How to Thrive in Retail After Automotive Parts Training
The Canadian auto parts market is a multibillion-dollar industry, and skilled technicians pursuing a career in this field will find it very lucrative. On the flip side, it is also highly competitive. People in entry-level positions typically need to work harder than most to make inroads in the industry.
Having said that, your training as an automotive parts specialist already offers you a significant advantage by providing a sturdy platform you can build. To succeed as a parts specialist in an automotive shop, you’ll need to learn and apply the strategies outlined in this guide.
Build Solid Relationships With Customers
An auto dealership’s customers are its most valuable resources, and you should prioritize building meaningful relationships with them. In your early days, you may need to rely on word-of-mouth referrals to gain credibility in your position. One of the best ways to build the trust and loyalty of customers is by providing excellent, valuable, and personalized customer service.
Position yourself, and by extension, the auto dealership as an authority in the automotive niche by answering customers’ queries and offering helpful and actionable auto tips. Of course, you’ll need to have a vast knowledge base if you’re going to pull this off. You can only come about this through unrelenting research and keeping up to date with current industry trends. Remember to maintain a friendly, professional, and efficient manner while dealing with customers.
Leverage Online Marketing Channels
Globalization (along with the internet) is de-emphasizing traditional marketing and all its methods. These days, businesses without an online presence find themselves at risk of getting left behind. Besides, the global online automotive parts market and its myriad of opportunities for people in auto careers should serve as enough motivation to tap into online marketing.
If you think the automotive business has the resources to swing it, suggest creating a website for the business. It’s a way to connect with potential customers from all over the world who are already looking for the solution the auto dealership shop provides. A website will be invaluable for keeping track of customers’ orders, reviewing body shop estimates, staying on top of pricing, and much more.
At the very least, an e-commerce website for the auto shop will save you from having to answer long, constant phone calls. Customers can often find any information they require and seamlessly order parts on the website.
Update Stock and Inventory Regularly
Customers can only deal with so many out-of-stock signs before they subconsciously begin to discount your auto parts shop as an option. Once you’ve established a solid customer base, you should strive to keep the business’s reputation intact by keeping the most in-demand products close at hand.
This would require keeping a close eye on sales and regularly monitoring inventory. You may ask customers which products they buy most often and which products they buy from other dealers. You should also keep track of new products and product updates and try to gauge customers’ reactions to them. Use these insights to guide important decisions regarding your inventory.
Maintain a Good Pricing Strategy
Stock pricing is one of the things you learn during auto parts training, and this knowledge will come in handy when you’re working as a parts specialist in an auto parts retail business. Due to the industry’s competitiveness, you’ll need to ensure that prices are regularly updated, or you risk the business losing money and potentially getting usurped by the competition.
Before deciding on a pricing strategy, consult market data and research other auto dealerships and parts retailers. Maintaining a fair and logical pricing strategy will typically be enough to keep your customers satisfied.
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