Regardless of whether you’re new to auto upholstery or a seasoned pro, if you’re looking to expand your customer base, check out Hotrod & Restoration Magazine’s latest article “Interior Insights: Creating a Plan to Find New Customers”.
In the article, author and trimmer Harry Weimann tells shop owners to stop going about attracting customers haphazardly. Instead, he says, formulate a plan.
I’ve never been a big proponent of the notion that if you open the doors they’ll come. Hoping and wishing isn’t a sound plan, but making a plan is a good way to get started. Your plan should be well thought out and not something you just throw together. To begin, take out a pencil and paper and jot down some thoughts. For example, “If I were to pick my ideal customer, what would they look like and who would they be?”.
The first part of the plan to focus on is what type of trim work you plan to do, the clientele you’re trying to attract and the demographic data of those people, particularly if you’re focusing on a specific age group. This doesn’t mean that as time goes on you can’t change your focus, but this is a good starting point. [more]
Harry continues by encouraging upholstery shop owners to take advantage of both old and new school methods of reaching customers. Among his suggestions – network within your local auto trim community, take advantage of word-of-mouth marketing and learn to use social media.
For more on these subjects and other business tips, check out The Hog Ring‘s “Better Business” articles for auto upholstery shops.
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