by Garrett McKinnon
NOLN Staff Writer

In business, especially a customer-service-focused enterprise like a fast lube, relationships are everything. After all, your customers probably didn’t choose your shop because it’s the newest, fanciest, cheapest or has the best-trained technicians. No, a good chunk of your customers chose you because of a relationship they have with you, either personally as the owner/operator/manager or with a technician.

But how do you develop those relationships with customers who have never visited your facility? Obviously you could advertise, but really developing a relationship means more than simply buying space in a media. To really reach potential customers, you have to communicate with them personally. And to do that, many industry experts suggest giving speeches to groups around your community.

Getting Started
According to Entrepreneur magazine, consumers make most of their purchases within a 12-block radius of their home. With that in mind, how well do you really know the “neighborhood” that surrounds your shop? Do you frequent surrounding businesses to see what kind of customers visit them? Do you know what types of families send their kids to nearby schools? How about the types of homes in the neighborhood or, more importantly, the types of cars parked at those homes? Do you know the churches in the area, and what types of groups those churches sponsor?

Learning this information can give you access to those customers. For instance, say your shop is located near a high school. You could call the school and talk to the driver’s ed instructor to volunteer a speech on the basics of automotive maintenance. It costs you little more than a few hours of your time, but it will literally introduce you to an entire flock of new customers.

Or what about the churches in your area? Many churches have programs specifically for the elderly or single parents. You could volunteer to participate in a question-and-answer session that will allow people associated with those groups to have their questions answered in a frank way in an environment with zero sales pressure. After all, unless you pack your trunk with air filters, you’re not likely to sell very many during this type of interaction.

The point is there are myriad clubs, organizations and other collections of people actively looking for content, something to engage and entertain their members. If you provide that content, and provide it for free, it gives you a great way to shake hands, answer questions and create a relationship with potential customers.

What to Say
Okay, so you’ve made arrangements to give a maintenance talk. What topics to you cover? First off, be upfront about who you are and what business you represent, but don’t let your maintenance talk or Q&A session turn into a sales pitch. Keep the information general, and touch on topics like:
• How proper vehicle maintenance can help a car run more efficiently, saving fuel and reducing emissions.

• A list of the most commonly serviced components on a vehicle, why they need to be serviced and the most common service intervals.

• What happens to fluids and filters once they’re drained/removed from a vehicle, a common question for consumers.

• Items like tire pressure, oil level, etc. that drivers should check themselves between oil changes or service visits. (You might even try a “parking lot demo” to let people learn in a hands-on manner.)

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