Are all of your eggs in one or two baskets? Do the majority of your referrals come from just a couple of DRP programs? If so, you may want to look at how to increase your referrals from other sources.
Local business networking
Business professionals will find significant benefits when they participate in local networking groups, as they will find results that include professional development along with business exposure, resulting in new referrals. By joining a great local business networking group, you will have a sales team of anywhere from twenty to forty business professionals — people who actively look for ways to send you referrals. It is based on the concept known as Giver’s Gain. While you are giving referrals to your network partners, they are providing your business with those vital new referrals necessary for growth of your business. You commit to develop relationships with each member of your networking group, you act as a part of their sales team and they do the same for you. Have you ever heard the phrase, "People do business with who they like and trust”? That is it! Commit to develop relationships in your market. A great way to multiply this referral source is for a couple of your key people to join different groups. This multiplies exposure, serves as a professional development resource for your key people and will bring a significant level or referrals if you are committed.
Insurance agent marketing visits
Implementing weekly visits to local insurance agents can be a great source for referrals. This can be beneficial for DRP and Non-DRP shops. Do you have relationships with your local insurance agents? Some customers call their agent for advice before ever calling the claims department. There are a couple different approaches to these visits. If you do not have relationships with your local insurance agents, the first step is to set up a one-on-one meeting with the agent. Use this first meeting to introduce yourself, share about your facility (the value you provide your customers), and take time to listen to what is important to the insurance agent. Find common ground, whether it is company values, customer service and/or what it is that will help the insurance agent. Again, this too is based on Giver's Gain — how you can service your mutual customers, how you can help the agent retain his or her customers through the claims process. The level of service you provide your mutual customers is a direct reflection on the agent who refers your shops.
Once you have the opportunity for introduction, consistent contact is important — always show respect for their time. Another way we communicate with our local insurance agents is through our third party CSI company, which sends out what is called "Report Cards" to the agent when one of our mutual customers completes a customer service survey. This re-affirms their decision to align their customers with us based on our performance.
Web exposure and online reviews
We have seen a significant increase in the number of customers who indicate they chose our shop because of online reviews. Like it or not, this is the day of the Internet. People can and will post about their experience with your shop. Typically, people post when they are in a high emotional state — they are either ecstatic about the service you provided or they are really upset about their experience. We have found the best reviews come from customers who we did not prompt to give us a review; we simply succeeded in our goal of providing an exceptional repair experience for them, and they felt compelled to share that with the world. We have found the best way to handle online reviews is to acknowledge them (good or bad), say thank you to the customers who take time to share their positive experience and do the same for the ones who post negative things about your shop. I know, I hear a lot of people questioning this line of thinking. Yes, thank them for taking time to share about their experience; that is how we learn and grow. How you respond to public complaints will communicate to potential customers how they will be treated. Coming to a new repair body shop is about like going to the dentist; they are not looking forward to this experience and when they see you giving personal positive attention to a not-so-good post, you have helped relieve much of their apprehension and at the same time made your loyal supporters proud of who they recommend knowing you are serious about customer service. There are going to be those negative reviews that are bogus, and in that case, sometimes the best thing to do is not acknowledge it. We don't always have to have the last word. Bottom line: you need to be monitoring and managing your web presence.
Community involvement
This is probably one of my favorite aspects of being a business owner. I tell people often that our purpose at Universal Collision Center is to make a positive impact on the lives of the people we interact with day in and day out: our customers, our team members and our community. The means for us to do that is in repairing vehicles. I have been a shop owner for fifteen years, and through those years I have had the opportunity to meet some amazing people. I firmly believe where much is given, much is required. That is why we are involved in our community and outside the United States. The same philosophy that I mentioned above, Giver's Gain, applies to your community involvement. Give back! Give back through local schools, through non-profits who are working to better the lives of those in your community. Be a mentor, and participate in local food drives. Offer a discount to your customers if they bring in donations. There are so many ways we can give back to our community. The motivation is not to get more business; however, we have found that to be a direct result because people want to support businesses who are community-focused.
