Customer-Focused Growth

If you flip through the various television channels in Dallas, you might come across a strange commercial: A man in a bathrobe reading a bedtime story ... to a car. 

“So the mama Porsche said to the baby Porsche, ‘Who’s been parking in my spot?’” says Nerces Mavelian, as he closes the book and pats the car good night.

It’s odd, surreal, completely bonkers—and, believe it or not, it’s an effective marketing strategy. That commercial, entitled “Cars Are Like Kids,” earned Mavelian, owner of three Autoscope Foreign Car Care locations in Dallas, a bronze trophy at the 2015 Telly Awards, which honors the top commercials in the country.

But Mavelian didn’t film the commercial for awards—he made it for his customers.

“People who recognize me will stop me all the time on the street,” he says. “Some love the commercials, and some people joke about how much they hate them. But it’s always in good fun. They feel like they know me.”

Mavelian’s branding strategy is indicative of his customer-centric philosophy at Autoscope, which specializes in foreign models, services an average of 685 cars monthly, earns $6 million per year, and continues to expand its reach in the Dallas area.

A NARROWED SCOPE

In 1969, Mavelian’s father, Ohannes, moved the only VW-factory authorized independent shop in Lebanon from Beirut to New Jersey.

Then just 13 years old, Mavelian loved taking toys apart and putting them back together, but never held a passion for auto repair. Instead, he studied electronics at William Paterson University and moved to Dallas to work on IBM’s latest computer technology in the late 1970s.

“The [auto repair] business was too dirty for me,” Mavelian says. “I was a clean guy. I wanted to distance myself from the mechanical work.”

Years later, Mavelian realized his expertise lent a unique business opportunity to his father’s shop: While most domestic cars before 1986 were equipped with carburetors, early foreign models contained fuel injection systems. And with the European car market increasing, there was a demand for specialized repairs.

“It was very difficult for the layman to know how it works. Even some of the mechanical experts didn’t deal with fuel injection,” Mavelian says. “They really would not understand the idiosyncrasies. It was dealer-only type of repair. So it was a perfect time for me.”

At IBM, Mavelian would use his oscilloscope to take motherboards apart, isolate the faulty part, replace it, and put the board back together. Realizing he could train technicians to diagnose cars the exact same way, he moved his father to Dallas and opened the first Autoscope location.

ATTRACTING THE RIGHT CUSTOMERS

Mavelian says his branding efforts boil down to one philosophy: Make it more personal.

When Autoscope opened in 1982, there were few Dallas businesses offering service on foreign cars, and Mavelian took advantage of an isolated database of high-end customers. He targeted them through print and radio advertising, branding his shop’s unique expertise as an alternative to expensive dealership prices.

“If your car is under warranty with a dealership and I inspect your car, I still like to give you a heads up on the problems you’ve got,” he says. “Because now you’ve got a clean car when it comes out of warranty and you know you can trust me.”

He would boast about his technicians’ expertise in fuel injection technology, and sell regular, scheduled maintenance as the key to keeping your car running smoothly.

“Our customers’ vehicles are more expensive. If they haven’t been keeping up with regular maintenance, they’re going to have $5,000 in repairs once they get out of a warranty,” he says. “We offer to prevent the huge repairs with regular upkeep.”

Today, Mavelian uses the same scheduling tactics he did in the 1980s. He reserves at least 15 minutes for each appointment, allowing the service advisor enough time to sell repairs and schedule future maintenance.

It’s simple and straightforward, but it’s a feature Mavelian loves to play up: You can’t get this kind of attention at the dealership.“I’m trying to make an impression, make it more personal,” he says. “If you say ‘Autoscope,’ people in the industry know our branding and our philosophy. I want customers to know our name as well.”

REVAMPING MARKETING EFFORTS