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What are 3 powerful, highly-effective ways to market your autoshop? How can you attract new customers like a magnet?

Start with this understanding: Your autoshop has LOTS of competition. Without a smart “Master Marketing Plan,” you’re leaving it up to luck to attract a loyal, profit-generating customer base. So let’s take two minutes to focus on 3 key strategies that should be part of your Master Plan. You’ll notice each of them involves distinguishing yourself from your competition in smart, innovative ways. The 3 key strategies are:

# 1 … Make Your Shop “Certified Female-Friendly”

Think of it: Fully 50 percent of your potential customers are people who often HATE to take their car to an autoshop. These people are known as “women.” And let’s be honest: Women’s fears are often justified. In the past, they’ve probably been treated in a patronizing manner by auto mechanics. They’ve probably wondered if they were being taken advantage of—or known they WERE.

What if you offered prospective female customers a much more attractive, respectful experience? Websites such as AskPatty.com allow you to actually complete a course on the best, clearest, most respectful ways to communicate auto repair issues to female customers. This will show you care enough to understand what makes women uncomfortable—AND that you care enough to turn that situation around. Trust us—the word will get out. And you’ll start reaping the benefits big-time.

#2 … Generate Positive Online Reviews and Referrals

Since the world began—or, at least, since autoshops began—absolutely NOTHING has generated more new autoshop business than one person referring another to a shop. And these days, the whole referral process is exponentially bigger and more powerful, thanks to the Internet. That’s where the vast majority of people now seek information about autoshops.

So make sure your shop is landing positive reviews on sites such as Yelp and Facebook. Ask your customers—either in person or via email or the Internet—to please post a review if they’ve had a positive experience at your shop. These reviews will help attract new business like a huge cyber-magnet.

#3 … Get Online Customer-Attraction Power!

Today’s revolutionary software, such as that offered by Auto Bookings Online, puts a whole new universe of marketing and management power at your fingertips. Using your “CRM” (Customer Relationship Management software), you can immediately start boosting your marketing/advertising outreach in dozens of creative ways.

To offer just one example: Using your CRM you can offer 10 percent off an oil change (or tire-rotation or repair, etc.) to existing customers if they will offer you the email address of friends or family members who may also want that discounted service. Using this kind of “door-opener strategy,” you can, slowly but surely, attract tremendous new business over time.

Auto Bookings Online is an online tool specifically designed to help auto-repair shops maximize profitability through better-managed customer bookings.