off essential repairs due to the national squeeze on incomes.” An RAC spokesperson commented: “This is a false economy because poor vehicle maintenance leads to more breakdowns with the resultant repair bill being significantly higher than if a motorist had ensured their vehicle was well maintained in the first place… repair costs are likely to snowball when things start to go wrong.”
For any motorist taking their car for its annual MOT, it really is a Moment Of Truth. Have they loaded the dice in their favour by keeping vehicle servicing alive and kicking or are they about to land a huge repair bill and a failure? And what can garages do to tilt the balance back in their favour?
No silver bullet
At Kalimex, we work with many workshop technicians: Hardworking, incredibly talented individuals and teams, often having to justify a premium service at a more-than-fair price tag. To suggest there’s one magic bullet that will solve this problem, which will re-educate motorists to the folly of their behaviour, is delusional. All is not lost! As an in-the-trenches marketer let me reassure you there are several things a workshop can do, starting with:
Keeping in close contact with customers. If the only time you communicate with customers is when their service is due, you’re missing out on building a relationship that motivates a customer to book their car in for servicing. Most people still have money they’re now choosing how they will spend it and who will be on the cutting room floor. If you’re reminding them in the months leading up to their vehicle servicing that you can help them to keep their vehicle on the road for longer, how a problem resolved at servicing can prevent a big bill further down the road, their car failing its MOT, you’re planting that proverbial seed.
Offering free inspections. These have never been more important as we undergo the hottest temperatures on record. A late summer vehicle check is as important as a winter check and it paves the way for essential repair work a customer may be unaware of. With the heatwaves of recent months, vehicles have been put under immense pressure. High temperatures place extra strain on the engine and cooling system; there’s a greater risk of tyre blowouts with the heat causing tyres to become overinflated. Engine oil, brake fluid, transmission fluid, and power steering fluid all degrade more quickly and may even evaporate, especially under the stress of stop-start traffic and overheating. Add to this our melting, poorly maintained roads and the opportunity to offer customers an essential check is there for the taking. Be sure to share the importance of this with customers; limit the numbers of free inspections per week to encourage take up and walk customers through the problems you’ve found, pointing out the folly of not acting on your professional advice.
Substitute additives for repairs where appropriate. Premium, trade tested brands such as JLM Lubricants are renowned for their first time fix reputation. Workshop bills are lower and additive sales will increase when you show your customers how they can be used as essential maintenance in between workshop visits.
Drive home the benefits you offer. It’s time to review your marketing communications. Do they really highlight all your headline benefits or are they stuck in a time warp, making you guilty of serious underselling? Remind customers of what they’re missing out on by defecting to a competitor or considering DIY servicing. Don’t assume they have this information at their fingertips. Providing the facts and the compelling benefits might just stop them from going elsewhere or resorting to DIY servicing.
