Sharing Some of My "Extras" That Help Me Stand Out in the Crowd

[Coach Steve]

I strive to provide the best possible customer service and the best product available anywhere at any price. Below are a few of the things I do that go a long way to retaining customers and making sure that the service I provide is a cut above and personalized just for them. They may not work for you but if implementing even one of them helps you to gain and retain more customers, then my time posting them was time well spent.

Provide Excellent Communication
When the customer drops the vehicle off, I give them a fairly accurate time it will be done. A couple of hours into the job, I text them to tell them a firm time they can take delivery and include a good, well lit pic of some progress. It might be a seat, headlight, wheel.... whatever. I choose something that shows a drastic improvement since it was dropped off. When the vehicle is finished, I send another text which includes the total of services and another pic showing the front end, driver's side including wheels and roof. They always like that.
2-3 days later, I send them a text telling them that I'm just following up to make sure everything was good with their vehicle and thank them again for their business. This is something I learned that shows them that you sincerely care whether or not they were truly satisfied and they weren't forgotten as soon as their invoice was paid. Customers like to know they are appreciated.

Make the Process as Easy as Possible for Them
Since having their vehicle serviced by me requires it to physically be out of their possession, I give them options for getting it to me. I offer to pickup and deliver, give them a lift back home if they prefer to drop it off, pick them up when it's finished, etc. Minimize the inconvenience of being without their vehicle as much as possible.

A Referral Program That Rewards Them
Attached to every invoice are 3 of my business cards. If I get all 3 of them back via new customers they have referred to me, they get a free detail on the vehicle of their choice. That ALWAYS gets their attention! I do 1-2 cars a month on average free of charge and I'm happy to do it.

Correct Something!
Pick a small area of the vehicle that you can correct to show the potential the finish has without the area sticking out like a sore thumb next to the rest of the uncorrected paint. When I choose to do this, I'll usually do the deck lid or tail gate depending on the vehicle. I don't always get the vehicle back in for paint correction, but it opens a conversation that educates them on other services I offer and shows them what's possible. Obviously, I don't do this on every vehicle I service, but of the ones I do, I get 25-30% of them back to correct. That's money I wouldn't have made had I not done it.

Fix Stuff/Provide Detailed Info on Replacing Things
80% of the vehicles I service are daily drivers. That translates to the owner spending a lot of time in it, using all of the features, wearing things out, breaking things, etc. Missing knobs, cracked bezels, worn shifter handles, worn seat adjuster knobs/levers, broken/loose/wobbly center console lids, broken fog light lenses, etc. There are 11 dealerships within a couple miles of my house. All of them have a parts dept. Whenever I get a vehicle in that has something minor that's missing or broken, I call the dealership and find out how much the part costs. If it's less than $10-15, and they have it in stock, I go buy it and install it on/in the car. If it's more than $15, I note the OEM part number and the cost on their invoice for them and tell them I will take care of ordering the part(s) and install it for them when it arrives if they would like. 90% of them have me do it. In almost every case, they have been living without the missing/broken part for a long time simply because they haven't taken the time to fix/replace it. This is an easy $20-40 that generally takes no longer than 15 mins. of your time. In most cases, they will give you the money for the parts as they are paying for the detail.
Buy a panel retainer kit that has asstd. fasteners to have on hand and use them whenever you come across a panel that's missing a push-in retainer. The kit below has 415 asstd. fasteners and costs less than $25.00 on Amazon.
If it's something that requires nothing more than tightening up or an adjustment of some sort ... DO IT!

These are the kinds of things that will set you apart form your competitors. Personalized service is so important in this line of work and it costs you very little to show your customers that they truly are important to you and that you genuinely care about their vehicle's care and maintenance.

The Value of "WOW!"
Of the positive comments customers make upon seeing their vehicle for the first time since dropping it off, the one that carries the most weight and conveys their genuine impression of my work is "Wow!" That single word speaks volumes about about their mindset, their level of satisfaction and negates any possible reservations they may have had about your abilities, the price, etc. When the first word out of their mouth is "WOW!", I know instantly that I exceeded their expectations. Any follow-up "Wow's" as they examine the vehicle is icing on the cake - and it's even better when you hear it from repeat customers.