Every organization looks for competitive advantages and ways to control costs. Businesses, churches, schools and all types of organizations have members that need their vehicles serviced. Securing business with organizations and their members can be a valuable source of volume business. Incentives and benefits can be offered to attract and retain customers and promotion will take place through the relationship with the organization and its members. Customer acquisition and retention costs can be lowered through these types of relationships. In the end the customer is a consumer but they’re dealt with through the organization so the principles of business to business relationships and business to consumer relationships both apply. Following are tips on providing service to organizations and their members:
- Market Group Services to the Organization – Marketing to members done through the organization will bring the best results. Benefits can be offered to both the organization and its members establishing a win-win situation.
- Offer Incentives to the Members – Establishing a special offering for members of an organization will encourage them to have their vehicles serviced by the auto repair shop. This benefit will naturally be promoted to other members through word of mouth.
- Offer Incentives to the Organization –Offering incentives to an organization to endorse the auto repair shop will benefit the organization in that they will have reduced vehicle repair costs. Being able to offer favorable auto repair rates to the members of the organization will be viewed as a benefit to organization members.
- Provide Pick Up and Delivery Service – One of the most time consuming aspects of vehicle repair from the customer perspective is exchanging the vehicle with the shop. When offering vehicle repair through organizations such as a neighboring business, not only is pickup and delivery service attractive to the customer it’s a way of advertising through visibility at the business location.
- Be Cognizant of Organizational Impact – The business or organization will be in favor of a relationship that provides benefits to itself and its members as long as there aren’t any significant negative side effects. Conducting business with employees when they’re supposed to be working will not have a positive effect on the relationship.
- Monitor Program Effectiveness – The objective of providing benefits to a group is to gain the opportunity to perform all required services on member vehicles. Checks should be made to ascertain whether or not services are being performed elsewhere in order to assess the viability of the relationship.
- Measure Relationship Profitability – Since incentives are being offered to attract and retain business it’s important to measure profitability of the relationship as a whole. Adjustments may need to be made to the incentives to ensure profitability.
