Market a MOT

[JC1985]

We have recently opened a new MOT station and are looking for an innovative way to market its opening, i have considered the usual discount voucher approach but wanted to do something different to competitors, been a bit of a lurker on here and decided time to sign up and pick your brains!!!

 

[skyhi2]

Are you having an opening,or a

GRAND OPENING​

Skyhi2.

 

[saxondale]

raffle a car.

 

[jane shep]

Hello

This is my first post too

Ideas : -

How much is each customer worth to you and what are you prepared to pay to 'win' that customer?

I service and MOT my vans and cars with the same company - over the course of a year I spend upwards of £1200 with them. How much would you be willing to pay to win that business (obviously repeat on a yearly basis). They do a good job and I'd be more than happy to recommend them - but they've never asked me to!! They've never taken my email address so that they can keep me informed or send me relevant and interesting information - like 5 top tips for ensuring tyre longevity (? or something similar).

My point (I'm coming to it) is that if you offered every person who visited you on your opening day a FREE MOT (usual cost about £60?) would this be an acceptable 'loss' to gain their future business / their details / their friends details?

If so, what I would do is offer a free MOT to everyone who attends your grand opening on condition that they give you their contact details (and perhaps 3 friends - on the day). You then have their permission to contact them - to remind them that their MOT/service is due, send interesting emails or newsletters to help them with the efficiency/maintenance of their car, and remind them to recommend you to their friends (get their details!).

You could also offer a free MOT to a local charity group (minibus ?) - goodwill PR.

Other ideas - you could hire some 'car salesmen' with placards to 'demonstrate' outside your premises on open day - they're losing business because you take such good care of cars.

I'm sure (and I bet you're hoping) that my posts will get shorter as I get the hang of it. Good luck with your opening.

Jane

 

I suspect free MOT's would have you swept off you feet.

Maybe a hugis discount on day one and a big sign saying.

"Everyone who passes our doors passes"

Are you intending to make your money from the MOT side or repairs.?

Earl

 

[sanjiv]

Website with online booking. If you want this setting up, PM me

 

[skyhi2]

I was thinking more of a free pen or tax disc holder.

I`ll get me coat.

Skyhi2.

 

[Claret]

How about approacing companies local to you and offering a discount to anyone from that company?
Clare

 

[Pete Crane]

Concentrate on the basics. People distrust garages and hate the annual MoT, so anything you can do to make it a less painful experience or simpler to understand will win you customers. Just having a waiting room that has been swept out, has clean seating, half decent coffee & papers/ mags and doesn't stink of oil will get you brownie points. Stick a telly in there with BBC News 24 on and customers might even begin to enjoy themselves.

Go round all the local garages and workshops who don't provide MoTs and get them to refer their customers to you. Incentivise them with a fiver for each person who comes along and gives you one of your business cards you left with the workshop. In return, point people to local firms that provide the services you don't - tyres or body repairs for example.

Get the name and address of everyone who comes in and send them a letter 5 weeks before the next MoT is due to remind them. It's an old idea yes, but no-one (or very few anyway) seems to do it anymore.

Give everyone a leaflet before each test that describes what checks you will be doing - there's a huge amount of ignorance about what an MoT actually covers - and after each test to say what services you provide.

 

[oldeagleeye]

GIVE your local rag-sheet 6 MOT vouchers to use as a prize in a competition in return for say a half page spread + and this is important you also get the names & addresses of anyone entering the competion so you can send non winners a £5 discount voucher.

Cost to you is little more than a mornings work in return for which you get a £400- £500 advert and lots of leads.

Robert

 

[Splash_Promo_Matt]

I was thinking more of a free pen or tax disc holder.I`ll get me coat.
Skyhi2.

A very good suggestion - promotional products work really well in this area. If you'd like some ideas of other items that will outlast any advertising campaign then please send me an email, PM or give me a call I'd be only too happy to make some suggestions!

Good luck with the new venture!

Matt

 

[recluze]

list your business in google places... that is a started. then use as many local directory enteries as possible... that should give you good level of coverage and offcourse lots of Leaflets with some good advertising...
Regards,
Terry