It doesn’t take much and I’m in Frisco, Texas, walking the halls of Frisco High School all over again. Like the other day, I walked into Walmart, saw the back-to-school section and bam! There I was sitting in Mrs. Sillaway’s freshman, pre-AP geography class. I was 14-years-old, blonde, frizzy hair everywhere, desperately trying to stop sweating from cross-country practice.
Now, even though I’m out of school and don’t have any children, the signs, commercials and tax-free weekend crowds leave no question in my mind, back-to-school is around the corner for many of your customers. Although the song, “The Wheels on the Bus” is elementary, it’s an easy and effective way to remind your customers to make sure the wheels, wipers, brakes and safety components, like horns and blinkers, on their “buses” are all working like they should.
The wheels on the bus go round and round:
In addition to inflating your customers’ tires to the appropriate psi, take the opportunity to check wheel alignment and tire tread. If you’re equipped, go ahead and offer to service the vehicle to realign or balance anything you found. If you’re not equipped to complete the service, your customers will still appreciate you taking the time to tell them about the condition of their car and caring about their safety. Nothing will make them late dropping off or picking up the kids from school like a flat tire on the way there!
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish:
Rainy days are great for sleeping in, but they don’t always happen on the weekend. Kids still have to get to and from school when it’s pouring rain. Make sure your customers are prepared by offering to check their wiper blades.
The lights on the bus go blink, blink, blink:
Safety always comes first, especially when your customers are trekking through multiple school zones per day in their cars. Make sure the safety components on their cars like their lights and blinkers are all working like they should.
The brakes on the bus go squeak, squeak, squeak:
If your customer mentions their brakes going “squeak, squeak, squeak,” make sure you give them a thorough inspection. Even if they haven’t noticed any grinding or squeaking noises coming from their car, it’s still a good idea to check the brakes.
Back to school is a great time to offer related promotions or get involved with your community. Remember, oil changes and automotive maintenance are the service you provide, but the way you entice more customers into your store and keep them coming back is to do a good job and build loyalty. Back to school business is a great way to show customers you care about them and their families by going above and beyond the call of duty.
