Drumming Up Business to Keep a Steady Beat

by Alana Quartuccio

Every business has its ebbs and flows. Sometimes, there is a strong and steady rhythm of work with vehicles booked out for weeks or months, and other times, the beat slows down so much one can practically hear the hush of the wind rolling through the bays.

Just like how a variety of factors can lead to shops being overwhelmed with too much work, several things can contribute to a slowdown. 

 “Consumers are reluctant to file claims due to increased insurance premiums – that’s the number one thing. Number two, ADAS may be doing its job,” observes Mike Anderson (Collision Advice). 

Therefore shops need to be proactive in how they position, differentiate and showcase their offerings so they have several movements drumming up a steady flow of work to their doorstep. 

Marketing is key, but it also comes down to taking a good look at one’s customer base and reevaluating their needs, according to Anderson. 

Shops need to be aware of the image they are putting out there because they could actually be turning customers off. Anderson learned of a situation where a customer didn’t use a shop as it appeared the shop only worked with insurance companies, not consumers.

 “We have to make sure we are not blowing people off by saying we only go through insurance, and make sure consumers know we will take customer pay.

“With consumers paying out of pocket, we need to think about offering financing,” Anderson suggests. “We also have to be sensitive to the fact that when customers do pay out of pocket they may opt to live with certain things. Let’s say their vehicle has bumper damage where the paint is scraped off and the texture is damaged. Maybe they want to live with the damaged texture and just have the bumper painted. We have to be open to things like that.”

David Luehr (Elite Body Shop Solutions) points out that dips in the business do happen regularly. “We hope it’s a short-term dip, but it does happen. Pre-COVID, dips happened every year. It’s not some strange new anomaly.”

Luehr believes one of the root causes of a big dip for some shops is a lack of marketing when they are busy. “It catches up to them and bites them in the you-know-what.” 

Launching a marketing campaign can take about six months to bring about results. The problem with straight up advertising for body shops is that collision repair is an “on-demand business.” Putting a bunch of money into an advertising campaign won’t do much good. “It’s only going to be effective if someone hears it the moment they’ve been in an accident,” states Luehr. So shops need to think long-term strategies. 

“Radio ads can be effective but only in the way that creates name recognition as a long-term strategy,” states Luehr. 

“Marketing is about having customers know who you are before you wreck your vehicle,” insists Anderson. 

“You have to stay consistent with marketing,” shares Kris Burton (Rosslyn Auto Body; Alexandria, VA). “It’s not something you just hop onto and expect to have an immediate return. Once you start, you have to keep at it and give it time to build.”

Being slow doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing because it can actually afford shops the time to pursue marketing angles they otherwise may not have time to explore – these efforts can step in and help them avoid future lulls in the workflow.

“One thing that shops can do when they are slow, which doesn’t cost money, is to maximize their Google business profile,” recommends Micki Woods (Micki Woods Marketing). “It’s something every business has on Google; they can claim their business profile, add photos, make sure the hours of operation and contact information is all correct. That is basically a shop’s digital business card. It doesn’t take a whole lot of time or effort, but it’s super important and highly valuable.” 

As for digital advertising like with Google ads, Woods suggests that shops really need to consult a professional who knows the industry. “Many shops call and tell me Google ads don’t work. It’s not that they don’t work; they just don’t know how to do it right. Working with a professional is the best way for them to see traffic. It can be tracked, so they can see exactly what they are getting from their marketing investments and see the ROI on it, which is fantastic for the shop. That’s the biggest needle mover in our industry for getting leads.”

Shops doing Google ads should be working on search engine optimization (SEO) and trying to get themselves to the top of the Google map listings. 

“You absolutely have to have the ability for a customer to request an estimate or schedule an appointment via your Google Business listing as well as your website,” Anderson concurs. 

Body shops with OEM certifications also have an array of digital resources they should be tapping. Anderson advises,“Check your shop’s listing on this OEM shop locator just to make sure that it’s accurate and that all of the links are working. A lot of times, I’ll go to a link in the OEM shop locator for a shop, click and find it broken. You just can’t assume that all is ok. Go in and just check it.” 

One should also make sure profiles with network management tools like CCC’s Grow My Network or Enterprise’s Entregal are up to date with business insurance, photos of equipment, etc., according to Anderson.

Marketing doesn’t just come in digital forms – grassroots via personal outreach, relationship building and community involvement are all key. 

“There are creative ways to get body shops some work by wearing out the old shoe leather,” says Luehr, who pointed to a page from his days in the body shop in Salem, OR when things were slow. “I had my mom draw up a tri-fold brochure that read ‘Salem’s fleet specialist.’ I went out and drove around the industrial areas, and any time I saw a company that had a bunch of cars that appeared to belong to them, I’d go in and ask to talk to their fleet manager. What I unknowingly did was create something out of air that people wanted. I created a perception that my shop was the only fleet shop in Salem. So, guess who got the business? Me, because I was supposedly a fleet specialist. Fleet work is a great short-term and long-term approach to building up business.”

Burton agrees that building business comes from putting oneself out there and getting involved with the community on the local level. “Create personal relationships with other businesses whether that be the dealership or mechanical shops. Get involved with business owners in networking groups in the community. There’s no one magic bullet or button.”

Luehr agrees that it comes down to the offering. 

“A lot of body shops fail because they are out there selling mediocrity. They don’t have a unique selling proposition (USP) that answers the question of why someone should bring their car to your shop over everyone else in town. It can’t just be because we have great customer service or do high-quality work because everyone says that. Shops have to be super clear on what makes them stand out amongst the mediocre competition.” 

“Shops will want to offer an USP that won’t make a customer ask ‘so what?’” Luehr illustrates.

“There’s nothing like grassroots community efforts,” acknowledges Anderson, who points to many options such as forming relationships with local dealerships to see if one’s shop can have a presence in their service line. 

Luehr concurs, adding that it’s an opportunity to play up a shop’s OEM certifications: “If I was slow right now, I would be at the closest dealership, especially if my shop had certifications, and I’d sit down and do a presentation for their service writers on why my shop is the only shop in town they should send their work to.” 

Anderson points to the opportunities that lie in community outreach like hosting open houses for car clubs. “Springtime is a great time to offer this to get in front of customers,” he says. 

Woods also believes “there is so much value in old school traditional networking.” There are many opportunities that lie within local networking, and shops often make the mistake of not giving it consideration. Shops can reach out to schools, chambers of commerce and other businesses to network with, which can all help refer business to one’s shop.

What about new shops or those who have yet to find a way to market themselves? 

“If they aren’t doing anything, they need to start with the basics, and that’s getting a website and their Google business listing,” Woods suggests, indicating that shops should start with one thing and grow from there. Exploring more in-depth options like AEO (answer engine optimization), a form of digital marketing that uses artificial intelligence (AI) strategies, is not where one wants to start if they have never considered other options before. 

Burton believes it takes a little of everything – digital marketing, social media and grassroots marketing, which he calls the “best bang for your buck.” 

“Find your niche, be good at it and run with it,” Burton recommends.

Want more? Check out the May 2025 issue of Hammer & Dolly!