The 5 Best Ways to Communicate to Your Customers

This month, we connected with Ryan Taylor, CEO and founder of BodyShop Booster, to learn his best trigger marketing tips for 2021. If you are a Certified Collision Repair Provider and strive for a great relationship with your community, Ryan’s visionary tips will take your marketing team  to the next level! Ryan got his start in the collision industry as a teenager and has dedicated his career to modernizing the industry through enhanced technology. While Ryan emphasizes “going virtual” with BodyShop Booster’s convenient photo text estimates and ringless voicemail (to assist with 24/7 sales on your shop’s website) he considers great communication an essential part of the collision industry and post-collision process. These are the top 5 ways to communicate with your customers directly and through your marketing materials.

The biggest problem marketers have today is that they focus on the body shop and not the consumer.” — Ryan Taylor, BodyShop Booster

What Is a Human Marketing Trigger?

One of the concepts that Ryan has become known for is his discussion of the marketing triggers rooted into our human psyche. Trigger marketing means sending messages and notifications after an event, to help reach customers throughout their journey. When you connect with a customer that has just experienced a highly stressful auto accident, it’s essential that you help them to feel at ease. Your team can accomplish this through the words that they use to educate your community about the fully documented Certified Repairs that you offer. In addition to broad messages, the specific words that your employees use to describe your business or the service you provide will have a major impact on how your customers view your business.

The Top 5 Consumer Marketing Triggers

Negative words create negative connotations, even if the implication is subtle. Proactively choose positive words that put your customers at ease. Every word that you choose is its own powerful trigger. Below, discover the best way to positively communicate with your customers and focus on confidence, safety, care, knowledge, and more!

1. Instead of FEAR, Focus on CONFIDENCE

Train your technicians to communicate with your customers about the repair process. Ask new and returning customers alike if they have any questions and actively share your credentials as a Certified Repair Provider. Confident body language and a reassuring smile may be all it takes to put an anxious driver at ease. 

Tip: Thinking about a collision can conjure up unpleasant emotions in many people, especially those who have just experienced one while driving. Remember that your collision repair business can restore peace of mind and normalcy to the lives of those who may be fresh from an accident. 

2. Instead of DANGER, Focus on SAFETY

When your customers choose your for their Collision Care needs, they have made an important decision. Every driver wants a safe repair from a qualified Provider and (by insisting on a Certified Repair) they have an easy way to ask for the best repair possible. Let your community know that you prioritize use of factory parts, and have the correct tools, training, and equipment to properly repair their vehicle. This will move their thoughts from the danger of the accident, to the safety of the repair their vehicle received. 

Tip: Remind your customers that a fully documented Certified Repair can help to preserve the fit, finish, functionality, durability, value, and safety of their vehicle.

3. Instead of STRESS, Focus on CALM

Add ease to your customer’s post-collision experience by letting them know that their vehicle is safely in the hands of a Certified Collision Repair Provider. Encourage them to take advantage of your white-glove services, including complimentary pick-up, delivery and rental car arrangements. Also, for in-person customers, make your shop a pleasant place to visit with a clean, well-lit lobby, refreshments, and friendly staff.

Tip: Auto accidents are tough enough before the repair process begins. As a member of the Assured Performance Network, you already know that you offer a “five-star” process. By offering virtual photo estimates or calmly welcoming consumers to your body shop when they may already be dealing with a stressful situation, they are more likely to recommend you to others!

4. Instead of UNCERTAINTY, Focus on KNOWLEDGE

“Speak to the consumer’s experience instead of equipment and technology terms that the consumer may not understand,” says Taylor. “Use emotional words that empathize with them.” This means that you can promote your community’s confidence in your business by talking about their repair journey in simple terms. Avoid industry jargon, which may add confusion, and speak to consumers in terms that anyone can understand.

Tip: Your customers may not know the first thing about a collision repair. For many people, their vehicle is their second-largest investment. Handing every customer a Certificate and fully documented invoicing after their Certified Repair can arm them with a sense of knowledge. 

5. Instead of THE UNKNOWN, Focus on CERTIFICATION

Emphasize the value of fully documented Certified Repair invoicing that gives your customers an easy-to-read final invoice that shows the repair details they care about most, including factory parts use and more!

Tip: At an ordinary body shop, a customer might receive an estimate and not truly understand what was actually completed during the repair. A fully documented Certified Repair invoice from a Certified Collision Care Provider is transparent and easy-to-read, so consumers are confident that they’re not being taken for a ride. (Pun intended.)

The Bottom Line

The most important part of Ryan Taylor’s marketing approach is Empathy. The next time that you communicate with a customer, listen carefully to the words you use to walk them through the collision process. Focus on positive experiences, convenience, safety, and understanding. You may find that in addition to their vehicle, you will also help to repair their peace of mind.

If you’re looking to reach your consumers online and really make an impact in your community, head over to AssuredPerformance.net and log into your ShopOps account. By taking advantage of your ShopOps On Demand Marketing tools, you can download ready-to-use social media posts, trifold brochures, flyers, and more!