Sincerely – A Letter to Our Favorite Customers

Jan. 30, 2017
Dear Loyal Customer, Today, I didn’t want to come into work. I know you’ve been there before, too. Your bed is warm, your dog is snuggling and you don’t want to wake your spouse, not to mention it’s still dark and 8 degrees outside. However, in my case, I’m always soon reminded in my groggy state how lucky I am to not only have a job, but a job I don’t dread. The reason I want to stay in bed is because I’m feeling lazy, and sleeping until 10:00 always sounds good at 5:00, not because I hate my

Dear Loyal Customer,

Today, I didn’t want to come into work. I know you’ve been there before, too. Your bed is warm, your dog is snuggling and you don’t want to wake your spouse, not to mention it’s still dark and 8 degrees outside. However, in my case, I’m always soon reminded in my groggy state how lucky I am to not only have a job, but a job I don’t dread. The reason I want to stay in bed is because I’m feeling lazy, and sleeping until 10:00 always sounds good at 5:00, not because I hate my job. In fact, in my case, it’s quite the opposite. I work with men and women I respect on a personal and professional level, and together, we get to work every day to better serve you and prevent and problem-solve your automotive issues. For a guy who loves people and has always been able to take things apart and put them back together, that’s basically a dream come true — a dream that wouldn’t be possible without your consistent support. In a perfect world, all customers would be as great as you and your friends are, but we realize in the auto service industry that’s a tall, unrealistic order. For every one of you, there are at least three who see me as just another untrustworthy “car guy.” While you and I know that couldn’t be farther from the truth, it does me no good to argue my point. I’d rather win them over by consistently doing a good job and being professional. Occasionally, I have to give a customer bad news about their vehicle — like that one time your transmission was on the fritz, and we had to decide if it was really worth fixing or not. Of course, I always want to do more in those situations than I’m usually financially equipped to do, but I have made it my commitment to always be fair and help all of my customers when I can. I remember when that happened with your transmission, you were so appreciative of the extra time we took together exploring all of your options. I even went home that night and saw where you’d shared your experience on social media and tagged the shop in it. That kind of endorsement will always be the most powerful type of advertising. (It means the most, too.) Thanks for always treating me like the expert my certifications and education say I am. You don’t try to tell me how to do my job, even though you can intelligently jump right into a conversation about anything from windshield wiper replacements to engine health. I appreciate you treating me like the expert and letting me serve you like the loyal, deserving customer you are. Finally, thanks for treating me like family. I think it’s awesome that I’ve gotten to see your kids go through all the stages of car seats, (Remember that time I put one in for you?) grow out of them and, now, TJ is pulling up to the bay by himself — crazy how time flies! Whether it’s a crazy, busy Saturday morning or a dead afternoon before the evening rush, it’s always good to see you and yours roll up to the shop. You make coming into work a whole lot easier and for someone who has made a profession of serving others and their vehicles, that is the best thing you could give me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for the continued love, support and confidence over the years. I truly believe this little shop — or myself — wouldn’t be as successful as we’ve been without loyal customers like you.

Sincerely,

Your Car Guy

If you’re a reader of the National Oil & Lube News blog (noln.net/blog) you may remember a post we published in March of 2015 called “Dear Service Writer.” The letter was written from the customer point-of-view and gave a nod to hard working service writers. The response NOLN received after publishing that letter sparked us to launch this series. Don’t forget to subscribe to the NOLN blog to get the latest industry news, trends and bonus tips from industry experts. You never know, you may just stumble on our next idea and spark your own!