It’s not easy running a garage regardless of the economic circumstances. It’s even more difficult when things are tough, and people are trying to keep costs down as much as they can.
Add in plenty of competition, and you’ve got an environment that makes it difficult to generate significant profits. Doing the same old, same old is unlikely to change anything. As such, it can be useful for garages to look for new ways to increase their sales. In this post, we’ll run through a number of smart options that should lead to big results.
Get Smart About Opening Times
You’ll be spending money every hour that you’re open, but if you’re not busy during those hours, then you’ll be operating at a loss. A smart way to optimise your garage is to get smart about your opening times.
These days, virtually all bookings will be made in advance, often as much as a week in advance, so it pays to take a look at when you’re generally scheduled and adjust your opening times for those periods. If you notice that few people are bringing their vehicles on a Friday morning, but seem interested in a late Tuesday service, then you’ll know when you need to open and close.
Work Smarter, Not Harder
Minimising the amount of time you spend on each vehicle can have a dramatic impact on your profits. After all, it’s not hard to see how your business would be improved if you could finish a job within two hours versus four hours. Of course, it’s still important to do a thorough job.
The key is to optimise productivity while maintaining quality. If you can add an inspection pit to your garage, your team will be able to work on various aspects of the job simultaneously. And that means that you’ll be finished with one job and moving on to the next more quickly.
Engage With Customers
Successful garages aren’t built on one-time customers. They’re built on repeat customers. As such, it can pay to take the time to engage with customers on a long-term basis. Look at collecting contact information from your customers and then — here’s the smart part — actually use it.
Sending MOT reminders and marketing emails will keep your garage at the forefront of your customers’ minds, increasing the likelihood that they’ll pay you a visit the next time they have an issue with their car.
Offer More Services
It’s hard enough to get a customer to pick up the phone and call your garage. When they do, you’ll want to ensure that you’re ending the call with a sale. Alas, this won’t happen if you’re unable to provide the type of service that your prospective customer is looking for.
You don’t have to offer all services — that’s not really possible — but if you notice that there’s a repeated request that you cannot fulfil, then it can be recommended to invest in the tools and training that allow you to take on those jobs. Just like that, you’ll have a new customer.
