As temperatures around the country increase so do the number of mechanical repairs, according to Automotive Service Association member-businesses. Nearly 85 percent of shop owners who responded to ASA's 2001 “How's Your Business?” survey said summer was their busiest time of year.

With summer being the busiest season and Monday being the busiest day of the week, perhaps it's time to consider investing a portion of the near $15,000 in annual advertising in the retention of new summer customers.

With greater than 90 percent of mechanical repair businesses using some form of advertising, focusing advertising dollars on new customer or walk-in customer retention is bound to generate an increase in revenue.

Currently, the most highly utilized advertising medium for mechanical repair businesses that requires directly spending money is the Yellow Pages, followed by direct mail. This relationship of getting new customers into the shop and then reminding them of your presence is one way to increase your customer base.

The other way is through the cost-free form of advertising - word of mouth. The key to word-of-mouth advertising is proper repair and extraordinary customer service.

ASA's Information Center has a large number of customer service articles available within the Members Only section of the Web site (www.asashop.org), or you can phone Denise Caspersen, ASA's research management specialist, at (800) 272-7467, ext. 236, for customer service articles and other marketing articles.

Stat Corner is written by Denise Caspersen, ASA's research management specialist. She can be reached at (800) 272-7467, ext. 236.

RATE THIS ARTICLE What do you think of this article? Your input will help AutoInc. develop additional articles on this subject. Share your thoughts! Your name Your e-mail address

MOST ACCESSED ARTICLES Fuel Injection Service, Not Just Cleaning The Art of Extraction EGR Systems: Operation and Diagnosis Proactive Target Marketing:_Rethinking Your Business Strategy Engine Performance: HO2S Diagnostics MOST E-MAILED ARTICLES Developing Employee Potential How Critical Thinking Can Help Your Business How to Diagnose the Ford Glow Plug What to Look for When Shopping for the Right Shop Management Software Putting a Price Tag on Complaints

AutoInc. Web Site | ASA Web Site | Stolen Auto Parts Program Proposed | Competing Technologies for Power, Precision and the Wireless service Bay | Information Availability: A Collision Repairer's Crisis | You Can't Feed Them If You Don't Know Them | ASA's 2002 Annual Convention | Guest Editorial | Tech to Tech | Tech Tips | Shop Profile | Net Worth | Stat Corner | Chairman's Message