How to Open a Machine Shop and Get Customers

If you like mechanics and are thinking of working in a workshop or opening your own, from Cronoshare we tell you everything you need to know to work in this sector and set up a mechanical workshop. If you already have a workshop, we tell you how to get new customers for your garage.

Mechanical workshops have also been affected by the crisis. However, the fall has been much smaller than that suffered by car sales.

Even so, it affected the repair, maintenance and overhaul of the cars. That’s why we give you a guide explaining how to make a business plan to open a garage.

Read on to find out how to set up a garage and discover the keys to getting more customers.

Getting customers for garages

Whether you already have a mechanic’s shop or are thinking of opening one, this interests you. We give you a series of tips to get more customers.

Clients

The customers of a machine shop can be summarized as follows:

• Individuals: These come to the mechanic’s shop mainly looking for repair or maintenance services for their private vehicle. They usually live in nearby areas.
• Companies: Companies use the services of the workshop for their fleet of vehicles. They are usually transport companies, commercial companies, distributors, etc. It is important that the workshop opens a gap in this market, as it allows for higher volumes of turnover and income security.
• Brand customers: If the workshop is of one brand, customers of that brand in the area will come looking for the guarantee that the used parts are the original ones.
• Insurance companies: If you collaborate with an insurance company, it will send its policyholders to the workshop, thus increasing the client portfolio.
• Public administration: Through competitions or tenders.

In order to open a garage and attract customers, it is important to get recognition for a job well done, that the customer recommends the garage, and to have experience in the sector. As we have already indicated, consumers tend to come from nearby areas, and they are increasingly demanding quality and guaranteed service.

In order to set up a mechanical workshop, it is important to know the customers, their needs, the reasons why they come to the workshop, the services they request, etc. To this end, the workshop may have a technical file that will help to keep a record of the history of its customers and will serve to offer more personalized services.

Nowadays there are many mechanical workshops, so any detail can make the difference between a customer going to another workshop or remaining faithful to their trusted workshop. Some examples of this are offering promotions, special offers, etc. In other words, try to make your goal to make life easier for customers.

Marketing

Once you have established who they are, you need to see how to attract customers to your garage, and what marketing tools you will use.

Online Marketing

A garage must have a website, a profile on Google Maps and profiles on various social networks. At Cronoshare you can find professional web designers to help you in this task.

When a person is looking for a garage, the most common thing to do is to ask family and friends, or to Google it. From there they will get to the first page that appears in the search engine. That’s why your website should convey confidence, and offer lots of information and advice.

From Cronoshare we give you some tools that you can use to open a machine shop and get customers:

• Inbound Marketing: It’s all about creating a lead capture system. Having a website with forms to capture potential customers in exchange for advice can give many opportunities to your business. If you want to set up an inbound marketing system you must work on your content marketing and email marketing. Here you can find professionals of the web positioning that can help you.
• Web page: The website of your garage should have an integrated blog where you can share all kinds of posts and publications of interest about vehicles and mechanics. In addition, the website should include a link to make an appointment, buttons to access social networks, a page with information about the members of the garage, a list of products that can be purchased for the vehicle, etc.
• Social networks: Social networks are a free way to attract customers. Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp can provide you with great opportunities to connect with customers. At Cronoshare you can also find community managers who specialize in this type of work.
• Ads: To complete the visibility it is essential to have ad campaigns on Google and even Facebook. Ads make your website to be found in the most direct and competitive searches.

Offline Marketing

This type of marketing is just as necessary as online marketing. The same content you generate online can be used in brochures or advertising.

You can make mailing campaigns or collaborate with nearby businesses to advertise your workshop. You can also collaborate on local radio programs or sections in newspapers.