Why a Clean, Shampooed Car Means You Got New Spark Plugs

Smart Mechanics know the following secret…

When a customer drops off a vehicle needing repair, be it new spark plugs or replacing the fuel line, make sure you give the car, at the very least, a good vacuum from the machine sitting there in the corner that sucks up junk for 25 cents a minute.

Why, You Ask?

Think about this.

When an average person drops off their car at the shop for repairs under the hood, the truth is that when they return and pay the bill for work performed they really have no way to tell if the work was actually done.  The spark plugs, for example, are under a shielded cover and buried under the hood…

Does the customer REALLY know if the work was done? of course, he hopes it has been done, but unless that car falls apart 3 months later, he has no definitive way of knowing one way or the other…

But when he gets his car back, vacuumed and with an air freshener hanging from the mirror,  he can “see” something of value that he paid for.

This stands true even though the vacuum has nothing to do with what he came for or paid for…

this is a very important point for all businesses, each one in their own unique way.

For example, several months ago I was advising a client in the health profession on a project that included a new business card to do a better job of what the alternative medical treatments they performed were.

When I received the email with the mock up of the card, the card was well thought out and contained all the elements of a Good card. which meant that at that point, I complimented the work and quickly emailed the client back to say “it’s perfect.”

In a later conversation with that client, I got feedback from him in which he told me the above story. he explained to me that I should have found “something” to improve on or move around, even if it may not have been necessary, to show that they fee they were paying was “getting them” advice and feedback at every level.

What have your clients taught you about your business? I’d love to hear your feedback!