How LocalSearch Helped Redhawk Auto Increase Sales
What does it take to turn around an auto repair shop that is not operating at peak performance? Well, there’s no single answer, but there are some pretty simple and basic strategies that can help.
Tom Grady, owner of Redhawk Auto Service in Temecula, California (and a valued Mitchell 1 customer), used four simple strategies to increase sales by more than 400 percent from $25,000 per month when he first acquired the 2,000-square-foot shop to a current annual total of $1.5 million.
He shared his success story with Ratchet + Wrench Magazine, including the top four things he did to dramatically increase sales and profits at his shop. Here they are:
1) Leverage Previous Experience
2) Hire Better People
3) Implement Solid Marketing
4) Build Relationships with Customers
You can read the full article on the Ratchet + Wrench website — Turning a Shop Around — but let’s take a closer look here at what Tom is doing with shop marketing. He has put a lot of focus on the shop’s internet presence and how he is using the SocialCRM LocalSearch service to get such outstanding results. Here’s an excerpt from the article:
Implement Solid Marketing
Marketing also became an essential part of Redhawk’s new approach. This was primarily done by increasing the shop’s Internet presence. Grady utilized CRM (customer relationship management) software to help manage online interactions and reviews. SEO (search engine optimization) is also a key part of how new customers are reached.
Redhawk encourages customers to leave reviews by utilizing the LocalSearch tool from Mitchell 1, a popular auto repair software. LocalSearch directly sends a text message to a customer and provides them easy access to sites like Google and Yelp, where they can leave a review. Currently, Redhawk has over 1,300 reviews on SureCritic, an auto review site, with 85 percent giving a five-star rating.
Mitchell 1 also provides a (CRM) software. This is used to manage the Redhawk website and its SEO, and Google AdWords.
Programs like the ones from Mitchell 1 and Mudlick Mail, a direct mail service, have helped Grady to saturate the market and continue to grow their customer base. This proved to be an essential way of generating web traffic, both when Grady first started and now.
Emphasizing that Redhawk is family owned has been a key angle of the shop’s online marketing. There are four tire chains with locations surrounding Redhawk, providing the shop with a profitable contrast.
It’s really gratifying to hear about Tom’s success and to know that Mitchell 1 is helping him achieve the results he needs to keep the shop moving in the right direction.
Click below to read the full article and get all of Tom’s secrets of how he successfully turned around the shop’s performance.
