When it comes to trust within the auto repair industry, today’s client base seems to be shrinking away from trusting shops more and more. Few people believe they are receiving honest rates, or that the parts they are being charged for are really necessary. Ryan Clo, owner of Dubwerx Inc in Cincinnati, has stepped in with his top three suggestions for updating to meet today’s ever-shifting standards.
Sales Training
First, he believes that sales training is crucial to gaining customers’ trust. Family owned services are fantastic, but don’t necessarily impart the sales training needed to connect with customers today.
“The psychology behind presenting automotive service is important,” he says. Without it, trust in shops can wane. Ideally, he goes on to note, “shop owners and sales staff should go to sales training together,” in order to stay on the same page.
Shop Image
Clo also thinks that store image is an aspect of trust that cannot be ignored.
“There has been a paradigm shift over the past 20, 30 years,” he says. “Linoleum floors and old chairs won’t cut it anymore.”
When younger customers walk in and see older furniture and interior design, they lose trust that the people working there are able to cater to their newer needs. Updating the look of a shop gives customers a better chance of feeling accomodated.
Proactive Marketing
Finally, Clo says, being proactive in marketing is another important step in gaining trust. A generational gap has formed between those who own shops and those who use them, and one of the largest rifts is in social media and online reviews.
“Getting positive reviews online,” Clo says, is a first step.
Millenials and other up-and-coming generations look up reviews for most services they require. Without positive reviews, a shop can easily be seen as untrustworthy.
“Updating marketing channels to services like Instagram and Youtube,” according to Clo, is another way of both reaching new customers as well as letting them know that a shop is trustworthy. After all, if a shop is in touch with Instagram, how could they not understand their customers?
He also notes that moving away from older ad spaces— he cites “the yellow pages and radio” as being two of the bigger offenders, so to speak— is a way of ensuring more people are aware of a shop’s movement towards modernity.
In an age where confidence between clients and owners is diminishing more almost daily, Clo’s advice rings true. Keeping up to date with sales techniques, shop image, and a positive online presence are all crucial aspects of trustworthy customer service.
