Car Count Daily

Hey shop owners. Thank you very much for joining me on this edition of Car Count Daily. My name’s Ron Ipach, but you can call me Captain Car Count because that’s all I’ve done for the past 20+ years is help thousands, and I do mean thousands of auto repair shop owners, just like you, to get and then keep all the top quality customers that your shop can handle.

Today, we’re going to talk a little bit about how to create brand awareness for the auto repair shop. When I went in my closet this morning and I reached in and I grabbed this shirt, it had a Bengals emblem on there, it really got me thinking, how is it that I actually bought a shirt with somebody else’s logo on it? Not only is there one team logo, but there are two logos on my shirt with the Nike swoosh on the sleeve as well.

It got me thinking, people love companies so much that not only are they willing to spend their money to buy shirts and other apparel with their logo on it, but believe it or not, people are actually getting this kind of stuff tattooed into their skin! There are people walking around the Cincinnati area with Bengal tigers tattooed on their bodies even though the Bengals haven’t been in a Superbowl, or even won a playoff game, in forever. People get really frustrated with the football season, year after year after year, again, again, and again. Yet, they’re still willing to be that rabid about the Cincinnati Bengals to get a tattoo on their skin.

Think about Harley Davidson. How many people do you know that don’t even own a Harley Davidson have the apparel, and wear it proudly? How many do you know that actually have tattoos of the Harley Davidson logo on their skin? There’s something really weird that happens when people are so excited about a brand. They’re willing to argue that, that particular brand is by far the best. I know I’ve gotten in lots of arguments with my other friends in other different cities about football and my Bengals. Look, I know they’re not the best, but I’m doing everything thing I can to cheer for them and I’m on their side 100%, but I get in arguments with people over it.

Now let’s talk Apple. Apple has got this crazy thing going with their brand where people just love it so much. I’m an Apple guy. So, perfect example. I cannot understand why anybody would use a PC. I could give you a thousand reasons of why you shouldn’t be using a PC. Am I right? Yeah. Am I wrong? in some ways, yeah, probably so too. I just love the brand so much that I’m willing to get in an argument on Apple’s behalf. Now they pay me nothing for it. As a matter of fact, I pay them probably way too much for their products, but it’s a good product that I’ve really come to enjoy using. It’s because they have such a strong brand awareness.

What does this mean to you, the small auto repair business owner? Well, first and foremost, it’s not a matter of building a brand and just trying to get your name out there. You just simply can’t afford to do that. That’s expensive marketing just to get your name out there. Small businesses need to not only get their brand’s name out, but more importantly, get their message out there to get people to want to do business with them and you need to give them an offer so they can come into you and spend money – because that’s really how you make your money.

Brands like Nike can afford to put up giant billboards with that Nike swoosh on there and that’s part of their marketing plan. Everybody’s got their way of doing it, but don’t look at big giant companies in the way that they emblazon their logo on people’s chests as the way that you need to market. Look at it as, what is it that these companies are doing that people get so excited about, that they’re willing to get in arguments over whose team’s the best, which sports company is the best, or what motorcycle’s the best. Even if they don’t own them. What are they doing?

They’re building a loyalty program. Something that they’re doing that they’re totally different than everybody else. You build a rabid fan base by being different from the competition, not the same. Nobody gets excited over, who is the same as somebody else, right? You should be looking at it like this: what are you doing that’s different? What are you doing that’s going to set you aside from all the other auto repair shops that are out there? I’m not talking about you tryinh to get your name emblazoned in somebody’s skin or have people run around town with your shirts on, but what can you do that people would be willing to let everybody know by wearing a shirt or a baseball cap that they are a client of yours? What are you doing so well that people would love to tell everybody about them? That they would love to just advertise for you? How do you turn the people, your clients, into your best advertisers? That’s word-of-mouth marketing at its finest!

Look around. Everything you do, there are a lot of touch points. Anything that they see online from you, does it put you in a positive light? Does your shop look really good? Are your people exceptional when your clients are working with them? Do they feel really good when they leave your shop? Are they excited to come to you again or is it like going to the dentist where, oh my God, I dread to go back to that place again? Look at all those things. How do you develop that rabid fan base where everybody loves you? Get that message out there and you’ll get a lot more companies too and you never know. Maybe one day one of your clients is going to wind up inking your logo on their arm. You never know. If it happens, send me a picture. I’d love to see it.